Where does this come from people who always say guns?

Question

I am all the time seeing people on here when a question is asked about self defense, saying get a gun, smith & wesson, etc. I have no problem with guns, in fact right now I am going for my CCW, however these people seem to think it's magic. I mean there is extensive training involved in learning to shoot properly, especially in a self defense situation. Tactical reloads, cover, movement, clearing malfunctions, etc. as well as learning good retention techniques. There are also places you cannot carry, such as schools, goverment buildings, churches, any establishment where the majority of their income comes from alchahol.

I am just looking for your reasoning behind the generic answer get a gun, when it will not always be available to you?

Any one is free to answer if you have an opinion, but please try and be half way intelligent.

Answer 1

With all the "training" in the world, do you know how scared you must be to actually point a gun and kill another human being? If you pull it, you'de better use it because it's going to make someone so mad that if they get it from you, they'll use it on you!

Answer 2

i wonder that too...this is after all the martial arts section, so self defense questions are natural, however when people ask these questions in the martial arts section, they expect an answer pertaining to martial arts....

enter the cool guys and biff's who immediately answer the question with a firearm...maybe the first time someone answered "get a gun" it was actually funny, then every subsequent time after it got redundant and corny...

i sometimes wonder why people who are proponents of guns(which i dont care if they are or not) are so quick to talk about their guns...i dont get it...if i had a gun i would want no one to know....is it fear? like a reverse psycological effect?

Answer 3

I'm probably one of the big CCW answerers here-

yes- everything you said is true, except I fail to see how tactical reloading and cover will come into play in the typical "assailant" scenario, there aren't hordes of mercenaries on the street squeezing off rounds.

however, I think the generic "get a gun" answer implies learn proper care, safety, and use, just like "learn muai thai" implies to learn proper striking, round house, clinch, knees, elbows, slips, jabs, etc.

people (myself included) mention weapons typically only in topics where people are concerned more with self-defence rather than just learning to fight and calling it self defence.

it calls into the discussion the reality that must be included in any real self-defence argument that assailants will be carrying weapons and most likely have the element of surprise on you.  the "be aware" factor as well as "how to pull your gun out properly AND are you willing to use it" is just as important here too.

so while the generic "get a gun" statement can (IMO it does) include the definitions of proper gun use just like the statement "learn judo" or "learn muai thai" or learn "karate", it is just as irresponsible IMO- to leave out the reality of weapons and the element of surprise (circumstances which self-defence is most used) and spatial awareness in any such discussion as it is to simply believe that an unarmed martial art is protection against the normal self-defence situation.

and granted- not just with guns, with ANY weapon there come places that you can't use it, and you would be foolish to believe that that will really prevent someone who really wants to sneak a weapon in from doing so.

but just because you are incapable of using it in some situaitons, doesn't mean you shouldn't have it for others, and if your aim is self defence, then your focus should be on covering as much situations as possible with the best protection possible and dealing with those that its not.

opting for a lesser level of ability or "protection" in those areas where weapons are not restricted just because it is restricted in some is like saying we shouldn't ever get drunk because it isn't appropriate to get drunk at your kid's graduation ceremony or you shouldn't drink at the office.

just because its limited in a few situations, doesn't undermine the validity of it in most common situations- which is outside.

but you are right in that you need a balanced discussion of it, not just a generic statement.  you seem to have taken the statement the opposite direction in that you don't need military or police grade firearm training in order to be able to use the weapon effectively for self-defence. you do need basic and realistic knowledge about how to use it (and pull it out and if you should) in the situations you will most likely (if ever) encounter.

unless of course you live in beirut.

EDIT: I'm not faulting you for it at all, if you are learning a weapon and have an interest in it it is ok to learn all there is to learn how to use it even if the odds of you doing so are beyond slim.  I used to train in sword which is obsolete, I can feel the desire to just learn for the sake of learning (as the odds of me finding a time-machine and travelling back to the battle of crecy is even less than rosie o'donnel becoming a s*x symbol for farmhands), but I was just saying that in order to be competant you don't need to go that far for what a "self-defencer" intends it for, if someone wants to be better and has the time to do so then I would applaud that.

Answer 4

I think this comes from the movies, where anyone can just randomly pull out a gun and start shooting. It just makes it look too easy. After all, people wouldn't go and watch a movie about someone learning how to use a gun and going to get a license, etc. People just don't think about all that when they're answering.

Then, there are always a few people who say "get a gun" trying to be funny, because this is the martial arts section, and they think they're smart 'cause they're telling people to go get a gun rather than spend years learning a martial art.

Here in the UK, guns are near impossible to get, unless you're in a serious gang or something, so our version of "get a gun" is "get a knife" (even though they're illegal). A shocking number of people carry them - some for the sake of attacking people, and others for self defence against other people that carry knives. Knife fights that happen often result in death or serious injury for all parties involved.

Answer 5

Most of the time I see the answer here about getting a gun it is just a smart a** answer. Who lives so paranoid that they have to go around armed wit a hand gun strapped on for quick draw. I know there are some rough neighborhoods; however even there a quick draw and good aim are not always the best response to a situation. I was raised around fire arms and have been a NRA member since I was 17yrs. old. I believe in the right to use deadly force to save yourself and loved ones, and even strangers from deadly violence. To say that deadly force is the answer in all or even most situations you will most likely encounter in a lifetime is purely ridicules. Good hand to hand combat technique is what is needed most. Leave the hand gun home. Home self defense with a firearm  makes more sense. Than if you have a hand gun for self defense your training should be just as dedicated as your hand to hand martial arts training, or hire a body guard.

Answer 6

It's a power inducing answer.. people think that a gun  will remove their fear, and make them "macho" and inflate their ego. To feel safe from harm, when ,like you say ,it creates it own set of fears and worries. One of which is landing in jail for using it.

Answer 7

It's a defensive response to a practitioner of a fighting art(street fighting,Martial art, and etc). They have doubt and fear of themselves in a situation that they can't understand or even know how to react to! So they want the practitioner to feel the same way in thinking. Of course if you realized a Fighting art has a lot to do with discipline.  Then you will have less chance of getting into a fight! The Hot Shoots( Gun owners)  need to realize they put there family in danger just having there kids around guns. Also that If I wanted too get a gun just steel it unexpectedly from a Hot Shoot. I don't like guns because of the Legal issues and it's to load. I like silent weapons, Chemical weapons, Explosives, Fraud, and etc. It's good to own a gun and it's our right. Just make sure your responsible enough to own one and keep it away from the kids and thieves then you'll be OK! Check out bowling for columbine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBHtjZmS...