Is ANY gun really better than no gun?

[Gerald McDonald]

Yes.

 

[firestar]

I don't give a darn who you appear to be or whether or not the little voice in my head says "just do what he says and he will go away" I refuse to roll over and play dead. I will take my chances. I'd rather die fighting than get blown away while standing idle.

Most of the time the robbers are just looking for the money. If you start pulling guns out, you may escalate a situation that wasn't going to go that route. You may be putting yourself in more danger by pulling your gun.

I don't know what I would do but if I had the sense that the robbers were not killers, I doubt I would start shooting. Like you said, you have to be a student of human nature and you have to trust your gut on things like that. If the little voice in your head is telling you that they just want the money but you decide to shoot first and ask questions later, you may be making a decision that is endangering your life.

The point is to stay alive and make it through a bad situation, it sounds like you have an ego problem that may get you killed. I'm not saying don't defend yourself, just don't take the situation personally. Try to act based on what is best for you and not act based on emotions of your pride being hurt because you are being treated like a punk by people that you find beneath you. I know the feeling but pride is NOT worth dying for. Pride isn't even worth killing some gang banger for. You are going to be bankrupted and your life will be turned upside down and you may even end up in prison if the jury thinks you are some kind of Rambo.

Don't get me wrong, if someone is going to kill me or someone I love, I doubt I would cry myself to sleep thinking about the tradegy of what I had to do. I'm just saying, try not to escalate a situation if possible.

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

I would think that any reliable gun would
be better than NO GUN at all. With that said, I would
have reservations about weapons chambered for the
lowly .22 Short? If memory serves me correctly, the
.22 Short was chambered in the Beretta Minx; or the
the same gun as the .25 caliber Jet-Fire. The only
positive thing I can say about firearms chambered
for the .22 Short is the fact that ammunition cost
(per box of 50) would be really low!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[.45FMJoe]

I understand where you are coming from, but it's impossible to know exactly what the other person is thinking. By not acting you are playing russian roullette. Obviously if the gun is pointed at me I'm not gonna try to draw...I'll try distraction and hope someone else sees what's going on and opens fire....creating confusion and allowing me the second it should take me to bring my Glock or 1911 into action. I don't have an ego problem, I had an "awakening experience" in high school that scarred me for life. It was pretty minor, but that day changed me and made me realize not everyone was like me. If you knew me, you would know I'm gentle, kind, passionate, and a nice guy. It might not seem like it the way I speak about self defense, but it's just that self-DEFENSE. Don't create an offense and I'll never need to defend myself.

The ironic thing is we never hear of the stores being robbed in the ghetto or the bad parts of town. It's the rich South Tampa (Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, etc.) areas that get it. As it so happens, those are right where our stores are as we provide professional, high-quality service at a fair (but not discount) price. Basically, we are not the cheapest in town by a LONG shot, but we definately don't gouge people. This, is what lures the criminals. I worry more about my mom and little sister at my mom's store because they are in a small strip mall (3 stores) with less than stellar lighting and they are defenseless. In my dad's store we are in a large strip mall with hired Tampa Police as security because the place USED to be a hot bed for crime. There hasn't been a single incident (besides shoplifting or something equally as minor) in about 6 years since TPD was hired. But who's to say that will last indefinately? We are the only one's in the entire mall with a back door call office and it's right off a main street with tons of residential to run off into. Basically it's a super easy stop, rob and run chance. I keep the M4 up front for this reason...I could hit a human at the 180 feet or so from where my rifle rests and effectively end any kind of altercation involving my father or coworker if they happen to be in the back and in danger.

 

[Mute]

Not if you're relying on that gun alone to save you. With a small caliber gun, there's going to be a much higher likelihood of hand-to-hand contact with your adversary than with a larger caliber weapon.

Either case, I would prefer to have some non-gun survival skills to complement my gun, but I'll go out on a limb and say that the non-gun fighting skills will be of greater need to you if you choose a mouse gun (sorry had to say it) for a companion.

 

[David4516]

Here is how I look at it:

#1: Any gun is better than no gun.

#2: If you don't trust your gun, learn a Martial art and/or carry a knife just in case the gun doesn't "go bang".

#3: .25 ACP isn't for gunfighting. Its meant to soften up the other guy for the fistfight that will follow

If I was you I'd sell the Kel-Tec and try a different gun. I hear that the Berretas (the Jetfire in particular) are very dependable, but they are a bit bigger. If you don't mind carrying a gun that is cosiderably larger than your P-32, you might want to think about a Makarov. You could sell the P-32, buy a Mak, and still have money left over. The Makarov is very reliable, is a larger caliber, and is more fun to shoot (I hate the trigger pull on the P-32).