I started to make a comment on the post just below this one but then decided it was getting tangenital to the post and decided to put it in a separate post.
Mikeb302000 has often asked about the genuine DGU, as in, "how many". When I asked that question in a comment a day or two ago, the reply from one of the gunzloonz was that a lot of them go unreported. I'll have to call, "bullshit!" on that one. I f those DGU's were anywhere near as frequent as lying scumbags like John Lott would have us believe them to be then there would be sections in newspapers, something like, "Strapped Living" with heartwarming stories about uparmed vigilantes doin' their neighborly perpblastin' as a form of community service.
The reality is that wannabe vigilantes are carrying guns, legally or illegally, every day, everywhere in this country. The number of DGU's are STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT, as are the number of home invasions, armed robberies that result in gunshot wounds or deaths and a laundry list of other situations that the gunzloonz want us to believe happen 24/7/365 everywhere.
Statistical insignificance is not the same thing as "never happens" so we look at cost, frequency of incidence and other data to come up with whether or not, "statistically insignificant" events need to be monitored and, if possible, controlled in some way.
The self-reports by gunzloonz of needing to haz teh gunz when they walk their dogs in unlit parks near housing projects in the Boston area are noted. I used to work in Boston,. in the Financial district during a period when there was a spate of intimidation robberies. Young african american men in a group would approach a lone pedestrian and ASK for their money and other valuables. A jacket would be pulled aside to reveal a gun butt and the "request" would be honored. The "crime wave" continued until the Boston PD finally got the information needed to shut it down. Nobody was killed by the young toughs or by vigilantes. While all of this was going on, I was walking those same streets at the same time of day. I'm not a tough guy, I'm not a self-defense expert, I am--generally--aware of my surroundings and people that are nearby. I carried a backpack that contained my laptop and other items that brought its weight up to 15-20 pounds. In the event of someone becoming aggressive I was quite prepared to use it as a bargaining chip or a defensive weapon. If I had felt that I needed a gun to work in Boston, I would not have worked in Boston.
People who tell me that they are guaranteed the right of self-defense and the use of deadly force always assure me that they are good judges of character and aware of their surroundings, etc.,. Considering, however, their reaction to people that seem "off" to them when one happens to cross their path, I'm not sanguine about their judgment.
Those people who insist on CCW being part of their daily wardrobe often attempt to justify their actions by alluding to the DGU and other "benefits to society" of having a polite and armed populace. The numbers do not support their contention.
I disagree with the premise that firearms are necessary to keep ME safe. I know, with absolute certainty, that every person who gets wounded or killed by a gun has not been saved. When people tell me that their desire to carry gunz anywhere they want to is a sacred, inviolable right that can NEVER, EVER be limited then I know I'm wasting my time. Those folks are not exercising their right, they're giving in to their fear.
Debate Magazine
