Am I dumb or naive for not wanting to own a gun?

[Astral]

Before I say anything else, I wanna make it clear that I’m not judging anyone who owns one (unless you’re a nutjob) and don’t want anyone to do the same.

I was arguing with someone the other day about the necessity of owning a gun. I’ve always been against this. I don’t like them at all and the constant news of someone getting shot and killed turns me off from them even more. I don’t like the idea of firing or even touching a gun. It makes me feel uncomfortable and it’s honestly just scary to me. This person argued that when he has kids he will absolutely get one for their protection, more than his own. He brought up a bunch of scenarios where it would be beneficial and anecdotes of friends he knew that had to pull one out to deter someone from causing potential harm to others. I kept arguing that if you’re being robbed, you’re safer complying than trying to pull a gun out. In a home invasion scenario, I argued that you’re once again safer complying with whatever the fuck they want and then calling the cops because who knows if a gun wouldn’t just escalate the situation instead. I was told I was a fool and that you can’t predict the situation whatsoever so therefore it’s safest to have a gun just in case.

Over time I just started feeling dumb and wondering if I simply don’t have a good reason not to want one. I’m black and Hispanic but I’ve been fortunate enough to have grown up in a nice quiet neighborhood full of old people where absolutely nothing happens. The worst that happened to me was waking up to find my car door wide open with a bunch of pennies scattered over my seat. I guess the guy didn’t find anything he wanted. So because of this I’ve never felt so unsafe that I would want a gun. I’m basing my decision purely on morals and principles. I don’t know if my mind would change once I have kids. Maybe it will because I would have a higher sense of urgency now that I have someone to keep safe. If it came down to it, I’m sure I’d be able to pull it out, but honestly the thought of actually shooting someone makes me sick.

After this conversation I felt kinda dumb and inadequate. Like I wouldn’t be able to protect anyone. I don’t like guns, I don’t know any self-defense, I don’t know anything. So how would anyone feel safe with me right?

 

[Spring-Loaded]

After this conversation I felt kinda dumb and inadequate. Like I wouldn’t be able to protect anyone. I don’t like guns, I don’t know any self-defense, I don’t know anything. So how would anyone feel safe with me right?

Click to shrink...

Having a gun increases likelihood of someone getting hurt though, even outside of confrontations. It's a double-edged sword ... or double-barrelled gun, with one barrel pointing at you

EDIT: also, to anyone who finger-waggs at people in more vulnerable demographics ethnic groups who feel compelled to get guns, quit doing that, and instead direct that energy toward the source of their concern

 

[Scullibundo]

People who buy guns for protection are idiotic. Sorry America. Your nation needs to rid itself of this widespread mental gap.

 

[krazen]

U aint gotta buy a gun man, there isn't like 'get armed or not' peer pressure. Although I guess peer pressure with a gun would be very effective, lol

 

[Indy in the Fridge]

No you're not.

Owning a firearm is fairly divisive, but it doesn't make you a bad person whether you decide to own one for whatever reason. Just don't use it like a bad person would.

 

[napkins]

no one should want to own a gun. they are for killing. no one should want to kill.
but it's not that simple, sadly. not that i really understand. if a gun is truly the only thing between you and your life, needing one for protection becomes understandable
but i don't think more guns and more people willing to use them is going to make things better. but if contrary to all evidence thus far, they do indeed save more lives than they take then i suppose they are the answer after all

 

[cvbas]

Absolutely not and this feeling is completely surreal to me as a non-American. Having a gun statistically increases your chance of getting shot/killed. People might FEEL safer with them, but that doesn't mean that they actually are.


Edit: You're also ABSOLUTELY correct when you say pulling a gun is a stupid idea during a robbery. The average robber has no interest in killing you and you'd be stupid to give him a reason to hurt you. Your car/watch/TV/whatever is not worth more than your life.

 

[Musubi]

Its a personal choice. If you don't feel safe with one around then don't buy one.

 

[super-famicom]

No, I feel the same way. I'd never want to own a gun.

 

[Night]

It makes you neither dumb or naive IMO.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Living in the suburbs, I have no desire to ever own a gun.

I have friends who have large properties with livestock, and they all have shotguns for dealing with hostile animals and/or personal protection (since law enforcement isn't exactly responsive out there). That use case makes sense to me.

 

[mute]

No.

Am I dumb for also not wanting to own the most massive, heaviest vehicle out there?

 

[PeskyToaster]

The safety is an illusion so I can't recommend it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You or your family will kill or injure themselves before they kill an intruder with it.

 

[Richter1887]

I hate guns and I wish they would stop being sold.

That said, I can't blame minority groups for wanting one. Especially the asian community in the US.

 

[Vermillion]

I'm also black and don't have one. But I can't imagine many situations outside of a home invasion where it would even be useful.

I also imagine that I'd need TONS of extra training if I wanted to be remotely useful with one outside of my house.

Plus, I don't see the scenarios where they're useful, mentally. A protest? Police violence? While I'm out jogging? But I'm also fortunate to be in reasonably safe areas.

Some people may have closer calls than I.

 

[Rotkehle]

People who buy guns for protection are idiotic. Sorry America. Your nation needs to rid itself of this widespread mental gap.

Click to shrink...

This. There is nothing more to say.

 

[LProtagonist]

The thought of having one around me, even if it's my own, makes me nervous. I wouldn't feel safe.

 

[Deleted member 52442]

Nah its not the only option for protection, go for pepper spray

that said im going for a gun

 

[Brazil]

Neither.

 

[Dice]

People who buy guns for protection are idiotic. Sorry America. Your nation needs to rid itself of this widespread mental gap.

Click to shrink...

I mean, this most of all. I just wish that was a reality for the current US.
As it's been said though, if kids getting killed didn't change anything, god knows what heinous thing has to happen for there to be real reform there.

 

[Psamtik]

God, no. A gun in the home is so, so much more likely to hurt you or someone you love than it is to protect you from some hypothetical threat.

 

[ZOONAMI]

No, in a protection apucation all it serves to do is dramatically increase the odds of you getting shot.

Beyond that it's a drastic increase in the risk of an accident happening or you or someone in your family using it to commit suicide.

 

[Kurita]

Not wanting to live like it’s the Wild West isn’t dumb

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

It's not naive.

Whatever your business with a gun is, you better have that shit concluded by the time the cops arrive. They're just going to get panicked reports from onlookers about someone shooting someone else, the whole story about why it's happening might not get to them in time -- they're just going to hear reports of someone shooting someone else and there isn't going to be a "good guy with a gun" onscene as far as they're concerned as they arrive.

Assuming there's another individual carrying a gun nearby, they hear gunshots, if for some dumbass reason they decide they wanna be hero and intervene, it's always going to look like the current person with the upper hand is the aggressor -- they're not going to risk asking everyone involved "hey tell me what's going on." They're going to draw up and get ready to fight.

So if you have to have a gun to feel safe, you better either be expecting a long, drawn out fight (war, basically) or you better handle your shit fucking quick before someone else with a gun shows up, because very few people are going to take the time to figure out whose side they're on when a gun gets involved.

THAT SAID, yes I do absolutely understand the increase in desire to own a gun because violence is happening for the shittiest reasons in way too high frequency lately, and a gun is a means to end that shit quick. You do stand a better chance of resolving your violent incident with a gun faster than trying to survive until cops or capable onlookers can come to help if it's a fist fight or a sharp/blunt weapon. That's still true, too... But if they get involved and your shit still isn't wrapped up when someone else with a gun shows up, you're gonna be target #1.

 

[SteveWinwood]

You only increase the chances that you or your loved ones will get hurt. You aren't protecting yourself at all. Everyone thinks they're the "responsible" owner.

 

[bananab]

Leaving aside all the stuff everyone else covered, if you’re uncomfortable with guns then you personally shouldn’t have one. This person you were talking to is probably embellishing a bit, it’s pretty unusual that they have multiple friends with stories about scaring bad guys away with a gun.

 

[Z-Beat]

Carry around a mystery syringe. Not even people with guns will bother you

 

[Ramala]

If I had a family and had genuine reason to fear a possible home invasion I might get one. That’s about it.

 

[RunningMan]

I don’t own a gun and never will. I have two brother in laws who own guns and I have no problem telling them how dumb I think it is. The right to bear arms is the dumbest thing our forefathers wrote down. A piece of metal that propels a projectile is more important than an actual life, smh.

 

[Jakenbakin]

Guns are fucking stupid and the odds of it ever being necessary or reliable in the act of protecting yourself are so astronomically insignificant to the point that its only viable purpose in widespread adoption (protection) is literally just propaganda to justify their continued existence in this country.

 

[kmfdmpig]

No, you're not dumb or naive. Data clearly shows that owning a gun puts you at higher risk rather than makes you safer.

 

[Kain]

Guns are not meant for protection, they are meant for killing things. Make of that what you will.

 

[Iorek Byrnison]

Gun owner here. You are not dumb for not wanting a gun around. It's a totally valid decision and I support anyone who chooses not to.

 

[Stoney Mason]

The idea that Americans are safer the more joe average gets a gun is about as dumb as they come.

 

[Aurongel]

You’re more likely to eat a bullet from it of your own volition than you are to use it against an assailant. Doubly so if you live with other people who know you own it.

Like other aspects of American life, gun ownership is another example of this country offering you the illusion of safety and choice when the reality of it is statistically not in your favor.

That’s just my take anyway.

 

[Syriel]

After this conversation I felt kinda dumb and inadequate. Like I wouldn’t be able to protect anyone. I don’t like guns, I don’t know any self-defense, I don’t know anything. So how would anyone feel safe with me right?

Click to shrink...

You shouldn't feel dumb or inadequate.

Owning a gun makes it more likely that you or someone in your family will be shot. That says nothing about your skill. It's just a statistic.

Also, pulling a gun out to "deescalate" is idiotic. All it does is escalate a situation.

Brandishing a gun is considering a threat of deadly force. Doing so gives the other person the legal right to kill you in self-defense.

That said, having a gun for self-defense is fine if you're trained and you know how to use it. But if you pull it out, you'd best be shooting something with it. No responsible owner pulls a gun out as a threat or a bluff.

 

[Piggus]

Don’t feel pressure to buy a gun for protection, OP, especially when you already live in a relatively safe neighborhood. I own a few (for collecting and target shooting, not self-defense) and what I find is most people who shoot for the first time really enjoy it, but it’s certainly not for everyone, and unless you put the time into practicing, learning gun safety rules, proper storage, etc, odds are you’re increasing your risk, not reducing it.

 

[Sordid Plebeian]

It's your choice whether or not you feel safer with or without one. It's more likely someone will get hurt if you have a gun in the house than if you don't. No reason to if you're in a safe area.

 

[AlteredBeast]

I personally love shooting guns, but would never own one unless society itself collapses around me and I need to protect my family Last of Us-style. Even then, it's probably just shivving time for me, folks.

 

[Chopchop]

No, I believe that's your choice. They believe a gun is the safer route for them, and you believe not having one is the safer route. That's your choice, just like it's theirs.

The whole in-your-face "SO YOU'RE GONNA CHOOSE TO BE A VICTIM, HUH??? YOU'RE WEAK" crap is an attitude that is often perpetuated by gun nuts and generally people who fit all sorts of negative American stereotypes. The whole obsession with strength and "not being a victim" is often used to justify questionable choices and views. Not agreeing with them does not mean you're wrong or weak.

 

[bill crystals]

Owning a gun makes you much more likely to be shot by a gun (your own in vast majority of cases). You make nobody safer by owning one, but it might make you feel like you are.

 

[Auros01]

Nope. Not at all.

 

[ParanormalFupa]

Yeah I've never been able to imagine a realistic situation either.

 

[echoshifting]

Definitely not. You don't need a gun. You are so much more likely to hurt yourself than an intruder. This is the gun manufacturing industry's influence getting to your friend and then to you by proxy. Frankly I think what is naive is not recognizing the data as objective fact, hand waving it away with "well I will be careful, that's not going to happen to me or my family." I bet a lot of people who make up those statistics thought the same thing.

I often struggle with suicidal ideation. I cannot own a gun without risking serious harm or death. I wish I could put myself on a "never sell me a gun" list.

 

[I am a Bird]

I have a pump action for home defense myself. Its alright to be concerned about a firearm, and if they bother you that much you should not have one.

If you are interested in getting a firearm I would recommend taking some safety courses and maybe go to a shooting range with someone if you can.

Even if you are still against firearms in your home you would at least have a better understanding of how to be safe with a firearm if you were around one.

 

[Haunted]

Rofl

Don't worry, you're the normal one. This forum is mostly US people, so you sometimes get the impression their ass backwards views about guns are the norm. They're not.

 

[Djalminha]

I'm from Spain and I've never heard of anyone using their gun to protect anyone, but I do know a couple of stories of children dying because they were playing with their parents' gun or hunting rifle, including our last king, who killed his brother.

I think you are being responsible by not bringing a killing machine that fascinates children into your house. The legislation of the vast majority of the world agrees with this statement.

 

[Carn]

I was told I was a fool and that you can’t predict the situation whatsoever so therefore it’s safest to have a gun just in case.

Click to shrink...

Your not. That logic always boggled my mind, because in those super-rare, high-stress situations firing a gun is quite a difficult thing to do, even for trained people.

I think you are being responsible by not bringing a killing machine that fascinates children into your house. The legislation of the vast majority of the world agrees with this statement.

Click to shrink...

Also this.

 

[Eatin' Olives]

I don't own a gun and don't plan to ever own one.

 

[Sanka]

Most of the world doesn't want guns near them. It's only really americans and their fucked gun culture.