Hi Mike,
No problem and no offense taken. I do understand the 'flip side of the coin' in this debate.
You probably have never been a victim of a violent crime and God bless you for that. I have not either, thank God. My problem is the potential for being a victim is always there, even though I make sure that I never put myself in situations where I can be victimized. However, even in the best places the criminal elements prey. One statistic that is not abundantly reported is the use of weapons as a deterrent to crime. Years ago, one friend of mine didn't even have to pull his pistol, just the gesture of reaching was enough to scare off the would-be robber. Never reported... A few years ago, another friend did pull his revolver as he believed the assailant was going to try to kill him with a knife and just that was good enough to deter the guy. Again, never reported. The list goes on and on.
To each their own but I feel more comfortable knowing that I have the power to defuse a potentially deadly situation. It is a responsibility I do not shoulder lightly. I know exactly what can happen. In fact, I find myself more polite, more willing to let things slide, and more willing to just walk away when I am carrying.
Here's a couple of articles. One concerns statistics on the
defensive use of guns and the other is an
interesting article about Gary Kleck (a self professed gun hater) and some of the research done and the findings...
