Lets state the glaringly obvious:Guns are not a viable form of self defense in the majority of cases [View all]

[Harmony Blue]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Little Star (a host of the General Discussion forum).

As more time passes on I am convinced that more and more people are coming to the realization that guns are not a viable form of self defense in most scenarios.

Law enforcement are increasingly using more and more tasers. Lets ask why? Because while it is risky to use a taser, the lethality isn't on the same level as a gun. So, more and more law enforcement are using tasers, because using their gun just for self defense is overkill.

Most martial arts instructors I have talked to, especially one Krav Maga instructor, explicitly told me that civilian populations of the world are not correctly educated about unarmed self defense. More importantly, a gun is useless if the assailant closes the gap with a knife/small firearm at point blank range (which happens 99% of the time with robberies). Even assuming you have some distance, even highly trained law enforcement officers have difficulty being accurate with a moving target that closes the gap and avoid the slashing of a knife (unless they hit the target enough times center mass). In the close quarters of your own home, a gun, especially in the dark is utterly useless as visibility is a lot lower at night. We are human, and we all have lower vision during the night, so this is something we can't overcome unless you have night vision goggles under you bed haha.

Which leads to my next point and that is my two Republican family members, both gun enthusiasts, have interesting views. While both believe guns should not be banned (primary reason so to keep the government in check), they both believe that most of the people that carry a weapon for self defense don't know what the hell they are doing. My Step father says while he has a gun, he could use in case a burglar comes snooping, around he says the baseball bat he has under his bed allows for quick access to defense, and is a close-medium range weapon. My Grandfather who is an avid gun collector, says that it is too easy for guns to be obtained from shows, or garage sales. He doesn't believe the government should be too restrictive with gun control, but he concedes that if more and more guns are easily accessed he says it creates an endless cycle where citizens feel they have to arm themselves more and more. We are reaching the point now where simple civil disputes are settled with guns, and folks this is a lot like what the Wild West was like which I learned in grade school.

So, unless you use the gun to try chase off that sneaky fox from the hen house, or want to keep your guns to keep the government at bay well...maybe it is time to trade in that gun, for some training of your mind.