What REALLY drives the decision? Motivation for Daily Non-Sworn CCW

[JAD]

As far as the odds go, I really can’t develop it better than Givens has. If you move about in the world you have a reasonable chance of a violent encounter — greater than your chances of problems that other tools you can carry will solve, other than a phone (carry a damn phone).

For motivations, twofold. from the Catechism:


“Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:

If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.66
2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.”

I find that entirely satisfactory. I am given authority over myself and my family, and I am thus given responsibility for their and my defense.

*** the cited passage is 66 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,64,7, corp. art — full text is interesting and germane at http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3064.htm — particularly article 7.

[Hambo]

Yeah, trust to the better angels of human nature and see where that gets you.

It's scary to believe that there is mortal danger in your life, so people construct stories about how safe they are to avoid confronting that. I'm not afraid of people or paranoid, but I've met guys that should be locked in a cell and only get out of it when they're cold and dead. Hence, I like to be prepared in case I meet one of them in other circumstances.

[blues]

It's scary to believe that there is mortal danger in your life, so people construct stories about how safe they are to avoid confronting that. I'm not afraid of people or paranoid, but I've met guys that should be locked in a cell and only get out of it when they're cold and dead. Hence, I like to be prepared in case I meet one of them in other circumstances.

We will see how many folks retain their perception of "better angels, etc" if and when this current health crisis gets to the point of USPS and other delivery folks being strong armed for "essential" items being delivered, or those same individuals come up on your porch for deliveries, or worse, try to gain entry into your home.

Mindset and preparation will be key.

[Baldanders]

1) Morality: I take responsibility for my own self-defense, as well as my wife's safety.

2) Experience: I have been on the phone with 911 while recieving a (brief) beatdown. That isn't happening again. Admittedly, the mindset developed by CC is even more helpful than having a gun.

3) I'm a gun nut. I enjoy being strapped. What can I say? I blame society.

[Baldanders]

Here's a local story about some of those "inherently good" folks we shouldn't be concerned about.

https://www.oxygen.com/killer-siblin...re-rape-murder

Yeah, trust to the better angels of human nature and see where that gets you.

It's amazing what you find out about people reading their writing as a high school English teacher. Most people do have a sense of right and wrong, but some, not so much.

I had one young man who I hoped would cross the line in such a way that I could bring him to attention of the authorities. He was too smart to do so.

He....appreciated the female form in a way I found disturbing. Also got his jollies killing puppies.

Most folks are OK. But the exceptions.....

[Baldanders]

It's scary to believe that there is mortal danger in your life, so people construct stories about how safe they are to avoid confronting that. I'm not afraid of people or paranoid, but I've met guys that should be locked in a cell and only get out of it when they're cold and dead. Hence, I like to be prepared in case I meet one of them in other circumstances.

I am still amazed by folks thinking about some spaces as "safe" and others as "well, I would take a gun if I was going there,"

I think of places I should be at and places I shouldn't be at. Guns are for getting through bad situations, not bad places.

[Joe in PNG]

It's amazing what you find out about people reading their writing as a high school English teacher. Most people do have a sense of right and wrong, but some, not so much.

I had one young man who I hoped would cross the line in such a way that I could bring him to attention of the authorities. He was too smart to do so.

He....appreciated the female form in a way I found disturbing. Also got his jollies killing puppies.

Most folks are OK. But the exceptions.....

Many years ago, as a young teen, I was visiting family in Colorado. My cousin was married to a pretty cool & fun guy, an Army vet who was thinking about re-enlisting.

He did, then went AWOL, and went to a stranger's house, then raped & killed a lady and her daughter.

You never know with some people.

[Notorious E.O.C.]

I am still amazed by folks thinking about some spaces as "safe" and others as "well, I would take a gun if I was going there,"

I think of places I should be at and places I shouldn't be at. Guns are for getting through bad situations, not bad places.

One of the best pieces of advice my father ever gave me was, "don't go anywhere with a gun that you wouldn't go without a gun." That has informed a great number of risk analyses over the years...

[FNFAN]

It's scary to believe that there is mortal danger in your life, so people construct stories about how safe they are to avoid confronting that. I'm not afraid of people or paranoid, but I've met guys that should be locked in a cell and only get out of it when they're cold and dead. Hence, I like to be prepared in case I meet one of them in other circumstances.

Keep in mind that roughly 97-98% of those sent to state prisons will be released. About 45% are in for convictions of what are statutorily considered violent crimes -however this is misleading as some will start out with a crime of violence charge and take a plea to a non-violent charge. The best guess I've seen and what I concur with is that frequent violent offenders i.e. folks who make their living committing crime end up doing time for about 1 in 50 of their crimes, but this is just an educated guess as criminals are obvious reticent about speaking of crimes they committed and weren't arrested for. The majority of people do not commit violent crime. Those who do often commit many crimes. If you pull those "bad actors" out of the stream through the use of "habitual criminal" statutes and sentences you get the best bang for your tax-dollar, however that idea is repellent to those who believe that "they can change," (they can if they desire to and are offered a means to) or "the system is not-fair" (agreed -but not entirely relevant to the offender's victims.)

If a high percentage of people were dangerous or bad you would see the police dismounting in teams from light armored vehicles rather than Charger's and Explorers. This is not to say that you shouldn't expect to have to defend yourself, your family or your home at some point and time. IMHO

[Alpha Sierra]

Here's a local story about some of those "inherently good" folks we shouldn't be concerned about.

https://www.oxygen.com/killer-siblin...re-rape-murder

Yeah, trust to the better angels of human nature and see where that gets you.

I remember that and seethed at the Kansas Legislature for its failure to decriminalize the carrying of weapons for self defense at that time.