Controversial Topic Warning!! Is owning a gun for SD/HD similar to...

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ezmiraldo

New member
... never flying airplanes because they rarely crash, but when they do crash, chances are everyone dies?

Or, is it similar to regularly buying lottery tickets while knowing that the odds of winning are 1 in 1,000,000?

Seems like for most of us (non-LEOs, non-military, people who do not have dangerous "security-type" jobs, who do not work counters in banks or gas stations, who are not being actively threatened, and who do not live/work in crime-infested areas) chances of being assaulted/attacked/robbed inside and outside of one's home are extremely low. There is always a chance, but it is very low.

I'm a bit sleep deprived, and had this thought bouncing in my head all morning - giving me a bad case of cognitive dissonance. :confused: What do you guys/gals think?

FYI, I'm a handgun owner, I regularly openly carry, I regularly train and practice, and I love my glock 29. But I also like to think of myself as someone not dominated by fear and who is able to think rationally.

Admins, please feel free to close this thread if you deem it too controversial/inappropriate for this forum. I'm not trying to start a fight or offend anyone - just want to know if people are having similar troublesome thoughts...
 
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I think it's like having a spare tire for my vehicle. Chances are low on any given trip that I will need it but the chance isn't zero.
 
I’ve owned firearms since I was about twelve years old and have never purchased or carried a gun out of fear or even concern over crime. I like to shoot them, carry them, clean them, read about them etc. I simply like guns and feel no need to apologize or find some “rational” reason for owning them. :D
 
......chances of being assaulted/attacked/robbed inside and outside of one's home are relatively low.
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Better question, why is it so many people, who didn't own a gun before they or their home was attacked, change their tone and prepare themselves for round two?

And living in a low crime area and not having a risky job is no indicator by itself. Rabbid skunks and dogs gone bad are more then reason enough to be sure you have the right tool for the job and the training/experience to use it if needed.
 
I think it's like keeping a tool that could be required if a certan situation arose.

I have a air compressor in case I need to put air in my tires.

I have a pizza cutter in case I need to slice a pizza.

I have a Glock .40 in case I need to defend my family.

Simple as that. Doesn't have anything to do with plane crashes, lottery tickets, or the price of tea in China.
 
"I like to shoot them, carry them, clean them, read about them etc. I simply like guns and feel no need to apologize or find some “rational” reason for owning them."

I hear you, bro. I love to shoot, carry, clean, read, think and talk about guns... I'm glad you do not have this dissonance that I have. I hope mine goes away soon. :)
 
Posted by exmiraldo: Seems like for most of us (non-LEOs, non-military, people who do not have dangerous "security-type" jobs, who do not work counters in banks or gas stations, who are not being actively threatened, and who do not live/work in crime-infested areas) chances of being assaulted/attacked/robbed inside and outside of one's home are extremely low. There is always a chance, but it is very low.
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For most of us, the likelihood of being attacked on any one day is far less than remote. The likelihood of being attacked outside of one's home is considerably higher than inside, but it is very low.

There are three things to keep in mind, however:
  1. the criminal element is mobile; they can and do go "where the money is";
  2. the probability of being attacked at least once during one's lifetime is much higher than the instantaneous statistics would seem to indicate to the layman; and
  3. while the likelihood is low, the potential consequences of an attack are extremely severe.

Whether to accept the risk unmitigated or to mitigate it is a personal decision.
 
The probably of having a crash is low, too, but I still fasten my seat belt each time I'm in the car.

Funny how the government mandates seat belt use but not concealed carry ;)
 
I’ve owned firearms since I was about twelve years old and have never purchased or carried a gun out of fear or even concern over crime. I like to shoot them, carry them, clean them, read about them etc. I simply like guns and feel no need to apologize or find some “rational” reason for owning them.
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^^^ What BarryLee said. Everything I come up with for why I need to buy this or carry that, or clean this, or work up a load for that, all points to the FACT that I just like them.

But, I do have to say, having a rational reason does come in handy when my very rational wife asks me those questions! :D

Lou
 
......chances of being assaulted/attacked/robbed inside and outside of one's home are relatively low.
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It's not the odds, but the stakes.

If you need it, YOU REALLY NEED IT.

If you don't, it's just an extra 2 lbs on your waistline...... I have a couple on there already that are doing me more harm and are less comfortable than my carry gun!




I buckle my seat belt because I know from experience, you want to be buckled in when a crash happens. Odds are, I won't likely ever be in another crash.
 
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To me it's like wearing a seatbelt. It's also like a mailman not petting any dogs. Most of them are friendly, but if he does it enough he'll eventually get bit.

And I don't but lottery tickets because it's more likely I'll get hit by lightening before I win the big one.
 
It is simple for me... if it makes you feel safer or better, carry. I do suggest concealed or mostly concealed carry over outside carry.
 
I've owned a modern-production, ABC-compliant, fully-charged and regularly-checked fire extinguisher in my car and home my entire life. I've never so much as pulled the pin on one outside of my training as an RA in college.

But I bet I'll be glad I have it if I need it! Maybe one day it will stop a trash can fire from destroying a half-million dollar home.

Similar ideas, to me.
 
The fire extinguisher analogy is my favorite. You may never need it, but if you do, you need it real bad, real quick.
 
Like many have posted...I like firearms. All kinds.

Nothing like a beautiful shotgun,rifle, pistol or black powder firearm with high polished fine wood stocks.

Nothing like a beautiful, heavy, scrolled, fine wood door on the front of a house either.

Just so happens that both are beautiful and both serve other purposes as well.

Hey...it just came to mind that the wife is in the same category. :D
 
Or, is it similar to regularly buying lottery tickets while knowing that the odds of winning are 1 in 1,000,000?
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If I fail to win the lottery, I'm out one dollar.

If I fail to have the means to resist an attack, I'm out quite a bit more.

The idea that I not take certain precautions because a situation might not be statistically likely is flawed. Statistically, you may never need the airbags in your car. I have. You may never need a fire extinguisher. I have.

Prudence is not the same thing as paranoia.
 
And here's where we lose this argument to the non-gun person:

They will be more often correct statistically about not needing a gun than we are in ever needing it.

So we must counter with arguments where they take the same approach we do, as in seat belts and petting dogs. We must also argue as Oldmarksman said, it's the probability during your lifetime, not one instance, that is important. Which is why it's important to always carry, not just when it's convenient, because then you are saying, "today when I go out, I know I'm not going to be attacked, so I won't need it." To that I answer that I never know when my car will break down someplace more dangerous than what I'm accustomed to.
 
GeneS beat me to the fire extinguisher analogy, which also strikes me as the closest. It's the concept of a tool that you have in case you ever need it, you fervently hope that you WON'T even need it, but if you ever DO need it and you don't have it ... you're in deep kimchee.
 
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