Frustrating Conversation with my roommates

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geophysicishooter

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So today during my morning glory, I was reading in the local fishwrap about the third home invasion that's taken place in as many weeks here in our friendly little town. Two men knocked on a door. When the tenant answered the men forced their way in, proceed to shoot one of the two tenants in the head, the other in the leg and rob the place. Somehow, the two victims make it to the hospital and luckily have "survived" their encounter with a home invader.

So after finishing the article, I ask my roommates if they'd heard about the recent rash of home invasions.

male roommate: "Uh, you mean the ones that have been happening way over on the north end of town?"

me: "Well, you say that as if that's not five minutes from here. You say that as if we live in a gated community and there aren't any weirdos roaming the streets around here."

him: "Yeah, well. I'm really not all that worried about it."

me: "Well, I still think it's a good idea to be aware of who's at the door and not to answer it if you don't know who's on the other side. and if you do decide to answer it, make sure you have a gun on your hand before you open the door."

female roommate: "What are you guys talking about?"

me: "The recent wave of home invasions"

her: "What do you mean, 'Home Invasions'?"

me: "guy knocks on the door. you answer. he kicks the door in. puts a gun to your head. bang. you're dead. that type of home invasion"

her: "oh"

me: "All I'm saying is: be careful"

him: "well, yeah but that doesn't happen around here. that's only happening over in those bad parts of town."

me: "I just don't see how you can think that way. What are you going to do when a guy's got a gun to your head?"

her: "Well, you'd be surprised"

me: "Surprised at what?"

her: "How well some people can defend themselves.."

me: "what do you mean? how are you going to defend yourself against a gun to your head?" (keep in mind: this is a girl about to go in for back surgery for a herniated disc at the age of 23. Long story, so I'm told)

her: "well I do have a black belt in karate"

me: "a black belt... really?"

her: "yeah"

me: "you might as well use it to blindfold yourself for all the good it'll do you when someone forces their way into the house."

--------------

Well, needless to say, I grew tired of this conversation pretty quickly and left with a few parting thoughts on the general safety of the area we live in and so forth. I had places to go and these two aren't the type to listen to something they don't want to hear.
 
Don't worry about these types of people.

No use wasting your time. Save your breath for people who are willing to listen.
 
I think it's definitely worth wasting your time. I talk to anyone and everyone who has an opinion on guns, and I will tell them flat out the God's honest truth as I see it. I've gotten a few people closer to understanding the 2A and what it stands for.

I mean I understand your frustration but I think you had the definite upper hand in that conversation with several telling points. I wouldn't be disheartened. People like this who are on the fence when it comes to issues related to the 2A can easily be shown the truth. I think a few more conversations like this one, citing information and sources, could potentially have two more in our camp.

Keep up the good work.
 
Tell her she may know karate but you know smith and wesson Two is better than one.
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While I have no idea of HER particular abilities, in general holding a gun to the head of a trained martial artist is a good way to lose the gun.
 
I've got a black belt, too. In my youth, I was a competition kickboxer. That was the only time that I made it "public" that I was into martial arts. Even so, I can't tell you how many times that I've been asked the question "What are you going to do if a guy has a gun?"

Fortunately, I have an answer that I got at a seminar once. Same question-- good answer--

If he shoots me, I am going to bleed. If I bleed enough, I am going to die. Listen people, Martial Arts IS NOT the answer to every problem. It is not the movies. Martial Arts allows a person with no options left to have one. But hand-to-hand combat is the lowest form of self-defense.
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I wonder what that instructor was carrying....


I look at my martial arts training as being the short knife blade in my swiss-army-knife of options. Its a lot worse then the big blade, and only slightly better than the toenail clipper.


Sometimes people annoy me about the expectations they place on Martial Arts. I've read comments like "If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Sometimes I think if you are a martial artist, everything looks like a horde of ninjas.


-- John
 
I think your roomates still suffer from "invulnerable" virus.

As you get older you tend to build up a resistance to this virus, but you can still get flare-ups.

Alcohol also tends to weaken the immune system to this virus.
 
Don't worry about these types of people. No use wasting your time. Save your breath for people who are willing to listen.
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He needs to worry about these particular people, because if they open the door and let a homicidal maniac into the dwelling, they've endangered his life as well as their own.

in general holding a gun to the head of a trained martial artist is a good way to lose the gun.
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In general, holding a gun within arms reach of anyone who understands human reaction times is a good way to lose it. We don't have a cat's reflexes, and even when in training and anticipating having your opponent disarm you, you'd be amazed how the gun is out of your hand before you could have pulled the trigger
 
My parents are infected with that virus too, but they are kind of old and never drink. They tend to think that bad things only happen to bad people. When I first told them that I would use my recently aquired target pistol in self defence if I ever needed it, their response was 'Dont do drugs, and make sure to do your homwork and it will never happen to you. Nothing bad will ever happen to you if you live a clean life'.

There must be a strain that attacks old superstitious people too, which also explain why I remain unaffected after having been exposed through it for 24 years.
 
geophysicishooter said:
me: "a black belt... really?"

her: "yeah"

me: "you might as well use it to blindfold yourself for all the good it'll do you when someone forces their way into the house."
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that image will live in infamy within the recesses of my mind, rofl.

sounds like your romemates need some range time, get em down there, will ya?
 
Sometimes people annoy me about the expectations they place on Martial Arts. I've read comments like "If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Sometimes I think if you are a martial artist, everything looks like a horde of ninjas.
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Exactly. I think trying to snatch a gun out of someone's hand is about the worst thing one could do (except as like an absolute last resort). What works well in practice does not necessarily transfer well into performance. If it did, we'd see more people foiling attacks using the grasshopper, dragon, [insert animal here] technique.

I think many martial arts teachers use false hope and security as a selling point for an activity that is for most, really just a more violent form of ballet.
 
It's funny.. They are actually both pro 2A. He reloads for his 8mm mauser. He has a 9mm s&w somthing or other (a cool piece actually. it kind looks like and operates similarly to the 1911. kinda. says it belonged to his dad). I've been to the range with him and he's a decent shot. but he's the type that just doesn't see past his own nose.. he occuoies himself playing magic the gathering and WoW..

I think y'all are right. I think they suffer mightily from the invulnerable virus. They're book smart but street, um, challenged. What's frustrating is exactly as has been suggested; their carelessness could end up putting me in danger. or at the very least, get all my considerable cool stolen.

But the really scary bit wasa couple of weeks ago when she told me about two hispanics that were sitting on the curb close to the driveway when she left that morning for work (or wherever she goes in the morning) and when she was getting into her car, she said that one said to the other in spanish, "yeah, see, she's leaving"...

And they wonder why I always have my gun within arms reach..
 
I"ll take this tangent...

holding a gun to the head of a trained martial artist is a good way to lose the gun.
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I missed the part between the Hand to hand scuffle and the knife fight and somehow came in right when the long range weapon became a pointing device directed at someone's cranium.:neener:
 
How to solve this Problem: Squirtgun

You to 'blackbelt': "I'll hold this squirtgun on you, and as soon as you can take it away from me without getting wet, you can answer the door unarmed."

Problem solved.
 
You to 'blackbelt': "I'll hold this squirtgun on you, and as soon as you can take it away from me without getting wet, you can answer the door unarmed."
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Wow, that is a really good one.:)
 
Lots of women have an overblown sense of what they are capable of in terms of self defense.

Many of them may even have taken classes.


I was might pissed off once back in my college days. Some guy was taking 50 bucks for a two hour 'self defense' course for women on campus. After about an hour, he had them blocking (ridiculously) slow punches and practicing to stomp on a foot. Maybe you had to see it to understand, but it was a sham.

I was tempted to walk over and smash him in the face then ask him if he thought all those girls should get their money back, as obviously his tactics were flawed.



People underestimate the violence of an attack. I wrestled back in high school and the first match of the year was always a little shocking because you forgot how violent it was going to be. And that was controlled violence with no striking.

I had an ex-girlfriend whose mother bought her some self defense cards. Cute little pastel cards showing various self defense techniques. Feel-good tripe.. a load of manure. They were both extremely anti.

I am blessed now to have a GF who packs her glock 19 around in the galco purse I bought for her. And she was willing to listen when I told her if she was ever fighting for her life hand to hand with a man that she need to bite and scratch and kick... and most of all... try to shove a long nailed thumb all the way to the back of his eye socket.


Some people will stand there in shock if violence ever confronts them because unless you are prepared for it there is little alternative.


Here I am... preaching to the choir.
 
Lots of women have an overblown sense of what they are capable of in terms of self defense.
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So do men, gun owners, and martial artists.

One thing that is being assumed in this thread is that the criminal will be nice enough to hold the gun to your head and provide a chance of retaliation.

He may just shoot you dead on the spot.

Guns, muscles, and martial arts won't help much if you're caught completely off-guard. Install a peep hole. Don't open the door to strangers at night. Find out who is on the other side of the door.
 
That can be frustrating when people don't get it.

You have to remember, like a child, some people don't fear or respect the stove until they've been burned by it.

I had a buddy, actually a big guy (former college football player, 300 lbs) who called me out saying it was "dangerous and foolish to own guns." I told him it was good to be prepared in case of a home invasion.

This is what he said: "Man, if some gang of guys breaks in my house at 2 AM, chances are they'll put two slugs in my head so quick I wouldn't have time to grab a gun, so what's the point??"

My response: "Oh ok, so that is like saying if you get in a car accident, chances are you'll be killed so what is the point of seat belts? Don't wear one, right?"

Him: "Uhh, but wait come on..."

Me: "Guns are like a seat belt, chances are you'll never need it in your life... but that one time, you'll need it very very badly."
 
I am trained in the martial arts and by instuctor is a close friend he is a third don black belt. I asked him what he would do if he got a gun put in his face he replied take the bullet like a champ. I was in a friends house he was showing me his new gun and i made a crack about did his husband own a gun and he turned it to my head about six inches away. I took it from him with ease and turned it on him he looked at me with the most suprised look as did the other people in the room. That being said good training of the mind and body are very valuble. Now i answer my door with a gun in hand cocked and locked. My point is training is great a good gun is priceless.
 
I was in a friends house he was showing me his new gun and i made a crack about did his husband own a gun and he turned it to my head about six inches away. I took it from him with ease and turned it on him he looked at me with the most suprised look as did the other people in the room.
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That's not exactly safe gun handling.
 
My wife is a convert when it comes to her ability to thwart an attacker. When we were dating, she had mentioned that she thought she could fight off a rapist. I put her to the test so to speak. I told her to try her hardest to "get away from me". She fought back pretty hard, but was unable to make me budge. After our "wrestling match" she understood why I wanted her to get her CCW permit so bad. needless to say she now carries every day. :)
 
Agreed i think i was tring to over prove my point. I know it does not matter but it was unloaded. But the point was no matter you're training better to have a gun.
 
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