There are people who don't carry a gun and live.

[camsdaddy]

I was outside walking the wife's dog. The thought came to mind that there are people who love their entire lives and don't carry a gun everyday. I guess I just take for granted that a gun is part of the day. I got to thinking that many will survive this world unarmed. I have carried so long I can't imagine not carrying. I can image how free it must be to go through life and not think of carry gun or caliber or holster or even that there is a need for such. Yes I know if the time comes they ever need a gun they will wish they had one. I just can't help but think of how peaceful if a bit nieve to not worry about what threat may be lurking in the shadows. There are those who will live their entire lives and never carry the first round. There are those who can't or won't walk to the mailbox without spare mags and a bug.

[Default.mp3]

I'm just paraphrasing @misanthropist here (I think, maybe I'm just making shit up), but for me, I get training and carry a gun not to live a safer life than the average person, but to be able to push the boundaries more and come out about as safe as the average person. I don't want to have training and (slightly better) understanding the realities of violence be turned into a cage, but as a source of freedom.

Pretty sure he said it way more eloquently, though.

[Ed L]

It's always your choice and your decision.

You can always downsize to a smaller, less capable gun that will be easier to carry--like a J-frame or a Kahr PM-9 in a pocket holster. They don't carry the number of rounds as say a Glock 19, they may be harder to place rounds accurately with, but they are certainly light years better than being unarmed.

Tom Givens previously wrote two things that really impressed me:

"You can never make an appointment for an emergency."

and:

"A couple of posters have used words like “never” to describe the odds of using defensive handgun skills, or stated that one is FAR more likely to die of heart disease or stroke than to find himself in a gunfight. I disagree.

About 600,000 people a year die of heart disease in the US (CDC figure). In 2011, 5.8 million people were the victims of violent crime (US DOJ figure). That’s almost 10 times as many people falling victim to violent crime. By the way, that figure only includes four crimes: Murder, Aggravated Assault, Forcible Rape and Robbery. These are precisely the events that we carry guns and train to counter.

I’ve never had a heart attack, but I have had to use a gun to defend myself as a private citizen. I refuse to let whether I live or die be dictated by an illiterate scumbag. That’s why I train and carry.

Violent crime comparison, 2009, source- FBI Uniform Crime Report

City population Violent Crimes Murders Robberies Aggravated Assaults Odds

Memphis 667,421 12,055 132 4,139 7,402 1 in 55
Los Angeles 3,848,776 22,250 312 11,106 9,991 1 in 173
Miami 419,205 4,983 59 2,094 2,765 1 in 84"

[Totem Polar]

I'm just paraphrasing @misanthropist here (I think, maybe I'm just making shit up), but for me, I get training and carry a gun not to live a safer life than the average person, but to be able to push the boundaries more and come out about as safe as the average person. I don't want to have training and (slightly better) understanding the realities of violence be turned into a cage, but as a source of freedom.

Pretty sure he said it way more eloquently, though.

To riff on you (and Misanthropist) a bit more: on my way to work today, I passed through one of those ubiquitous big-city intersections with the shabby looking fellow holding the cardboard sign. I saw multiple cars ahead of me pass by pretending not to see him (per usual), while I gave my typical smile and two fingers off the steering wheel country greeting—getting a smile in return. It was clear that he was happy just to be seen and acknowledged. I’ve noticed that I can be more engaged with the world (and not just in a car) than many of my peers, and I think a big part of that is, bluntly, because I feel that often times people are likely (slightly) less physically dangerous to me than I am to them—if that makes sense. We shall see how that goes as I age.

This is not the same thing as going to places I know I shouldn’t go, just because I might be armed; that’s just dumb.

[Default.mp3]

"A couple of posters have used words like “never” to describe the odds of using defensive handgun skills, or stated that one is FAR more likely to die of heart disease or stroke than to find himself in a gunfight. I disagree.

About 600,000 people a year die of heart disease in the US (CDC figure). In 2011, 5.8 million people were the victims of violent crime (US DOJ figure). That’s almost 10 times as many people falling victim to violent crime. By the way, that figure only includes four crimes: Murder, Aggravated Assault, Forcible Rape and Robbery. These are precisely the events that we carry guns and train to counter.

Yeah, but people who die of heart disease can only do it once. Some people are victims of violent crime more than once a year. Frequent fliers will push up the numbers significantly. You have to look at your own circumstances and create an analysis off of that, rather than these giant samples with no real context.

[BillSWPA]

Just because someone else is stupid and gets away with it doesn’t mean the rest of us should try it.


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[BehindBlueI's]

I just can't help but think of how peaceful if a bit nieve to not worry about what threat may be lurking in the shadows.

Ignorance is bliss. It's quite comfortable to not really accept that there is evil in the world, and it can touch you.

I find some measure of peace in carrying a firearm because I am not ignorant. I am far too aware of the dangers and how rapidly they can fall upon you. Carrying a firearm gives me more options to deal with those dangers.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

It's always your choice and your decision.

You can always downsize to a smaller, less capable gun that will be easier to carry--like a J-frame or a Kahr PM-9 in a pocket holster. They don't carry the number of rounds as say a Glock 19, they may be harder to place rounds accurately with, but they are certainly light years better than being unarmed.

Tom Givens previously wrote two things that really impressed me:

"You can never make an appointment for an emergency."

and:

"A couple of posters have used words like “never” to describe the odds of using defensive handgun skills, or stated that one is FAR more likely to die of heart disease or stroke than to find himself in a gunfight. I disagree.

About 600,000 people a year die of heart disease in the US (CDC figure). In 2011, 5.8 million people were the victims of violent crime (US DOJ figure). That’s almost 10 times as many people falling victim to violent crime. By the way, that figure only includes four crimes: Murder, Aggravated Assault, Forcible Rape and Robbery. These are precisely the events that we carry guns and train to counter.

I’ve never had a heart attack, but I have had to use a gun to defend myself as a private citizen. I refuse to let whether I live or die be dictated by an illiterate scumbag. That’s why I train and carry.

Violent crime comparison, 2009, source- FBI Uniform Crime Report

City population Violent Crimes Murders Robberies Aggravated Assaults Odds

Memphis 667,421 12,055 132 4,139 7,402 1 in 55
Los Angeles 3,848,776 22,250 312 11,106 9,991 1 in 173
Miami 419,205 4,983 59 2,094 2,765 1 in 84"

That an interesting statistic. Thanks for sharing. I wrote a pretty lengthy post on the topic, and would appear I was incorrect. I should have double checked my statistics.


ETA: in my post, however, fwiw, I was pretty directly targeting the severely obese and otherwise unhealthy person, not you’re average healthy American. There’s multiple ways one could view and manipulate that statistic.

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[olstyn]

The thought came to mind that there are people who love their entire lives and don't carry a gun everyday. I guess I just take for granted that a gun is part of the day.

I carried every day that I wasn't planning on drinking during my last period of unemployment. My current employer forbids it, so all I get to have at work is a flashlight and a pocket knife. It's not remotely optimal, but so far, at least, I do manage not to die every day.

[Clusterfrack]

Most of the really dangerous violent encounters I've survived were in places I couldn't arm myself with a gun--or at all. Knife attack in Paris, shot at in China, dog pack attack in Tibet, etc. Other times, when I had a gun and bad shit happened (home invasion, bear attack, dog attack), I resolved the situation much more quickly, with less risk to myself and family, and thankfully no one got hurt. Given the choice, I'll be armed.