How far would you go to defend yourself while riding your bike? Would you install big red flags off your back rack to make sure drivers give you safe space while passing? Would you mount dozens of high-powered lights on your bike? Would you wear a jersey that says, ‘Armed Cyclist’? Would you carry a gun so they know it’s not a hollow threat?
On the way back from a family vacation in Montana on Monday, I looked up and saw a guy doing all three while riding on the shoulder of Interstate 90 just east of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The multiple flashing lights raised my eyebrows right away. As we zoomed closer, I grabbed my camera and snapped off a few frames from the passenger seat of our minivan. When I looked at the images, I was amazed at what I saw. This guy was not messing around. His purple Co-Motion road bike (which was made in Eugene by the way), was cluttered with electric wires, computer displays, lights, and other adornments. His waist had several packages strapped to it, one of which I assume held the gun he so proudly advertised on his jersey.
When I posted the photos of him on Twitter, several folks recognized this as Florida man James Whelan, aka the “Armed Cyclist.” He’s a minor celebrity for his YouTube channel and Instagram account where he shares videos of his interactions with police. Turns out a lot of drivers are uncomfortable with his set-up and he tends to get pulled over by cops responding to their complaints. In one of the videos I watched, Whelan outsmarts two officers and simply rides away from them mid-questioning. The way Whelan sees it, he’s doing nothing wrong. He has a right to carry a gun and he isn’t required to explain himself to police if they can’t produce any legitimate reason to hold him.
I don’t take the same steps Whelan does to stay safe out there, but I totally understand where he’s coming from.
In Oregon, the law that governs transport of a firearm in a vehicle is covered under ORS 166.250. Unfortunately the language doesn’t refer to bicycles specifically. Therefore we might be able to assume that “vehicle” also applies to a bicycle. However, since bicycles don’t have a “locked glove compartment” or “center console”, we’ll have to assume that a pouch on your hip would suffice as “other container.” All this being said, it appears that the transport of a gun on a bicycle is yet another legal grey area for cycling Oregonians. If any legal experts out there can shed light, please weigh in.
Just fantastic!! Just goes to show how inclusive cycling can be, it really is for everyone who can.
Because Oregon is an open carry state, the City of Portland, requires a concealed weapons permit to carry bullets.
So, it doesn’t really matter if you carry a firearm on a bike or in a car, just make sure you have a concealed weapons permit if you are within arms reach of any bullets!
I call it the Chris Rock law…
That’s a good point because it would be pretty useless to carry an empty firearm
Another unconstitutional law!
Carrying for grizzly bears is not uncommon in rural Montana. Sad fact is that on many of our roads, cars are a lot more dangerous than grizzly bears.
“Carrying for grizzly bears”
not following your prepositional choice here.
I believe he’s referencing the right to bear arms, specifically grizzly bear arms. Apparently some grizzly bears aren’t aware that they’re already scary enough even if they’re not carrying.
The specific Montana regulation that allows grizzlies to carry is known as the Bear Clause.
Many grizzlies carry because people like to exercise their 2nd amendment right to arm bears.
rob: ‘cars’ by themselves are not a roadway safety problem, it is their operators, etc.
Earlier this spring I shared some miles with a fellow cyclist on a gravel ride in Yamhill county with a chest mount that carried his hand gun. He said he was from Tigard, and that he always carried when riding solo in the county. First time experiencing an armed cyclist for me.
Not me, but I can relate. Most of my rides are solo and depending on where I’m riding I’ll sometimes bring a compact polymer-body pistol. I’ve thankfully never had to draw it, but could easily see a situation with wildlife, dogs, or humans escalating to a point that I’d need to.
Riding in groups brings a sense of complacency and it’s easy to take for granted. All the GPS trackers, cameras and whatnot won’t save you in the moment.
Where are you riding where you could easily see situations with dogs or wildlife escalating to the point you’d need to use a gun?
In the woods of Washington I’ve frequently come across black bears and cougars. Plenty of people take dogs in the woods that shouldn’t be off leash due to their aggressiveness, yet here we are. A solo mountain biker was stabbed (yes, stabbed with a knife) by a group of hikers outside of Bellingham a couple years ago. He had to be life-flighted to Seattle.
I was riding near Salem and saw a other cyclist accosted by an off leash dog. And that was on a group ride, and then there was this:
https://bikeportland.org/2022/02/23/couple-attacked-by-dog-on-rural-multnomah-county-road-are-just-latest-victims-348929
You know, dangerous dogs can and are euthanized by the state in situations like that.
When interesting Oregon law is if a dog attacks livestock, that dog will usually be immediately put down by animal control and a farmer has the full legal right to shoot and kill a dog that does that.
It’s interesting that the bar is much higher when it attacks a person and it seems like most victims don’t realize that they have rights.
When I grew up in the country in Oregon, there were many dangerous dogs that would attack you unless their owner called them off of you. It made it very dangerous to walk or bicycle down any country road. As a young 10-year-old, I had to outride many dozens of dogs in my years including Rottweilers and German shepherds.
And yes, my parents had to shoot and kill many dogs who got on our property and attacked our livestock. It was never fun, but neither was having to shoot your own animal that had been severely mauled. We probably lost close to 20 sheep that way.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/spray-more-effective-than-guns-against-bears-study-1.707738
If it’s legal to carry concealed in Oregon from there or another state with a license to carry, then anywhere on his bike that the firearm is concealed should be legal. I carry a concealed firearm in my state with a license to carry on my bike in some instances. With all the crazy nuts out there these days why wouldn’t you. People getting assaulted everywhere anymore. When I ride in unfamiliar areas you better bet I am packing. I don’t advertise it. Secondly on the lights. Now that’s a little overkill and not really necessary. Having lights is essential, especially in the daytime. However, flashing during the day, steady beam at night. And at night it is required by law for a red rear light and reflector and a white front light to be seen up to 600ft. A helmet light is also beneficial for getting the attention of drivers that are coming at you from the side.
Not exactly. Read ORS 815.280.2 (c):
So you need a headlight visible from 500 feet, and a taillight OR a rear reflector visible from 600 feet.
Not that I would recommend using a reflector and no taillight, but it is legal.
I believe caring a gun anywhere in Portland now maybe the only way to Prevent being robbed, or murdered. Don’t expect the City to help. Sounds Radical but,better to be safe than sorry..
hilarious. delusional.
You do realize that statistics hardly bear this out. Neighborhoods, cities, countries awash in guns = safer?! Right.
There are more guns (430 million) than cars(290 million) in America. Yet cars manage to kill more than twice as many people as firearms (murder).
I think the stats are pretty impressive considering bullets don’t have airbags and seatbelts.
And what are you going to do, shoot a speeding car out of the way?
Or, shoot the one you can’t see behind you?! I think its a dumb idea unless you are in bear country.
JoeyDriver, good stat…and here is another sad one to add to your statement: there are only 168.42 million registered voters (and fewer actual voters) in the US (2022).
Pretty weak argument, most guns stay at home – so, cars kill more people than baseball cards too!
“Neighborhoods, cities, countries awash in guns = safer?! Right.”
A prevalence of guns can make a place more dangerous (though not necessarily; Vermont is awash with guns and is not a particularly dangerous place). The fact that a city is awash with guns might be exactly why someone would carry one of their own.
I don’t typically carry in town as I find it inconvenient. But you’re correct that public safety has seriously eroded in Portland to the point where I’ve considered it.
To date I’ve been chased and threatened twice, had a hunting knife flashed at me, and had people intentionally step in front of my bicycle on multi-use-paths where encampments are encouraged by our failed city / county policies.
So far, instead of bringing my firearm I have simply abandoned the “problem” areas and chosen alternate routes. I look forward to a day, sometime soon, when these areas are once again safe for use.
What a joke, you are paranoid. The biggest danger to cyclists is drivers, deliberate or due to inattentiveness. The number of situations where a gun would help you are vanishingly rare and you’ll probably end up provoking something instead.
My GF got robbed of her purse at night. It happened so fast, no way to pull a gun, and it prob would have been in the purse anyway. ( N. Hollywood, CA)
Even in the remote chance that the gun is useful, the chance of returning fire and improving your situation seems remote when the person in the vehicle has 1-2 tons of steel sheltering them, and may still also be able to drive their vehicle at you as a bonus weapon.
Can’t say for sure what I’d do in the situation, but I also don’t really like the idea of living my life thinking “I might need to kill someone with this gun I carry around all the time”
The demonstrably false idea that guns = “protection” is a huge part of the reason the U.S. leads the industrialized world in gun injuries and death.
finally a voice of reason!
https://www.thetrace.org/2022/06/defensive-gun-use-data-good-guys-with-guns/
Even The Trace admits guns are used defensibly as protection. The big debate seems to be how often they are used as not all self defense episodes are reported.
Tell all the cops to stop carrying if guns do not equal protection.
In many other countries (with fewer guns) the cops do not all carry guns.
Time, distance, and cover are protection.
Guns project force.
Projection of force can deter threats, but is not actually protective.
The huge part of the problem is the culture is disintegrating and going downhill more and more every year. Spent time in many countries that are much safer walking around at night where you never have to worry about some rage-filled psychopath incell going into a school or a mall and shooting up a bunch of innocent people because it simply doesn’t happen and isn’t filled with people in the culture that would even consider doing that. It’s almost always the same type of people that are committing these acts which are angry Young incells. This is a type of person you mostly only find in America
Rage filled psychopath incels are not who is committing most of the gun violence in Portland.
Agreed. This is why my daughter and her husband are raising their kids in Spain. Much safer, more community-oriented (vs self like here).
As an informed gun owner, I couldn’t agree more.
Totally feel where this guy is coming from
I never thought of it before but I have definitely noticed drivers being way more hostile towards cyclists the last few years.
Maybe a gun is a good idea.
So when someone throws trash out the window at you, flips you the bird, cuts you off, or rolls coal on you, what useful effect will a gun have in that situation?
I carry concealed sometimes. There are more of us out there than some folks might imagine.
The notion that merely riding a bicycle implies fealty to “progressive” gun control policy is pure fantasy.
From my perspective gun-head and car-head are two sides of the same violent and patriarchal coin. It’s beyond hypocritical that a blog the decries pickup truck advertisement for their implicitly threatening vertical-grill-porn is celebrating someone flaunting a different type of homicidal weapon (and one that kills more people than car/suvs/trucks).
48,830 violent and tragic deaths caused by people shooting guns..
42,725 violent and tragic deaths caused by people driving.
This.
Owning a gun drastically increases one’s chances of being shot, probably by your own gun. Also drastically increases the chances of someone in your household dying of suicide by your gun.
It’s very rare for guns to affect a crime in progress. Delusional.
Agree 100% except I wouldn’t exactly say this article is celebrating it. It was simply an interesting encounter, and to me it seems to have been reported as neutrally as possible.
Mr. Maus chose to describe a person publicly advertising his willingness to use a gun on social media as “absolutely epic”.
https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Maus/status/1686171442910806017
And then Maus made the additional choice to platform this pro-gun violence messaging in a lengthy article that ends with the approving statement:
I totally understand where he’s coming from too, even if I don’t agree. Do you really have no way of understanding things you don’t agree with? It must make it really hard to get around in the world if you can’t possibly fathom what other people are thinking unless it’s fully inline with what you’re thinking.
I understand where a person is coming from carrying a gun on a bike. When I read articles on here about drivers rage chasing cyclists around and stories about people having to hide in the bushes to get away from a driver that just wants to harass them. It makes me want to get a gun so I can righteously blast em if someone tries that on me. It feels like the only way to even up the disparity in the deadliness of our vehicles. I want to put drivers in their place. They do it because they think cyclists are all helpless little sissies and they’ll face no consequences. I find it completely understandable to want to carry a gun. But I also fear that would just end up escalating tensions and make drivers more trigger happy in addition to driving a deadly weapon. I know from the stats I’m more likely to o escalate any situation I use the gun in. I know I would make a scary situation into a needlessly deadly one. And I know MOST likely, in any of these situations I wouldn’t actually have the opportunity to draw my weapon in defense. It’s foolish to think you would ever actually defend yourself if you had a weapon and reality backs that up. For those reasons and others, I don’t carry a weapon. But do you see how it’s understandable why someone would?
I wish I could give you all the thumbs up for this one.
To show it from another angle, I understand why people vote for a certain twice-impeached, repeatedly indicted former President, but I still think they’re idiots. To understand is not to agree with.
Lol, I literally started typing out that example, but changed my mind. But yes, another good example.
Yes those people are idiots, and from the same angle, I understand why people vote for a certain current presidential collection of cells that find coherent off the cuff conversations impossible at this stage of the life cycle and must be prepped for all human interaction, but I still think they’re idiots. Maybe someday, nuance will return to public discourse.
i may understand that some people are bigots and have some very cursory exposure to some their virulent and illogical rationalizations but I definitely don’t understand where they are coming from (an expression of sympathy or empathy).
There are many things that I don’t agree with that I don’t understand.
I do agree, though perhaps in Montana it might get him enough cred to not get buzzed or coal rolled by motorists. This guy doesn’t appear to be a local, of course, and indeed is an influencer with this as his schtick but I could understand “blending in” otherwise.
Having lived in Spokane (next door to Coeur d’Alene) for only a year and having been hit by drivers three times there, this man is adequately prepared.
I moved from Portland to Spokane last spring! I’ve had good luck with traffic so far but I haven’t been riding nearly as much as in Portland and haven’t been bike commuting at all. Want to catch up some time to compare notes?
Oooph! I would love to compare notes but after my lease was up I moved to Denver. So forgive me for giving you my notes here. The mayor has a bicycle advisory board that I attended meetings for and even tried to join, so that might be a good place to advocate for more commuter infrastructure. However, the impression I got from the majority of the board members was that recreational cycling was what they were focused on because it had the potential for increasing tourism dollars. So, things like the children of the sun path, further development of the Indiana bike corridor that connects the river front bike paths to each other, and more mtb trails on beacon and in riverside are their main priorities. I worked for Wheel Sport and found their focus to be e-bikes, Bike hub was shreddy bros, North Division had an interesting blend of fat bikes and gravel but not much commuter focused stuff, and the sketch shop down by the University district had a focus of keeping the shop listing to a minimum. There’s a guy doing repair in Garland, think the shop is called Simple Machine, and he doesn’t have a sales focus so he might be the most commuter friendly shop in town just cuz he’s not trying to get you on the type of bike he likes to ride.
Spokane Bicycle Club is a retired persons riding group and they’re funny and kind, a little slow. ODZ has a chapter in town on the south hill that runs a group ride or of the South Hill Wheel Sport, there’s a fella by the name of Sam Waples who owns Ambassador bike fitting and he is a good resource for group rides and great fits. Finally, there is a Spokane based podcast by the name of Packfiller and they cover local races and rides, as well as international big races. A good resource to be certain.
Suffice to say I tried, really tried hard to make Spokane home but in the end I couldn’t find comfort on their roads. It just really felt hostile and unsafe. I hope you have a better experience! Best wishes!
Just a reminder that by far the largest number of gun deaths in the U.S. are accidents or suicides: access to a gun tends to be most deadly for the gun owner and for the family and friends of the gun owner who might intentionally or unintentionally discover and discharge the weapon. (Think of all those stories of the kid who shot themselves or another child when they found a parent’s or grandparent’s firearm.). So let us not valorize a fantasy of blowing anyone away as a form of self protection. And in a nation of trigger-happy police officers, being pulled over for suspected possession of a weapon can be deadly.
Accidents make up 1% of gun deaths. Suicides make up 54%. Seems weird to combine them. In 2021 800 people were killed in Chicago due to gun violence, there were 549 accidental deaths due to firearms nationwide. This is CDC data, which is good data, right?
Cops arrest 10mm people per year, there are 1,000 deaths associated with those arrests, does that qualify as “trigger happy”?
People who have legal possession of a firearm in their vehicle and follow the protocol of notifying the officer of the weapon is much different than “suspected possession” of a weapon.
Guns & Bicycles? Creepy. You’ll be the one going to jail. If you survive. Plausible rational to shoot an armed bicyclist, as history of armed cyclists in the hood gonna get a hair trigger mentality if a cop sees bicycle + gun. Oh well. Darwinism.
I will not argue the wisdom to carry concealed, that is a personal choice. But if you are concerned about your safety enough to carry a gun, advertising that you are armed is a very serious tactical mistake. I have seen videos of people open carrying at the hip have their gun snatched from behind. If someone wants to do you harm and is expecting an armed response, you will not get the opportunity to draw your weapon. An encounter where you feel you must draw a weapon is not a game, proclaiming you are armed won’t help.
If being in the presence of a gun makes you nervous you should think about seeking some sort of psychological help to overcome your irrational fear.
That’s not what “irrational” means. A gun has only one purpose which is to kill. And I guess you’re ignorant of the fact that gun violence is a major problem in the US, more so than basically anywhere else. “Irrational” would be fearing getting stabbed because a chef is holding a knife. The knife’s main purpose is not to kill.
Instead of standing up for the mans constitutional rights, you create and article to question them? How un-American can this writer get?
“He has a right to carry a gun and he isn’t required to explain himself to police if they can’t produce any legitimate reason to hold him.
I don’t take the same steps Whelan does to stay safe out there, but I totally understand where he’s coming from.“
Did you read all the way to the end? The author acknowledges the guy’s rights as well as saying that it’s not for him personally. Doesn’t get more pro American than that. We could all do with a little more understanding of how others live their lives and exercise their rights. This is one of Johnathan’s better articles as far as I’m concerned. Very interesting, something I hadn’t seen before and presented very well. I still can’t get over that guys light display.
Doncha love how in the same comment section, we have pierre delecto complaining that Mr. Maus is “celebrating someone flaunting a different type of homicidal weapon”, and Phil complaining that he would “create and [sic] article to question [constitutional rights]”? Two diametrically opposite assertions of the author’s bias when neutrality is what you and I see.
Well riding a bicycle on the berm of an interstate is illegal in most states. Don’t know about Idaho.
Open carry is legal in quite a few states, I’m sure it is in Idaho.
According to Wikipedia, “Most U.S. States with low population densities commonly permit bicycle use on interstate freeways outside urban areas.” And in Idaho specifically, it’s listed as one of three states where cycling is “allowed on all interstates”. So unless you can cite facts to the contrary–I realize Wikipedia can be incorrect–I’m inclined to say yours is a wrong, hot take.
Back in the dark ages when I lived in California as a teenager, according to the rules that I remember at the time, if there was no road parallel to the interstate, I could ride my bike on it. I rode many times on I-5 itself to get to my barber.
I vaguely remember there were signs at the on-ramps to I-5 that stated bikes weren’t allowed in those sections as there was a nearby road.
But again, old age makes the mind fuzzy.
Yep! I’ve also spent a lot of time in California, and I remember onramps with signs that said “non-motorized vehicles prohibited”. And other onramps without them. I inferred, probably correctly, that non-motorized vehicles (e.g., bicycles) were permitted, albeit not encouraged, on the onramps without such signage.
Skipping the question of the firearm for the moment…
Don’t most of the 50 states have laws against riding on the interstate/freeway? I am not from Oregon or Idaho, but I know mine does, as do all of our surrounding states.
Idaho allows bicycles on all interstates. https://sports.yahoo.com/ride-bicycle-freeway-idaho-minority-100000322.html
Oregon allows bicycles on most interstates, except for the urban freeways in the Portland area and a narrow section in Medford. https://oregon.public.law/rules/oar_734-020-0045
In Oregon, cities may ban open carry, but municipal ordinances can’t supercede state law. Since a concealed carry permit is issued by the state, permit holders aren’t affected by municipal open carry bans. Bit of a head scratcher, but if you want to open carry in Oregon, get a concealed carry permit. You’re also good to go transporting a loaded rifle in your car. Relatively few states permit that, but Oregon is one of them. She flies with her own wings, man.
Wading in to this productive discussion further, I very frequently carry a concealed handgun and have done so for 30 years. Haven’t shot anybody yet and hope I never do. On two occasions I felt I had to draw my gun, and the problems I was addressing instantly vanished.
I wouldn’t recommend or want everyone to concealed carry, but it works for me. I wouldn’t ever open carry except for hunting. I think open carry invites trouble and confrontation. I also think that’s true of this person’s approach of wearing a billboard telling everyone you’re heeled. Lighten up, Clarence.
That said, the putative armed cyclist mentioned in the article is rocking a wilderness.com safepacker. It is an outstanding way to conceal a handgun, especially if you get one in a friendly color. I used to tell folks it was a CD case, back in the day.
Although I’m not a fan of open carry it is a constitutionally protected right. I would rather no one new that I was armed. Frankly for the mere fact of alarmist calling the cops. I believe most people would be shocked at how many people actually carry concealed.
Years ago I got a little 25 semiautomatic pistol for a cross country ride. I was alone way up in the mountains resting at a turn-out when a beater Chevy Nova turned quickly into the turn-out. The driver seemed to lunge out of the car and I put my hand in the pocket with the gun. The driver then bent over and puked. His agenda had nothing to do with me. Just something that happened that could have gone bad
Learned something new, reading this article…I guess I need to add another bag to my bike to have a “center console” or a “locked glove box”. Since riding around with a handlebar mounted gun rack makes it tough to park my bike or use the MAX hooks.
Perhaps our bike sewing friends at North St. Bags or Swift Industries needs to made a new bike bag called ‘center console’?
When I carried on my motorcycle last month, just carried the actual firearm in my saddlebags and the magazines in my tank bag. I was legal. My straps were clipped. But then again I don’t plan to advertise to anyone unless my life is in peril.
On a bike it’s tough. Saddlebag in between? To me pepper spray, the kinds cop carry seem a good distraction. But what happens after you decide to defend yourself? Uscca insurance.