# Positive Gun News of the Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490 "2015-10-22T22:57:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 83
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1641 "2019-09-30T05:48:39Z")
> **[Fear Is Not a Factor in Gun Ownership](https://scitechdaily.com/fear-is-not-a-factor-in-gun-ownership/)** > > Are gun owners more or less afraid than people who do not own guns? A new study from researchers at Florida State University and the University of Arizona hopes to add some empirical data to the conversation after finding that gun owners tend to... \*“There’s a lot of popular rhetoric in the media and among politicians as to why people own guns,” Dowd-Arrow said. “The biggest claim is that they’re cowards. So, we wanted to see if owning guns was truly a symptom of fear.”…The researchers then examined the fears of people who owned guns. They found that people who own guns tend to report fewer phobias and victimization fears than people who do not own guns. This general pattern was observed across multiple types of fear, including fear of animals, heights and being mugged. “There’s little evidence to suggest that gun ownership is an effect of fear,” Dowd-Arrow said. “However, gun ownership may be associated with less fear because firearms help their owners to feel safe, secure and protected in a world they perceive to be uncertain and potentially dangerous.”\* ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1642 "2019-09-30T05:50:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Does anyone ever picture some of these gun owners paralyzed by indecision one day in a home-defense scenario, standing in front of their vast array of Berettas, Rugers, Kalashnikovs, Sig Sauers, Glocks, Smith&Wessons, Mossbergs, Remingtons and AR-15s, unable to decide which to select to stop the intruder that’s just broken into their house? You would generally have one or two guns locked and loaded, and the rest stored in a safe, unloaded. You dont have them all laid out on pegboard, like in the films. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1643 "2019-09-30T07:41:48Z")
SCOTUS may hear a very momentous gun case, which could expand gun rights further yet: > **[The biggest Second Amendment case to reach the Supreme Court in nearly a...](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/27/20879906/second-amendment-guns-supreme-court-new-york-moot-brett-kavanaugh-nra?fbclid=IwAR131a0o-ViXVOR9xiKDhmS1Rpce6OdSrtYJs9J3HnrvHYmh9A6lSPeJsSs)** > > Gun control supporters are desperate — and have already taken drastic steps — to get the Supreme Court to dismiss this case. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1644 "2019-09-30T10:03:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “There’s little evidence to suggest that gun ownership is an effect of fear,” Dowd-Arrow said. “However, gun ownership may be associated with less fear because firearms help their owners to feel safe, secure and protected in a world they perceive to be uncertain and potentially dangerous.”\* So the report has concluded little of use, because it didn’t factor in the possibility that guns potentially make people who are naturally more fearful less so. You’d think that would have been something they’d have considered. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1645 "2019-09-30T14:12:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > [Fear Is Not a Factor in Gun Ownership](https://scitechdaily.com/fear-is-not-a-factor-in-gun-ownership/) > \*“There’s a lot of popular rhetoric in the media and among politicians as to why people own guns,” Dowd-Arrow said. “The biggest claim is that they’re cowards. So, we wanted to see if owning guns was truly a symptom of fear.”…The researchers then examined the fears of people who owned guns. They found that people who own guns tend to report fewer phobias and victimization fears than people who do not own guns. This general pattern was observed across multiple types of fear, including fear of animals, heights and being mugged. > > “There’s little evidence to suggest that gun ownership is an effect of fear,” Dowd-Arrow said. “However, gun ownership may be associated with less fear because firearms help their owners to feel safe, secure and protected in a world they perceive to be uncertain and potentially dangerous.”\* I would venture a few guesses as to why: [ul] [li]The kind of people who would handle and interact with a lethal weapon regularly are the kind who would be less timid.[/li][li]Guns themselves can be intimidating (some people are afraid of the large bang noise and kick of rifles, for instance) and hence someone who is fearful wouldn’t own one.[/li][li]The kind of people who would need or want a gun may be the kind more likely to work in riskier occupations or live in risky places, and hence less fearful (if you are timid, you would be less likely to be a cop or soldier, etc.)[/li][li]The gun-control movement is, by its very nature, motivated by a certain fear - namely, fear of what guns can do, or the mass shootings that are associated with guns.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![mjmlabs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mjmlabs/32/69_2.png) [@mjmlabs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmlabs)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1646 "2019-10-01T05:43:53Z")
**Dallas man, 72, successfully defends storage shed from burglar with pickax** [Dallas Morning News, 27 SEP 2019](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/09/27/dallas-man-accused-of-fatally-shooting-burglar-and-going-back-to-bed-before-calling-911/): > [@](#): > > [James Michael] Meyer told police that he had been awakened about 5 a.m. by noise outside and saw someone trying to break into his storage shed with a pickax when he looked through the window, the affidavit said. > > Meyer said he grabbed his handgun and chambered a round, then came out of his home yelling at the person to stop what he was doing and not come any closer or else he’d shoot. > > Instead, he told police, the person took several steps toward him, so he fired his gun, according to the affidavit. > > At that point, the burglar dropped the pickax and ran toward the park. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1647 "2019-10-01T10:16:57Z")
> [@mjmlabs](#): > > **Dallas man, 72, successfully defends storage shed from burglar with pickax** > > [Dallas Morning News, 27 SEP 2019](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/09/27/dallas-man-accused-of-fatally-shooting-burglar-and-going-back-to-bed-before-calling-911/): Thought he was getting charged with murder in that case? His mistakes were legion: waiting 3.5 hours to call the cops that he’d blasted someone, picking up his shell casings, admitting shooting a warning shot, admitting he was shooting at the intruder as the intruder was running away. Which might have been OK given theft in the night time in Texas, but still, Dallas County is not where I’d like to have to justify that. I wouldn’t call this a positive gun use at all. The pisser is that if he hadn’t called the cops at all, I think it very unlikely the police would have figured out he did it, ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1648 "2019-10-01T11:01:58Z")
Meyer couldn’t have screwed up any worse. There’s a good chance that he’ll get prosecuted and convicted. They’ll argue the burglar bled out while Meyer slept. This case isn’t responsible self-defense at all. Texas is a bit unusual. Using force to defend property is legal there. But not this way. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1649 "2019-10-01T11:10:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Meyer couldn’t have screwed up any worse. There’s a good chance that he’ll get prosecuted and convicted. > > They’ll argue the burglar bled out while Meyer slept. > > This case isn’t responsible self defense at all. Is the difference between a good self defense case and murder, a phone call to the cops? If the burglar charged the old guy with a pick ax, or even if the burglar was merely holding it, the old guy is well within his rights to feel in danger of imminent bodily harm, and use deadly force to stop that threat. Regardless of whether the old guy later calls the police or not. It looks bad, it certainly takes away the benefit of the doubt from the old guy, but this may still have been a perfectly good self defense situation in Texas. How he handled it afterward is abominable, of course. Guilty of tampering with evidence, unlawful discharge of a weapon within city limits (the warning shot), and he may be guilty of some form of unlawful homicide. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1650 "2019-10-01T11:57:30Z")
Quickly summoning help after a shooting makes a big difference. There’s always the chance that the person will survive. That makes a difference in how the case is possibly prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1651 "2019-10-01T12:58:27Z")
Interesting that this one has turned up in both the “Positive” and “Stupid” gun news threads. Shooting at an intruder coming at you with a pickaxe? Perfectly sound response. Shooting again after the intruder has dropped the weapon and is running away? Questionable. Shooting a “warning shot” off into the dark of a public space? Criminally irresponsible. Waiting to call the police after all of the above? Deeply flawed judgment. It’s not the first shot that’s the problem; it’s the other ones and the delay. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1652 "2019-10-01T15:54:39Z")
For a less completely fucked up “positive” gun news story from Texas, [last week in Houston](https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/police-responded-to-the-1600-block-of-terry-for-shooting/285-4507064f-6aed-49dc-94f4-7590016c9365) a woman _called police_ (apparently right away and everything) after shooting her ex-boyfriend after he allegedly broke into her home around 10 p.m. He is expected to survive; thus far, the woman has not been charged. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1653 "2019-10-01T16:01:32Z")
I took a concealed carry class and the majority of people there were women. Several mentioned being stalked by ex’s. The case in Texas is another reminder that women have to protect themselves from people they know. I’m glad no charges were filed. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1654 "2019-10-01T17:43:41Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > SCOTUS may hear a very momentous gun case, which could expand gun rights further yet: > > [Supreme Court gun case: the biggest Second Amendment case in years | Vox](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/27/20879906/second-amendment-guns-supreme-court-new-york-moot-brett-kavanaugh-nra?fbclid=IwAR131a0o-ViXVOR9xiKDhmS1Rpce6OdSrtYJs9J3HnrvHYmh9A6lSPeJsSs) Wow, that article doesn’t even pretend to be objective. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1655 "2019-10-01T17:53:52Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Wow, that article doesn’t even pretend to be objective. I didn’t even bother opening the article when I saw it was on VOX. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1656 "2019-10-04T08:53:01Z")
[From Redding, California](https://www.redding.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/27/police-redding-man-confronted-by-armed-citizen-at-gas-station-after-kidnapping-woman/3789233002/), a man with a concealed carry permit was able to free a woman who had been kidnapped after pulling his handgun on the kidnapper at a gas station. The kidnapper fled the scene, but was arrested nearby. The kidnapping victim reportedly had minor injuries and was able to return home. The assailant reportedly had also earlier beaten and injured the woman’s sister at the time of the initial kidnapping; the assailant faces domestic violence charges along with a number of other crimes. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1657 "2019-10-04T23:09:07Z")
From [a couple of weeks ago in Wichita Falls, Texas](https://www.newschannel6now.com/2019/09/20/man-attempts-rob-disabled-woman/), a man attempted to steal a donation bucket full of small bills from a disabled charity volunteer. A witness at the scene chased down the thief, who struck that person with a backpack then pulled a knife. Two other bystanders confronted the now-armed thief; one of those bystanders was armed and was able to detain the would-be robber at gunpoint until police arrived. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1658 "2019-10-07T05:04:11Z")
[From last week in Statesville, North Carolina](https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/statesville-homeowner-holds-suspect-at-gunpoint-after-break-in-deputies-say/992281968), a homeowner who came home and caught a man who had broken into his house held the would-be burglar at gunpoint until sheriff’s deputies arrived and arrested the intruder. The would-be burglar is facing multiple charges and is suspected in a couple of other break-ins; he also has a prior criminal history that includes other breaking-and-entering offenses. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1659 "2019-10-08T14:08:25Z")
[Gunman shot to death by man he was trying to rob: Akron Police report](https://www.cleveland19.com/2019/10/08/gunman-shot-death-by-man-he-was-trying-rob-akron-police/) > [@](#): > > A 22-year-old armed robber found himself on the wrong end of a gun Sunday night, and he didn’t live to face authorities. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/1660 "2019-10-08T20:46:27Z")
[Some poor fool tried to rob Nick Irving](https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xuAm9HWub/). He was detained at gunpoint, and should probably count himself lucky for that: > [@](#): > > #Monday got interesting…Short story, someone attempted to rob me, but didn’t work out in his favor. While within my legal right to defend what is mine, property, my person, etc., with the use of deadly force, the choice not to and a little hand work was the best option #onelessstatistic Shoutout #2a #Texas and the cavalry with the quick response. #stillPositiveVibesOnly #Mondays #hedidntreadmybook ETA: for those that don’t know who Nick Irving is … [The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers](https://www.amazon.com/Reaper-Autobiography-Deadliest-Special-Snipers/dp/1250080606) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=82) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=84)