Yeah man, that is just ignorance on their part.
Some people have limitations. I am 6'3" and 200 lbs. I lift a lot of weights, and am really quite strong. I am an extremely peaceful person who just wants to be left alone though. However, if backed into a corner and put in a position where I feel I have to defend myself or someone I care about, I get real ugly, real fast, and if it's one on one, it's going to be a bad day for the bad guy.
Of course, what bad guy is ever unarmed, or alone? They have a tendency to carry a weapon of some sort, and it doesn't matter how strong I am, a knife will cut me, and a baseball bat to the head will knock me out. You could be 7'5" and 350 pounds of muscle, and if there are 3 or 4 guys,....... good luck. A gun will kill you just the same if the bad guy knows how to use it. A .357 in my hand will change someone's mind real fast, and if not, well....... then they made a poor decision.
This doesn't even account for the back injury I sustained about 6 years ago that involved me blowing out a few disks. I may be strong, but it is very dependent on form and proper technique. In fact my back is why I lift and exercise a lot, to keep it strong, and keep me from hurting it again. If I get attacked, In a fair fight (which doesn't happen in reality) I could do just fine, but it's entirely likely that the next day I won't be able to move. It is also entirely likely that a fight will end in months of recovery, chiropractor appointments, and possibly permanent damage requiring surgery to fix. Given how catastrophic this would be to me, my career, and health, I think defending myself with a potentially lethal means is prudent.
Lets also not forget the drugged up individual who may not feel anything you are doing to defend yourself. What do you do then, use harsh language? And as many have stated earlier, a small and physically diminutive sized person must do something to defend them self. Typically, women are physically smaller and weaker than men (no sexism intended, just stating a fact ladies). Most rapists and murderers tend to be more powerful than the victims they choose for a reason. So according to the fools making the OP comments, these women have no right to defend themselves from an attacker?
The "kids" in the OP are definitely just trying to puff themselves up. If you are talking about a stupid bar fight with a cod piece wagging idiot, then yes, it isn't worth it to use a gun. But who has a gun in those situations anyway? I certainly hope everyone in this forum is more responsible than that. I also guarantee that these types haven't ever actually taken a real beating either, and have no idea what they are talking about.
The bottom line is this: They are ignorant, they don't care what your opinion is, they don't want to listen to reason, and they are ridiculing you so they feel better about the fact that THEY are afraid of guns in general. These are people who have already made up their mind. Changing those opinions is not your job, but if you try to take it on, good luck to you. I have been trying like hell to educate all the gun fearing people I know, and the most important piece of advice you could hear is to stay calm and simply explain your point of view. Don't get mad, and don't let them draw you into too much of a debate. An angry person arguing for firearms rights is doing a disservice to the cause, because if scares people, and makes them think you are just an angry gun toting redneck.
,then to use a gun would be a very good idea,if I only had a gun and my fists.Of course if I had an asp baton,or a tazer on me,or some chilli spray,Id use that instead,before bullets,if it was one attacker with a knife.More fool them,if they try and defend themselves with only muscle.During the London riots this summer,I would have carried an asp-baton on me,as I needed to go into one of the most affected areas(Lewisham,SE London
