Why should you carry?

[exploited]

Not two weeks ago, I was walking home from the bar with some friends. There were about six of us. I was walking just slightly behind them, checking my texts. All of a sudden I was on the ground, feeling confused but not really hurt. As it happens, some dude came out of an alley beside me, headbutted me in the face, and then just kept on walking. After I got up, I pulled my friends off the dude, and we went home. I was none the worse for wear, other than a sore jaw.

The point is, even though I was attacked out of nowhere, and even though I was in a dangerous situation, I felt and still feel no need whatsoever to carry a weapon. These things happen, yes, but to respond to the insanely low chance of it happening to you by purchasing a firearm, and therefore introducing a whole slew of risks, is utterly ridiculous. It is also, IMO, the mark of a coward. The world isn't completely safe, but it's damned safe in North America, and carrying a gun around for self-protection is something I associate entirely with scared little wimps. Which isn't to say that all people who carry guns are scared little wimps... it depends entirely upon who you are, where you live, and what situations you expose yourself to.

But the average person, living at least a lower-middle class lifestyle, living in an average neighbourhood, has zero need for a weapon, and is in fact making things more dangerous for themselves by owning one.

[eynon81]

Non's gonna get one for backpacking and for the office.

Also the wife of Non may get one.

all that aside Ex lives in a f**k up town.....

[exploited]

[eynon81]

[Spider]

Let my permit lapse. Honestly never felt even vaguely unsafe anywhere in this state. Anywhere in the PNW, really. There were only a couple of instances where I ever actually carried. So..just wasn't worth it to me to keep it going. Plus, I was just never comfortable with even a compact dangling on my person. I don't even like to carry a full size wallet.

This old guy I used to live nearby down in Corvallis carried around a tiny .38 special revolver every day of his life. Says he'd only ever fired it a dozen times, "to get a feel for it". But he got up every morning and strapped it on just as if he'd dropped his pocket knife in his pocket, and went about his business. Just in case, I guess. More power to him.

[eynon81]

[Spider]

[eynon81]

[Dylan]

Funny you use that as an example. A man escapes with a few marks. Had he pulled, maybe those two punks were carrying and decided to pull too. Maybe instead of a light beating you get a few dead bystanders or a dead victim.

Excellent example in favor of banning firearms entirely.

[fstarcstar]