"Why I Carry a Gun"

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TwitchALot

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Disclaimer:

I’ve talked about firearms more than once before, mostly online. Recently, I had a discussion with a good friend of mine about firearms and carrying over a snack, and when I got home and took my EDC out of my pockets, a strange idea struck my mind. I stared at my key chain for a while as the light bulb began shine. I started typing away.

I typed and typed, erased and erased, and eventually, I ended up with a pseudo story-rebuttal-answer to the infamous question along the lines of, “why do you feel the need to carry a gun”? It’s meant to be read, but some of the statements here can most certainly be used in a conversation. I hope you will all enjoy it and use some of the things I came up with to promote the right to keep and bear arms in you future ventures.


Sincerely,

TwitchALot



“Why I Carry a Gun”

The question has often been asked, “Why do you need to carry a gun?” You’ll never need it, some say. You’re just being paranoid, others say.

To those who ask this kind of question, or frown upon free citizens keeping and bearing arms for their personal use, I must ask, “do you think it is a good idea for citizens to learn and know CPR?”

Some will say no, using the same reasoning. But then, they probably didn’t know that, “it is estimated that about 47% of cardiac deaths occur before emergency services or transport to a hospital." They also probably didn’t know that in 2002, almost a third of Americans who lost their lives lost them to heart disease. That’s about 700,000 people. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, loved ones.

Most people, however, will probably say yes. But then I must ask— “how many people do you know have performed CPR in an attempt to save someone else’s life, outside of professional duties”? Most will give a very low number, often zero. And true enough, it is improbable that an average person will perform CPR in an attempt to save someone’s life, outside of professional duties.

It is at this point that I take out of my pocket my keys, and attached to those keys, my disposable CPR rescue mask. I hold it up to the skeptic and say, “I am CPR certified by the American Safety and Health Institute. This is a disposable CPR rescue mask. Do you know why I am CPR certified, and why I carry this rescue mask wherever I go”? They shrug.

”I carry this CPR mask because even though I will probably never have to use it, and even though I never hope to, some day, I may have to use this rescue mask in an attempt to save someone else’s life.

For a person on the verge of death because of a heart problem, every second counts. But the paramedics, who have with them a crucial, life-saving tool— the defibrillator—, will be minutes away. And without that defibrillator, “the chances of survival decrease by approximately 10 percent with each minute that passes.” Using CPR alone, I only have about a five to ten percent chance of saving that person’s life.


I also am trained in the use of firearms, and I carry one for a similar reason. Although I will probably never have to use it, and though I never hope to use it when I walk out the door every day, some day, I may have to use it in an attempt to save my own life.

And if I am facing the threat of grievous bodily harm or death by an assailant, every second counts. But the police, who have with them a crucial, life-saving tool— the gun—, will be minutes away. And without that gun, the odds of me saving my own life, or the lives of those I care about, have gone down dramatically as well.


So why do I carry a gun wherever I go? I carry a gun for the same reason I carry a CPR mask. To save lives.

I carry a CPR mask so that some day, if I ever have to use it, I can hopefully save someone else’s life. I carry a gun, so that some day, if I ever have to use it, I can save my own.”
 
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It's like the old story of the Arkansas Traveler in the 1870's ,who told his gunsmith he would be taking a trip to Texas and did the 'smith think he might need a gun.
"Well",the gunsmith replied,"you may need a gun and you may not.But if you do need one ,you're gonna need it quick".
Nicely done letter.
 
I like that....I always use the "seatbelt, instead of CPR mask in a simular analogy. However, I actually like yours better. good one.
 
For all of history, unarmed men have been called serfs, slaves, and other similar terms...

In general, unarmed men are victims...

I prefer not to be...

Forrest
 
There are plenty of things we buy and hope we never have to use. Here are just a few of them I thought of easily as I typed.

A spare tire, extra fuses, fire insurance, batteries that fit your flashlights, self activating markers (for pilots), life rafts, medic alert bracelets, migraine meds, and for our rural members (or hospitals), a generator.

All of the items named take their value from emergencies. And the loss of any of them would jeopardize the owner.
 
Excellent post. My usual(somewhat smart-arse) response is that calling 911, waiting ATLEAST 5 minutes, and then having the cop pull his gun and deal with the situation seems like an open invitation for Murphy to ruin my day.
 
Yep, relying on others who are relying on others who are relying on others will get you killed. It has been on the news time after time where some nut would just walk around shooting sheeple at random. One warrior could have taken him out with a well practiced shot but there were none to be found---everyone was relying on others who were relying on others for THEIR safety and it got them killed, wc
 
A well thought out and sensible reply to the question. Thanks for sharing.

John
 
Well said!

I have my gun for personal protection, the hobbie of target shooting, for my job as a PI, but mostly because if I need one and don't have it then I am seriously screwed. Yep, I carry my gun for a lot of the same reasons I know CPR. You never know when you may need it to save a life.
 
Guns are like parachutes. If you really, really need either one and don't have it? You're never going to need it again.
 
"Yep, you are right. Nobody needs a gun... Until they need a gun! Then, at that moment, they need a gun and they need it NOW!! They can't wait 1 or 2 seconds; by then innocent lives will be gone forever."

Well written TwitchALot.

I can think of millions of situations where I do not need a gun. I can also think of several where I DO need a gun.
 
Thanks everyone.

OwenSparks said:
Because it is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

I'm not sure if you've tried that on an anti, but it doesn't seem to work very well IMO...

Convincing an anti is like catching a fish. Tug too hard and too fast, and the fish will get away. Tug and reel slowly, however, and you'll get him to the surface. And when you get him to the surface, THAT is when you beat him over the head with your stick. ;)
 
Why do I have guns?

Just lie back on the couch and tell me about your childhood, your fears, and your fantasies. That way, perhaps, I will be able to understand your inner needs well enough to distill an answer from the complexities of the universe that is both truthful and simple enough for you to understand.
 
Why do I have 14 guns? Because for hunting and all kind target shooting. No need to carry for my family- and selfdefense.
 
An excellent and patient response to such a tiresome question.

Quite a while ago I ran out of patience. Now my usual response to "why do you have a gun" is just "In case I need to shoot somebody.", but yours is sure to raise fewer hackles than mine.
 
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