I feel Special Olympics coming on....
If you don't have a gun on you, you very much less tempted to try playing hero or getting into situations that the gun gives you an excessive amount of false courage to get into.
In the few instances where I was present during the "before" phase of a shooting incident, had I had a gun on me, I may have ended up being a white chalk outline like the people who did stay. Why? Because I would have felt obligated to stay and "serve" as protection.
But not carrying a gun meant that I wouldn't have been able to serve in that capacity and thus had no reason to stay, and could excuse myself without embarassment.
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ANY ACTUAL EVENTS OR PERSONS.
Scenario 1
You're walking down the street and might miss the bus if you don't take a shortcut down a dark alley.
Do you:
A. Cut through the dark alley, not knowing who may be lurking there for whatever nefarious purposes?
OR
B. Stay on the lighted streets amongst other people, figuring you can wait another 15 minutes for the next bus?
Scenario 2
You're walking through a ghetto area (for whatever reason) and see a group of young (pick the race) men hanging out on the street corner a block ahead of you.
Do you:
A. Walk right past the gang?
OR
B. Move over a block so they don't see the (pick whatever makes you stand out as NOT being a local) walking alone?
If you have a gun you'd probably pick A without much hesitation (or sense).
If you don't have a gun, you'd probably pick B because you want to see the sun rise an other day.
If you don't have a gun, and you pick A, then you're a lot braver than me 'cause I'm picking B.
Lonestranger, did you used to watch the "Lone Ranger"? You know, the show where the good guy always got the drop on the bad guy, and always shot the gun out of his hand?
The show that probably gave every boy who watched it the impression that a gun was a magic talismen that banished evil by the end of every episode.
REALITY CHECK!
Most people who die by the gun are killed by their own family or their own hand, rather than by criminals using it against you.
And this statement doesn't mean I'm anti-gun either.
To me, as stated previously, a gun is a tool to be used for a pre-planned purpose. It is not a charm that I carry every waking moment to ward of evil.
And in what circumstances are you planning to get into a shootout over? Are you an armored car courier? Carrying gold and diamonds? A rich industrialist in a third world country? A leader of a political or religous party under death threats?
Or are you an average joe who works 40 hours a week, goes home to his suburban track home with the 30 year mortage to 2.3 children and a dog named ralph? Who has a couple thousand saved up for the kids college fund and some overdrawn credit cards?
You work in an office doing middle management type stuff for a carpet manufacturer, nothing that anyones going to be take n hostage over to pressure the owner to give up the secret to how they make the carpet have such a nice plush feel.
See where I'm going with this?
If you don't then put the gas mask and rubber gloves on before you open your mail, cause I heard there's some nasty stuff going through there now.
Now, obviously, if you're required to go into harms way, then you need to be prepared. This preparedness may include a gun. However, the presence of a firearm on your body shouldn't preclude the use of your brain and senses.
It doesn't mean you can blithely go traipsing down any dark alley, abandoned building, crowd, subway, ghetto, riot, post-apocalyptic wasteland and you get the idea, without risk.
Obviously, on a gun forum, pretty much everyone is going to be of the belief that carrying a firearm is a MUST HAVE daily thing, and I'm not going to try to dissuade you from that. It's a right as only it can be in America. Thank God for that.
What I AM trying to dissuade people from is disengaging their brains from the thought process while they have a gun in their reach.
There's too much automatic default to "grab the gun" to some of lifes problems that I see presented here on TFL.
Someone gives you the finger on the freeway: GRAB THE GUN!
Arab looking fellow looks suspicious: GRAB THE GUN!
Young guy, dressed in leather wearing a dog collar, passing you by in the parking garage reaches into his pocket: GRAB THE GUN!
Noise in the night: GRAB THE GUN!
UN leader farts: GRAB THE GUN!
Even saying such things in jest shows an attitude that, to me, is unhealthy.
I don't know how many other ways I can say the same simple idea:
Use your brain, think first, and don't reach automatically for the gun as the solution to a problem.
BTW, I really miss the show "McGyver". A good show about a guy who used his brain, instead of automatic weapons, to solve problems.
I can't wait to see what someone will say about that.