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How could these results be more favorable than giving the fucker the gum, and moving on with your life?
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That all assumes that all he really wants is my gum. If I could be guaranteed that all I would lose is my stuff, like I would in a fire, then no, I probably wouldn't escalate the situation by bringing out my weapon. But you have no idea what's going to happen when someone's already at the point of threatening another person with a weapon. I would have to assess the situation as it arose--but if I had no weapon, then that whole set of options would be unavailable to me if it turned out he really wanted more than the gum.
I know you don't want to legislate the guns away, you just want to convince people of their foolishness, but I don't think you really understand that the very fact that I
might have a gun is a huge deterrant for him, whether or not I do have one. Truth is, we don't actually own a gun, because I don't have the extra cash or the time/interest in proper upkeep of the machinery. We had them in my family growing up, and I would certainly consider it in the future if our lifestyle or neighborhood changed. But if I ever hear anyone breaking into our house, you can be sure that the first thing I will do is yell, "Honey, get the gun!"