[QUOTE=lowbrass]
O.K., since y’all are touting this Kleck survey, let’s look at the alleged incidents (I hope this is the correct survey):
http://www.guncite.com/kleck3ab.html
In NONE of the incidents were the respondents defending against murderers.
Only 22% of the incidents took place outside the home.
In 46% of the incidents, the defender was neither attacked nor even threatened.
And even in the cases where the defender was threatened or attacked, in 15% of those, the defender threatened or attacked first.
Now, GET THIS: in 51% of the cases, THE OFFENDER WAS UNARMED.
And only 17% of the offenders had guns.
So even assuming all the accounts are accurate (which would be quite a stretch, given people’s natural inclination to exaggerate details of personal heroism), the percentage of times where a person actually needed a gun because his life was in imminent danger, is quite low. There are no parallels to the Virginia shooting in the survey.
[/QUOTE]
So a person only has the right to defend themselves if their life is in imminent danger?
What do the terms mean in this; don’t you think that might be important?
For example, 51% of the times you mention the offender was unarmed, as if that should prevent a person being allowed to use a gun for self defense. I guess that is kind of tough luck on the 90 lb woman being raped by the 250 lb guy there. What actually does “attacked or threatened” mean in this survey? If someone jumps out in an alleyway and yells “give me your wallet” does that count under the survey as attacked or threatened? If someone breaks into my house at 3 am, and I pull a gun and tell them to get the hell out before they have a chance to say anything to me, have I attacked or threatened them first? Only 17% of the offenders had guns? So a criminal comes at me with a knife and pulling a gun on him is not justifiable?
It’s not a survey I know much about, but I think you would need to answer these questions and more before trying to make the points that you are attempting to make.