A lot of people have seen one too many Dirty Harry movies.
It was several years ago and it was given at a gun shop. I never followed through in part because my classmates scared the heck out of me. The course was good...basic safety and review of the laws surrounding guns. The instructor had a tremendous respect for guns. He talked about making the decision to use a gun. I remember his saying that if you use a gun against another person, even if you are 100% justified, your lif is basically over. There is overwhelming psychological trauma. There is the police investigation and media attention. And, of course, the inevitable civil suit. I recall the instructor talking about encountering a burglar. He said that if you see a guy carrying your TV out of your house in the middle of the night, it is much better to call the cops an let him go. I came out of the course believing that you could only use deadly force to save your life. Apparently, you can use deadly force to stop a burglar in your home. There was a discussion period where the instructor asked why we were interested in obtaining a pistol. That's when I got scared. One of my classmates wanted a pistol so he could intimidate and protect himself in case a driver cut him off. He then presented scenarios and asked if shooting was justified. My classmates almost always said yes and they were almost always wrong. During a break the instructor showed us the guns that were for sale He said new shooter usually begin with .22 caliber pistols. The Guido's in my class wanted to see these freaking monster cannons. The instructor told them they were special weapons and inappropriate for a new shooter. They didn't care. That's what scared me... the attitude of some people wanting guns.
I never followed through, but maybe I should have.
A lot of people have seen one too many Dirty Harry movies.
Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. Ronald Reagan
You probably should have. Because your classmates might have been freaks was no reason to drop going for your own permit. People abuse items all the time and there's not much you can do about their stupidity. After a certain amount of time, your class certificate expires and you have to retake the course. Also, last I heard the waiting time for permit applications to be approved was about 2 years long. I'm not sure what it is now.
I use to support the permit system - only because it required a person who might not know a thing about guns to take a safety course... but after seeing the way the judges and the courts screw everyone around with what is a constitutional right, I've pretty much turned against the concept.
You, obviously, haven't had the "pleasure" of shooting and killing someone. And, if you have, and consider the weight placed on your shoulders of killing someone (Justified or not) to be "not that bad", then you, sir are what is known as a "psychopath".
Psychopaths are the ones who do not feel "guilt" over ending someone's life.
Raptor Jesus: He went extinct for your sins.
A healthy respect sure,,, but if you hesitate using justifiable deadly force then you are dead.
I don't ever want another person to be able to decide wether I live or die.
As far as the TV or anything else is concerned a few hundred bucks is not worth if for me losing time at work for depositions etc. etc.
Hey... its a party now! NBR is here to give us his 'educated' opinion.
As usual... you either don't read the post... or understand what you're reading. To make it easier for you, I'll repeat... "YES, I HAVE BEEN IN THAT SITUATION."
If surviving a murder attempt and not "feeling bad" about it makes me a "psychopath", then so be it. I prefer to think of myself as a survivor.
But as I doubt that you have a license to practice any type of medicine... I'm going to give your medical opinion on my mental state all the credit its due... NONE!
By the way... when you feel "guilt" over doing something. It implies that something you did was wrong. I don't feel that me surviving an attempt on my life was wrong in any way, shape, or form. So I have nothing to feel "guilty" about.
I personally think you're lying about "surviving that situation". I've probably killed more people than yourself, being much more clearly justified (War time), and it weighs on me every day.
And, I'm not alone on this either. Ask any GI. But, no, feeling guilt does not necessarily imply you were in the wrong. It's the natural response to ending the life of a person. Also known as "empathy", and the people who lack the ability to feel empathy are known as psychopaths. Plain and simple.
Sure, I do think that one has every right to defend (With deadly force if needed) themselves, and their family. But don't for a second act like,"It's no big ****ing deal". And if you truly feel that way, there are two reasons:
a) You're lying about being in the situation
or
b) You're a psychopath
Raptor Jesus: He went extinct for your sins.
Don't allow others to put some kind of guilt trip on you. A justified shooting is just that! I sincerely hope and pray that neither you or I are put in that situation going forward. God forbid one of us are I also hope and pray that a weapon is readily available in order to thwart the perpetrator and save the life of yourself and anyone in your proximity. If you practice with your weapons every chance you get the odds are going up and in your favor of a predictable outcome if confronted.
**free is a trademark of the current U.S. government.
Raptor Jesus: He went extinct for your sins.
As to the original post, it makes no sense for a person not to obtain a firearm because he or she believes that other people who are obtaining firearms are crazy.
In fact, in that situation, it makes all the more sense to obtain a firearm for protection against all the other crazy people.
WHILE YOU MAY BE THINKING OF YOURSELF...what are the ramifications if your loved ones are victims while you had the opportunity to prevent a criminal act upon them by shooting a perpretator in the act ..or about to...weigh the guilt trip of shooting someone vs. the guilt trip knowing some crime committed against a loved one could of been prevented by you...but were too pansy because of the guilt you may have to incur.
Let me try to make sense of that for you because, admittedly, it seems like an illogical sentiment. I have fired a gun maybe...ten times in my life (and I'm old). I found myself entering a culture that made me feel uncomfortable. Many of my classmates had a mindset to which I did not relate. A lot of them did not seem to respect the power of firearms nor the consequences of using one on a fellow human being. With all due respect to the majority of responsible gun owners, I didn't want to be a part of them. I also began to realize that up-side of gun ownership was far outweighed by the down-side for me. Does that help?
Only the second to last sentence makes sense (and I'm assuming your reasoning on that issue is rationale.)
But not owning a gun because you didn't want to be part of a group is a bit silly. Do you think owning a gun requires you take an oath to act and think like others who may be ignorant yahoos that own guns?
If you applied that same logic, then no normal person would ever be a Bills fan because there are lots of ignorant yahoos who are Bills fans. They get drunk, disrupt other people's enjoyment of the game, drive home and injure or kill people. Apparently, all Bills fan have to agree to act just like them in order to be Bills fans.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)