JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

How would you? You are too stupid to talk to reasonably.

Common_Sense_Matters

Showing your own ignorance again I see. I can not say that I have ever actually spoken to anyone that has ever been in ANY situation that might call for NEEDING a gun or any weapon for that matter and having one can tend to lead to an escalation of the situation. I have walked the "mean streets" of Chicago's South side and South Central L.A. fully unarmed and never had an issue. When I lived out in California, I lived in Oxnard, a place where you hear gunshots nightly and fairly frequently during the day as well. I never felt the need to carry any weapons there either. Perhaps it was your "victim mentality" that presented the need for you to be armed, if as you say, "I have dip stick", ever really happened at all. Criminals tend to be able to "sense" easy prey, prey that is scared to be where they are. Those that give the presence that they BELONG there, they typically get left alone.

Word to the wise... IF you feel the need to be armed at all times, perhaps you should avoid "high risk" areas. Those that aren't so paranoid, they aren't typically taken advantage of so readily, even in those very same "high risk" areas.

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

You have no clue, none, why most people carry. I was in college when a gun was pulled on me. Haven’t had a problem since, ever. Sure been in some fights but never needed a gun. Not scared of anything. Just being prepared in case.

Common_Sense_Matters

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

I have. A couple buddies and I chased an obnoxious loud mouth out of a bar one night. We followed him out and he pulled a pistol out of the trunk of his car and started threatening us. All three of us were military vets, we spread out so the damned fool couldn't take us all. We kept moving around and telling him to GTF in his car and leave. He was scared. Got in his car and took off. NBD.

Somebody in the bar called the cops. They showed up after the dude had split. We gave them his license plate number and they took it from there.

Having said that, no one can know with any degree of certainty that they will never encounter a life threatening situation. Could happen anywhere at any time and any place.

Like they say, you may h**e guns and may not believe in God, but if someone breaks into your house, you are going to call men with guns and pray they get there in time.

It is better to have a gun and not need it than to not have one if you ever do.

Common_Sense_Matters

Yeah, I have no clue, been through some of the roughest areas in this country with nary an issue, but I have no clue. I was down in South Central L.A. shortly AFTER the r**ts down there, heard many a gunshot ring out, encountered many a Citizen of that area, nary an issue. I lived in Oxnard, full of gang bangers and gang banger wannabes, nary an issue. You on the other hand, I can't say what "risks" you have taken but you had an issue? While in college you claim, shall I presume on campus or nearby to campus? That is sad, I would think college campuses and nearby surrounding areas should be fairly safe.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

That report is dishonest as hell, highly biased.

The homicide rate in the United States is 4.7 per 100,000 people.

Homicide rates for the 80 countries at the top of the list:

Notice, that three Central American countries are at the top.

1 El Salvador 108.60 homicides per 100,000 people.
2 Iraq 66.10
3 Honduras 63.80
4 Venezuela 57.10
5 Jamaica 43.20
6 Lesotho 38.00
7 Belize 34.40
8 South Africa 34.30
9 St. Kitts and Nevis 33.60
10 Guatemala 31.20
11 Trinidad and Tobago 30.90
12 The Bahamas 29.80
13 Brazil 26.70
14 Colombia 26.50
15 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 25.60
16 St. Lucia 21.60
17 Tuvalu 20.30
18 Guyana 19.40
19 Dominican Republic 17.40
20 Namibia 16.90
21 Mexico 16.30
22 Puerto Rico 15.90
23 Cayman Islands 14.70
24 Dem. Rep. Congo 13.40
25 Central African Republic 13.10
26 Greenland 12.50
27 Bolivia 12.40
28 Côte d'Ivoire 11.80
28 Uganda 11.80
28 Costa Rica 11.80
31 Nicaragua 11.50
32 Panama 11.40
33 Russia 11.30
34 Antigua and Barbuda 11.20
35 Barbados 10.90
36 Mali 10.80
37 Suriname 10.70
38 Botswana 10.50
39 Papua New Guinea 10.40
40 Mauritania 10.20
41 Congo 10.10
42 Haiti 10.00
43 Nigeria 9.80
43 Philippines 9.80
45 Angola 9.60
46 Paraguay 9.30
47 Guinea-Bissau 9.20
48 The Gambia 9.10
48 Togo 9.10
50 Gabon 9.00
50 Chad 9.00
52 Cabo Verde 8.80
53 Guinea 8.50
54 Dominica 8.40
54 Uruguay 8.40
56 Ecuador 8.20
56 Swaziland 8.20
58 Qatar 8.10
59 Pakistan 7.80
60 Comoros 7.60
60 Ethiopia 7.60
62 Grenada 7.50
62 Kiribati 7.50
62 Eritrea 7.50
65 Senegal 7.30
66 Mongolia 7.20
66 Peru 7.20
68 Tanzania 7.00 5
69 Lao PDR 6.90
70 Djibouti 6.80
71 Yemen 6.70
71 Zimbabwe 6.70
73 Afghanistan 6.60
74 Sudan 6.50
74 Argentina 6.50
76 Lithuania 6.00
76 Benin 6.00
78 Cameroon 5.90
79 Zambia 5.80
80 Kenya 5.80

Common_Sense_Matters

Much better "story" than the other two, though IF it is true, you brought that upon yourself. Bringing dangerous situations down upon yourself disqualifies as if you hadn't acted in the way that you did, you wouldn't have needed weapons to defend yourself.

Rose42

Word to the not so wise - more and more criminals don't care who you are especially the stoned ones who aren't in their right mind. Some of the people I know who were targeted were very capable individuals who are by no means easy prey. Their advice is far better than any internet expert who's read a few articles. Learn the basics of self defense. Especially if you're a woman. A dog is a good deterrent. A weapon is good backup if you know how to use it. And there's much more to it than that.

You should avoid giving advice on something so important that you know very little about.

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

No guarantees. So you walked through a bunch of rough areas. Did you fit in I wonder? You may think you’re brave. I think you were foolish . I’ve got a lot of older Vietnam vet buds. They all say you might think you know what you will do when your life or those you care abouts life is threatened but until it’s Actually happened to you what you think means squat. I see a lot of construction workers with hard hats on. Most have never seen a fellow worker hit by a falling anything. Are they being scared or prepared?

Common_Sense_Matters

Nice source you listed there, and by the way, NPR was established by an act of congress.

Rose42

I know vets, active duty and cops. I can also spot internet experts on this subject. Such is CSM.

I’ve diffused several situations with a dog. Dogs are an excellent deterrent.

Crayons Loc: St Jo, Texas

Don't come to Texas...Rattlers, javelina, russian boars, wildcats with heads as big as watermelons and teeth as long as mesquite thorns seem to pop out of nowhere to eat you ~~~ Lets not forget about the 2 legged criminal scalawag invaders that like to take over private property...destroy the farmhouse...build jungle huts from the owners carefully manicured fruit trees....than one day the owner shows up...and than it's on like donkey kong

Common_Sense_Matters

You are MUCH more likely to be hit in the head by falling materials/tools than getting into a situation where defending yourself becomes necessary. I have worn hard hats and safety boots as well as other safety equipment on jobs or while visiting job sites where such precautions are highly advisable.

I have also read/watched articles/news stories where people were k**led by their own guns. You did say something that was right on when you said, "They all say you might think you know what you will do when your life or those you care abouts life is threatened but until it’s Actually happened to you what you think means squat". You also don't know that you will brandish and fire your weapon without them taking it from you and using it on you as well. ANY weapon you can brandish, can also be taken away from you and may be used against you as well.

When I say that I have never NEEDED a weapon to defend myself, that is only to say that I never wielded a weapon to protect myself. I too have been in my own fair share of fights, I just never brandished a weapon even when I have known full well I was carrying one. Of course we are ALWAYS carrying weapons on us. EVERYTHING is a weapon if you know how to use it. But for the sake of the "I just never brandished a weapon even when I have known full well I was carrying one.", I was actually referring to ACTUAL weapons, I just never felt the need to brandish/use them. There have also been times when I WISHED I was carrying a weapon on me when I wasn't, you want to know how those stories ended? I am still alive. Had I been carrying a gun and failed to brandish/use it without having it taken away and used on me, I likely wouldn't be.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Hey, the guy was being an asshole, insulting women and making a nuisance of himself. The barkeep asked him to leave and we assisted. We followed him out not knowing he had a gun in his car. We carried no weapons. We saved the damned fool a hell of a lot of trouble by simply convincing him to leave. He was scared s**tless anyway.

Rather dishonest of you to put the blame on us. Typical l*****t spin.