RT

I've read a few threads in the past, and even a couple of articles in random papers, but tonight (1:00 a.m.) it happened to me. WTF, man? I wasn't hit, but the dart whizzed by my face. The adrenaline fueled the balance of the ride home.

In case any of you local to Colorado Springs are reading, be careful out there. It was a silver/grey Acura, happened too quickly to get plates. Police are aware.

Artkansas 

Hope they catch the guy.

Blow-darts are new to me, but I've been shot with a pellet gun by a passenger in a truck.

khutch

Pellet guns seem to be the weapon of choice for these idiots in the Chicago area too. I know one person who was shot with one and another person who's son was shot. You know I have always enjoyed shooting and years ago I switched from normal firearms to pellet guns because the challenge is the same and the power and expense of a firearm is wasted when all you are doing is punching holes in paper targets. I thought I was doing the world a favor by not owning firearms I didn't need and now idiots like this have spawned a national movement to ban pellet guns entirely. Human beings are so stupid, how on Earth did we ever become the dominant species?

Ken

xtrajack

Exacly... I have wondered the same thing many times.

JeremyZ

Wow, this is an all new low for America. Kids shooting cyclists because they can't defend themselves and they think it is funny.

I can only hope that when the police catch these guys, they drop the hammer on them HARD and publish it in the news. If they made a news spot on the nightly news, so that other motorists (who have ability to give chase & alert the cops of the location) are aware, that would do more good than alerting us.

RT

I weep for the future. Seems every day there's a clear indication that society is swirling down the toilet. I consider myself hyper-vigilant. Yesterday I was almost hit by a speeding motorist coming around a blind corner, and then the blow dart. No matter how careful I am, the rate at which others become more dangerous balances it out.

EDIT: Jeremy, that is precisely why I called the cops even though it was 20 minutes later. I think I'll call the news as well - couldn't hurt.

Loose Chain

I am getting a jersey with "GLOCK" and "40S&W" on the back.

If society wants to collapse that is fine but I am not going along for the ride. I find the possibility of return fire is a great deterrent as is the funny hump on my back which is clearly visible.

Cyclaholic

These idiots are SHOOTING at you! The answer seems obvious to me. Get a gun (a real gun) and shoot back.... anything in 9mm semi-auto or bigger, with a high capacity clip.

It will only take one mainstream news report featuring a cyclists sending one of these idiots to the morgue to let the rest know that there's real potential consequences for their actions.... Maybe even the bottle/trash/whatever throwers and road-ragers might start to think twice when they realize the cost of their stupidity might get them shot dead.

This might not go down well on a forum as liberal as this one, but you guys have the 2nd amendment on your side... if an armed society is a polite society and you want those cagers to be a little more polite then organize a few open-carry group rides. I bet that would be enough to open a few cager's eyes and maybe influence some attitudes.

Cyclaholic

See, that's what I'm talking about.... If I lived in the USA (or if open carry was legal here) I'd ride with a jersey that read across the back "That's a S&W 9mm, be polite" with an arrow pointing to my right hip, right where the holster is. Heck, I'm a clydesdale anyhow, I'd pack a nice shiny nickle plated D'eagle .50 with laser scope. Just the act of messing with me would be prima face evidence of mental instability.

JeremyZ

It is well and fine to fantasize about returning fire. But it would make matters worse:

1) We're only allowed to use guns for self defense. If the guy had already shot at me and was driving away as I shot back, I'm not using it in self defense any more. Not only would I have a pellet (or blow dart) in my body, but I'd go to jail too. Nice!

2) Shooting someone with a firearm after being being hit with a dart or pellet is not self defense either.

3) This is something a lot of folks don't think about, but we gun owners do: What happens to the bullet if we miss, or when it continues on through the first few things it hits? Wouldn't you feel bad if you hit someone else down the road after trying to shoot someone who hit you with a pellet?

If you want to retaliate, the best thing to do is get the helmet cam, get the plate, call the police, and have your revenge with the assistance of a lawyer. That is how we fight nowadays, and it can be much more painful than a pellet in the butt.

The thing that scares me is the idea that I could be killled or crippled if a pellet or dart hit me in the spine, neck, eye, etc.

Cyclaholic

Jeremy, if you don't mind saying, do you open carry on the bike?

cyclezealot

Ive read of it before in California. Not funny. It would be assault with a deadly weapon.. WTF.. Did we get a boat load of tribesmen from jungle somewhere.. Or just today's urban life. Keep us updated Todd.. Where did this happen. In the city, suburbs, where. A place you normally feel safe or not. ?

Seattle Forrest

There have been dart or blow gun "pranks" in Seattle, too, around Ballard. A cyclist friend was telling me someone on a bike was hit by a tranquilizer gun, and I'm guessing that's the rumor mill.

It's an urban jungle, and the lions have been replaced by knuckle-dragging troglodytes. ( No offense to the chimpanzees! )

undisputed83

I had someone throw a McDonalds bag full of trash at me while cruising at a speed of 27-28mph... I was going down a long gradual hill... and I see it go by the front of my face in what seemed like slow motion. They wasn't smart because there was a light a little ways ahead... but they lucked out when it went green when I was 60-70 feet from their vehicle.

I have this problem where I go into a rage when something like that happens. Especially if it's out of disrespect. There was a good chance somebody was going to get hurt had that light stayed red for another eight seconds.

JeremyZ

No, I don't carry at all. In their infinite wisdom, our state legislature has made it illegal to exercise our 2nd Amendment rights in Illinois. (either open or concealed carry) >

Seattle Forrest

There's currently one going on in Michigan.

I don't think it will make drivers much more polite, though. First, because they know you aren't actually going to shoot them just because they passed you in an unsafe manner. ( I'm thinking about the every day problems we face as cyclists, not the dart gun people most of us will never run into. ) And second, I don't think most drivers even realize how stupid and dangerous much of their behavior is in the first place. Still, part of me wants to see it happen in areas where there's more antagonism between drivers and cyclists, and hopes I'm wrong.

genec

That should read "CERTAIN human beings are so stupid... "

The fact is that there is a bell curve, and some fall on one side, and some on the other side. Fortunately, those that fall on the "dumb side" are often victims of the Darwin theory. Unfortunately, some don't.

mijome07

I miss the dinosaurs.

genec

Too bad they didn't have bicycles.

SlimAgainSoon

Not to encourage this kind of thing, but just curious ... could someone fire off a handgun, say, a .38, while riding a bike, and remain upright and traveling in a straight line?

gholt

I think the movies make this look too easy. Firing a handgun at a target with both hands and staying steady takes some practice. I don't think this would be too easy on a bike especially afte the gun kicks.

JeremyZ

It would not be a problem, one-handed. Even two-handed would be doable.

khutch

It is not just cyclists who are the targets. The two individuals I know of who were hit were boarding buses at the time they were hit. This stupidity does not discriminate against cyclists, just intelligence and civility.

The more I read of human history the less I am willing to admit to any exceptions to the implausibility of our species' world domination.

There is no need to miss the dinosaurs, they are alive and well and living among us. It is just that the only ones left have feathers and beaks! T-Rex is gone but then if you knew him would you really miss him?

Ken

thorsteno

What about alligators and crocs khutch?

Toddorado, that is bad news. I hope to not meet the jerks. I'll be writing every silver acura plate number now.

idiotekniQues

quite simply, people suck. it's just an obscene thing to do.