General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: do gun advocates ponder... nonviolence? [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)as they know that I enjoy target shooting handguns.
I always first ask them, "Are you absolutely positive that you could shoot another person to stop an attack that might put you in the hospital or six feet under."
If they sate that they only want a firearm to threaten an attacker with, I point out how foolish this is. If you do something stupid like this there is an excellent chance that the attacker will take your firearm from you and kill you with it.
Now I do own firearms for self defense. Fortunately I have never been in a situation in which I had no other choice but to shoot a person who wished to seriously injure or kill me. This action is not as easy as it sounds by any means. Based on how I have reacted in tight situations in the past I honestly believe I could pull the trigger of my weapon in a life or death situation but it is the last thing I hope I will ever have to do. Not only may I face legal expenses and a possible lawsuit that will ruin my savings but I likely will suffer from the psychological aftereffects and trauma caused by the incident.
I also never feel superior to a person who tells me that he could never shoot another person. In fact I have a certain amount of admiration for him. This would be a far better world if all people held that view.