General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: You know there are places that need guns,right? [View all]Liberty Belle
(9,539 posts)First, I do not own guns and never have. So don't accuse me of being an NRA nut.
But I do know people who live along the border in a very rural, remote area (Boulevard and Campo, CA). They have encountered armed smugglers on their properties several times. One friend of mine's husband was tied up and gagged. Thankfully she came home later and found him in the shed, where he'd walked in on human traffickers. He's lucky they didn't killl him. He got a gun after that, and carries when he walks around his property. I would have done the same.
If a bear, mountain lion or pit bull dog was attacking your child, I'm pretty sure you would shoot it rather than let it carry off and kill your loved one. A mountain lion attacked a child earlier this year in our region. The father threw rocks and saved his boy but I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd used a gun in such an extreme case. You mention only fatal cases which are rare but there are quite a few more non-fatal attacks that still result in serious injuries. That child wound up with a major head injury, for instance.
Guns can save homeowners, too. A month or so ago there was a case here in San Diego where during a home invasion robbery one of the suspects shot the homeowner, thankfully not fatally. The homeowner's teen son grabbed dad's gun and killed the shooter and the second suspect fled (he was later found and arrested). I would say they certainly needed their gun or they both might have wound up dead.
I am all for seizing and destroying every assault rifle on the planet. You don't need a weapon of mass murder to dissuade an intruder.
But a rifle, shotgun or handgun is needed for people in certain living situations. Unless you are mentally ill or have threatened someone, you should be able to own a gun, though I don't think you should be able to stroll into any Starbucks or Walmart with it strapped on. But in your own home and on your own property, you should be able to protect yourself.
I also know people who have had to get a restraining order against a violent ex who threatened to kill or harm them. Since such offenders often violate restraining orders, some women get concealed carry permits to protect themselves if attacked by a wacko ex. I think this is a right that they should have.