Armed and Ready

[olpluvr]

What are your views on safety- from the public... aka "self-defense/ protection"?

Many people (moreso in the USA- or it might be a myth) protect their families by owning guns. When an intruder enters the house, they have the option to use and ensure that their family is unharmed. But is this a good idea, especially with children in the house? With

Comments

[olpluvr]

I can definitely relate to the guns being frightening. You hear too many stories of children getting a hold of their parents' guns, not knowing they are equipped, then they play "Cops and Robbers". Then it's Game Over. I recognize that children can make the same mistake with any weapon, but it's the ignorance about the severity of guns that is a worry. With a knife, a child (maybe not a 2 year old) can comprehend that one slice equals harm, but if they find a gun they think of the "fun" danger and could think that it couldn't be cocked and ready.

In terms of whether or not a person should keep a gun in their own house in case of an intrusion, I am really torn. In one instance, you could lock it up in a closet so that it couldn't be found by a child but then again, what's the point of having it in isolation because when a person breaks in, you wouldn't have enough time to fumble with a key to your safe or to remember a combination to get possession of the gun. It would be a commodity you would need closeby, like in a dresser, so you could quickly take it out if need be. But again that defeats the purpose of also keeping it out of harms way from your family.

But if a person broke into my house, personally, and I had a gun handy (no pun intended), I would have no trouble shooting the MF who could potentially harm my family. I wouldn't care about him/ her stealing so-called valuables, just as long as no one was hurt. Items can be replaced; family can't. Many people would hesitate with the guilt of maybe taking a life but I wouldn't care because when a person breaks into your house with a weapon, what would their motive be and overall conclusion if things didn't work their way? Possibly the person would coward out, using their own gun more as a threat but it isn't often that occurs because many criminals become accustomed to this lifestyle.

Considering the thought of walking down the street with a knife, again I am torn (again with the puns...). If a person is strong and can use it without fumbling, I would say to go for it and carry one for self-protection. Again, only if you're confident that you would have the correct response timing to use it efficiently. If someone were to attack me to try and mug me, my initial reaction would be to get in as many possible blows as possible to leave a mark so that the police could identify them by the marks I left. This initial response could cause me my life but unfortunately I don't think I have other reactions. Sort of, "How dare you try and violate me?" It would be like with the family situation and though I don't feel comfortable carrying around a knife (not going to say if I do or not) because of my highly emotional response, I would shoot someone point blank if he or she tried to hurt my family- entering my territory.