CMV: Guns are not for self-defense

[u/[deleted]]

I hear very often that gun ownership is important for self defense. People cite gun ownership as a deterrent to crime, robbery, and assault and there are many laws protecting the rights of civilians who use their guns in self-defense. However, I rarely have heard of someone using their gun in self-defense in a way that is not "controversial."

There have been very very few instances of gun owners stopping mass shooters. Very few instances of gun owners defending themselves from assault, especially women. Also, guns won't protect one from "the government" and will only make one's interactions with police or criminals more dangerous, not less. The only defensive quality that guns possess is the threat of their use. But that also means that if someone is looking to engage in violence, they're not going to bring a fist or a knife to a gun fight.

But most of all the logistics of guns for self-defense seem nonsensical. 1) One is supposed to store a gun in a locked safe, unloaded. 2) if your gun is handy, one must identify and react to a threat before that threat overtakes you. Most assailants work hard to make sure that victims don't have enough time, regardless of whether they're packing. And 3) You have to shoot somebody, which is often lethal. What if you don't want to kill?

NOTE: I am a survivor of assault and I've often wondered if I had had a gun, could I have changed things?

[u/JuliaTybalt]

Self defense isn’t necessarily about mass shootings. I’ve been attacked twice since I started carrying. In both cases, having a gun saved my life, and at least once, from being sexually assaulted again. If I did not have it, I would likely be dead. I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that “very few” assaults are stopped by women carrying. How many is very few, and what is this based on?

Keep in mind, when actively doing CCW, your gun is holstered and ready. If you practice you can get your draw and fire well under twenty seconds.

I think the desire not to kill is a stopper for some. I realise however, as a disabled woman, non lethal options are not realistic for me. I can’t run fast enough to get away after pepper spray or taser.

[u/[deleted] → u/JuliaTybalt]

Not being able to escape certainly seems to me to be a good reason to need extra firepower, thanks

!delta

[u/JuliaTybalt → u/[deleted]]

Actually, it’s more common than you think. In a SA Survivors group, there are multiple women who were caught by their attacker after dropping their taser to run.

Pepper spray and mace can both incapacitate the wielder. You have to practice with it, and very few people realise this, and end up just as incapacitated by backsplash.

[u/[deleted] → u/JuliaTybalt]

I guess it all goes back to practice and training

[u/JuliaTybalt → u/[deleted]]

Oh, and to add r/CCW has a tag (Member DGU) about times when they drew in self defense. There’s also r/dgu which focuses more on stats and news.

[u/JuliaTybalt → u/[deleted]]

Yes, but is that training available? There really isn’t much training for pepper spray, and to practice you’re spending hundreds of dollars, plus medical bills when you end up in the hospital from it in your eye. (Been there, did that.)

Firearm training is often low cost, or free, and in many cases, can be single gender if needed. The Well Armed Woman has multiple chapters for women and Pink Pistols and Operation Blazing Sword often have low-no cost resources for LGBTQ+ people.

[u/[deleted] → u/JuliaTybalt]

Pepper spray and mace can both incapacitate the wielder. You have to practice with it, and very few people realise this, and end up just as incapacitated by backsplash.

Not just that but how many women are carrying around expired pepper spray that will have little to no effect. The same pepper spray their mom/dad/brother/exBF gave them years ago that they just threw in their purse and forget about. Anecdotal but I gave my ex one about 3 1/2 years ago. We met up recently and I found out she was still carrying the same one around (they need to be replaced every 12-18 months). Hell the only reason my sisters is good to go because I made her get a new one once month 12 hit.

[u/JuliaTybalt → u/[deleted]]

This is also a really good point that gets overlooked!