"Why carry a gun? You'll never need it"

[38snapcaps]

Talking with a co-worker today, he's kinda anti-gun, or at least doesn't see any need for personal defense weapons. Our community is quite safe so he doesn't understand why I have a carry permit, according to him, I'll never need it.

How would you anwer the above statement?

 

[clipse]

I would ask if he wears a seat belt and has a spare tire.


clipse

 

[Gary H]

No problem, he doesn't need a gun.


Why do you feel compelled to tell others that you carry?

I would question the wisdom of such revelations.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

The future is unpredictable---no matter where you live.

Better to have it and not need it----than to need it and not have it.

 

[ducktapehero]

'Tis better to have and not need than to need and not have.

 

[SDC]

"Why would you want to have a fire extinguisher? The odds are, you'll never need it."

 

[pax]

Variants of any of the following, alone or in combination:

1) I carry a gun for the same reason there is a fire extinguisher in my kitchen. I'm not hoping for a fire to start, but I want to be prepared in case it does.

2) My crystal ball is broken, so I don't know if I'll need to protect myself or not. I'd rather have my gun with me and not need it, than to risk needing it when I don't have it with me.

3) My little sister was mugged in a parking garage. The guy was getting ready to rape her and it was only sheer luck that he lost his nerve when someone else came along. I'm glad she was okay, but I wonder what would have happened if the other people hadn't come along. (Tell your own story -- you or someone close to you. Better if the person you're talking to knows the person in the story, or if it's recent local news. Then add...) I'm sure she wasn't expecting anything to happen, either.

4) Bad things happen whether we expect them to or not. I'd just rather be ready to take care of it if it does.

5) I agree with you that I am not likely to be attacked. After all, criminals really prefer to attack people who aren't expecting it and aren't prepared to deal with it. So I try to pay attention and make sure that I am prepared to deal with it.

6) On the subject of 'safe' communities: "If you were a mugger, would you try to mug rich people or poor ones?"

pax

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. -- Bertrand Russell

 

[fastbolt]

I've found that you generally won't ever be able to change most people's opinions about such things, once they've already made up their minds.

There are folks of this ilk that sometimes even question why all cops think they need to be armed, believe it or not. I hear that more than you might suspect.

Aside from cops that either need to know, or ask ... depending on your state's requirements regarding such things ... it's really not anyone's concern (excluding immediate family and MAYBE some very close friends, depending) that you have the ability to legally carry a concealed weapon, is it?

It's one thing to discuss these things with a friend who shares a mutual interest in them ...

 

[Kcustom45]

Why should we devote so much time to finding a cure for cancer? You’ll never need it.

 

[Poohgyrr]

One thing about people is that the older we get, the harder it can be to enlighten us on some things.

It seems to me anyway, that a lot of those people simply will not accept the fact that the world is a dangerous place, and that badguys rarely make appointments to rob and attack us. Appointments would be great, then we could phone 911 and take the family somewhere else until it was over.

Some folks who say they feel safe, and seem antigun, are often unable to face or deal with violence, and refuse to admit it is a part of real life. They may be terrific people in other areas, but really lack something in this area. This is different than those who have some medical or similiar issues and can't physically do things, like shoot or fight.
:banghead:

 

[RWK]

I would add an additional -- and I believe critical -- point to those delineated above. It is great that you live/work in a low-crime area; however, even the best venues have some violent crime. Further, while law enforcement agencies do a good job, they simply cannot be omnipresent. When you call 911, the police will take minutes (at least) to arrive. A great many horrible, violent things happen in SECONDS, not minutes. Therefore, you cannot count on the police for protection.

 

[Penforhire]

I've been getting into this subject in depth on a motorcycle board ("why do you carry on a bike") and it really is hard to debate without coming across as a paranoid loon. It feels almost cartoonish. On the other side I find people who were victims and still refuse to defend themselves. To them, we gunnies have delusions of "Mission Impossible 2" firing-while-riding, followed closely with Dirty Harry delusions. To them a gun is never an answer.

It frustrates me but I notice we have to be really careful in our answers. It only takes a slight out-of-context to make me sound really paranoid.

 

[Walosi]

"My community is quite safe".....So is mine. The meth-heads who cruise the area don't bother me. The 10-12 year olds busted for pot and pills cause me no concern. The meth labs found in odd barns just on the outskirts of town give me no pause a'tall a'tall. Home invasions only occur in other towns, 60 miles away...then 30.....then 20 - Aw, what the heck, we're a safe little town.

 

[Treylis]

That's the easiest-to-handle anti response for me.

I just tell 'em about the time when I got jumped by six gangbangers and was cut and stabbed before I managed to run the hell away. A gun really would have helped out there.

 

[Waitone]

My daughter had a gun pulled on her in the lobby of a very yuppified, well-known hotel chain. Cops took breaks in the lobby. Just so happened the incident occurred between breaks.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Our community is quite safe...

As long as criminals can buy, borrow, rent, or steal cars, your community isn't safe, nor is mine, nor is anyone else's. Welcome to America.

 

[ACP]

I agree with all the fire extinguisher, smoke detector, seat belt comments, etc. The handgun is the same type of protection -- ignored and invisible until you really, really need it RIGHT NOW.

The safe community argument also works.

I also believe that if I knew when and where danger was going to arise, I wouldn't go there, but since I can't, I take a precautions.

For me, though, the most basic answer is to protect my family. I have a 2 y.o. daughter, and we go for walks most every night when the weather is nice. I carry a .38 or .357 snub. We were walking on the sidewalk one evening when a large, menacing dog on the other side of the street came charging out of a darkened garage headed right toward us. He stopped when he got his paws a few feet onto the pavement -- just a street's width away. By then I had stepped in front of my daughter in her carriage, placed my hand on the butt of the revolver in my right front pocket, and begun to reach for my Benchmade folder with my other hand. Why should I carry a handgun? Maybe I could have fought the dog off with my bare hands -- I did it once before with a 110 lb. male and got a trip to the emergency room for my troubles. Maybe I could have done him in with just a knife if he continued charging. But what of he went past me for my daughter's throat or arm? And my punching or stabbing had no effect? Then what? Dial 911? That's what the gun is for -- to protect me and my family. A handgun would produce a loud noise and flash at the least, draw public attention, and at the most would kill the animal before it got within arms reach. At the very least, I would sacrifice a limb or some digits to occupy the dog while I shoved the barrel in its eye and emptied the cylinder.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I carry a gun so I WON'T need one.

An armed and alert man is seldom victimized.

 

[dairycreek]

I have carried a concealed firearm for about 40 years!

I have never been "made" and I have never ever felt the need to tell anyone that I was carrying. I never have and never will. Oh yes! In all those years I have never needed the gun. A number of times I was doggone glad I had it though. Good shooting

 

[M1911Owner]

"Hey, wanna come down to the range and shoot it? Say, Saturday at 1:00?"

 

[Dave R]

Like C. R. Sam said, you can neither schedule nor script your next encounter.




Dang, I miss Sam.

 

[ruger357]

Tell him to speak for himself.

 

[45+]

Using a handheld fire extinguisher early on a fire may prevent a very serious fire. The fire deparment will not arrive instantaneously when you call 911. Administering CPR can save a life while waiting for EMS to arrive after calling 911. Using a CCW may prevent a more serious outcome while waiting for the cavalry after dialing 911.

I spend some time in the "hills" camping and ACP's story about the dog can be very relevant when facing a bear, or a rabid skunk, or a ...

 

[Berg01]

Repeat after Me;

"I'd rather have it & not need it, than need it & not have it"

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I don't want to get into details here, but basically here's what happened to me. I went downtown for a haircut. As I was limping back to my truck and through a dim parking garge, I got that "feeling". I looked around and didn't see anything, so I continued my slow limp to my truck. I could not shake the "somebody is watching me" feeling. When I reached my vehicle he popped up from behind the car that was parked next to me pointed his .25 at me and said, "Give it up". Seconds later a tire squelled on the floor above us and he looked to his left. When he turned his head back to me and tried to continue his "business", my pistol was about 3 inches from his right eye. I always wondered if he could see the Gold Dot in the chamber down the barrel.
Guys, the only thing I wanted to do was get in my vehicle and go home. However, the "Give it up" put me in a different place. That's all I can say at this time, other than it happens. There are lots of bad people out there who are perfectly willing to kill you for the change in your pocket.

KR