Do you ever feel vulnerable with the top down?

[Porschekid]

Funny you should say that, I had a scary situation in downtown Pittsburgh with the top down last year. I was driving thru the city to the strip district at night and had a couple thuggish kids that were sitting down on the sidewalk start coming towards my car at a pretty fast pace. No cars were coming so I just drove thru the red light to avoid any confrontation. I definately understand what you are saying though. I'm thinking about getting a handgun and a carry permit for this very reason. When I have the top up, my 5% tint all around seems to make people not want to bother me.

[delastrodmen]

Also, I find it kind of troubling that you guys are talking about packing heat. The repercussions should be fairly obvious. I'm not a lawyer, nor well versed in Pittsburgh vehicle codes. But I would speculate that most states have similar requirements governing the aspects of keeping a gun in your car. More than likely, you will need a gun permit or concealed weapons permit. And if you have a gun in the car, you will more than likely have to keep the firearm and ammunition in either separate cases, or separate vehicle compartments. This is probably because the fuzz figure the longer it takes someone to assemble their toys, the more time they'll have to think about what they're about to do. It would be a shame to be charged with manslaughter for killing someone who was walking to your car to ask you for a dollar/the time/directions/etc.

I'm getting a feeling that Pittsburgh has some less than respectable neighborhoods. My advice to you guys is to anticipate your arrival to the questionable area, then just raise your top until you're in the clear. Or you could always take a detour. There is more than one route to get to where you're going.