What is the function of a gun?

[Lizzie Poppet]

294. I live about 150 steps from a Starbucks.

Yeah, I know: doesn't everybody, as ubiquitous as Starbucks is? But my point is that there are cops there in the evening more often than not (this one stays open quite late). Response time where I'm living now would often be measured in seconds, not minutes. Moreover, I live in a secure building, and not on the ground floor. There is little likelihood of a home invasion where I'm living now.

Why do I have defensive firearm? Well, that "living now" part is one clue: I doubt I'll be living here forever, and my next place probably won't be this secure. I had defensive firearms prior to buying this place, and I may have more reason to have them in the future (and that's leaving aside concealed carry outside the home, although I have a different, more-compact pistol for that).

The second paragraph you cited makes some good points about things people should consider before electing to buy a firearm for home defense. In my case, I'm not remotely suicidal, and safe gun handling was drilled into me from an early age; it's completely automatic for me. I also don't have to worry about other household members getting their hands on the pistol I have outside the safe when I'm home: they have paws, not hands. But if any of those conditions were different, I'd have to re-assess.