Wow, what a long and thoughtful reply. You really do know how to make your case. I guess when you have no life experience, that is about all you can add to the dialogue.
Mav, no offense, but after seeing your personal attacks on me you don't appear to be the most mentally stable person (even though in my career of a physician i have seen worse). I am flying to Chicago this weekend and feel safer knowing that you are not armed. -- Shortie Heston Out
Yes, I understand what you're saying. And PLEASE trust me when I tell you that the police almost never show up to help you during a life/death scenario. They ALWAYS show up afterwords, as I was one of them once, and know. It's just impossible to yell "help, police" when someone has you/your family at gunpoint or wielding a knife or machette, and expect them to arrive in a split second. In fact, if you're lucky, and they arrive in 5 minutes, that's still 5 minutes, and that's too much time that is NOT on your side. You have the RIGHT to protect yourself, and most police officers with any common sense will tell you, "sir, I just can't get there in time to protect you when someone already has a machette, and is in your home or catches you walking to your car, office, whatever." And yes, I have seen (photographed) what happens to a person when a thug with a machette corners a person in their home, and doesn't want a witness testifying against them later... I don't even want to tell you how much blood I 'thought' was in the human body. It's more than I thought it was... I had blood up to the sole of my uniform shoes, and after wiping my shoes in the grass outside of the victim's home, I still drove to the back of the detachment I worked out of to spray them off. Btw, this person didn't believe in gun ownership, and voiced her opinions often. I'm sure the thug didn't know that, but the sad fact was we just couldn't get there soon enough, and I was moving down the Interstate at 110-125mph getting there... So sad. Btw, mr shitbag thug got life w/out parole. Now WE pay approx $55,000/year to keep him in law library books, dental care, vision care, meals, air conditioning, etc., while his victim's children and grandchildren buried her.
i don't intend carrying a gun. i think i know my limitations but i pretty sure not everybody else does.
Hey, my best Friend is an M.D. Outstanding! Btw, let's say Mav was armed (concealed carry), he picked you up at the airport, you guys had some dinner and a beer, then he took you to your destination. I bet you'd arrive there safely, and be more enlightened about personal protection. And yes, I do understand why you don't care for firearms. If you've worked an ER as a Resident, etc., and tried to save a person with a gsw to no avail, that's a tough one. I've been right there in the ER when many gsw victims were being bagged, chest tube inserted, and either lived or not. It's not something I take lightly. I carry a firearm ONLY to stop an aggressor from harming myself, my family, or others. I also shoot paper targets, cans, etc., and love that. None the less, I'd rather have a firearm and not need it than need it and not have it...
well, actually i was merely a mental patient at a hospital but liked to pretend to be an MD. and those doctors still believe that they cured me. i can feel reasonably safe if a former police officer or a marine carries a gun (but not 100% safe because we all human and may go nuts). most untrained people will shoot everybody around them in a public place before hitting the bad guy or themselves.
Of course you feel safer with a police officer with a gun. Unfortunately he will standing over your dead body when he gets there. Shortie, this is a very serious issue and I really appreciate LEAPup sharing his personal stories. While we maybe joking around on this thread, to LEAPup this is all too real. If you ever get into a situation as LEAPup described, you will no longer have the luxury of debating the politics of it. Your fate will have already been decided. That is the sad truth of the situation.