>found to make the owner 3 more times likely to die violently by gunshot wounds than the average
person
through accident, domestic violence, or an assailant using the gun against the owner.<
Well, I can't really argue with that. I do have one nitpicking questiion though. Once we remove "accident, domestic violence" as, I dunno, different categories (I realize this does not square with your zero tolerance position) how high an incidence are we left with of gun owners seeing their own gun turned against them? This seems to me the hardest argument against a personal decision to keep a defense gun around. Because of all the detractors from gun possession, this is the toughest one to prepare against (other than having an armed hoodlum, or a SWAT team on a wrongful storm&entry mission, burst into your house). But I'm left wondering if this is a very small proportion of combined cases with accidents and domestic violence (which are sadly endemic, but down off their highs I think).
The other item to consider (a submission, no challenge) is that there is no way to draw up statistics on how many crimes were prevented by showing a gun.
On a purely personal level, if I heard a probable intruder in my house, I'd be much more comfy having a pistol available than being entirely unarmed. (A lever-action rifle will do in a pinch.)
I understand that it's my duty to see to it taht I know what I'm pointing my front sight at. I have nothing but sorrowful contempt for people who mistakenly shot a family member. If yer gonna keep a gun handy, be the kind of person who will LOOK&THINK before putting a digit into a triggerguard.
Okay, let me see if I've got this right. If I'm hearing you correctly, you're telling me that you know of no circumstances under which you support the use of guns for civilian self-defense. If so, I'm not the guy who can mount a convincing counter-argument. I believe that there is a very real place for possession and carry of high-capacity, big-bore handguns by licensed civilians. In fact I see it as a stabilizing force in a society which is daily less secure against random predation. I can't talk you into backing my position, and I do respect your views. But I hope you won't vote me out of my guns! :-) |
