Moving to Savannah. Should I Buy a Gun? (Forsyth, Isle of Hope: low income, 2013)

[VBSC]

S**T!!! Now i'm really scared!!! i was hoping that the replies on here would alleviate some of my worries, but now i'm even more freaked out!!!

I can't live anywhere else. i have already signed a lease. i start moving this weekend. CRAP!!!

I'm not opposed to having a gun (my brother works for the NRA for pete's sake). but i am worried about a criminal taking it from me and using it against me. that's why i don't already own one. that and i'm a very deep sleeper, so how much good does a loaded gun do me if i don't wake up until it's too late to grab it?

I do like the shotgun idea. And the golf club idea. And the knife idea. So thanks for those, guys. I'm definitely in the "shoot first, ask questions later" camp. all bets are off as soon as you enter my home uninvited, as far as i'm concerned.

Maybe i could put up one of those signs in the window: "this property protected by smith & wesson". or would that just make me an even bigger target?? I want to laugh at the irony of that, but i can't.

Maybe i could buy a gun and sit on my front porch and clean it every day. :}

Question for Al: what did your friend do in the front yard in San Diego? I am not understanding that part of your comment.

and yes, Padgett, i do like to run. But only in daylight hours! Usually just on Saturday mornings! aw, shucks, that's so sweet you remember me. *blush*

Looks like i might think about going to get a knife or a baseball bat. Sounds like i need something. thanks, everyone. wish me luck. hopefully i won't be a statistic.....

[ellie]

You'll survive.

It stinks though, you probably couldn't have found a less desirable location if you tried. However, odds are good that you'll eventually meet and probably like most of your neighbors. They won't be the problems, it will be those random folks with no vested interest in living there who will annoy you most.

But look on the bright side, we have another regular poster who's trying hard to outdo you. She's planning to buy.

[gaflsc]

Why move to an area you don't feel safe in? Seriously?

[Padgett2]

Random things could happen to you no matter where you happen to live. That's life. It's sometimes ugly. Sorry you got stuck in a lease, but it might work out just fine.

Chances are you will be ok. I really think a gun would be useless. They won't be afraid, because they don't think you will shoot to kill. And if they know you have one, it would be tempting to break in to steal it.

Get a Post Office box so you won't have mail delivered to your door.

And forget about running in that area. The usual running costume is asking for trouble.

Once you get in town, start looking for an area where you will be more comfortable. You want to enjoy life, and not be afraid.

[Just Plain Al]

"Question for Al: what did your friend do in the front yard in San Diego? I am not understanding that part of your comment."

He went out the first night and fired two rounds from his twelve into the lawn. To make sure the night stalkers knew he was, hmmm...serious?
He did the same thing the next morning to make sure that the ones that were out all night, and were now home, got the same message.
I don't now advocate what he did, but it seemed to work for him.
But back then violence was an every day part of my life.

[Just Plain Al]

Originally Posted by gaflsc

Why move to an area you don't feel safe in? Seriously?

Sounds like she's locked in for a period of time?
But there are ways to terminate a lease...
Trust me on that.

[VBSC]

Thank you, everyone for your honest replies. Crime can happen anywhere. There is no 100% safe place. there was a violent robbery on jones st. within the past month, i think. (If you go to the savnnh police dept website, they have an interactive crime map. it's pretty cool. very informative.) and last night, someone broke into my neighbor's car -- and i've lived at my current place for 2 years and feel 100% safe! crime is just a fact of life, unfortunately. i just called my landlord and asked if i could install some motion detection lights and he said that would be fine. so that is good to hear. i'm also going to get a cop to come by and talk to me about how to make my house safer. it's a free service from the police dept. I am going to give it a few weeks, see how i feel about it, and if i'm not feeling ok living in that house, i will break the lease and leave. life's too short. and again, i'm really just mostly concerned about the first 3 weeks. after that, i won't be alone in the place and i'll feel a lot safer. and i'll probably go visit my boyf on the weekends anyway. in the meantime, i am going to try and borrow my friend's big, scary dog that likes to bite people. i'm willing to get a dog bite if it means i'm not raped or killed in the middle of the night. while i'm on this topic, should i have moved a little farther north? west? somewhere other than downtown? at least i can know for next time, right? i'd love to stay in downtown, but maybe i'm just being stupid. thanks in advance.

[ellie]

Living downtown is wonderful. You just picked a bad location on the edge. Dunno how you managed to do that, but congrats.

Yes, look for a place closer to the center of downtown, a few blocks north and closer to the park next time you're looking. For the meantime, hang tough, walk the dog, keep your eyes open, and have the police on speed dial.

I'm probably more angry at your landlord. He/she should have recognized the fact you're not used to the area.

[gentlearts]

Hate to rain on your parade, but my DIL just graduated from Savannah Police academy and was assigned to a district which is bordered by E Broad, and she said it was about the worst district there is. She thinks she'll get a lot of experience there, but I hope it's not with you.

[skyegirl]

Originally Posted by VBSC

Thank you, everyone for your honest replies. Crime can happen anywhere. There is no 100% safe place. there was a violent robbery on jones st. within the past month, i think. (If you go to the savnnh police dept website, they have an interactive crime map. it's pretty cool. very informative.) and last night, someone broke into my neighbor's car -- and i've lived at my current place for 2 years and feel 100% safe! crime is just a fact of life, unfortunately. i just called my landlord and asked if i could install some motion detection lights and he said that would be fine. so that is good to hear. i'm also going to get a cop to come by and talk to me about how to make my house safer. it's a free service from the police dept. I am going to give it a few weeks, see how i feel about it, and if i'm not feeling ok living in that house, i will break the lease and leave. life's too short. and again, i'm really just mostly concerned about the first 3 weeks. after that, i won't be alone in the place and i'll feel a lot safer. and i'll probably go visit my boyf on the weekends anyway. in the meantime, i am going to try and borrow my friend's big, scary dog that likes to bite people. i'm willing to get a dog bite if it means i'm not raped or killed in the middle of the night. while i'm on this topic, should i have moved a little farther north? west? somewhere other than downtown? at least i can know for next time, right? i'd love to stay in downtown, but maybe i'm just being stupid. thanks in advance.

With all due respect, you are on citydata for crying out loud, why in the world didn't you ask about this location BEFORE you signed a lease? None of this makes any sense. I suppose I would get out of the lease one way or another and move to a better area. Good luck