Topic: Protection in the city

[firecracker]

Don't really have a solution, but thought you'd enjoy this:
Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased
his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol &Pawn Shop that sparked
my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for
a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was
a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were
supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your
assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety....??

WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded
two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing!

I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button
AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the
blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.
AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn
spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with
this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with
only two triple-A batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently
(trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking
that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.
I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a
second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was
going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger,
I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading
glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one
hand, and taser in another.

The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient
your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms
and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would
purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of
water Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the
batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5 inches long,
less t han 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and loaded with two
itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my
best...

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked
to one side as to say, 'don't do it dip #$%*,' reasoning that a one
second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that
bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I
touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . . HOLY
MOTHER OF GOD WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HELL!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked
me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over
and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the
fetal position with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on
fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my
body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs

The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging
to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt
to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a taser, one
note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you
zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged
from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second
burst would be considered conservative?

%#@, THAT HURT LIKE HELL!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing
at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up
and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel
of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so
from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples
were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain,
and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.

Apparently I #$%* myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense
of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe
came from my hair.  I'm still looking for my nuts and I'm offering a significant
reward for their safe return!!

P. S. My wife loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!

If you think Education is difficult, try being stupid.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Yeah, Mass. is gun restriction crazy. You pretty much have to be a cop or a PI to carry there. Forget about trying to conceal/carry there. I'd suggest trying to get her some military pepper spray- used to be some stuff in high school (called Saber I think) if you got it sprayed on your skin it hurt like the bejeesus on top of affecting any parts of the body with mucous (eyes, mouth, nose). Not much else you can do really but be super aware and try to avoid bad places/situations.

[Caaveman82]

Evil resides in men/women, not inanimate objects.

Correct but without said inanimate objects you wouldn't have the problem in the first place.

Mick

With that reasoning we should get rid of all TOOLS that could possibly be used as a weapon. Hope all the roofers out there have a clean record, now they need a permit to buy a hammer.

Gun's don't shoot people, just like a shovel does not dig a ditch. It's a tool, for better or for worse. Plus there has been no situation yet, the question at hand was how to equip his daughter to be ready for a possible attack.

We can go back and forth on this thing all day long. A gun is a tool and I don't want mine taken away, I don't want any of my liberties taken away. The more you give the more the government will take, we know this to be true.

So with that said, thank god for guns.

[Inkscars]

When I lived in Imperial Beach, CA. I worked at a bar. This bar was maybe 2 miles from my apartment, it was off Palm Ave (very busy) and I.B is only a few miles from Tijauna. ANYWAY,
I would close the bar around 2 and walk, by myself, home, because you can drink on shift and I didn't want to drive. (so cal is crazy enough) I'd get to hoofing it sometimes between 2:15 and 3:00 am depending on how busy I was. I encountered some bum looking guys as I was walking past a porn shop and got lucky with a punch to the side of one of their heads and I RAN several blocks to a 24 hour laundry mat until they dispersed.
After that, I went into a store that sold weapons and bongs and such. I purchased the shiniest folding knife over 5" that the owner of the shop said I couldn't go to jail for.
So, a few weeks later I was on my walk home and i had the knife shoved in the top of my pants, i encountered 2 more guys, (1 i believe was one of the first guys)
They said some crude things to me and I said, " Get any closer and I'll cut your a$$ up and leave you here"
They laughed at me so i whipped it out as fast and smoothly as i could and said, " laugh again"
They ran away. I was scared #$%*less, but I kept my cool and it worked, they didn't even look back. I sat down on the sidewalk to calm down and a cop pulled over a few minutes later to ask if i was alright. the knife was sitting next to me. He asked why i had it out and I told him the story. He said it was a good thing I had it and gave me a ride home.
I defended myself without hurting anyone, it cost $40 dollars, and it didn't get me in any trouble with the cops. I say, get her a knife.

[Caaveman82]

That is a rad story!


 ....but if you are being attacked by anyone who knows anything about anything they'll be able to take a knife from an unexperienced person, not to mention if they have a gun they have not pulled out yet and you pull a knife on them, then you have a whole new set of problems.

[Inkscars]

not to mention if they have a gun they have not pulled out yet and you pull a knife on them, then you have a whole new set of problems.

That may be true, however, If two men stalk out of the night after a girl by herself, they're not out to make noise, they want it to be as quiet as possible. If someone pulls a gun on my to rob me, I'm not going to be a retard, I'll hand over my 30 bones and pack of cigarettes. Don't EVER fight over a f0cking purse.

[lynchj]

I understand your concern for her safety. I grew up near Needham and lived in Boston while in college, my daughter who is similar in size as yours grew up in a small town of 3,000 and now lives in Cambridge and uses public transportation every day, she has never had a incident or problem after 3 years. Needham is a very safe suburb and Boston is a lot safer than many other cities but there are definitely some areas to avoid especially at night. Using common sense should be her 1st line of protection.

[Caaveman82]

not to mention if they have a gun they have not pulled out yet and you pull a knife on them, then you have a whole new set of problems.

That may be true, however, If two men stalk out of the night after a girl by herself, they're not out to make noise, they want it to be as quiet as possible. If someone pulls a gun on my to rob me, I'm not going to be a retard, I'll hand over my 30 bones and pack of cigarettes. Don't EVER fight over a f0cking purse.

I wouldn't be worried too much about being robbed, it's the other things that worry me.

[azuredesign]

When I lived in Imperial Beach, CA. I worked at a bar. This bar was maybe 2 miles from my apartment, it was off Palm Ave (very busy) and I.B is only a few miles from Tijauna. ANYWAY,
I would close the bar around 2 and walk, by myself, home, because you can drink on shift and I didn't want to drive. (so cal is crazy enough) I'd get to hoofing it sometimes between 2:15 and 3:00 am depending on how busy I was. I encountered some bum looking guys as I was walking past a porn shop and got lucky with a punch to the side of one of their heads and I RAN several blocks to a 24 hour laundry mat until they dispersed.
After that, I went into a store that sold weapons and bongs and such. I purchased the shiniest folding knife over 5" that the owner of the shop said I couldn't go to jail for.
So, a few weeks later I was on my walk home and i had the knife shoved in the top of my pants, i encountered 2 more guys, (1 i believe was one of the first guys)
They said some crude things to me and I said, " Get any closer and I'll cut your a$$ up and leave you here"
They laughed at me so i whipped it out as fast and smoothly as i could and said, " laugh again"
They ran away. I was scared #$%*less, but I kept my cool and it worked, they didn't even look back. I sat down on the sidewalk to calm down and a cop pulled over a few minutes later to ask if i was alright. the knife was sitting next to me. He asked why i had it out and I told him the story. He said it was a good thing I had it and gave me a ride home.
I defended myself without hurting anyone, it cost $40 dollars, and it didn't get me in any trouble with the cops. I say, get her a knife.

My buddy Richie, who with his partner has been taking old collector cars down to TJ from LA to be worked on before sale, tells of the time they brought down a white late 50's Eldo convertable, and stopped for the evening at a strip club where they knew some girls. They waited until the girls were done with work and left together, getting into the Eldo, which proceeded to not start, d.e.a.d.

Richie said that after a couple of minutes of being there trying to push the car with one of the girls steering, he started to notice guys coming in groups of 2 or 3 towards them from different directions. He looked for something to defend himself with, but there wasn't much, and he started to prepare for losing the car without getting hurt. As the banditos got closer, a couple of them recognized the girls, and everything turned around, with the TJ guys pushing my friends and their girls back to the motel. Some people can fall into crap and come out smelling so fine, go figure!

[Duke McDukiedook]

And who says all strippers are bad? They're people too- some good some not so good! Good story though.

[TwoTired]

Evil resides in men/women, not inanimate objects.

Correct but without said inanimate objects you wouldn't have the problem in the first place.

Mick

I see.  Then you must also believe that all police officers or military personnel who carry, are invariably destined to become criminal perpetrators, due to the stimulus of certain inanimate objects.

But, lets' explore your hypothesis further, shall we?
If it were somehow actually possible to eliminate all forms of firearms over the entire planet, civility and peace would then revert to levels seen before their introduction into human existence right?
You might wish to study the human lifestyle of the 12th century, where virtually no guns were present.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/medievalengland.htm

...Then from here: http://www.gunmetal.com/Firearms_History.htm
...we see that "Small portable handguns were used in Europe in the early 1400’s. These were the first personal firearms."
Perhaps 14th or 15th Century lifestyle is more to your liking?  The Peasants' Revolt, Tyler’s Rebellion, or the Great Rising of AD 1381, The Wars of Scottish Independence, do sound like a really fun, enjoyable  times in history, doesn't it?  Then, ignoring the invention of 1044: Hand grenade: Zhen Tian Lei in China, and assuming you survived the Black Death, would you shift your "evil weapon" focus onto the bow and arrow?  Ah, if only these devices, too, were somehow erased from the face of the earth.  Surely life was better before that invention, 15,000 years ago when the human environment was far more peaceful?  Perhaps if we look at lifestyle 15,000 years ago, that would be idyllic?
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab23
"The principle of the bow is discovered about 15,000 years ago. Bows and arrows feature from that time, no doubt both in hunting and warfare, in the regions of north Africa and southern Europe. The wood is usually ewe or elm. Stone Age technology is capable of producing sharp flint points for the arrows, often with barbs to secure them in the victim's flesh."
Oh my, that's not very pleasant either, now, is it?
Perhaps we need to go back in time to where ALL projectile weapons had yet to be invented?  Sadly, I couldn't really find a recorded history event about such times.  Perhaps such a pre-stone age lifestyle was so idyllic, that making a record of such a lifestyle was deemed too unlikely to be believed, so why bother?  Or, perhaps the surviving large lumbering oafs that roamed the land bullying and beating up the "lessers", simply weren't interested in make a lasting historical note about how happy they were living their happy go lucky lifestyle?

If only we could be transported into a time that exists in our dreams...

Cheers,

[Caaveman82]

Wow.

Just wow.

I agree however.

Some of the first tools made were made for killing.

[firecracker]

Wow.  A gun thread AND an oil thread at the same time.   

Guess I'll go hide in the Shameless thread 'til things cool down a bit...

 

[Retro Rocket]

Thats all fine TT but you left out the fact that we have evolved mentally as well. There is absolutely no comparison with medieval times or cavemen at all and if what you said was fact then we Aussies would be killing ourselves at the same rate as you Americans, which by the way we don't. Our gun laws are extremely strict compared to yours so guns are a rarity here and gun crime is, well not unheard of but doesn't come close to comparing with America, it is a lot harder to light a fire without a spark. Another note, police in New Zealand don't carry firearms at all unless that has changed recently. As the old saying goes "there's more than one way to skin a cat".

Cheers Mick

[Duke McDukiedook]

Really, have we evolved mentally much since then? I dunno 'bout that.

[TwoTired]

Thats all fine TT but you left out the fact that we have evolved mentally as well.

Oh no we haven't, we are still all classified as the species Homo Sapien and that hasn't changed in 250,000 years.  We have the same brain function and emotions as the ones who came 250,000 years ago.
It is only the knowledge base that has changed over time, and the way organized governments (from those among the species) have allowed distribution of a controlled set of knowledge base concepts.  Human basic instincts and learning capability are exactly the same as they have been since evolution of this species stopped 1/4 million years ago.

There is absolutely no comparison with medieval times or cavemen at all and if what you said was fact then we Aussies would be killing ourselves at the same rate as you Americans, which by the way we don't. Our gun laws are extremely strict compared to yours so guns are a rarity here and gun crime is, well not unheard of but doesn't come close to comparing with America, it is a lot harder to light a fire without a spark. Another note, police in New Zealand don't carry firearms at all unless that has changed recently. As the old saying goes "there's more than one way to skin a cat".

Cheers Mick

The reports I see show AU violent crime rate above or on par with that of the US and has escalated since your government imposed gun ban.  If you are looking at raw crime rates, look deeper at the crimes actually being committed for comparison.  There is argument that "drug possession" crimes inflate the raw crime numbers here in the US.  But, I doubt that prison systems are big business in AU as it is in the US.
As your population density nears that of the US, you'll find the same types of crime rates comparable.  And, that's essentially why the crime rates differ, in how the statistics are gathered and applied to an argument.  Narrow your parameters to the same types of crime and compare them to what you have in densely populated cities.  You'll find your people are no different than the US in terms of general behavior.  Further, you also find ample evidence that the crime rates within areas in the U.S. that have the most stringent gun laws also have the highest crime rates.  Conversely those areas with more lax gun laws, enjoy a lower violent crime rate.  It is hard to separate the population density factor from these statistics, though.
It is a well known animal behavior precept that the denser the population, the worse the population behaves toward individuals within that population.  Some exhibit aggressive dominant behavior, some fall prey to and/or recede from social behavior mainstreams.

In addition, there are credible studies that gun presence in general does far more good than bad, and deter crime at a far higher rate than their involvement in crime perpetration.  Unreported incidents (usually) of the mere presence of a gun by the righteous intercedent have stopped or prevented crimes from occurring.  Have these incidents been factored into your observed effect-on-crime reports?  If you look only for the bad or info that supports your presupposed sensibilities, you'll find it.  If you look only at motorcycle accidents associated with maimed individuals and not general use and enjoyment of the machine, won't you conclude they should be banned, as well?  Would you allow some politicians presentation of such statistics be enough to convince you that motorcycles are better banned than be used by you or your neighbor?

Everyone wants to believe they are living within the "best" environment.  And you can achieve that only with sufficient myopia, tunnel vision, or luck.  Blaming inanimate tools for your (or someone else's) social problems only diverts attention away from the real problem to be addressed.

Well wishes,

[74cb750]

One of the reasons I'm concerned about my daughter in Boston, is she will be working late/after dark. One dental office has parking, but it is around a corner...and sometimes she will be working in different parts of the city as a temp. Therefore will have different situations and times.

I tried to teach her self-defense, but sometimes a father has a difficult time teaching their kids (right?).

Concerns with safty in Boston: a good friend of mine was working at home when he heard his mother working to open the front door of the upscale house they lived in (he has since moved north). He heard her yell out and by the time he reached her, she was missing both her 50 year old wedding band and a finger. The purp got away. She still lives there. This occurred in a 'nice neighborhood' of million dollar homes, sunny  day.

I will be returning to Boston soon and will have some pepper spray for my kid. Then I'll show her how to use it.

Thanks for all the input. I really do not believe having a gun in Boston is a good idea, not enough deer to hurt.

peace,
michel

[seaweb11]

Is it really that bad or has the Media made you fear the dark?
There have been 18+ gang shootings in Vancouver in the past 3 weeks.  If I lived in Vancouver still, I don't think I would get to worked up about MY families personal safety enough to consider spray, knives or guns..

I'm serious with my next question?
Question for 74cb750.....Has anyone in your family ever been shot, raped or robbed on the street?
If the answer is yes, my profound sympathy in my assumptions, if not then you are in fear of something that truly has no bearing on how you as an individual should think based on at least 40 years experience.

P.S. My 23 year old has been on her own in Vancouver up till 1 1/2  years ago when after graduating UBC she decided to move to China to teach English.  Good on her!   Do I worry........?  No!  She is now a well educated and intelligent woman who can look after herself in the world.  My sisters also moved from Vancouver after or to go to University to NY, CO, WA, HI, CA, CT,  etc. at a young age and they are still just fine   They both still live in the USA, and continue to keep the same (non fear) frame of mind they grew up with.

Let the anxiety go,.......... they grow up, mature, and want to make their own way in the world. Don't let CNN  ruin that for the both of you.  Just hug her extra hard when she comes home

Canadian out of here...........

This was from the heart and not a jab at any one person, just my thoughts

[AK Cafe]

I believe that Col. Cooper said it best when he said that there are three types of people in this world. Wolves (predators), Sheep (prey) and the Sheepdog (protectors). Reguardless of the presence of firearms, predators will continue to seek out the old/young/week of our societies for their evil desires. They don't care about anyone else but themselves and their desires. Sheep will continue to roam around oblivious to the danger and evils that surround them, although some of them become aware enough to protect themselves at some point. And the sheepdog continues to stand, alert to the presence of the wolf, and ready to step in to protect those that he/she loves and cares for. I made that decision a long time ago, that my safety and the safety of my family and friends was up to me and me alone. Do I carry a gun? Sometimes, sometimes I am armed with just my wits and good judgement. I can say that I am always aware of my surroundings and the situation that I am in, and I try not to put myself in a situation where I will need to defend myself. I wish that more people would do that as well. If you love your family and friends, teach them to take their safety seriously and use whatever means they have to protect it
AK Cafe

[Retro Rocket]

The reports I see show AU violent crime rate above or on par with that of the US

 
I have no idea where you got that from? And what i meant to say is that we don't have the school, university massacres that we see all too often on the news.
Quote, The Australian institute of criminology reveals that the overall homicide rate in Australia has changed little over the last 10 years and dipped slightly after the buy back scheme in 1997. Unquote.There has been an increase in petty crime, bag snatching and so on but in general for a population of 20 million we have very low gun deaths around one in a million a year sometimes less.  Any way i am just adding my opinion that if everyone is armed you will have more gun deaths, this statistic is very easily proven.

Cheers to you all.....Mick

[74cb750]

in answser to seaweb,
yes I have been asaulted at knife point by four males, but not in Boston
.
My daughter was verbally abused in a  parking garage, then the guy parked and followed her into a busy mall and continued his verbosity. No one stepped in to help.

Late at night, walking to her car recently she was followed by some characters. Nothing happened, but it shook her up.

Happens. This is the new reality. It probably doesn't happen to people like you and me too often because we don't look vunerable.

If you are small, female and unknown in a neighborhood your chances of confrontation is high.
peace,
michel

[ofreen]

I'm serious with my next question?
Question for 74cb750.....Has anyone in your family ever been shot, raped or robbed on the street?
If the answer is yes, my profound sympathy in my assumptions, if not then you are in fear of something that truly has no bearing on how you as an individual should think based on at least 40 years experience.

That's why I never bothered to get fire extinguishers for my house or shop.  Never had a house burn down, so why worry?

[TwoTired]

Any way i am just adding my opinion that if everyone is armed you will have more gun deaths, this statistic is very easily proven.

I have head that one before.  It seems to be right out of the anti-gun credo.  I invite you prove it.  But, the actual statistics prove exactly the opposite.
In the US we have the right to own a gun.  But, not everywhere in the US allows you to carry it with you ready for use, unless the state has a right to carry law...

Right-To-Carry Laws

* Right-to-carry laws require law enforcement agencies to issue handgun permits to all qualified applicants. Qualifications include criteria such as age, a clean criminal record, and completing a firearm safety course.
* In 1986, nine states had right-to-carry laws.
* As of 1998, 31 states have right-to-carry laws, and about half the U.S. population lives in these states.
* Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. At the time the law was passed, critics predicted increases in violence. The founder of the National Organization of Women, Betty Friedan stated:

"lethal violence, even in self defense, only engenders more violence."

 * When the law went into effect, the Dade County Police began a program to record all arrest and non arrest incidents involving concealed carry licensees. Between September of 1987 and August of 1992, Dade County recorded 4 crimes committed by licensees with firearms. None of these crimes resulted in an injury. The record keeping program was abandoned in 1992 because there were not enough incidents to justify tracking them.
* Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. Between 1987 and 1996, these changes occurred:   

...............................\Florida  \ United States
homicide rate.............\-36%  \ -0.4%
firearm homicide rate...\-37%  \ +15%
handgun homicide rate\-41%  \ +24%

* 221,443 concealed carry licenses were issued in Florida between October of 1987 and April of 1994. During that time, Florida recorded 18 crimes committed by licensees with firearms.
* As of 1998, nationwide, there has been 1 recorded incident in which a permit holder shot someone following a traffic accident. The permit holder was not charged, as the grand jury ruled the shooting was in self defense.
* As of 1998, no permit holder has ever shot a police officer. There have been several cases in which a permit holder has protected an officer's life.

Texas showed a similar pattern see: http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba324
Excerpts:
"Because of its large geographic size and population and electoral importance, Texas' experience with concealed carry has come under sustained attack. Before passage, opponents predicted a decline in public safety, with minor incidents escalating into killings as the concealed carry law placed more guns in irresponsible hands. Further, critics claimed that criminals would be undeterred by an increase in armed citizens. Both predictions were wrong."....
(The Texas, right to carry law was enacted in 1995.)
"In the early 1990s, Texas' serious crime rate was 38 percent above the national average. Since then serious crime in Texas has dropped 50 percent faster than for the nation as a whole. For example, during the 1990s Texas' murder rate dropped 52 percent compared to 33 percent nationally, and the rape rate fell by 22 percent compared to 16 percent nationally. In light of Lott's research, it is likely that Texas' concealed carry law has contributed to the declining crime rates.
Conclusion
Both John B. Holmes, Harris County district attorney, and Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association, initially opposed concealed carry in Texas but have subsequently embraced it. Holmes said, "I . . . [felt] that such legislation . . . present[ed] a clear and present danger to law-abiding citizens by placing more handguns on our streets. Boy was I wrong. Our experience in Harris County, and indeed statewide, has proven my initial fears absolutely groundless." And White said, "All the horror stories I thought would come to pass didn't happen. . . . I think it's worked out well, and that says good things about the citizens who have permits. I'm a convert." The evidence indicates that concealed carry is a vital tool in the fight against violent crime.

There is lots more analysis/data here that you won't find or hear of in mainstream media, or from politicians who fear their constituents:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=523002
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/postsbyday/RTCResearch.html

My opinion:  I need a gun like I need insurance.  I never want to use it for defense against persons.  But, if the need arises, I'll be glad I have it, as I can't abide anyone who wishes to do me or mine harmful.  Also, like insurance, I probably don't need it in the best of times.  But, in the worst of times, it can make a huge difference in event outcome.

Is your insurance as effective?  Or, are you completely satisfied having disinterested people filing paperwork regarding your unfortunate incident after the fact?

Best regards,

[Retro Rocket]

Ok lets clear up a few things here. 1/ I am NOT anti guns, i am quite an accomplished shooter/ hunter, my 2 brother inlaws were Australasian trap and skeet champions and also very accomplished hunters. 2/ your statistics are probably correct but what about all the underground guns they are the ones doing the damage.,who needs fully automatic assault rifles apart from the armed forces? I was informed that in some southern states you can purchase these guns without any permit at all and these are the "weapons of mass destruction" that i refer to. As i said previously, we don't have massacres here, well there was one that caused them to be banned in the first place but this idiot was only carrying a knife until he stumbled on someones "legal" stash of guns and went nuts, that was 13 years ago, none before and none since. As i stated this is just my opinion and i am not trying to start an "anti gun" story out of this, i just think they are to readily available making it easier for nut jobs to get their hands on them and create mayhem.

peace

Mick

[salvatore13]

This is crazy... I don't belive what I read. Here in Europe we don´t have the right to use/carry weapons. Have you ever wondered how we defend from criminals here? Or maybe is it that you think we don´t have killers/criminals here? Of course we have and we are not killed massively in our schools or burgers. In a gun culture the solutions always imply using a gun.
I think the best weapon you can use is your common sense. The story of the girl who bought a knife it's the perfect example of not using the common sense (sorry, I don´t mean to offend you, I can understand your reasons but I don´t agree with your methods). Nothing more dangerous that threaten a dangerous guy who could have carried another knife or even a gun.
Follow basic prevention behaviour is more likely to save your life than carry a knife or a gun (how many of you knows how to fight with a knife? it´s not so easy, I can tell. Maybe you are carrying weapons that could be used against you!). Try not to walk alone, avoid solitary and dark places, park in safe areas... and if everything fails face the situation and act cool and with intelligence. If someone want to rob you it's better to trow your bag and run instead of running with your bag under your arm.