There's a lot of talk about guns, do they scare you like they do me?

Last year Japan had one homicide due to a gun.
It was a home made gun, and the victim was the Prime Minister.

There is gun crime in Canada, but Is usually restricted to the larger cities, but not always.

I am 6’5” and 290 pounds and I am uncomfortable going outside.

There are people who rob pharmacies with tainted needles for opiates. I can’t defend against that.

@RedDeerGuy1 Now what am I suppose to do when I’m barely 100 lbs and 5’5”?
I have to go to bed, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep :(

@RayaHope I am sorry that I don’t have an answer to help you. I haven’t been assaulted in 13 years. Only aggressively panhandled. I order groceries online, and don’t go outside without a good reason, and during the day. I call someone who checks in on me over the phone when I have to go outside.

I am very familiar with guns, and have three. There is no reason to fear guns, only those who wield them.

When I was growing up, my grandfather kept a number of guns on a rack in the basement. He was a rancher and a hunter, and his guns were tools. He used his guns for hunting and occasionally to put down an animal.

Everyone in his community also had guns, and used their guns similarly to the way my grandfather used his. Everyone in the community understood that gun safety was absolutely essential, and followed it.

Sharp knives are readily available in just about every home, yet few people are frightened of them, because we see them in a different context. They are seen as necessary tools. They are also extremely dangerous, and care must be taken to store them properly, and children must be taught not to play with knives.

I could say the same about gasoline stored in a garage and used to power small motors such as mowers and leaf blowers. Likewise for poisons of various kinds, etc. In every case these items are very dangerous and must be stored carefully, yet most folks are not terrified of them either.

We have some guns, and we use them for hunting for food. If we need to, they could be used for self defense too. Of course we follow all the gun laws, but guns are still tools.

Do you understand?

I only have one gun and never will shoot it. It was my Grandfather’s semi-automatic 22 rifle.
I have a lot of anxiety of guns when they are pointed at me. I was an expert with the M16 in the Army and was on a competitive rifle team. I could consistently hit a human silhouette at 400 meters with the standard issue M16. I also trained with 45 caliber pistols in the Army. One time as I was returning a 45 to the the MP’s arms room for storage, the MP asked me if the 45 had any bullets in it. I said it was empty. Then she pointed the 45 at me and in a reflex action I hit the floor. She thought that that was so funny. I told her that she’s crazy as I felt.

@RayaHope Scarlet Johanson also known as, Natasha Romanoff, is 5’7” , and plays the super spy the Black Widow on many super hero movies. You don’t have to feel helpless. You can take marital arts, and have the skills to survive a violent culture.

We have firearms here, they don’t scare me in the least. We respect them here, learn how to use safely. We own them because we want them, it’s our protected right.

Every gun owner who has ever had an accident or death believed their guns were safe and made them safer right up until they weren’t. I’m sure the father of my classmate in high school was absolutely 100% certain his gun made his family safer until my friend used it to commit suicide.

@snowberry Guns are to knives as tanks are to Honda Civics.

To answer the question: yes and no. I’ve fired guns plenty and had fun doing it. That said, one mistake can lead to horrific consequences in ways that few other things in this world can. I refuse to have them in my home.

I am a firearm enthusiast ,I like the craftsmanship a well made firearm has, everyone should respect a gun, treat it as it were loaded.
If guns make you scared then don’t be around them, but I have never been scared of a gun, I have never even thought of any on my guns for self defence ,they are for targets, competitions, skeet, and trap shooting.
I do not display any of my guns they are all locked in the gun safe.
@gorillapaws one mistake can lead to horrible consequences very true, but that can be said for pilots,car drivers, mountain climbers,and so on.
You wouldn’t just climb into a small plane and fly off with it, without proper training, same with guns no one should use a gun without a bit of training on how to use it safely first.

@SQUEEKY2 ”...no one should use a gun without a bit of training on how to use it safely first.”

Even under the direct supervision of an instructor.

A little apprehension is an appropriate response. You have to treat them with respect. Same goes with things like a chainsaw. I’m not afraid of them but I take safety seriously.

I can’t say they scare me personally. I’m more concerned about others.
When I bought a shotgun the other day, I was at a store that had a lot of weapons that I wasn’t comfortable seeing so easily accessible.
But. Having lived in some of the rougher places in my area, I can understand why someone would want them.

Fear of the unknown is a human trait. If you don’t understand something, you fear it.

If you are educated about gun design, use, safety, and storage, you can tell if you’re in a safe situation or not, when around them.

If you’re someone who is just simply never going to feel comfortable around them, that’s unfortunate. If you live in America, they are around. Whether you see them, or not.

I know that when I hear gunshots, I leave the area if possible. If it’s in an urban setting, like my residence, I stay inside and call the police to report shots fired. I hate to say it this way but, I stay out of that shit. I don’t want to be a witness, nor am I currently a LEO. It’s none of my business. If it becomes a problem, I’ll talk with some local police about it. People don’t seem to understand how to use law enforcement. Report all gunshots you hear. Report all suspicious activity. Even if nothing is done initially, every case will be documented. As incidents pile up, the authorities in that area will adjust police presence, or get specialized units to attempt to tame an area.
If you live in a bad spot. It’s possible that nothing will change. In that case, I recommend you move.

If you notice a bunch of people you deem dangerous are always in certain places, don’t go to those places…

As far as being a small female or really anybody. Use your wits. Getting away from a situation, is the best strategy. A well trained MMA or martial artist, will do the same thing. Standing your ground is movie stuff. The best way to avoid getting hurt, is to avoid danger. It’s no secret that females are outmatched physically, by almost any male. But. Most attackers can’t run like a smaller person. Keep some Mace on you, and run away if you feel threatened.

Your best defense is always your brain. If you’re aware of your surroundings, and your own capabilities and weaknesses, you are in good shape.

Is it possible you are scared by guns because you have never been exposed to them and have never actually taken time to learn about them? I have several guns. My immediate family did not have guns when I was growing up, but my grandparents did. I learned a lot about gun safety when I was growing up.

I look at guns with a healthy respect. I never assume a gun is unloaded until I check and even then I don’t point it at anyone. When I am shooting I don’t put a finger on the trigger until I’m actually in a position to shoot. I am always aware of where the business end of the gun is pointing.

Have you considered finding a friend that has a gun and having them take you shooting? That might give you a better understanding of guns and take away some of the fears you have built up in your mind.

I’m not at all scared of guns as there aren’t any here and I don’t feel any need to be exposed to them.

We don’t have any guns at home but I think one of our neighbors does. I am so intimidated by them and they are so loud when I hear them on a TV show or movie. I know some of you compare them to knives or cars and other things, but aren’t guns made for killing and those other things are made for different purposes? I mean almost anything could kill someone, I suppose if used the wrong way. I lust wish we didn’t need them :(

@RedDeerGuy1 I love Scarlett Johansson, she’s so sophisticated but she’s only 5’3” she just looks taller on screen. :)

https://celebhealthmagazine.com/scarlett-johansson-height-body-measurements/

@RayaHope are you by any chance vegetarian or vegetarian? If you are not, something had to die for you to live.

@gorillapaws that was a completely horrible and preventable accident, and it’s the fault of the little girl’s instructor.

I’m not comfortable around guns, but I’m not what I would call anti-gun.

The only times I feel nervous about guns being out there, where it really crosses my mind, was when I lived in Memphis, because gun ownership was so high AND gun violence was common AND gun owners had this odd to me love of guns and just that whole gun culture. The other times are when I perform for Jewish holidays or attend some sort of minority celebration where I know the people who hate them might commit a violent act, either a mass shooting, bomb, or at minimum be disruptive and terrorizing.

I live in Florida now, and the gun laws are pretty loose, but I rarely run across that obsessed gun culture thing like Memphis, TN, where they talk about their guns a lot. During the trifecta of Trump, Covid, and QAnon, I heard more on Facebook regarding guns, even from people where I live, but either they stopped obsessing about it, or Facebook used an algorithm to get them out of my feed or I quieted them on my feed myself. It was just a few people, no one I’m close friends with.

I am not scared of guns at all, I am scared of the wrong people with guns.

@snowberry “that was a completely horrible and preventable accident, and it’s the fault of the little girl’s instructor.”

But would it have happened if she was taking lessons on how to use a knife to cut a tomato? Can we agree that guns are in fact different than knives in terms of their potential for destruction? I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the phrase “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight,” but it illustrates the point that when it comes to lethality, gun > knife 99% of the time.

What is truly scary are people obsessed with exercising their rights to own any and all kinds of guns that even if
half the population of children in their country dies in school shootings they would refuse to
emphatize enough to do something about it even if it violates their rights to own any and all kinds of guns.

No. Guns aren’t scary. They’re inanimate objects.

So out here in the middle most of us are raised with guns. As a female I was trained by my Army grandfather (who helped liberate concentration camps) around age 8.
Safety is the first lesson, and you never touch a gun unless supervised (ours were in an unlocked gun cabinet by the front door.)

We also have free Hunters Education for any child or adult that includes a safety course on proper handling, loading, etc…

I feel comfortable around them. Maybe in the city police can get to you quickly but that’s not the case here.

@KNOWITALL Many anti-gun activists don’t know what it’s like to live in a high crime area and to feel completely vulnerable with police perhaps a half hour away.

@snowberry I apologize but I’m not sure what you are talking about? I’m afraid of guns and was wondering if other places have gun problems like we do.

@RayaHope So if you saw a rifle laying on the table you would be scared of it?

@Blackwater_Park Yes I live off I44, a major drug and human trafficking corridor, plus a semi truck hubs. And usually ONE cop on duty.

@SQUEEKY2 Yeah I think so. I know that I wouldn’t touch it and I’d ask what it’s doing there.

I would concur with @RedDeerGuy1 that you should spend some time to learn a martial art to help you feel safer walking around. I got up to brown belt Aikido. I once practiced with a pregnant woman who was a black belt. She was able to throw me several feet despite being smaller than me and pregnant.

In my 50+ years of life, including living in a developing country, I have never had a need to carry a gun.

@RocketGuy I think that may be a very good idea.

Despite firearm deaths and injuries being far higher in the US than in comparable developed nations, and only lower than a few countries rife with gang violence and organised crime—the risk of death or injury is still very low, and most people will go through life without ever witnessing or experiencing any incident.

Personally, I find it a bit of a silly cultural obsession. Guns are a big part of many people’s identity and worldview, and the gun culture has more to do with fear than anything else. For the vast majority of people, and I expect most gun owners themselves, they are not useful tools, and there’s no real reason why there are more guns than people in the US.

Makes people feel strong. But that “strength” only lasts as long as there’s ammo.