Pro-gun vs anti-gun?

Question

I ran into someone who disagrees with my stance that a home is better secured with a safely kept gun than one that is not. she says, "I just feel like alot of bad things can happen to people that own guns". and "Someone who enters my house and finds me with a gun is more likely to shoot my because they think im dangerous than if I was not to have one." Now I obviously disagree but im not getting through, what can I say, what statistic can I quote that helps get my points across?

Answer 1

Hay i live in New Zealand we dont need guns indoors its 4 pig hunting perpesses only, besides we use the fist or bat

Answer 2

tell them if they don't like to come in & try to take it  from me & i will show you how effective guns are  

Answer 3

Most of their argument can be summed up in the phrase "... just feel like ..."

In this case, emotions rule and logic goes out the window.

If someone enters MY house, I will call the cops to remove the body.

First link is to the CDC which determined that "In summary, the Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of any of the firearms laws reviewed for preventing violence."

The second link is a list of [sorry] bullet points showing that gun control is a failure.

Answer 4

I think it's to each their own on this one.  I think the problem is more with improper training on handling/using a gun than just having one.  I live in Texas and it is well known that almost everyone here has a gun at their house.  I do like your comment on "safely kept gun" though.  That is also important, especially with children around.  To back up this other person a little bit, I think the criminal has a bit of an advantage if that is the intent of having a gun (in texas there are numerous reasons for having it, such as animals killing livestock, etc.).  The criminal is going to your house knowing what they are going to do.  They most likely have already spotted you inside the residence.  You have no idea they are there.  That gives them an advantage.  I think it can escalate the situation if you have a gun that is visible to the criminal.  If you plan on using the gun, wait until they are inside your residence and shoot to kill.  If you are not willing to do that, then there is no sense in having one in my opinion.  If you choose to have one, please get proper training on using it.

Answer 5

Facts ?   Facts are like cryptonite to these people.  

Guns do not spontaneously explode.  They will never acknowledge that.

The quote says it all: "I just feel....."  Yes, she just feels, doesn't think.

Give it up, these idiots are beyond logical thought.

Answer 6

check out More Guns Less Crime:Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws  by John Lott and David Mustard , University of Chicago Press.  The free pdf isnt available on the Univ of Chicago site anymore so you would have to go buy it I would guess.

Its the most comprehensive gun control study done. If of course has its critics, who by the way havent been able to substantiate any of their criticisms.

here is a few statistics from it though..this is in regard to counties who had conceal/carry gun permits.

'Analyzing crime data from all 3,054 counties in the United States throughout the period 1977-92, Lott and Mustard found that when shall-issue licensing laws went into effect in a county, murders fell by 7.65 percent, rapes fell by 5.2 percent, robberies fell by 2.2 percent, and aggravated assaults fell by 7 percent.'

On the other hand, property crime rates increased 2.7 percent--after the passage of shall-issue laws-- Lott and Mustard conclude that criminals respond to the threat of being shot by victims by substituting less risky, nonconfrontational crimes.

Answer 7

If you look at statistics civilians shoot more criminals than the police and have a higher rate of them being legal shoots.  

Answer 8

You should visit www.nra-ila.org and use their facts about the myths related to gun safety.

It appears your friend has been listening to the lies from the brady campaign

Myth: people are 43 times more likely to be killed by their own gun then use it to protect themselves in their home.

Fact: this study used only 43 people, most of whom were shot by someone who brought another gun into their home during the commition of a felony that the home owner was participating in (drug deal gone bad, etc)

of the others, the rest were suicides.

Therefore none of the persons in the study were "killed by their own gun" and the study never even looked at times when just simply having a gun stopped an intruder, since in less than .1% of cases (per the FBI crime report) is an intruder killed by someone using a firearm to defend themselves.

Marie