Question For Democrats On Gun Control

[GMDino]

(06-03-2020, 09:00 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I don't know, I've been a registered "throwing away my vote" my whole adult life.  I'm pretty sure most liberal white people are a lot more afraid of minorities than they let on.

EDIT - Ok, you changed it to my standard.  And the answer is that I don't know.  I personally recognize that people who are put in situations where they must make life or death decisions aren't infallible despite rigorous training.  So I don't KNOW what I'd do, unlike a lot of people who are supremely confident that they'd wipe the floor with any intruder and feel awesome for doing so.

Honestly, the scenario that someone comes into my home with the mindset that he/she is very willing to kill me is right up there in likelihood of what I'd do if I won the lottery or which supermodel I'd most want to sleep with.  And that gets back to my original point about Americans...we spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about life or death situations with evil strangers that almost never happen.  Meanwhile we drive too fast, eat too many trans fats, and don't own fire extinguishers or learn CPR.

Easy answers are for the moves and television...oh and political talking points.

I've been a registered Democrat all my life but I've voted for Republicans at all levels so I don't know if I can answer that "question" either but I will say this:

When I was younger, 25 years ago (half my life now...wow!) I had a job that required me to make a night deposit of cash for the business I worked for.  That involved a five minute drive to the rear entrance of the local mall and a walk down an empty, unguarded hallway to a literal slot that I had a key for.

I did that 5 nights a week (anywhere from 7 to 11pm) for a year.

And every time I knew that if someone challenged me  for that bag of money they would have been handed it.  My life is worth more than that money.  Same with my own wallet or property.  I never carried a weapon either.

Would I be angry if I was robbed?  Of course.  I'm human.  But things can be replaced and people cannot.

If I am forced to defend myself I still believe I could not kill another human being.  It is not in my nature to harm let alone kill.  Some here think that could/would get me killed someday.  Maybe?  I grew up in a home with a father who was a former hunter who took all the guns out of the house when he stopped hunting.  We're all still here (knock on wood). I've never fired a gun.  No desire to.  

So I'm not saying don't defend yourself.  I'm not saying property destruction/theft is right or acceptable.

I am saying that except in the most extreme circumstances even criminals deserve the day in court.  That is what we do here. 

[fredtoast]

People who break into occupied dwellings know that the people inside are justified in killing them, so they plan on hurting the people inside if they have to get what they want. And if the people inside wait for him to threaten them first then they will be dead.

Some people may feel it is their moral duty to be willing to die instead of protect themselves in that situation, but for guys with wives and/or children depending on them it seems pretty stupid.

There are random cases of mentally ill or drunk people entering houses when they don't know what they are doing, but 99% of the time the person breaking in knows he is creating a life-or-death situation and he is not planning on dying himself.

[*Nately120*]

(06-04-2020, 01:52 PM)fredtoast Wrote: People who break into occupied dwellings know that the people inside are justified in killing them, so they plan on hurting the people inside if they have to get what they want.    And if the people inside wait for him to threaten them first then they will be dead.

Some people may feel it is their moral duty to be willing to die instead of protect themselves in that situation, but for guys with wives and/or children depending on them it seems pretty stupid.

There are random cases of mentally ill or drunk people entering houses when they don't know what they are doing, but 99% of the time the person breaking in knows he is creating a life-or-death situation and he is not planning on dying himself.

As long as you can reasonably identify your target before you shoot I don't begrudge anyone for having this intent.  I do take issue with people relishing in the idea, but I know how real life goes.  The irksome if not dangerous part is that if you want to be this prepared then you have to respond to every bump in the night with a loaded gun and that's when you have to make sure you aren't pointing a loaded gun at the wife or kids.

I don't think anyone says it's their duty to die during a robbery so much as recognize that starting a gunfight in your house isn't a grand thing to do.  I once had a co worker explain to me that he owns a magnum for home defense, which seemed like a really bad idea to me but ehh, to each his own.  I"m rambling now.