chance of using your ccw for defense?

Status
Not open for further replies.
tipoc said:
Also if you think of your hand gun as your first line of defense you are more likely to pull that roscoe on someone, more likely to get in a gunfight (or a one sided gun fight with you having the only gun) and shoot someone (and likely spend some time in jail).
Click to expand...
Basis?
 
Kleanbore said:
Basis?
Click to expand...

Handgun is far down the line when it comes to a defensive tool. First and most important tool is the brain. Helps you avoid or diffuse trouble, talk your way out of it and walk or drive away from it when needed. It helps get others out of trouble as well. It also can clearly see the relationship of forces.

Seems to me that a good many folks, often particularly on gun forums, have an idea that the most common danger they may face is a random attack by strangers. That is not the case. Most folks shot are shot by people who they know. A co-worker, former friend, the business partner who stole from you, ex-husband or wife, daughter's boyfriend, neighbor, etc.

There are also a whole lot of lifestyle choices that place folks in greater risk of being shot or robbed, etc. As well as attitude. If a person carries a gun in the belief that presenting that gun will compel others to obey them they will be disappointed. A gun is no replacement for a badge. the threat of prison and the power of the courts. But some think it is and act on that.
 
tipoc said:
Handgun is far down the line when it comes to a defensive tool. First and most important tool is the brain. Helps you avoid or diffuse trouble, talk your way out of it and walk or drive away from it when needed. It helps get others out of trouble as well. It also can clearly see the relationship of forces.
Click to expand...
I agree with all of that, but.you have not substantiated your previous assertion.

tipoc said:
Seems to me that a good many folks, often particularly on gun forums, have an idea that the most common danger they may face is a random attack by strangers.
Click to expand...
I do not know what you mean by a "random attack".

tipoc said:
That is not the case. Most folks shot are shot by people who they know. A co-worker, former friend, the business partner who stole from you, ex-husband or wife, daughter's boyfriend, neighbor, etc.
Click to expand...
Can you cite anything current to support those claims?

And by the way, most civilians need to defend against people other than those who shoot.

tipoc said:
There are also a whole lot of lifestyle choices that place folks in greater risk of being shot or robbed, etc. As well as attitude.
Click to expand...
Okay. Good point.

BUT none of them can be relied upon for self preservation.

tipoc said:
If a person carries a gun in the belief that presenting that gun will compel others to obey them they will be disappointed. A gun is no replacement for a badge. the threat of prison and the power of the courts. But some think it is and act on that.
Click to expand...
All very true.

I know no one who would fall into that category.
 
Had to pull my Blackhawk twice. Just the click of the hammer cocking on that big barreled Gun changed their minds. I wish they weren’t so heavy, I’d still carry one. My friends always got a kick shooting those pistols that started with a 4.
 
tipoc said:
Handgun is far down the line when it comes to a defensive tool. First and most important tool is the brain. Helps you avoid or diffuse trouble, talk your way out of it and walk or drive away from it when needed. It helps get others out of trouble as well. It also can clearly see the relationship of forces.
Click to expand...

Agree..the old adage "Make sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear" applies here.
 
I certainly hope that chance is zero and do my best to stay out of situations that would make the risk higher, but you can never know when trouble might find you.

There can be a one in a million chance of something happening, but that only means that somebody is going to be that one.

I like the analogy of a fire extinguisher. You surely hope you'll never need it, but you have it because there is some small chance that you will someday need it.
 
jim49 said:
thought came to mind today....
what are the chances of using you firearm for
defense. i carry every moment i am awake, but
i was just wondering percentage wise what the chances would be. anyone have some
accurate stats? >1% <10% ?
Click to expand...
Something >0%, but I don't carry because of the odds. I carry because of the stakes.
 
A few weeks ago my buddy had to pull his to stop a would be carjacking. And I live in a rural area. Some random dude came up to his drivers door (which was locked btw. I got him into the habit of locking the doors.) And the guy was trying the handle. My buddy just waved his gun and the guy took off like a scared rabbit.
 
Kleanbore said:
Your basis?
Click to expand...

The number of times I have seen people who have been struck by lightning (a couple) and killed by auto accidents (hundreds) over the last 43-years of police work vs. those who who used their CW for self-defense (zero).

For full disclosure, I have seen a couple times when firearms were used or displayed during home invasions.
 
Kevin Rohrer said:
The number of times I have seen people who have been struck by lightning (a couple) and killed by auto accidents (hundreds) over the last 43-years of police work vs. those who who used their CW for self-defense (zero).
Click to expand...
Such anecdotal observations do not constitute reliable data.

I have been involved in four defensive gun use incidents since 1964.

I have never been struck by lightning.

And obviously, I have not yet been killed in a car crash.

That really does not tell us anything about probability, though.
 
Kleanbore said:
Such anecdotal observations do not constitute reliable data.

I have been involved in four defensive gun use incidents since 1964.

I have never been struck by lightning.

And obviously, I have not yet been killed in a car crash.

That really does not tell us anything about probability, though.
Click to expand...

There are always exceptions to the rule, especially when outside confirmation is not possible.

I'll go w/ my data.
 
Last edited:
Kleanbore said:
I agree with all of that, but.you have not substantiated your previous assertion.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you are referring to regarding the "previous assertion".

Regarding "random attack": a home invasion carried out by strangers to the occupants, the robbery attempt in a dark parking lot, the attempted sexual assault while jogging, being on the receiving end of a road rage incident, finding yourself in the middle of a mass shooting, etc. "Random" from the point of view the potential victim.
 
Don't know the statistics don't care to know. To me that is just a false sense of security, I rather always be aware an alert of my surroundings when I leave the house. Bad things happen even in good area's, it's not like a bad guy cant leave a bad area to go to a good area.
 
tipoc said:
Regarding "random attack": a home invasion carried out by strangers to the occupants, the robbery attempt in a dark parking lot, the attempted sexual assault while jogging, being on the receiving end of a road rage incident, finding yourself in the middle of a mass shooting, etc.
Click to expand...
Of those, I discount the last one very heavily, and I I consider my chances of getting shot after a road rage incident to be far less than remote.

However, I assess the risk of being threatened or attacked in any of the other three kinds of situation, or while refueling a car or using an ATM, fo be far higher than that of being shot by "a co-worker, former friend, the business partner who stole from you, ex-husband or wife, daughter's boyfriend, neighbor, etc.".

I do not consider such an attack likely, but again, "it's the stakes".

I have been victimized by home invasions while at home three times in the last fifty-six years. Fortunately, I was armed, on each occasion. All of the criminals were unknown to me,
 
Boarhunter said:
Kleanbore, you need to find another place to live.
Click to expand...
Someone always points that out. Thanks

Two of the home invasions were in a very good neighborhood. Low crime rate, very expensive. I haven't lived there for a long time, and my moving had nothing to do with the crimes

Another was in a very expensive neighborhood.

Another was in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains.

I did mention that the first occurred 56 years ago.

Perhaps there's an opportunity for learning here.

Two things:
  1. Criminals are mobile. Predators go to the game.
  2. Risk in large part a function of exposure--time, events, etc. Remember the die example.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
Prudent or Paranoid?
Replies
1
Views
385
Sam1911
S
O
  • Locked
Your gun can't help you for home defense...............................if:
2 3
Replies
56
Views
4K
IllHunter
I
H
  • Locked
Does anyone have these statistics?
Replies
0
Views
331
honkeoki
H
D
  • Locked
Weapon positioning in a home?
Replies
20
Views
1K
TheLastBoyScout
T
B
  • Locked
LFI 1 class
Replies
0
Views
300
Bob Hostetter
B
Back
Top