Kano383
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One thing I couldn’t help but notice in life, is that talkers don’t do much, and doers don’t talk much...
Handguns and a Balanced Life
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One thing I couldn’t help but notice in life, is that talkers don’t do much, and doers don’t talk much...
BSA1
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Or the talkers go on to become politicians....
Come to think of it politicians don't do much either do they?
Come to think of it politicians don't do much either do they?
gulogulo1970
Member
I have a friend that seems to be looking forward to the day he needs to use a weapon for self defense. Now, this could just be all talk. But if it is not, it is a bit scary.
There is nothing wrong with being totally prepared to defend oneself, family and friends and training to be able to accomplish that task.
It is totally different mindset to want it to happen. You should hope it never happens but train as if it may. Having the mindset I want to get the chance to shoot someone seemingly may lead to a self fulfilling prophesy.
There is nothing wrong with being totally prepared to defend oneself, family and friends and training to be able to accomplish that task.
It is totally different mindset to want it to happen. You should hope it never happens but train as if it may. Having the mindset I want to get the chance to shoot someone seemingly may lead to a self fulfilling prophesy.
Vern Humphrey
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Two thoughts come to mind: First, you scare awfully easily, and second, why would you have a friend that scares you?
P5 Guy
Member
Sort of along the line of what Varminterror said.
When I was young and dumb motorcycle racing was my hobby/sport. Most of my free time was spent prepping the bike for races and hauling back and forth. While I was working in a factory and doing an apprenticeship. Finally after one crash the union and management said I needed to choose, racing or learning the trade. I picked the trade.
All that was in gun hating NJ. When the factory went on strike I moved to Florida and took up a new hobby, shooting.
When I was young and dumb motorcycle racing was my hobby/sport. Most of my free time was spent prepping the bike for races and hauling back and forth. While I was working in a factory and doing an apprenticeship. Finally after one crash the union and management said I needed to choose, racing or learning the trade. I picked the trade.
All that was in gun hating NJ. When the factory went on strike I moved to Florida and took up a new hobby, shooting.
gulogulo1970
Member
Vern, do you look forward to using your handgun for self defense? Like, I just can't wait.
Is that the right mindset?
Is that the right mindset?
Vern Humphrey
Member
If you're going to pretend to read other people's minds, you should wear a turban and gaze into a crystal ball.
As I have said many times, I carry a handgun so I WON'T need one.
gulogulo1970
Member
Who is reading minds? I've talked to this guy at least once a month for 15 years. I'm basing my thoughts because of what he says, not what I feel. I cannot read minds but what else does anyone have to go on but the words others use? Again he could be full of it and be nothing but noise and bluster.
He's a friend because he really knows his stuff when it comes to guns. He's just not someone I'd knock on his door at night without calling first for sure.
I would hate to have to use a gun in self defense and possibly take a life but it beats dying or seeing a love one hurt. I've read, once one decides to carry or just own a gun the owner should try to defuse situations of possible violence, if possible. It is a huge responsibility. If a persons mindset is, if I get half a chance to shoot somebody I'm going to, that is wrong in my book.
Maybe hyper-aggressive is a better term than scary. Living a hyper-aggressive life seems to be an easier path to prison. Because you might be wrong and your judgment flawed. And a mistake with a firearm can lead to somebody getting hurt or dying who didn't deserve it.
He's a friend because he really knows his stuff when it comes to guns. He's just not someone I'd knock on his door at night without calling first for sure.
I would hate to have to use a gun in self defense and possibly take a life but it beats dying or seeing a love one hurt. I've read, once one decides to carry or just own a gun the owner should try to defuse situations of possible violence, if possible. It is a huge responsibility. If a persons mindset is, if I get half a chance to shoot somebody I'm going to, that is wrong in my book.
Maybe hyper-aggressive is a better term than scary. Living a hyper-aggressive life seems to be an easier path to prison. Because you might be wrong and your judgment flawed. And a mistake with a firearm can lead to somebody getting hurt or dying who didn't deserve it.
Vern Humphrey
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Let us know when he's on trial.
Until then, it's nothing but talk, and hear-say at that.
Varminterror
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There is a psychological coping mechanism of conversion - effectively, it is easier for the mind of some folks to convert fear of an undefined (or under defined) stressor into aggression. It’s not so different than the variant reaction some people display when insulted, or punched in the mouth - some react with sadness, some with fear, some with blind aggression. The mind’s perception of a potential stressor, whether it’s an insult or an assault, for some folks, will parlay processing the primary emotional response and instead convert to something their mind deems as more controlled - anger and aggression. Figuratively, it’s the minds’ way of saying, “sometimes the best defense is a good offense.”
You see the same conversion response in people who “psych themselves up” before something scary. I’ve seen guys slap themselves in the face and scream obscenities before parachuting. Heck, this conversion coping mechanism is commonly relatable enough, it’s used in a scene in the kids’ movie Frozen - “I was BORN ready...” - before the protagonist jumps off of a cliff. It’s easier for the conscious mind to be comfortable with anger than with fear.
Doesn’t make it right, but it does make it common. So when your buddy seems a little aggressive whenever he talks about his preparedness for a self-defense scenario, it’s most likely a conversion of his inherent, underlying fear of being unprepared for a nearly “unpreparable” event.
You see the same conversion response in people who “psych themselves up” before something scary. I’ve seen guys slap themselves in the face and scream obscenities before parachuting. Heck, this conversion coping mechanism is commonly relatable enough, it’s used in a scene in the kids’ movie Frozen - “I was BORN ready...” - before the protagonist jumps off of a cliff. It’s easier for the conscious mind to be comfortable with anger than with fear.
Doesn’t make it right, but it does make it common. So when your buddy seems a little aggressive whenever he talks about his preparedness for a self-defense scenario, it’s most likely a conversion of his inherent, underlying fear of being unprepared for a nearly “unpreparable” event.
JR24
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That was my immediate thought when I read the thread title.
I never understand why people have to worry and bemoan what other people think and say, especially on the internet.
That's on them, not me. I do what I do and don't much care what others do as long as they don't bother me, why get worked up over what some anonymous person says and your interpretation of their intent or fantasy or whatnot.
Agreed, I am trained and I feel like I could probably rely on that to get me safe but I know I would suffer afterwards. Heck, I used to love and live for hunting of all kinds but once my son was born I honestly don't much care for killing animals anymore.
I still fill the freezer but I take no pleasure in it anymore, I have much more fun on a good range session.
theotherwaldo
Member
I have found that stopping a would-be predator from harming myself or others bothers me far less than allowing harm to innocents.
The infant, strapped in a car seat, that was thrown into high brush by a carjacker and died of exposure haunts me. I passed within yards of the poor thing and didn't notice it.
The junior meth dealer that shot up my grandmother's house and killed himself in police custody after I disarmed him while he was trying to reload... not so much.
The infant, strapped in a car seat, that was thrown into high brush by a carjacker and died of exposure haunts me. I passed within yards of the poor thing and didn't notice it.
The junior meth dealer that shot up my grandmother's house and killed himself in police custody after I disarmed him while he was trying to reload... not so much.
Zaydok Allen
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Well said. Fear induces a lot of psychological effects, and I think you hit the nail on the head with a lot of overly aggressive people. I've witnessed this with overly assertive and egotistical people at work. Their behavior is spawned by insecurity and a fear that they will be viewed as inadequate. So they puff themselves up in order to hide that fear, and in the process they push their coworkers away. Similar concept in a different context. It's an emotional conversion.
Vern Humphrey
Member
I suppose it makes them feel superior.
There is a guy who writes an occasional column for out weekly newspaper. He's obsessed with "racism." He can tell a racist by the way they look at other people -- or don't look at other people, or dress and so on. It's the same thing.
someguy2800
Member
One thing I couldn’t help but notice in life, is that talkers don’t do much, and doers don’t talk much...
You said it right there
For me, my CCW is in the same category of things I carry as a flashlight or a knife ... If I need it I have it. I generally think about these if I need them or if they become uncomfortable. I hardly ever need any of them (especially the CCW).
A category above this would be my wallet and keys ... I will 99.999 % need these on any given day.
AlexanderA
Member
The most dangerous places I've been have been overseas, where carrying a gun is not an option. By necessity, you learn other defensive techniques, such as situational awareness and blending in, so you don't become an obvious target.
Nevertheless, in spite of that, I once lost a lot of money to a gang of pickpockets. Ironically, even if I had had a gun, it wouldn't have done a bit of good in that situation. (The thieves would have gotten the gun as well as the money.) That incident was certainly a wake-up call for me.
Being able to carry a gun is a kind of crutch, that enables you to let your guard down in other respects. In that way it could be counterproductive.
Nevertheless, in spite of that, I once lost a lot of money to a gang of pickpockets. Ironically, even if I had had a gun, it wouldn't have done a bit of good in that situation. (The thieves would have gotten the gun as well as the money.) That incident was certainly a wake-up call for me.
Being able to carry a gun is a kind of crutch, that enables you to let your guard down in other respects. In that way it could be counterproductive.
Vern Humphrey
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This is called anecdotal evidence -- extrapolating from one experience to make it apply to the general situation.
Varminterror
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Not only is it simple anecdotal evidence, his conclusion is non-sequitur.
Anyone who has carried much will typically comment the opposite of @AlexanderA’s assertion. Even Cooper commented a person should never be comfortable carrying a firearm. My carry pieces tend to serve as a 1-3lb reminder of the ever-present risk of threats, and the ever-present risk of accidental exposure or even accidental discharge, inherent to carrying a firearm. My guard is never down when carrying; to the contrary, I’m typically more aloof when I’m NOT carrying - because typically the reason I am not carrying is because I’m in a minimized risk environment.
Feeling more confident in one’s preparedness to resolve particular risks is not the same as “letting one’s guard down.”
Anyone who has carried much will typically comment the opposite of @AlexanderA’s assertion. Even Cooper commented a person should never be comfortable carrying a firearm. My carry pieces tend to serve as a 1-3lb reminder of the ever-present risk of threats, and the ever-present risk of accidental exposure or even accidental discharge, inherent to carrying a firearm. My guard is never down when carrying; to the contrary, I’m typically more aloof when I’m NOT carrying - because typically the reason I am not carrying is because I’m in a minimized risk environment.
Feeling more confident in one’s preparedness to resolve particular risks is not the same as “letting one’s guard down.”
Zaydok Allen
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This should always be your first line of defense, regardless of location. Your home included.
I agree. Pickpockets either rob you without you noticing, or a mob of them overwhelms you and clean you out before you can do anything. A gun is likely not going to help in either scenario. However, I'd still rather have a gun on me to lose to the pickpockets.
I 100% completely disagree with this notion. If you are letting your guard down because you have a gun, I would suggest that your perception of a gun seems to be that it's a magic talisman to ward off evil. In reality it is a tool to fight off evil. Simply having it isn't going to make you any safer. Having it, AND having situational awareness, along with the will and knowhow to use it will keep you safer.
plumberroy
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All I can tell you is ,Every time I put a gun in my pocket or in a holster on my belt . I take a second to pray I don't need it . I practice 2-4 times a month first because I enjoy shooting Second God forbid I have to use it I will be efficient with it
Hokie_PhD
Member
As someone who has been in a classroom while a kid with a shot gun blasts the door apart while my gun was locked in the glove box of my car because the state has a stupid no guns on college campus law, I can tell you that I spent a lot of time thinking about what would have happened had I had my gun on me.
The short answer is that I would have done what many of us would have done. I would have used it to cover the door until the police arrived, and I would have shot and killed the gunman if he attempted to come into the classroom.
Now this isn't easy to type as it was real for me. I spent a long time dealing with the reality that someone was trying to kill me and that to protect myself and my students that I would have killed him had I been armed. It's something I don't take lightly, nor do I ever want to experience again. But it's something that I know that I'm capable of doing if needed.
I guess unlike your friend, I look at carrying just like I look at the decades of martial arts training I've been through. I don't ever want to get into a fight with someone, just like I don't ever want to have to pull my gun on someone. That said, I know that if needed I can use my skills to protect myself and others. In a literal sense of the word martial, my carry weapon is a tool to supplement my traditional training and offers me more options against an attacker. At the lowest level, it could be simply "helping" a drunk or rowdy kid to a position where they can calm down. At the worst level, it could be where someone is shooting up a store or building that I'm in.
Anyway, I'd say that if you haven't thought about what taking a life means, and what you'd feel like after you've killed someone, I suggest you do it. I know that many of our vets and law enforcement officers know exactly what I'm talking about. Just about everyone else though probably hasn't, and I hope that we can at least get a few to think about it, especially your friend.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Will someone answer a question for me?
If a man is not willing to defend his own life, and those of his loved ones, what right has he to call on SOMEONE ELSE to risk his life in their defense?
If a man is not willing to defend his own life, and those of his loved ones, what right has he to call on SOMEONE ELSE to risk his life in their defense?
Hokie_PhD
Member
Good question.
Or here's another one.
What right does someone who isn't willing to fight to defend their life and those of those they're responsible for have to tell someone else that they can't defend themselves or others? (the professor who was paid to lobby against the 2nd Amendment who said she wouldn't have fought if the gunman came into the faculty office where she was hiding under a desk)
Varminterror
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You’re touting the Second and ignoring the First...
So the answer is this: he has the right to do so. Every American has that right, recognized and NOT granted by the Constitution of the United States.
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