Why I carry a gun....

[LazyARanch]

thought this was worth sharing....


My old grandpa said to me son,' there comes a time in every man's life
when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's
when he becomes too old to take an a$$ whoopin'.

I don't carry a gun to kill people.
I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people.
I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil.
I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government.
I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry.
I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating
myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone.
I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed,
and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy.
I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy. :cboy:

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man.
I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the
ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate.
I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs,
I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it.
I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves.
Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the
crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to
take an a$$ whoopin'.

:tiphat:

..author unknown (but obviously brilliant)

 

[mattyboy]

Well said LazyA

:clap:

 

[SRBeef]

I am probably swimming upstream here and not likely to convince anyone of anything.

However, for the record, statistics have repeatedly shown that you are far more likely to be killed with your own gun than with the gun of a "stranger".

I have a lot of trouble understanding how folks feel so threatened (other than in special circumstances such as a stalking/court protection order etc) that they feel they need to carry a concealed weapon.

Hunting and varmit rifles carried in your truck are a totally different discussion. I am referring to pistols which are of almost no use other than shooting another human being. And yes, I have carried a USAF officer's 38.

For most folks carrying a concealed pistol increasses the odds you will be shot - and probably with your own weapon.

jmho. Jim

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

First of all, because the 2nd Amendment of our USA Constitution says, "I Can". Second, the State of Texas says, "I Can" (with a CHL).

Now...

When carrying, I am on increased alert (making sure no one knows I'm carrying by "Printing"). Also, it is a constant reminder to have "Situational Awareness" of my surroundings, such as watching where I park my vehicle, keeping my distance from environmental things where a bad guy could hide and jump me, and giving me an extra ounce of security when I come back home and have no idea whether or not a bad guy is on our place, etc.

True, if a bad guy already has the "drop on you", you don't stand a well-diggers chance of drawing, cycling, aiming, shooting before he gets a shot off. Best defense is to try to run away (but not in a straight line to cause him to re-establish his sight line), find cover, and take action if necessary.

Then, while on our property, there is always the possibility of a varmit predator coming around and it needs to be taken out. Others have stories about being confronted by wild boars, etc., and the handgun is better than climing a tree...lol.

JMHO... :cowboy:

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

A true event that happened to me last year...

I was checking the fence line on one of our pastures. I came across a young deer that that got caught in the barb wire, had shreaded it's hind legs where bone was exposed. It was still alive. Since I had my handgun strapped on, I was able to euthanize it to take it out of it's pain and misery.

There are, after all, "good" reasons to have a firearm close by. Wolves, coyotes, wild boars, and other nasty predators that can harm you or your livestock.

On a sidebar, my brother who has a ranch in SW Texas only got a single shot .410 couple of years ago (after taking several years to convince him he needed a gun). He is basically a pacifist. That aside, his location is known to have mountain lines, wolves, and other serious predators that have been sighted from time to time. I wish him luck with his SS .410 should he encounter something...it's too far for me to drive to visit him in the hospital or morgue... lol.

 

[mattyboy]

I carry for self-defense and protection for me and my family. I have never been anywhere that I have felt threatened. If the bad guy gets his hands on my gun he will have to beat me to death with it because it WILL be empty.

 

[SRBeef]

I appreciate and understand the feelings and situations listed above.

HOWEVER, you are statistically still far more likely to get killed by YOUR gun than by someone else's gun.

As I said, probably have no effect on anyone's thinking in this matter, and yes the law says you "can" carry a gun, with proper permit. I tend to be a statistics person. I am not a pacifist. I will protect my family as vigorously as anyone here. The difference of opinion is in how best to do that.

And I think most situations above can usually be handled, and certainly better at a distance, with a good varmit rifle with a scope kept in your truck. jmho.

Jim

 

[mattyboy]

And I think most situations above can usually be handled, and certainly better at a distance, with a good varmit rifle with a scope kept in your truck. jmho.

What about 00 buckshot?

 

[dun]

I appreciate and understand the feelings and situations listed above.

HOWEVER, you are statistically still far more likely to get killed by YOUR gun than by someone else's gun.

As I said, probably have no effect on anyone's thinking in this matter, and yes the law says you "can" carry a gun, with proper permit. I tend to be a statistics person. I am not a pacifist. I will protect my family as vigorously as anyone here. The difference of opinion is in how best to do that.

And I think most situations above can usually be handled, and certainly better at a distance, with a good varmit rifle with a scope kept in your truck. jmho.

Jim

The only ones I've ever heard tout the getting killed by your own gun thing is from the anti gun orgs. Of course they're the same ones that predict blood running in the streets if concealed carry is passed.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

meh - look at my user name, I tend towards the pacifist side of things, but my reason to carry is twofold: 2nd Amendment and euthanasia. That is, when I remember the darn thing.

I doubt I would come out ahead in a confrontation with it, I have ALWAYS been able to either talk my way out or have the element of surprise (female) and size in a physical confrontation (rare - twice in 50 years that I can think of)

 

[Ryder]

However, for the record, statistics have repeatedly shown that you are far more likely to be killed with your own gun than with the gun of a "stranger".


For most folks carrying a concealed pistol increasses the odds you will be shot - and probably with your own weapon.

jmho. Jim[/quote}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I don't disagree that people have been killed with their own gun. But how many "have not" been killed with their own gun?
I don't think there is any way to determie this and that puts a big question mark in the so called statistics.

All people are not the same in their comptency to handle themselves and handle guns. Little Miss Timid Sally who buys a gun for protection and does not have the ability to handle it and does not have the mind set to really use it, may be worse off with it.

But people profecient in it's use, that realize it is a tool and not a panacea for defense, and can mentally and emotionally defend themselves, this is not the same as the statistics would indicate.
I would think there are several people on these boards that do not fit the so called statistical norms.

 

[SRBeef]

The only ones I've ever heard tout the getting killed by your own gun thing is from the anti gun orgs. Of course they're the same ones that predict blood running in the streets if concealed carry is passed.

Well, I'll be the first then. I am not anti-gun.

I have reasons that I believe carrying a concealed weapon in daily life may actually make a person LESS safe in most cases.

Exceptions, as I said above, would be if someone was a law enforcement officer or there is a specific known threat such as court ordered protection, etc.

But to put on a hand gun everyday, as you put on your socks, may in fact make you less safe than if you carried a varmit gun in your truck. In my humble opinion. I will leave it at that. Just my opinion.

I am not "ANTI-gun". I am "PRO-logic". It's too bad our society these days has to be divided in such black and white terms. Often the truth is somewhat in the gray area. Jim

 

[VanC]

Myth #6 "A homeowner is 43 times as likely to be
killed or kill a family member as an intruder"

To suggest that science has proven that defending oneself or one's family
with a gun is dangerous, gun prohibitionists repeat Dr. Kellermann's
long-discredited claim: "a gun owner is 43 times more likely to kill a
family member than an intruder."[17] This fallacy , fabricated using tax
dollars, is one of the most misused slogans of the anti-self-defense
lobby.

The honest measure of the protective benefits of guns are the lives
saved, the injuries prevented, the medical costs saved, and the property
protected not Kellermann's burglar or rapist body count. Only 0.1% (1 in
a thousand) of the defensive uses of guns results in the death of the
predator.[3] Any study, such as Kellermann' "43 times" fallacy, that only
counts bodies will expectedly underestimate the benefits of gun a
thousand-fold. Think for a minute. Would anyone suggest that the only
measure of the benefit of law enforcement is the number of people killed
by police? Of course not. The honest measure of the benefits of guns are
the lives saved, the injuries prevented, the medical costs saved by
deaths and injuries averted, and the property protected. 65 lives
protected by guns for every life lost to a gun.[2]

Kellermann recently downgraded his estimate to "2.7 times,"[18] but he
persisted in discredited methodology. He used a method that cannot
distinguish between "cause" and "effect." His method would be like
finding more diet drinks in the refrigerators of fat people and then
concluding that diet drinks "cause" obesity.

Also, he studied groups with high rates of violent criminality,
alcoholism, drug addiction, abject poverty, and domestic abuse . From
such a poor and violent study group he attempted to generalize his
findings to normal homes. Interestingly, when Dr. Kellermann was
interviewed he stated that, if his wife were attacked, he would want her
to have a gun for protection.[19] Apparently, Dr. Kellermann doesn't even
believe his own studies.

Myth #2: Guns are ineffective for self defense.
Fact: Guns are the most effective means of self defense yet devised by human kind.
A gun is able to effectively stop an attacker at a safe distance, before that attacker can injure or kill the law abiding citizen. A gun can be used by a small woman to stop a large man from attacking her, or by an elderly grandma to fend off a home invader. No other tool of self defense is as reliable, effective, and easy to use. Indeed I have seen people fire a gun for the first time, and consistently hit the target on their very first few shots. it is true that gun owners should seek training and practice to gain maximum proficiency with their firearm of choice, however this training is easily acquired at one's local gun store or range.

Myth #6: A home owner is 43 times more likely to be killed by their own gun than to kill an intruder.
Fact: 65 lives are protected for every 2 lives lost.
The long since discredited myth that gun ownership is more dangerous than beneficial was started by a Mr. Kellermann, in his flawed study "Protection or Peril? An Analysis of Firearms-Related Deaths in the Home." There were numerous flaws in the study, including the fact that it only counted deaths, which are not a measure of self defense, any more than the number of suspected criminals shot dead by the police is a measure of police effectiveness. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the 2.5 million self defense uses each year don't result in a shot being fired at all, meaning that this "study" totally ignored most self defense gun uses. The proper statistic is that 65 lives are protected for every 2 lives lost, which means that gun ownership is overwhelmingly safe and beneficial, both to the individual and to society. See Dr. Suter's paper "Guns in the Medical Literature – A Failure of Peer Review." Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia. Published March 1994.

Myth #2: You're n Times More Likely ...
First it was A gun in the home is 43 times more likely to be used against a family member than to kill a stranger. Then it was revised downward to 22 times. This lower number is still in use by Handgun Control, Inc. on their website even though I have seen other quotes using an even lower figure of 6 times in some recent news articles. But where did they get this number? The results may surprise you.

First, though, let's look at their statement of "fact". Note that the sound-byte quote above (using the 43 times figure) says that the gun is more likely to be used against a family member. This phrase, used against includes homicide, injuries, suicides, threats of shooting and a shot that misses the target. But look at the other "qualifying" phrase that it's compared against. The phrase is "than to kill a stranger". Thus, they are comparing instances in which a firearm is used in almost any manner against a family member to those cases where a firearm is used to actually kill a person unknown to the user or perhaps the user's family.

Stop. Think!

Such a comparison is not valid on its face. To be a valid comparison one would have to compare the killing of a family member against the killing of strangers. But this too would be incorrect because there can be (and unfortunately there are) many cases where a family member is an unlawful attacker or chronic domestic abuser. But there's more.

Firearms, as a defensive tool are seldom used to actually kill an attacker. Historical evidence, through newspaper accounts, police reports and even government studies indicate that the mere sight of a firearm causes most attacks to stop either with the suspect fleeing or submitting to the citizen for arrest. Generally, in less than 15% of the incidents is any shot fired. This includes warning shots, shots that miss and the wounding of a suspect. And actually killing occurs in less than 5% of the incidents. So the statement by HCI may actually be true, but it is so limited and limiting as to be misleading in comparison real-life encounters. If we discount all the non-firing, non-lethal defensive uses of a firearm, we are left with a tiny fraction of their practical uses! This is the same as studying only airline crashes where the fatality rate is in the 90% range and ignoring all of the flights that land safely, then concluding that airline travel is much more dangerous than driving your car to work every day.

I should point out that the original study which gave birth to the 43 times figure was seriously flawed. Like the airline example above, the researcher studied domestic homicides in only the northwest U.S. and compared them with defensive homicides against non-family members. What qualified as a "family" member were room mates and acquaintances as well as blood and marriage relationships. Excluded from the defensive homicides were persons known to the household, even if they were committing illegal acts at the time. Thus, the study excluded uses of the firearm to "scare off" an intruder or aggressor and incidents where a shot was fired but did not produce a body to be counted.

The study was performed again, in 1998 according to HCI, and the number revised downward to the 22 times figure. Once again they omitted the legitimate, non-fatal uses of a firearm as well as safe recreational uses. Remember that HCI has publicly said that the only legitimate use for a firearm is a sporting use and this disqualifies self-defense as "legitimate". In their minds anyhow.

 

[upfrombottom]

I allways carry a gun. The only time I didn't, I was at a family gathering and was unexpectedly called away to cover for someone else. Guess what, I was robbed at gun point that same nite. I was not mad at them, I was mad at myself. Looking down the barrel of a gun pointed in your face, the first thing that comes to mind is not that your being robbed its how crazy is the guy holding it.

I've not gone anywhere since then without it. About a year later, I was put in the same situation and when the guy saw my weapon he hauled ass. He didn't know how crazy I was.

 

[cross_7]

i don't like pistols.
although i own one(double action), i feel clumsy with one and feel like i could accidently shoot myself or someone else.
i was once in a situation where i had an weapon with me and felt like i was more powerful than i should have felt,
so i always think about how i felt and watch guys that are a little too full themselves and look for the weapon.
but i do keep a youth model shotgun in the pickup(short stock and barrel) just in case

 

[ga. prime]

thought this was worth sharing....


My old grandpa said to me son,' there comes a time in every man's life
when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's
when he becomes too old to take an a$$ whoopin'.

I don't carry a gun to kill people.
I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people.
I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil.
I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government.
I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry.
I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating
myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone.
I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed,
and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy.
I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy. :cboy:

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man.
I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the
ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate.
I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs,
I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it.
I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves.
Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the
crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to
take an a$$ whoopin'.

:tiphat:

..author unknown (but obviously brilliant)

Bullsht. Nobodys grandpa said that unless he was born 20 years ago or less. Think how old his grandchindren would be. :lol2: Author's a nimrod. What a total crock of crap.

 

[ga. prime]

Author's full o crap and a nimrod.

 

[ga. prime]

And from Minnesota. :lol2:

 

[3waycross]

I don't care where yer from If you support the 2nd Amendment you are Aces with me.

I know the poem is kinda off but if she's one of us then we need to support her.

BTW Like I said on another thread i carry cuz I don't want to be the only one at the gunfight without one.

 

[Ryder]

i don't like pistols.
although i own one(double action), i feel clumsy with one and feel like i could accidently shoot myself or someone else.
i was once in a situation where i had an weapon with me and felt like i was more powerful than i should have felt,
so i always think about how i felt and watch guys that are a little too full themselves and look for the weapon.
but i do keep a youth model shotgun in the pickup(short stock and barrel) just in case

Seems like you are honest with yourelf and I :clap: that.

Also seems like you have not handled and practiced enough with the gun to get comfortable with it.
Some people just do not like guns. Some do. Personal choice.

Not to argue, but there is a type of mentality where peole get "full of themselves" any time they feel more powerful. Guns do not necssarily enter in. Ususally they are in a group.
Better to have some way of equalizing things, if need be, in that type of situation.
Been there, done that. It was not pleasant, but I was ok because of the persuasion ability of an equalizer.

I hope you use that shotgun on snakes. :roll: