Thanks all to everyone who responded to my concerns regarding gun
experiences while traveling. The conclusion I arrived at is that while the
question is really too large, it comes down to odds being small, but they do
exist and like many folks said, you have to use common sense. And whenever
one ventures into the unknown, one is always taking risks. All the more
reason for doing so. Just wish I hadn't read all those southern gothic
novels ;)

And for what it's worth, we in Canada have our own armed, anti-social
rednecks, but in our case the further you are from major urban centres, the
more likely you are to run into them.

Nathaniel