Callinectes (04-05-2020)
Ilya from Michigan writes . . .
If you’d have met me three weeks ago, you’d unequivocally know my stance on guns. I was not only against the ownership of AR-15s, I was in the minority of folks who thought all private gun ownership should be illegal.
Fast forward to today: I own a GLOCK 19 Gen5.
I’m still in a bit of disbelief that there is a dangerous weapon in my house: one that more frequently contributes to accidental deaths, violent homicides, and suicides, rather than the romanticized personal protection experiences.
What happened? The world changed overnight and my opinion…evolved.
I’ve always been a strongly opinionated person, but I pride myself on the idea that my beliefs are loosely held. Strong opinions are great, but what you don’t want is to be egotistically blinded by them. I don’t want to be held hostage by a belief that is no longer valid, given new information.
My views before
I live a pretty privileged existence. My family lives in one of the most affluent communities in Michigan. Everyone in the neighborhood leaves their doors open with bikes on the front lawn. Rarely do we worry about anything being stolen, let alone violent crime. I wasn’t born with this privilege, but worked really hard to get where I am.
Circumstances shape people’s understanding of the world, and my situation highly influenced my views on gun ownership. There was no argument, be it constitutional, personal protection, safety, hunting, or anything else that would change my mind and stop me from logically deconstructing your argument.
Guns are used in more than 20,000 suicides, 10,000 homicides, and just under 1,000 accidental deaths in the US each year. Yes, one can argue that people kill people, not guns. But I’d argue that access to firearms makes it much easier to accomplish the act. I believed that at the national scale, guns were a danger to our society. I wanted no part of this.
How my views have changed
For months, I heard the news of a novel virus spreading in China, which had the potential to turn into a global pandemic. This happens regularly, with Cov-2, H1N1, Ebola, MERS, etc.
We read about it in the newspapers, hear about people dying in other countries, watch coverage of civil unrest, and then we hit the off button and get back to our 21st century privileged American lives. It’s not that we aren’t worried or believe that this can’t happen to us; rather, we’ve never experienced anything similar to this. Our imagination can only take us so far. We think it’s “them”. This will just go away.
Then shit got real. Countries started shutting down. Stay-home orders were being issued. Supply chains were disrupted and people were hoarding daily necessities.
Cracks in our supply chain became evident and we started experiencing shortages reminiscent of the former Soviet bloc. Companies were going out of business or downsizing. People were losing their jobs at an unprecedented rate.
I’m not a prepper. I’ve never left a store with more food or supplies than what’d I’d typically consume in a few days. I don’t overreact. But the supply disruptions, along with economic uncertainty, started to worry me.
Are we, as a country, prepared? Am I prepared?
We model our future preparedness based on past worst-case scenarios. My grandmother, who lived through WWII in Eastern Europe, stashed every penny away for what she called “the dark days.” The worst days she can recall in her life’s experience.
But as one of the best minds in risk assessment, Nassim Taleb, notes, you can’t prepare for the worst-case scenario based on past events, because the worst-case scenario hasn’t happened yet.
At about the same time, I was chatting with friends who are gun owners and they mentioned the long lines at gun shops. People were buying out all of the guns and ammo. But instead of my typical reaction of “guns are bad and those people are crazy,” my mind started wondering about all of the tail risk possibilities during this event.
What happens when food supply chains fail? What if my area becomes unsafe? Do I need to learn how to hunt? With what? Will civil unrest break out?
People will do anything they can to ensure the survival of themselves and their families. Our preparedness models are based on past assumptions of stability and civil obedience. But we’re in an uncharted territory.
The question I asked myself: What do I need to do to feel safe and protect my family?
I called my friend, who advised me that for personal protection, I should get a handgun. The next day, I walked into a store I never thought I’d set foot in. The line was long. I patiently waited while periodically watching the Fox News station on TV.
The store employees were all armed — very stern, but also very nice. I’ve never felt as safe around so many firearms. That’s when I filled out the background check form and I bought my first gun.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/im...first-firearm/
A lot of anti gun nuts are buying guns rights now!
Callinectes (04-05-2020)
It finally dawned on her that she might one day dial 911 and no one would answer.
Callinectes (04-05-2020)
Takes some longer to wise up than others
"Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." Joseph Stalin
The USA has lost WWIV to China with no other weapons but China Virus and some cash to buy democrats.
Yawn
Charoite (04-05-2020)
Charoite (04-05-2020)
"Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." Joseph Stalin
The USA has lost WWIV to China with no other weapons but China Virus and some cash to buy democrats.
Charoite (04-05-2020), signalmankenneth (04-05-2020)
WK1 3/28-/4 _Cases 301k--Dead 18.1k Lethality 2.72%
WK2 4/5-/13 _Cases 555k--Dead 22.1K Lethality 3.9%
WK3 4/20-/21 Cases 774k -Dead 37.2K Lethality 4.8%
WK4 4/22-/29 Cases 1M --Dead 58.8K Lethality 5.9%
WK5 5/1-/8__ Cases 1.3M -Dead 75.7K Lethality 6.1%
WK6 5/9-16__Cases 1.4M --Dead 85.8K Lethality 6.1%
WK7 5/17-24_Cases 1.7M - Dead 97.6K Lethality 5.9%
WK8 5/28 Cases 1.7M - DEAD 101.2K - Same
Texas boy, 2, shot and killed in home invasion, suspects on loose: police
Authorities have described them as two black males, age between 25 and 35. One was wearing a black hoodie and the other a red one.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-tod...wounded-police
Detroit police investigating sex assault of 12-year-old boy during home invasion
Instead it was a man in a black hoodie with a white cloth covering his face. He forced himself into the home and holding the 12-year-old at gun point then sexually assaulting him then let two other men into the home.
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/det...-home-invasion
Man shot, killed in Arlington; Woman held captive in home;
The second suspect is described as a black male, 5 feet 5 inches tall, wearing a black hood, white muscle shirt and black pajama pants with “Mountain Dew” on them.
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/l...GRPRZIQH6WSCQ/
Naw ...it wont happen to you! Keep thinking that way..IDIOT ..thats a safe smart frame of mind...LOL
Naw ...I wont catch the China Virus.....thats a safe smart frame of mind...LOL
Last edited by volsrock; 04-05-2020 at 05:27 PM.
For the money it costs to buy one decent quality hand gun of sufficient caliber to do the job, one could make their home so difficult for an intruder to forcefully enter, they'd give up or still be trying when the cops arrived and either arrested or killed them.
Home security devices are available to harden your door frames and windows which are the most common access points for home invaders.
With the proper retro fitting, you can make it next to impossible for an intruder to get in without having to assume the risk, expense and liability of owning a gun.
That having been said, I understand that I'm talking to a brick wall here.
C'MON MAN!!!!
Charoite (04-05-2020)
1.03 million home invasions
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 1.03 million home invasions occur each year.
Your chance of being a victim of a home invasion is much higher than dying from the China Virus
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