• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Poll... Have you ever needed a gun to protect yourself?

Have you ever needed a gun to protect yourself?


  • Total voters
    47
Yes I was almost robbed a few years ago. Some punk tried to stick me up and I shot him in the leg. The whole ordeal to avoid jail was about a month and a half.
 
Yes.

There's not a poll?
 
Last edited:
No, but there were a few beatings I could have gotten out of if I'd had one. And a few times where I could probably have threatened someone with a gun instead of having to cut them up.
 
YES, a couple of times

sadly I did not have one, as I had a very bad temper in my youth, and do not think I have the temperment. if truly needed, my brother has numerous assorted arms
 
I always carry on long bike rides and when my family goes camping. Before I started carrying, I had a very close call while riding with 4 friends, that didn't need to go as far as it did. My friends were former vets and state troopers so, we "handled" the situation. For some reason some guys think their balls grow three times their size when they throw a leg over the saddle. The sight of a gun in a holster seems enough to defuse most situations before they get out of hand. I wouldn't recommend carrying unless you're ready, willing and able to use it.
 
No, I've never been in a situation where I've needed a gun to protect myself.
 
Lies, this isn't a poll!
 
No not really, but a gun could have come in handy to get people to **** off sometimes.

Then again, if I had a gun all those times, I might have actually used it. It's probably best that I didn't have one.
 
age 17, some biker dudes were making a nuisance of themselves on our property. drinking smoking reefer etc so I come home from prep school in a coat and tie and see these scumbags. So I go up to the fence between our driveway and the lower lot where the biker scum were and told them to depart. One of them started walking up swinging a chain so I lifted up dad's 12 G Ithaca 37. They left peacefully

age 25, night I graduated Law school-up late at night with my brother who came up from NYC. at 2 AM someone starts banging on my door with a tire iron. So I sneak out the back door with a Walther PPK

I walked up behind the guy (my brother was calling the calvary) and said WTF are you doing. He said-kicking your ass as he raised the pipe

I stuck the gun in his nose and said drop it-he did

the cops show up-he's pissed himself

they cuff him and he starts whining I had a gun

the detective said-I know-I signed off on his permit-he should have shot your sorry ass and saved us some jail space

a year later-two mopes jump me in an alley as I was coming home from the local grocery carry some food. I gave one of them a 9mm Colonoscopy

he lived-his first date in prison was probably a bad one given the bullet blew out his rectum
 
I use to own one and other than being a frustrating and expensive venture occasionally to the shooting range it gave me nothing

But to protect our family, yes, having it has been most useful - not against people, but against coyotes, wild dogs and all other things that go growl in the night.
 
Yes. And if I'd had one on me, there'd be two dead mother****ing rapists.
 
Yes. And if I'd had one on me, there'd be two dead mother****ing rapists.

My wife has two t-shirts you might approve of

1) It's hard to rape a 38

2) I have PMS and a handgun-any more questions?
 
Yes, when I was 17 came across a group of "interesting" looking characters while deer hunting on the family property. They were not pleased when I showed up and told them to "get their asses off my property", but upon seeing I was carrying the .270 I use to hunt with, they did in fact leave.
 
Yes, when I was 17 came across a group of "interesting" looking characters while deer hunting on the family property. They were not pleased when I showed up and told them to "get their asses off my property", but upon seeing I was carrying the .270 I use to hunt with, they did in fact leave.

most of the hoplophobes and pillowheaded anti gun peaceniks think the only time you can use a gun for protection is when you shoot some mope

LIb gun haters claim that you are more likely to kill a family member than a criminal--not only is that BS it ignores the fact that 95% of the time when a gun is used in self defense, you don't kill the criminal. I have stopped 4 crimes with guns and no one died (even though If I had not called the medics, the last one would have)
 
Nope, but then again, I don't put myself into situations where I'd ever likely need one.
 
This is a hard one to answer.
The answer is no, if I don't count my military deployments or my time on the streets on patrol.

Ive never had to shoot anyone on the job (minus the 5 mortar rounds lobbed at a group of 10 Fedayeen Loyalists in Iraq). But there is no way of knowing whether or not my presence as a known gun carrier has prevented someones planned act.

Of the times ive been involved in use of force incidents, Ive managed to restrain the suspects without using threat of lethal force.
 
I have never been in a situation where a gun was needed.
 
nope, every time i've had someone try to mug me, i've talked my way out of it. :)
 
This is a hard one to answer.
The answer is no, if I don't count my military deployments or my time on the streets on patrol.

Ive never had to shoot anyone on the job (minus the 5 mortar rounds lobbed at a group of 10 Fedayeen Loyalists in Iraq). But there is no way of knowing whether or not my presence as a known gun carrier has prevented someones planned act.

Of the times ive been involved in use of force incidents, Ive managed to restrain the suspects without using threat of lethal force.


The OP, such as it is, does not specify whether shots were fired or anyone was shot. I would assume that situations where a firearm was used to defuse a dangerous situation would also qualify.

Possibly one might also count situations, where one was in imminent danger and thinking "damn I wish I had a gun right now!" :mrgreen:
 
Nope, but then again, I don't put myself into situations where I'd ever likely need one.

One of the first things I tell all my students (in defensive handgunning/self-protection classes) is that 90% of self-protection consists of general security proceedures (ie locking doors) and awareness/avoidance actions (ie I notice two suspicious persons loitering in the stairwell, so I avoid them and go a different way).

Use of force is a last resort, and using a firearm is even moreso a last resort. There are, however, situations where nothing but a gun will give you any reasonable chance of survival, let alone coming out "intact".
 
One time I was glad I had a weapon was when my previous neighbor turned meth user and started acting criminally.
They knew I was packing, so they knew that if they came with in 50 feet of my home, I was watching.
I had to sleep with a shotgun next to me for about 7-8 months until that fiasco ended.
 
I will have to say, I bought my first Handgun as soon as I turned 21 due to an attempted burglary at my neighbor's house when I lived in Fayettenam back when I was in the Army.

I guess the realization that I needed a gun to protect myself counts.
 
One of the first things I tell all my students (in defensive handgunning/self-protection classes) is that 90% of self-protection consists of general security proceedures (ie locking doors) and awareness/avoidance actions (ie I notice two suspicious persons loitering in the stairwell, so I avoid them and go a different way).

Use of force is a last resort, and using a firearm is even moreso a last resort. There are, however, situations where nothing but a gun will give you any reasonable chance of survival, let alone coming out "intact".

And there are situations where even having a firearm won't leave you intact. So what? The fact is, the overwhelming majority of situations, you will never find yourself needing a weapon so long as you take reasonable care. The very, very few where it may be of some use, it's also likely that it'll get used against you.

I'd rather just avoid the situation altogether.
 
And there are situations where even having a firearm won't leave you intact. So what? The fact is, the overwhelming majority of situations, you will never find yourself needing a weapon so long as you take reasonable care. The very, very few where it may be of some use, it's also likely that it'll get used against you.

I'd rather just avoid the situation altogether.

Translation: I'd rather become a victim, and not piss the criminals off, just do what they say.
 
Back
Top Bottom