Your post right here is what really makes me second guess getting a fire arm. But I don't want to second guess with my life you know.
I'm from the school of thought that just introducing a gun into the environment will increase the hazard factor ten fold. I don't trust the system will have my back if I was to fire off in self defense, I really don't. I feel it will come down to some technicalities and I'm going to still end up with an attempt murder/murder charge.
But again, better to have a fighting chance to live versus someone having your life in their hands. Its clear I need to educate myself more about gun ownership and the duties expected of a gun owner and the specific state laws involved.
I feel very similarly to this, and I don't knock anyone else's motives, but this is how I lean...
First of all, if I'm living in an area where the break-in or robbery risk is high, I probably need to make a plan on upgrading my quality of life and living in a more desirable area. Life in general is inherent with risk and any one of us could be murdered at any moment of any day, in the perceived safest of places, by doing very normal everyday stuff...
But I'm not that pessimistic or afraid for the worst to happen, so I dont go through life waiting on that shoe to drop...
When I was younger I spent many years engaged in criminal activities and had alot of different guns---->pistols, rifles, choppas, shotguns, revolvers. Kinda came with the nature of the lifestyle and I didn't have the self-awareness to understand my relationship to them or if I even really cared about them. I've both shot and shot at people on multiple occasions for varying reasons, went through a stretch where I robbed people for awhile, and once I grew from all of this, I think my experiences shaped me differently...
I'm pretty anti-gun now. I have one and know how to get to it----->but I haven't "needed" it in years. I'm a convicted felon multiple times over and I'm not an idiot, I dont carry it, I dont ride in my car with it, I dont practice shooting it; I can't legally go to a range even if I wanted to, and I didn't learn how to shoot from going to ranges anyway...
Having a gun for a just in case scenario is relatable but I'm of the train of thought that you invite the energy you seek. Why would I need it on a regular basis if not not one of these clubs that shoot for fun/target practice? The chances of me being in a scenario where I have to defend my home with it or defend myself or others in public with it, yes, is always a
possibility, but the percentages are very low if I'm prudent with how I live my life and order my steps...
The American infatuation with firearms is a huge negative to me and responsible for a number of resulting trends. In a perfect world I'd love for the nation to ban them outside of military/government lines, and spend the next generation or two (25-50 years) eliminating them from the streets and public consumption---->but I also know where I live and I live in reality. So instead I just live a certain lifestyle and am pretty solid with the kind of people I hang around and places I frequent...
This idea that we "need" guns is ridiculous. As someone else said, fortify your home first, and maybe work on increasing your quality of life. We don't need more people carrying the train of thought,
"I want something that'll lay em down rather than wound em"....that bloodthirsty train of thought is addictive and you find the energy sooner or later that you put into the atmosphere...
