4 ms·

You also need to learn the law of self defense, equally if not more important, if you plan to use a gun for self defense.

nickelcitymario 5y ago
I always worry that if I were to go through the process of buying a gun, on some level I'd feel compelled to use it in order to justify the time and expense. I've yet to be in any situation in my life where I need one, but I feel like if I had one, I'd start looking at things differently and asking myself: "Is this a situation that calls for the gun?" And that scares me much more than the potential for an intruder. (I say this not as a criticism of anyone else. It's just an observation and concern that I have for myself.) If I was a hunter, the concern would probably go away. Because hunters have a legitimate/legal reason to regularly use their firearms. But if I owned one for the purpose of self-defence, I'm pretty sure I'd go looking for situations that called for it.
- runbathtime 5y ago
  Knowing the law would help clarify to you what justifies using it and when it does not for self defense. You don't go looking for situations that call for self defense, that is the opposite of self defense, usually.
- tduberne 5y ago
  I once read something that went like: - do not carry a gun if you are not ready to draw it - do not draw a gun if you are not ready to shoot - do not shoot if you are not ready to kill Because when faced with an opponent with a gun, one moment of hesitation could mean your death. I also read (from a gun instructor) that if you intend to use a gun for self defense, you should know that using it will bankrupt you. Because even if you use it in a lawful way, the legal process that will determine that it was lawful costs more than the typical gun owner can carry financially. So I think you are right. I can understand how fear might push to buy a gun, but I definitely see it as a bad idea, even if the danger the person fears is real (which I think is often not the case). Using a gun is the end of your life. As a non American, it is often puzzling to read that there is even a debate about it.
  - kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago
    > even if the danger the person fears is real (which I think is often not the case). Using a gun is the end of your life. In 2020 in the US, there were 674 cases of defensive gun use[1], actually down from 751 in 2019. For the record, that's more cases than mass shootings in the US[2], despite what most news sites would have you believe. And 2020 was an abnormally high year for mass shootings. So I disagree with your "often is not the case" statement, because many times it is the case. But I think that misses the point. If the danger a person fears is real, then even if you are financially bankrupt after having to use a firearm in self defense, you're still alive, which is better than being flush with cash and dead. But beyond that, personal protection is, interestingly, not what America's second amendment was made for - it's merely a side effect. It's actually about giving the people the right to, effectively, overthrow the government, or at least keep them in check. It's about balance of power. And before someone chimes in about how a bunch of rednecks with AR-15s will never overthrow the military with their tanks and jets and bombs, leaving aside the fact that many military personnel would probably disobey orders to attack Americans, the fact is there are over 300 million guns in the hands of an estimated 150 million people; whereas there are about 1.3 million active military personnel[3], and as they say -- quantity is it's own quality. [1] https://www.heritage.org/data-visualizations/firearms/defensive-gun-uses-in-the-us/ https://www.heritage.org/data-visualizations/firearms/defens... [2] http://mass-shootings.info/statistics.php?year=2020 http://mass-shootings.info/statistics.php?year=2020 [3] https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-army-size https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/mili...
    - leephillips 5y ago
      As the link points out, the real number of defensive gun uses is 1/2 to 5 million per year, which strengthens your argument. The 674 are just those recorded by law enforcement.
      - twoknee 5y ago
        Wow, that's a 3-4 order of magnitude difference.

nickelcitymario 5y ago

I always worry that if I were to go through the process of buying a gun, on some level I'd feel compelled to use it in order to justify the time and expense. I've yet to be in any situation in my life where I need one, but I feel like if I had one, I'd start looking at things differently and asking myself: "Is this a situation that calls for the gun?" And that scares me much more than the potential for an intruder. (I say this not as a criticism of anyone else. It's just an observation and concern that I have for myself.) If I was a hunter, the concern would probably go away. Because hunters have a legitimate/legal reason to regularly use their firearms. But if I owned one for the purpose of self-defence, I'm pretty sure I'd go looking for situations that called for it.

runbathtime 5y ago
Knowing the law would help clarify to you what justifies using it and when it does not for self defense. You don't go looking for situations that call for self defense, that is the opposite of self defense, usually.
tduberne 5y ago
I once read something that went like: - do not carry a gun if you are not ready to draw it - do not draw a gun if you are not ready to shoot - do not shoot if you are not ready to kill Because when faced with an opponent with a gun, one moment of hesitation could mean your death. I also read (from a gun instructor) that if you intend to use a gun for self defense, you should know that using it will bankrupt you. Because even if you use it in a lawful way, the legal process that will determine that it was lawful costs more than the typical gun owner can carry financially. So I think you are right. I can understand how fear might push to buy a gun, but I definitely see it as a bad idea, even if the danger the person fears is real (which I think is often not the case). Using a gun is the end of your life. As a non American, it is often puzzling to read that there is even a debate about it.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago
  > even if the danger the person fears is real (which I think is often not the case). Using a gun is the end of your life. In 2020 in the US, there were 674 cases of defensive gun use[1], actually down from 751 in 2019. For the record, that's more cases than mass shootings in the US[2], despite what most news sites would have you believe. And 2020 was an abnormally high year for mass shootings. So I disagree with your "often is not the case" statement, because many times it is the case. But I think that misses the point. If the danger a person fears is real, then even if you are financially bankrupt after having to use a firearm in self defense, you're still alive, which is better than being flush with cash and dead. But beyond that, personal protection is, interestingly, not what America's second amendment was made for - it's merely a side effect. It's actually about giving the people the right to, effectively, overthrow the government, or at least keep them in check. It's about balance of power. And before someone chimes in about how a bunch of rednecks with AR-15s will never overthrow the military with their tanks and jets and bombs, leaving aside the fact that many military personnel would probably disobey orders to attack Americans, the fact is there are over 300 million guns in the hands of an estimated 150 million people; whereas there are about 1.3 million active military personnel[3], and as they say -- quantity is it's own quality. [1] https://www.heritage.org/data-visualizations/firearms/defensive-gun-uses-in-the-us/ https://www.heritage.org/data-visualizations/firearms/defens... [2] http://mass-shootings.info/statistics.php?year=2020 http://mass-shootings.info/statistics.php?year=2020 [3] https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/military-army-size https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/mili...
  - leephillips 5y ago
    As the link points out, the real number of defensive gun uses is 1/2 to 5 million per year, which strengthens your argument. The 674 are just those recorded by law enforcement.
    - twoknee 5y ago
      Wow, that's a 3-4 order of magnitude difference.