I’ll see your samurai and raise you a Highlander 
Damnit… I may be beaten…
Wait, Connor or Duncan? 
Duncan after he absorbed Connor.
Erek
Shit… Samurai Jack is in trouble then.
Okay, it’s now obvious that in order to deal with a ninja who’s got an immortal on his side, you need to have Godzilla on yours.
Which, of course, would necessitate the formation of the NGRMA.
(National giant radioactive monsters association)
SteveG1: Yes, I like the every day objects in martial arts. One of my favorite scenes in a martial arts movie is in Rapid Fire where Brandon Lee smashes the guy in the face with the freezer door.
Since this conversation started, I have been looking around my apartment to see what I could hit someone with. There are any number of things. I’ve got a votive candle, a plaster bust of Nefertiti. Not to mention the useless pillar between the kitchen and the living room that I hate because it fucks with the Feng Shui, but would be really good if I needed to put it between me and the enemy. I’ve got bottles of hot sauce and spices I can throw into their eyes. An empty beer bottle I can wing at him from across the room while I close the distance.
When I was in HS my Kung Fu instructor was a survivalist type who did a lot of security work at Road House type bars in southern NM and Texas and was really into the down and dirty fighting technique. He asked us once, “What four weapons does every room have?” the answer of course being walls.
Personally greater martial arts training will always make me feel safer than having a gun. Besides the ability to hurt someone in any situation, it also develops your connection to your physicality, builds up discipline and helps you to conquer your fears, all of which are much more useful than a gun IMO.
I live in New York City where gun ownership is illegal, so it’s not prudent for me to have a gun, and I don’t really care that much about the lack. If I moved back to New Mexico and was out in the desert, I’d probably get a gun, for the fun of it more than anything else.
Lastly however, the biggest disadvantage of a gun. It can only be in one place at any time, and that place may not be where I am. If I am dozing on the couch watching late night infomercials, and the gun is under my pillow, or worse, in a safe that I need the combination to, it’s probably better for me just to forego that extra level of complexity. Perhaps in a rural or suburban environment it makes more sense, and I’d definitely want a shotgun against multiple opponents, but having to access the gun before using it makes it less of a reliable source of protection. Also, you are speaking from the point of view of someone that understands combat both with and without a gun, so a gun is much more effective in your hands than it is in the hands of the average gun owner.
Erek
Reiterates: I am against gun legislation. I believe the citizen has the right to own small arms.
I grew up in NY (Bayside), so yes, I understand how restrictive the laws are there. In the arts I don’t pretend to be an expert, I was merely a student, and was somewhere in the middle of “my class” as far as abilities. Adequate, but no grand champion.
My instructors always taught that it was safer to just let a robber take the money, if that’s all he wants. If he is intent on doing harm, then you smash him as hard as you can and run like hell (if you can). All out hardcore fighting was only for when there was no other choice, because it could get you killed.
We agree that one problem with any gun is being able to get to it. However, there are a few worse problems - one is the angry or scared person who blasts away at every sound, killing everyone except the robber. The other, just as bad, is the person who brandishes a gun and is not willing to use it. One is just as bad as the other. A gun is, or should be the last resort, and you better be willing to go all the way. You better know for sure what you are shooting at. You also had better be justified. It is called deadly force for a reason. Back to Grandma. If she is 85 or 95 or 105 years old, she is going to be too frail and weak to physically fight. Even if she is the greatest grandmaster who ever lived, time will catch up to her sooner or later. A gun really is her only option. BUT she better be willing to do the deed. If not, she is better off without it.
Yeah, my instructors said pretty much the same thing about money. As for Grandma, yeah, the gun might be her best option, but the truth is, it isn’t usually Grandma that keeps a self-defense piece. I think the average person that has a self-defense piece could learn to kill someone with their barehands.
And of course, never pull a weapon you aren’t willing to use.
Erek