What bothers me is that people seldom bother to realistically assess the level of threat they face and more importantly view the gun as some kind of talisman that bestows protection. Having a gun in your hand doesnt make a person "safe", any more than possession of a stethoscope makes them a doctor.
A review of the Uniform Crime Reports will also review a couple things:
Violent crime is at its lowest point since the early 70s
Stranger-on-stranger violent crime involving middle age males is incredibly rare.
Preparation is fine, paranoia is not, especially when it leads to actions which are tactically unsound and borderline reckless. One poster goes to his car, gun in hand, at 5:30 AM. Listen to scanner traffic at that time of day, the silence is deafening, the only people out are cops and papermen. Another complains about long response times, indicating that he lives in the country. I though people moved to the country to get away from crime - rural violence among strangers is infinitesimal. Over the past 5 years there have been maybe 6 home invasions in the rural county in which I live, all of them were solved, and in most the offender knew the victim or lived nearby.
Again preparation is fine, but like anything else it can be overdone. I am armed 24/7, but my gun stays in its rig unless I at least have a potential target. I also get my booster shots when needed, but I'm not gonna live life in a bubble suit cause I might get a germ.