On Mon, 24 May 2010 23:16:29 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 24 May 2010 18:15:13 -0400, bpuharic wrote:

something like 300 people used guns legitimately to defend themselves
last year


Cite that.
I am always skeptical of statistics that start with "something like"
What are you calling "defending themselves"?
Killing the criminal?


There are no reliable statistics of the number of criminals who were
scared off by the presence of a gun in the hand of a potential victim.

Neither are incidents of criminals being scared off by a barking dog.

I get your point but, in order for a criminal to be affected by the
presence of a gun, they have to see it or be within earshot in order
to hear it being cocked. Likelihood?

I don't have time to research a cite but I'd bet there are more
incidents of injury and death by mishandling of weapons than there is
confrontation avoided or turned away.

One example where you may have some argument is criminal vs. criminal.

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 May 2010 18:15:13 -0400, bpuharic wrote:

something like 300 people used guns legitimately to defend themselves
last year


Cite that.
I am always skeptical of statistics that start with "something like"
What are you calling "defending themselves"?
Killing the criminal?
There are no reliable statistics of the number of criminals who were
scared off by the presence of a gun in the hand of a potential victim.


Not to take up the mantle of the NRA, but I thought I read about a town in
Florida that required carry permits? My recollection was that crime dropped
slightly.

On 25/05/2010 11:14 AM, jps wrote:
On Mon, 24 May 2010 23:16:29 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 24 May 2010 18:15:13 -0400, wrote:

something like 300 people used guns legitimately to defend themselves
last year


Cite that.
I am always skeptical of statistics that start with "something like"
What are you calling "defending themselves"?
Killing the criminal?


There are no reliable statistics of the number of criminals who were
scared off by the presence of a gun in the hand of a potential victim.

Neither are incidents of criminals being scared off by a barking dog.

I get your point but, in order for a criminal to be affected by the
presence of a gun, they have to see it or be within earshot in order
to hear it being cocked. Likelihood?

I don't have time to research a cite but I'd bet there are more
incidents of injury and death by mishandling of weapons than there is
confrontation avoided or turned away.

One example where you may have some argument is criminal vs. criminal.

When criminals kill each other, think how much that saves us in legal
costs, judges, jails and the best part, no repeat offenses.

--
I would rather be a paid up Conservative nut job than a Liberal with no
nuts, no job in debt and living off of other people like a leach.