captain.crazy wrote:Sure... lets all just watch as three thugs bash the brains out of a single victim. Maybe you would prefer that for yourself, but I would hope that if I was in that situation, someone would come to my aid... forget about calling 911... they only get there in time so put you in the back of an ambulance. No, you are wrong on this one. We should be willing to stand together as citizens and defend one another. I don't care if its three guys on one, or a gang rape in an alley, the violence needs to be stopped. 9 times out of 10, simply shouting at the assailants will send them running. This I know is true and it is what they tell you to do in self defense classes... if that doesn't work, then you can draw your weapon... do bear in mind that this is in defense of another person. If its your self, you should try to escape. only if that doesn't work should you prepare to defend with deadly force.
If if was your husband getting his skull cracked, you would wish for someone to assist. If one of your kids were being torn apart by a pack of gang thugs, you would wish that you had the skill and know how to defend them... Your problem is that you don't think that self defense if your right. You think that the state is responsible to take care of that for you. If you ever find yourself in that boat, you will be up that creek without a paddle, because the national average response time for a violent crime is 8.5 minutes.
Sure... guns are bad... they can be used to do terrible things to people. But they can save your life just the same, if you are educated in their use.
I have copied and highlighted in blue the portion you missed
If you see a child getting harmed, a woman about to be raped, another obvious situation, then you should do something. BUT, you know what? There are good reasons police have pretty well abandoned thoses old west movie ideas of coming in with guns blazing. Usually, the victims were the first to get hurt.
If my husband or child were, as you say, getting beat up, a gun would be more likely to hit them.. particularly in my hands. I would not simply stand by (unless I were taking my or neighborhood kids to safety, that is), but I would not shoot.
As for self-defense, by the time you know a situation is serious, its generally too late to use a gun. And, if you tried.. I am petite, pretty strong, but don't stand a chance against a 6' guy. I can, however use other methods. I do know self-defense. FAR more effective. I teach my kids, any any others I can teach, to SCREAM bloody murder, kick, hit, whatever they can their assailant (old rules of "go along" is considered wrong in most cases now... let them do whatever they will there, not take you away to a dark corner. If nothing else, at least folks will know what happened).
And that is the point. For all your bravado, in most situations, guns are not the best line of defense. They work for police, because police have uniforms, backup and training. Even so, a lot of police get killed in the line of duty by gunfire.
Your problem is you have seen too many old cowboy and gangster movies and not enough of real self defense techniques.
And I never said guns were bad, just that they don't really work the way
you claim for defense.
