My previous entry was a bit of a rant, so why stop there? Here's some more ranting, to pick up where I left off. I wrote about firearms and self-defense a little while back. As regular readers may be aware, I am not the biggest fan of guns. It's not that I hate guns; rather, I hate the misconceptions and wanna-be cowboy attitude a lot of Americans have about guns.
<rant>
Dear American Gunslinger: that gun in your pocket or strapped to your belt doesn't make you safer. All you've done is introduce an even more dangerous element to the situation. If you get attacked, you could draw your weapon and defend yourself (provided that you're within the boundaries of the law in doing so, depending on the situation). You could also lose control of the weapon; even worse, the bad guy could get control of the weapon.
"But what if the bad guy has a gun?" If he has a gun and draws on you or starts shooting at you, that gun you're carrying might as well be on the moon. Your gun won't do you a damn bit of good. The bad guy outdrew you. You will likely not be in a position to draw your weapon in response. And if you do, think about it: now you're in a gun fight. If you want to pretend you're Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral, then it's a coin flip as to whether or not you'll survive. What's worse, anyone around you is now in greater danger of catching a stray bullet.
There was a FIREFIGHT!
After what has been called the "Batman Massacre," I heard people say things like, "If only someone in that theatre had been armed. Things might have ended differently." Yeah, it probably would have ended differently, moron. It would have likely been worse. Not only would you have had the gun-wielding killer firing rounds into the crowd, there would have been a vigilante in the midst adding his own gunfire to the situation. Keep in mind that most people - even people trained in firearms - have lousy aim with their weapon. Don't let the zombie films fool you: one shot/one kill just doesn't happen that often.
"Well your perspective is skewed because you're trained in self-defense and can take care of yourself. Most people can't."
Not when it comes to guns! Sure, I know techniques which could help me if I'm attacked by a gunman, but those techniques only work if the bad guy is stupid enough to get close to me. And even then, there are no guarantees. When a gun is involved, anything can happen. The best defense against a gun - regardless of whether you have a gun yourself or are trained in martial arts - is to run. A gun is an X factor with a wide range of unpredictable variables. Two guns even more so.
A gun on your person doesn't necessarily make you safer, and neither does having a gun at home. In my opinion, the statistics on gun-related injuries and deaths in the home resulting from gun ownership is both staggering and saddening. Again, I'm not saying we should outlaw guns. I know people love talking about the 2nd Amendment (even though they don't really know what it says). I'm saying that we should be well aware of the risks involved in gun ownership. I wouldn't want cigarettes outlawed either (hell, I'm for the legalization of both marijuana and prostitution - and not just because my Saturday nights get boring). But I certainly want people to be aware of the risks they take if they're planning to use them. If you want to own a gun because you think guns are cool or because you enjoy taking your weapon to the range to shoot, then fine. It's naive, however, to rely on guns for self-defense.
Naive... and dangerous.
</rant>
