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Would you want a gun in this situation?

Would you want a gun in this situation?


  • Total voters
    59
People break into people's houses at nite while they're in bed all the time. It's pretty common. It's more common than house fires, at least how it's reported in the news. It's even more common where it is just a woman alone or with young kids.

And it just kills me too...there was such an attack here 2 yrs ago. two women alone, and guy broke in with a knife. If they had had ANY plans or preparation, they could very well have survived. As it was, one was killed and one seriously injured. Both were raped. With actual planning ahead, there's a good chance they might only have been wounded or not injured at all.

When you are not prepared, the attacker has all the advantages....too many people just freeze and obey.


"If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media

News is a money making industry. One that doesn't always make the goal to report the facts accurately. Gone are the days of tuning in to be informed straightforwardly about local and national issues. In truth, watching the news can be a psychologically risky pursuit, which could undermine your mental and physical health.

Fear-based news stories prey on the anxieties we all have and then hold us hostage. ...... In previous decades, the journalistic mission was to report the news as it actually happened, with fairness, balance, and integrity. However, capitalistic motives associated with journalism have forced much of today's television news to look to the spectacular, the stirring, and the controversial as news stories. It's no longer a race to break the story first or get the facts right. Instead, it's to acquire good ratings in order to get advertisers, so that profits soar.

"News programming uses a hierarchy if it bleeds, it leads. Fear-based news programming has two aims. The first is to grab the viewer's attention. In the news media, this is called the teaser. The second aim is to persuade the viewer that the solution for reducing the identified fear will be in the news story. If a teaser asks, "What's in your tap water that YOU need to know about?" a viewer will likely tune in to get the up-to-date information to ensure safety. The success of fear-based news relies on presenting dramatic anecdotes in place of scientific evidence, promoting isolated events as trends, depicting categories of people as dangerous and replacing optimism with fatalistic thinking. News conglomerates who want to achieve this use media logic, by tweaking the rhythm, grammar, and presentation format of news stories to elicit the greatest impact. ......

The distressing fall-out from this trend is that children and adults who are exposed to media are more likely than others to (a) feel that their neighborhoods and communities are unsafe, (b) believe that crime rates are rising, (c) overestimate their odds of becoming a victim, and (d) consider the world to be a dangerous place....."
Published on June 7, 2011 by Deborah Serani, Psy.D.
If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media | Psychology Today
 
"If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media

News is a money making industry. One that doesn't always make the goal to report the facts accurately. Gone are the days of tuning in to be informed straightforwardly about local and national issues. In truth, watching the news can be a psychologically risky pursuit, which could undermine your mental and physical health.

Fear-based news stories prey on the anxieties we all have and then hold us hostage. ...... In previous decades, the journalistic mission was to report the news as it actually happened, with fairness, balance, and integrity. However, capitalistic motives associated with journalism have forced much of today's television news to look to the spectacular, the stirring, and the controversial as news stories. It's no longer a race to break the story first or get the facts right. Instead, it's to acquire good ratings in order to get advertisers, so that profits soar.

"News programming uses a hierarchy if it bleeds, it leads. Fear-based news programming has two aims. The first is to grab the viewer's attention. In the news media, this is called the teaser. The second aim is to persuade the viewer that the solution for reducing the identified fear will be in the news story. If a teaser asks, "What's in your tap water that YOU need to know about?" a viewer will likely tune in to get the up-to-date information to ensure safety. The success of fear-based news relies on presenting dramatic anecdotes in place of scientific evidence, promoting isolated events as trends, depicting categories of people as dangerous and replacing optimism with fatalistic thinking. News conglomerates who want to achieve this use media logic, by tweaking the rhythm, grammar, and presentation format of news stories to elicit the greatest impact. ......

The distressing fall-out from this trend is that children and adults who are exposed to media are more likely than others to (a) feel that their neighborhoods and communities are unsafe, (b) believe that crime rates are rising, (c) overestimate their odds of becoming a victim, and (d) consider the world to be a dangerous place....."
Published on June 7, 2011 by Deborah Serani, Psy.D.
If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media | Psychology Today


So the news stories that they report happening in the Seattle metro area and the ones I read in our FB town news police bulletin...those are fake?

I'm not discussing ratio to other stories, I'm discussing actual events that (I am assuming) occur, as reported.
 
We are not talking about keeping them out of a gun fight, a fight is on. Per the OP. Either that or you are willing to be at the mercy of the criminal.

Per the OP criminals have come into your house and you dont know their intent. Which to me, a group of people in my house my priorities are keeping my family alive. The best way to do that is to get them out of the house, or hidden/locked somewhere safe within the house. No finding a gun and trying to be Mr Super Hero which is far more likely to get the killing started.
 
People break into people's houses at nite while they're in bed all the time. It's pretty common. It's more common than house fires, at least how it's reported in the news. It's even more common where it is just a woman alone or with young kids.

And it just kills me too...there was such an attack here 2 yrs ago. two women alone, and guy broke in with a knife. If they had had ANY plans or preparation, they could very well have survived. As it was, one was killed and one seriously injured. Both were raped. With actual planning ahead, there's a good chance they might only have been wounded or not injured at all.

When you are not prepared, the attacker has all the advantages....too many people just freeze and obey.

Although the number of burglaries while someone is home is higher, people
became victims of violent crimes in 266,560 burglaries.

impacting .09% of the US population, .16% of the households

Compared to 364,500 residential fires in 2011
Fire Estimates: Residential and Nonresidential Buildings

*Serious injury accounted for 9% of injuries sustained by household members who were home
and experienced violence during a completed burglary.
23,990 people, impacting .008% of the US population

*Offenders were known to their victims in 65% of violent
burglaries; offenders were strangers in 28%.

*Overall, 61% of offenders were unarmed when violence occurred
during a burglary while a resident was present. About 12% of
all households violently burglarized while someone was home
faced an offender armed with a firearm.

Crime stats from:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

National Crime Victimization Survey

Victimization During Household Burglary

September 2010 NCJ 227379

Shannan Catalano, Ph.D.,
BJS Statistician
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt
(percentages in bold added by Hard Truth)
 
Per the OP criminals have come into your house and you dont know their intent. Which to me, a group of people in my house my priorities are keeping my family alive. The best way to do that is to get them out of the house, or hidden/locked somewhere safe within the house. No finding a gun and trying to be Mr Super Hero which is far more likely to get the killing started.
Hide? Where? Out of the house? How, not everyones home is the same. I'd be hard pressed to get out of my house in a heartbeat, but I can get and use a weapon in almost an instant.
I am sure you will tell me how I am going to kill my family or get them killed and all that.
 
So the news stories that they report happening in the Seattle metro area and the ones I read in our FB town news police bulletin...those are fake?

I'm not discussing ratio to other stories, I'm discussing actual events that (I am assuming) occur, as reported.

The stories aren't fake, but the way the stories are emphasized in the commercial news media on a daily basis gives the false impression that these crimes are more common than they actually are. Events that happen frequently and/or are not sensational are not reported as news or don't get as much emphasis if they are reported. For example, cell phone theft is one of the most common crimes these days, but they do not lead a TV news show with a cell phone theft story unless their is a serious injury or death, which is unusual.
 
The stories aren't fake, but the way the stories are emphasized in the commercial news media on a daily basis gives the false impression that these crimes are more common than they actually are. Events that happen frequently and/or are not sensational are not reported as news or don't get as much emphasis if they are reported. For example, cell phone theft is one of the most common crimes these days, but they do not lead a TV news show with a cell phone theft story unless their is a serious injury or death, which is unusual.


Well I know the Seattle metro area and where the crimes they report on occur and from the town police bulletin I do get, I KNOW that MOST crimes against persons and breakins/robberies do NOT get reported on in the local news. ...so I realize I only get a small percentage on the news....and what I get is relevant, common, and worth preparing for.

If you wish to ignore or minimize, that's your prerogative. I lived without a gun for more than 40 yrs and could do so again. But I was ALWAYS alert and prepared. I believe in people taking responsibility for themselves and their own safety. Hence, my signature in blue.
 
Although the number of burglaries while someone is home is higher, people
became victims of violent crimes in 266,560 burglaries.

impacting .09% of the US population, .16% of the households

Compared to 364,500 residential fires in 2011
Fire Estimates: Residential and Nonresidential Buildings

*Serious injury accounted for 9% of injuries sustained by household members who were home
and experienced violence during a completed burglary.
23,990 people, impacting .008% of the US population

*Offenders were known to their victims in 65% of violent
burglaries; offenders were strangers in 28%
.


*Overall, 61% of offenders were unarmed when violence occurred
during a burglary while a resident was present. About 12% of
all households violently burglarized while someone was home
faced an offender armed with a firearm
.


Crime stats from:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

National Crime Victimization Survey

Victimization During Household Burglary

September 2010 NCJ 227379

Shannan Catalano, Ph.D.,
BJS Statistician
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt
(percentages in bold added by Hard Truth)

Not sure you even understand what you are posting.

As a woman, if you think for an instant that I am going to just 'hope and pray' that an intruder into my home isnt going to harm me, if they have a gun or just more numbers, you need to think again...rationally.

I have the mindset, the means, and (hopefully) the ability to defend myself and I will certainly try. I am not going to 'wait and see' what they have planned. That is the last resort of an unprepared person with no options and the mindset of a victim.
 
How about rapes? How about the older couple that were tied up and beaten and left for dead? (Several times a yr here.) How about the people shot that didnt die?

These types of breakins are on the news weekly...with people HOME. SOmetimes they do not get harmed....if it's your family, would you rather be prepared to protect them or stand there and leave your fate in the hands of the attackers?

And suicide rates have nothing to do with this...that is someone intentionally doing something and I personally do not care about them. THat is their problem, that and what they do to their families. It may sound callous but their problems should have NOTHING to do with MY rights to own/carry a firearm. My only sympathy is for our vets.
I own guns. So, as I said, the op describes a perfect reason to do so. However, the odds of the events as described in the OP happening to me and my loved ones are less than once in a thousand lifetimes.
 
Per the OP criminals have come into your house and you dont know their intent. Which to me, a group of people in my house my priorities are keeping my family alive. The best way to do that is to get them out of the house, or hidden/locked somewhere safe within the house. No finding a gun and trying to be Mr Super Hero which is far more likely to get the killing started.

maybe maybe not. limiting yourself to one plan will get you killed in some situations
 
Many people consider the Founding Fathers to be saints guided by God who were incapable of making any mistakes.

that is sad that there are such folks out there. :(
 
Not sure you even understand what you are posting.

As a woman, if you think for an instant that I am going to just 'hope and pray' that an intruder into my home isnt going to harm me, if they have a gun or just more numbers, you need to think again...rationally.

I have the mindset, the means, and (hopefully) the ability to defend myself and I will certainly try. I am not going to 'wait and see' what they have planned. That is the last resort of an unprepared person with no options and the mindset of a victim.

I have no problem with that, but I am not buying a gun to prepare for an event that is so unlikely to happen. My money and time (and most people's) is better used preparing for other risks that are much more likely to happen.
 
What people use guns in public? You mean criminals? I think there are already laws against their crimes...

So who else is using guns in public?
Context clues bro.
 
I think if armed men break into your house and you challenge them with a gun you might drop one. But after that you and your family would likely be slaughtered. Rather than challenging them and endangering your family you would be best to avoid that confrontation.

you are home asleep in bed, armed men are in your home. that pretty much defines "confronted" to me.
 
Hide? Where? Out of the house? How, not everyones home is the same. I'd be hard pressed to get out of my house in a heartbeat, but I can get and use a weapon in almost an instant.
I am sure you will tell me how I am going to kill my family or get them killed and all that.

Going off of how Ive seen you respond in multiple threads? Yes. I think you are the type of person who would recklessly do something that will cause undue death.
 
that is sad that there are such folks out there. :(

being a foundering father does not make one a saint.....however writing a document, debating the document, assembling the document , creating more work on what the document says.......does make one an authority on that document!
 
Going off of how Ive seen you respond in multiple threads? Yes. I think you are the type of person who would recklessly do something that will cause undue death.
Awww. Didn't know you knew me that well. Fear not, only ones dying in my home would be anyone not belonging there and looking to steal or do harm.
Clearly you have only read what you want to in any thread I have responded to.
 
You start shooting at armed men you are likely to get yourself and your children killed. But don't let that stop you from being reckless.

You would sit there and just pray they'd just take your stuff and not harm anyone?

When you have the ability to defend your family and have them all be part of your home plan to seek cover in one place, etc *if you chose to do so?* Wow.

Sure it takes training and practice and planning. And it doesnt even require a gun if you have other means or preparation. But to just imply you'd 'wait and see' if they were going to kill you all?

Most people play the odds, and most win. I hope your family wins.
 
being a foundering father does not make one a saint.....however writing a document, debating the document, assembling the document , creating more work on what the document says.......does make one an authority on that document!

it makes one a participant. it makes one someone who joined in a much larger group effort. it makes one part of 55.
 
Wow, you must be a paranoid old man. Scared of his own shadow.

No, when you adopt that is a requirement of the home study. Moreover, the odds of a grease fire in your kitchen, while not high, are far greater than the odds of ever being the victim of a violent home invasion. I also keep a shotgun in the back of our bedroom closet with shells next to it. The rest of my hunting guns I keep down at my dad's in rural Arkansas because chances are if we ever were robbed, it would almost certainly be when no one was home, and all that having a bunch of guns in my house would accomplish is getting a bunch of guns stolen.

My point was the scenario described in the opening post was a silly one because its so extremely rare for such a thing to happen in the vast majority of neighborhoods. Of course, if a violent home invasion were to occur at my house I would want to be armed. Who wouldn't want to be. Similarly, if God exists and decided to punish the world with another great flood, I would be glad we have a canoe. The latter scenario only slightly less likely than the former. ;)
 
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