Driving to Florida soon from Ontario, worried and scared

[Gumbo4x4]

I have no idea of the validity of the findings, but a quick Google search shows over 40% of American households own guns. Canada's population is also 1/10 of the US population.

Personally, I believe s lot of American gun owners are dishonest about such polls, so you'll see a variety of stats. 31% is the number the Brady group uses. I don't know what the smaller population has to do with anything. If 1 in 4 households has a gun, the point is it's not terribly uncommon.

 

[kimblebee]

Personally, I believe s lot of American gun owners are dishonest about such polls, so you'll see a variety of stats. 31% is the number the Brady group uses. I don't know what the smaller population has to do with anything. If 1 in 4 households has a gun, the point is it's not terribly uncommon.

Even if your numbers are valid, there aren't stories coming out of Canada almost every day about mass shootings and violence like there is from the US.

 

[Madame]

Personally, I believe s lot of American gun owners are dishonest about such polls, so you'll see a variety of stats. 31% is the number the Brady group uses. I don't know what the smaller population has to do with anything. If 1 in 4 households has a gun, the point is it's not terribly uncommon.

I mentionned the population disparity because that's a whole lot more guns in a country that's geographically smaller = higher chance of coming into contact with one.

Also, the stats only reflect registered owners I assume, so factoring in illegal ownership would inflate that chance. That's all. The stats you posted could be scewed/interpreted to mean that the same number of guns are found in both countries & this is simply not the case, especially when broken down into handguns & long guns. The vast majority of Canadian gun owners have long guns for primarily hunting purposes.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have no idea of the validity of the findings, but a quick Google search shows over 40% of American households own guns. Canada's population is also 1/10 of the US population.

I would keep in mind those results include many more remote places, where it is pretty much a necessity to have a gun. Saying 40% of Americans own guns isn't the whole picture. And also, what percentage of those guns are hunting, and what percentage are for personal protection?

OP--I would stop watching the news. They always show the worst, and sensationalize it. That is what grabs people's attention. That is what makes people watch tv. It is no where near what you have heard. I would not be scared AT ALL to make the drive to Florida.

 

[kimblebee]

I mentionned the population disparity because that's a whole lot more guns in a country that's geographically smaller = higher chance of coming into contact with one.

Also, the stats only reflect registered owners I assume, so factoring in illegal ownership would inflate that chance. That's all. The stats you posted could be scewed/interpreted to mean that the same number of guns are found in both countries & this is simply not the case, especially when broken down into handguns & long guns. The vast majority of Canadian gun owners have long guns for primarily hunting purposes.

That's what I was coming here to say. Most of those guns are probably hunting rifles. I would bet a lot too, that statistically, we have way fewer unregistered guns too.

 

[PopSugar]

OP-my tip-try not to go thru big cities at rush hour 4-6

 

[maxiesmom]

I mentionned the population disparity because that's a whole lot more guns in a country that's geographically smaller = higher chance of coming into contact with one.

But isn't it also true that the vast majority of Canadians live in a very small portion of the country? Which would mean you have a higher chance of coming into contact with a gun in Canada than the US.

 

[Madame]

But isn't it also true that the vast majority of Canadians live in a very small portion of the country? Which would mean you have a higher chance of coming into contact with a gun in Canada than the US.

We do! 90% of our population is located towards the US border, but still more spread out with less urban centres where gun violence is more likely to occur.

I'm not pro nor anti on this issue & am not trying to provoke argument. I have several students out each year for hunting trips. It's very common here.

I took issue with the statement that things are not all THAT different regarding guns on either side of the border. The US population is larger & has more urban centres, naturally there are more guns which in my opinion makes it more likely that you'd encounter guns/ gun violence.

 

[pat fan]

My two son's (both 36) and I will be driving to Florida from Ontario, Canada in Oct. After reading, listening and watching the news I am worried and scared about driving through the States. Going down on I75 and coming back along I77 and I79. With no gas in parts of Georgia, and all the violence going on is scaring me. With all the negativity all around I am worried that we might come upon it. With all the guns and people shooting and getting shot, it seems like it is a war zone. I realize that not all the States are like that but some of the areas that we will have to travel through have or are having a lot of trouble.

The United States is definitely NOT a war zone. You will be fine. Use the same caution you would at home. Stay in reputable hotels, get your gas at well lit rest areas on the highway (if there are still shortages due to that pipeline accident, just fill up before you get there) and have a good time Oh, and avoid Starbucks, the coffee is gross. If there's a Dunkin' Donuts, get it there. America runs on Dunkin's!

I would bring a current road atlas as well. GPS sometimes can be unreliable, and nothing beats having a map on hand when you need it.

 

[potterfanatic]

My two son's (both 36) and I will be driving to Florida from Ontario, Canada in Oct. After reading, listening and watching the news I am worried and scared about driving through the States. Going down on I75 and coming back along I77 and I79. With no gas in parts of Georgia, and all the violence going on is scaring me. With all the negativity all around I am worried that we might come upon it. With all the guns and people shooting and getting shot, it seems like it is a war zone. I realize that not all the States are like that but some of the areas that we will have to travel through have or are having a lot of trouble.

We can't afford to fly the 3 of us down to Florida so that is out. Is it really that bad? Some of the information I am getting is from people that actually live in some of the States that we are going through, so not all information is from the news.

While I agree with PPs that there really is nothing to worry about, I understand that anxiety is no joke. I have found fantastic flight prices to Orlando from both Plattsburgh, NY (on Allegiant) and Albany, NY (via JetBlue) in the past, spending less than $200 round trip per person. This would save you from driving through the south, and may actually save you money depending on if you are going to be staying in hotels on the way down. It might be worth it to check into it if you are really worried.

 

[Kirby]

tigercat, you will be fine. When ever I travel drive to another part of the country I always scout out my routes. Google is a good friend, so is TripAdvisor. Tentatively figure where you might stop for the evening and go to the forums on TripAdvisor for that area. You can get a lot of good information there for the better part of cities that you might spend the night in. Also, keep an eye on your gas tank. Fill up when it's half full. That way if you should happen to hit a stretch where there is no gas to buy then you'll still have half a tank to get to an area that will. Drive safe and enjoy the scenery. Don't worry, you'll have a great trip!

 

[Jdbsfw]

I've spent many days and nights in rural Texas, I've never been attacked by a large, chainsaw wielding canibal that wore the skin of his victims as a mask....You'll be fine, probably.

 

[pat fan]

ven if your numbers are valid, there aren't stories coming out of Canada almost every day about mass shootings and violence like there is from the US.

Talk about exaggeration

 

[kimblebee]

Talk about exaggeration

What part is an exaggeration?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

 

[DisneyOma]

I have a friend in Georgia. They have been out of gas for their cars, the gas stations have been out. It was heard first hand from someone who lives there. Also, we will be going through Charlotte which is having riots now. I have driven this route several times but not in the last couple of years. This is the first time I have been worried because of all the stuff that has been going on in the States in the last year.


tigercat

If those are issues, change your route. Don't go through Charlotte. Get gas before you get to Georgia. Easy peasy.

 

[jevs]

Given how many Americans refuse to set foot near any part of Mexico at all based on media reports of violence---and knowing how unlikely a normal person is to run into it unless in a border town, I doubt it is a joke. There are offical warning about visiting the states in some countries now. Seems silly when you live there and KNOW it is localized and not that hard to avoid---but media can make it seem so mcuh more prevelant than it is.

Australia still has the exercise normal caution statement, and they're usually a little gung-ho with warning us away from countries. They do have an added alert on Charlotte though.

OP, I understand some of your concerns, not so much the guns and riots, but moreso people planting bombs. But as it was pointed out to me recently, that could happen anywhere.

Stay away from the media, check out your Gov travel advice page, and enjoy your trip

 

[georgina]

Talk about exaggeration

According to one CNN article I found, if you define mass shootings as ones in which 4 or more people are wounded or killed, there were 136 mass shootings in the first 164 days of 2016. Pretty close to daily. Someone unthread said seeing guns on people is normal for Americans. It is not for me!

 

[Bluestars]

I can see how someone from another country could be concerned about visiting the US after seeing some of the media footage with all of the violent protests. The good thing is that these incidents are extremely isolated and will blow over. Other incidents will crop up in different areas from time to time, but they will blow over too. When traveling, I would avoid the protest areas, stop for gas in the day time, and make sure my cell phone was charged in case of an emergency. That's pretty much it. I was robbed once while driving alone and getting gas at night, so I never did that again.

 

[SirDuff]

I have no idea of the validity of the findings, but a quick Google search shows over 40% of American households own guns. Canada's population is also 1/10 of the US population.

Interestingly, an article out this week said that 22% of Americans have a gun (which is different than households). However, it estimated that 50% of the guns in the US are owned by 3% of the population - a VERY, VERY uneven distribution of guns across the US. If that is true and if the estimate for the number of guns in the US is accruate (both massive ifs) then, on average, that 3% of the population own 17 guns each.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-percent-of-adults-own-half-of-americas-guns/

I say interestingly just because of the timing. Even the authors say that they cannot say if the large concentration of guns in some households makes things safer or more dangerous.

According to the Canadian government (so, take with a rather large grain of salt - even they admit that the measurement is hard), 95% of guns owned by Canadians are long guns (I have no idea if that supports or contradicts the suggestion that most guns in Canada are for hunting as I am clueless about guns).

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/jsp-sjp/wd98_4-dt98_4/p2.html#a26