Anyone else find it strange that most British and SKorean Police DON'T carry pistols?

[johnnyyukon]

Maybe I should start a new thread, since I've derailed this one, but I'll say that it all boils down to experience. I've heard people say they "needed" their gun, but no specifics.

I carry jumper cables, a tow rope, and ratchet straps in my car because I've been in situations that have required them. I may never use them again, but am glad I have them.

I keep my firearm close to my bed because of multiple stories from close friends of burglaries. No one has ever told me a story about how having a concealed weapon on them saved their life. I'm not saying they don't exist by the truckload, but it just hasn't happened to me or people close to me. That's why I don't feel that strongly about it. Not really trying to argue, just giving MY perspective.

[Fiddler1537]

Care to share the story?

I think part of it is, for me, that I'm just not used to carrying a weapon. I wasn't used to owning my first firearm, but that changed pretty quick.

I was walking in downtown Colorado Springs a few decades ago and came across a group of 10 or 15 people beating up on 1 person. One of them had a knife out. I yelled for someone to call the police and, STUPIDLY , took off my belt (big buckle making it a somewhat formidable weapon) and went running at the crowd. I woke up a day or two later. I was told the other guy didn't get stabbed anymore and fortunately they didn't stab me. I could have used a gun that day.

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[NickA]

Every day, some dood or doodette goes out there not thinking they will need a gun and by the end of the day they end up wishing to God (and all that other "superstitious nonsense") that they had it. It's like a bizarro world lottery only they buy there ticket by simply waking up. Every day somebody wins.

I use this a lot with people who don't "get" the whole concealed carry thing. It usually goes:
"Why do you carry a gun? Do you think someone is going to try to kill you or something? "
"No I don't, but I bet most of the people who were murdered today didn't wake up thinking it was going to happen either."

[Trooper224]

Maybe I should start a new thread, since I've derailed this one, but I'll say that it all boils down to experience. I've heard people say they "needed" their gun, but no specifics.

I carry jumper cables, a tow rope, and ratchet straps in my car because I've been in situations that have required them. I may never use them again, but am glad I have them.

I keep my firearm close to my bed because of multiple stories from close friends of burglaries. No one has ever told me a story about how having a concealed weapon on them saved their life. I'm not saying they don't exist by the truckload, but it just hasn't happened to me or people close to me. That's why I don't feel that strongly about it. Not really trying to argue, just giving MY perspective.

When you get behind the wheel of your car do you put your seatbelt on because you know you're going to get into a crash, or do you leave it off because you know you won't? Hopefully you put it on because you're smart enough to prepare for the worst possible outcome in that particular activity. Wearing a seatbelt is preventative maintenance, so is carrying a gun.

[Suvorov]

What are the "statistics" dealing with the likelihood of someone being violently assaulted:
a) In their place of residence?
b) Outside their place of residence?

[GardoneVT]

Maybe I should start a new thread, since I've derailed this one, but I'll say that it all boils down to experience. I've heard people say they "needed" their gun, but no specifics.

I carry jumper cables, a tow rope, and ratchet straps in my car because I've been in situations that have required them. I may never use them again, but am glad I have them.

I keep my firearm close to my bed because of multiple stories from close friends of burglaries. No one has ever told me a story about how having a concealed weapon on them saved their life. I'm not saying they don't exist by the truckload, but it just hasn't happened to me or people close to me. That's why I don't feel that strongly about it. Not really trying to argue, just giving MY perspective.

I wanted to post this yesterday, but I felt in my better judgement there was no point. Your mind is made up, and that's your right. The reason I'm doing this anyway is because the day "The Gravest Extreme" happens to you , you might not survive to learn from it.

I used to think as you do. Until one night years ago, I was holding a very scared female Airman in my arms, in a lonely part of South Dakota at 0400 ,wondering what my unarmed self was gonna do if the guy who crashed the party with a .38 revolver came around that corner we hid behind.

Some of the guys and gals on this forum are in law enforcement, and see every day what happens to people "who never thought strongly about it." I don't carry a gun daily because of my own hide, incidentally. I do it for my mom, who will NOT be getting a visit at 3AM for a Death Notification for Next of Kin, not if I can help it.

[johnnyyukon]

When you get behind the wheel of your car do you put your seatbelt on because you know you're going to get into a crash, or do you leave it off because you know you won't? Hopefully you put it on because you're smart enough to prepare for the worst possible outcome in that particular activity. Wearing a seatbelt is preventative maintenance, so is carrying a gun.

I could say the same thing about carrying a gas mask just in case of some biological attack (and I'm sure people keep these in their car).

I may never use the gas mask, but it's preventative, and ya never know.

[johnnyyukon]

I wanted to post this yesterday, but I felt in my better judgement there was no point. Your mind is made up, and that's your right. The reason I'm doing this anyway is because the day "The Gravest Extreme" happens to you , you might not survive to learn from it.

I used to think as you do. Until one night years ago, I was holding a very scared female Airman in my arms, in a lonely part of South Dakota at 0400 ,wondering what my unarmed self was gonna do if the guy who crashed the party with a .38 revolver came around that corner we hid behind.

Some of the guys and gals on this forum are in law enforcement, and see every day what happens to people "who never thought strongly about it." I don't carry a gun daily because of my own hide, incidentally. I do it for my mom, who will NOT be getting a visit at 3AM for a Death Notification for Next of Kin, not if I can help it.

The truth is, I haven't quite made up my mind. I don't even have my CHL license yet, I just got my fingerprints to the state capital 3 weeks ago. I have a carry conceal holster, I've practiced drawing my gun from it. I've probably spent 10 hours researching comfortable ones, adjusting this one (dang, it had like 20 mods, tiny screws, gaskets, had to poke the leather holes). But without the actual license, I haven't had a chance to take the gun out of my home on my person.

And the Law Enforcement folks on here have seen a LOT more than I have and is probably why they may think I'm silly for even questioning it. But thanks for sharing your story. I've heard similar ones here, and from close friends.

[johnnyyukon]

I was walking in downtown Colorado Springs a few decades ago and came across a group of 10 or 15 people beating up on 1 person. One of them had a knife out. I yelled for someone to call the police and, STUPIDLY , took off my belt (big buckle making it a somewhat formidable weapon) and went running at the crowd. I woke up a day or two later. I was told the other guy didn't get stabbed anymore and fortunately they didn't stab me. I could have used a gun that day.

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That's nuts!

[Wheeler]

I could say the same thing about carrying a gas mask just in case of some biological attack (and I'm sure people keep these in their car).

I may never use the gas mask, but it's preventative, and ya never know.

That's a straw argument. No one can prepare for every possible eventuality. The statistical chances of needing a gun vs needing a protective mask are so far apart as to make that particular statement ludicrous.
If you don't want to carry a gun for self defense that's your choice. It's a big responsibility that many people just aren't mentally prepared to take on.
I'm willing to bet that when you needed jumper cables, a tow rope, etc you wished you had of had them before you discovered that you needed them.
As Super Dave Harrington is fond of saying in his classes, "You'll have the rest of your life to regret your mistakes."