Why I decided to buy a handgun

[atvdave]

Not a bad read, looks like it was written by a liberal who is coming to his senses about gun's and self protection.


Voices: Why I decided to buy a handgun

 

[actaeon277]

"I hope I don't have to use it".
A phrase most I know say.

 

[phylodog]

I think you're correct Dave. Hopefully his possession of a handgun will eventually lead him to realizations that owning that piece of steel and/or plastic won't in fact make him more likely to commit suicide. Hopefully he will also come to appreciate having the tool and ability to protect himself and he will voice his new found lifestyle to those who mistakenly believe that firearms are problematic.

 

[BugI02]

"I’ve never fired a handgun. And I hope to God I never fire mine in anger. The men and women we pay to carry guns and protect us rarely do it, and those that do often miss, or accidentally shoot their colleagues or innocent bystanders during the confusion of a gunbattle."

I don't think I'd give him a pass on this paragraph. I am aware of no data that supports it and it unfairly knocks the thin blue line IMO. You would think someone who has covered as many shootings as he claims would know better.

 

[oldpink]

"I’ve never fired a handgun. And I hope to God I never fire mine in anger. The men and women we pay to carry guns and protect us rarely do it, and those that do often miss, or accidentally shoot their colleagues or innocent bystanders during the confusion of a gunbattle."

I don't think I'd give him a pass on this paragraph. I am aware of no data that supports it and it unfairly knocks the thin blue line IMO. You would think someone who has covered as many shootings as he claims would know better.

Yes
The hit/miss ratio is often pretty low, true.
But hitting their colleagues or innocent bystanders is actually rare.

 

[jwh20]

I can tell you that I will not EVER fire my handgun in anger. But I am also positive that I would not hesitate to fire it in self-defense. The fallacy of this idiot's thinking is that the use of deadly force is a violent outburst of some sort. An angry response to a deadly situation. But anger is your ENEMY in any such case. What is needed is clear thinking coupled with practiced action.

I don't carry a handgun to "feel good" about myself or to give myself some sort of messed up bravery. I too hope that I never ever need to use it as I firmly believe the best deadly encounter is the one that is avoided. But when the threat comes to me and intends harm, then the choice of what comes next was made by the other guy, not me.

On one hand I applaud this man for being honest enough to know that being a victim or not is something that there is some control over. But I hope he doesn't just buy a gun and keep it locked up at home where it does nobody any good.

 

[Spear Dane]

I liked the part where he talked about taking more responsibility for his own safety. YES! He get's it.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Welcome aboard, Mr. Hughes. Like many of us, when we decided to venture in to the "gun world", you are under some misunderstandings and have much learning to do. We all learned. You will too. Welcome aboard.

 

[yepthatsme]

I sure hope he gets some training as well even if it's just watching training or situational videos online. If he thinks all he has to do is carry a gun to protect himself, he's sadly mistaken. It takes practice and the knowledge to know how to apply defensive skills.

 

[OakRiver]

"I’ve never fired a handgun. And I hope to God I never fire mine in anger. The men and women we pay to carry guns and protect us rarely do it, and those that do often miss, or accidentally shoot their colleagues or innocent bystanders during the confusion of a gunbattle."

I don't think I'd give him a pass on this paragraph. I am aware of no data that supports it and it unfairly knocks the thin blue line IMO. You would think someone who has covered as many shootings as he claims would know better.

Sounds like he is using a few well publicized incidents involving the NYPD

However, to nitpick the article;
"What else should I do? Our politicians have demonstrated they aren’t actually serious about reducing gun violence in America. I mean, while we accept that car crashes kill about 30,000 people annually, at least there’s a serious effort underway to reduce that number. And at the same time, there does appear to be an actual belief around the world and in our own country that Americans are a soft target."
Per the CDC there are ~32,000 deaths from guns. Of that 60% are suicides, so if we invest in mental health services and reducing the associated stigma we can help reduce that number. Out of the 40% left 960 deaths are accidental, we have programs to reduce that - even though "gun safety" advocates are trying to cut funding to the programs. 8,448 deaths are gang related and died to inner city problems like poverty and the War on Drugs. This is something that we can also change easily, if the political will exists. So we can reduce firearm deaths very easily. But those with the power of the purse refuse to.

 

[cctwcc]

"I hope I don't have to use it".
A phrase most I know say.

I hear that often also.. I advise them to train so they know how to use it and pray they don't have to.

 

[Hopper]

Agreed, not a bad read at all. And the writer hit on a few things that got me off the fence years ago when I finally decided it was time to get my first pistol.

Yeah, we can all nitpick a few phrases or paragraphs, it's what we do from the safety of our keyboards. IMHO, I give him passing marks on 1) being willing to defend himself, and his loved ones/property; and 2) writing about it, to share his journey with others. I think some of the best language he used in his article was regarding his choice to NOT be a "soft target".

But some of the comments below the article... oy, I know better than to read those.

 

[historian]

I'm giving him a pass because he is coming from a place of severe anti-gun bias. His coworker was almost in tears because of his decision. However, he is coming around. I hope he finds a good group like this in which to get involved. He also recognized that there are millions of us who carry without anyone knowing or noticing.

 

[TheWabbit]

But hitting their colleagues or innocent bystanders is actually rare.

Most cops, true, but NYPD is the exception with the 11 lb. Glock trigger.

 

[BugI02]

I hear that often also.. I advise them to train so they know how to use it and pray they don't have to.

Former Liberal. Harder to get them to pray than it is to get them to take responsibility ( for their own safety .... or anything else ).

 

[oldpink]

Most cops, true, but NYPD is the exception with the 11 lb. Glock trigger.

Ah yes, the ridiculous "New York Trigger."
Forgot about that one.
Good point.

 

[yepthatsme]

I shouldn't suggest this, but here goes. Maybe we should take some time and place similar comments in the comment section of articles. We can portray ourselves as somewhat liberal that are changing our minds to become more conservative and more gun friendly. Maybe this might help some of those liberals on the fence to actually think and question their position. Just a thought.

Edit: It does seem to have an effect on liberals if you read the comments. Instead of attacking the writer of the article as they would a known conservative, they are actually discussing the article.

 

[SchwansManDan]

I don't carry a handgun to "feel good" about myself or to give myself some sort of messed up bravery. I too hope that I never ever need to use it as I firmly believe the best deadly encounter is the one that is avoided. But when the threat comes to me and intends harm, then the choice of what comes next was made by the other guy, not me.

And this is where my thoughts diverge from my father's. His EDC was a .22LR revolver. His thought process was "I don't want to kill this guy, but I might shoot him through the kneecap and give him something to think about as he limps through the rest of his life."

My thought process is more on the lines of "If I have to pull out my gun to defend my life or my family, the other guy is going to bleed out and will have no opportunity to come back for revenge."

Not that I want to kill the other guy, but ... better him than me (or someone I love).

 

[oldpink]

And this is where my thoughts diverge from my father's. His EDC was a .22LR revolver. His thought process was "I don't want to kill this guy, but I might shoot him through the kneecap and give him something to think about as he limps through the rest of his life."

My thought process is more on the lines of "If I have to pull out my gun to defend my life or my family, the other guy is going to bleed out and will have no opportunity to come back for revenge."

Not that I want to kill the other guy, but ... better him than me (or someone I love).

Close.
No disrespect to your dad, but his premise was fallacious, full stop.
Frankly, that's the sort of myth peddled by Hollyweird.
The real point of using a firearm for defense is to inflict enough damage that the attacker is incapable of continuing the attack.
Once the threat is so decisively halted, only then should the gun go back in the holster.

 

[jamil]

Sounds like he is using a few well publicized incidents involving the NYPD

However, to nitpick the article;
"What else should I do? Our politicians have demonstrated they aren’t actually serious about reducing gun violence in America. I mean, while we accept that car crashes kill about 30,000 people annually, at least there’s a serious effort underway to reduce that number. And at the same time, there does appear to be an actual belief around the world and in our own country that Americans are a soft target."
Per the CDC there are ~32,000 deaths from guns. Of that 60% are suicides, so if we invest in mental health services and reducing the associated stigma we can help reduce that number. Out of the 40% left 960 deaths are accidental, we have programs to reduce that - even though "gun safety" advocates are trying to cut funding to the programs. 8,448 deaths are gang related and died to inner city problems like poverty and the War on Drugs. This is something that we can also change easily, if the political will exists. So we can reduce firearm deaths very easily. But those with the power of the purse refuse to.

The political will doesn't exist. Where would politicians be without those crises to exploit?