I know people hate cliches but a house, or a neighborhood, is safe until the bad guys come over. And it could happen only once in a lifetime.
I’ve been in some bad situations, and I’ve been a victim of crime. The fact that guns are so rare here means that I don’t need to worry about the bad guys having guns. I have survived everything I’ve had to deal with so far, and I have never in my life had any real fear of being shot. So, yeah, that makes me feel a fuck of a lot safer than I would if every criminal and nutcase had access to firearms. Me having access to firearms as well would not make society safer.
I already own a few, though not as many as I once did. WRT how likely I am to need a gun: It ain’t the odds. It’s the stakes.
Under my current life situation? No.
Were there changes of circumstance that resulted in increased external risk factors and reduced *internal *risk factors? Depending on the circumstance and risk.
As it stands for the next couple of years it looks (as of TODAY) like the utility calculation would not be worth it.
Precisely this.
There’s the pat statistic that a gun in the home is more likely to kill the owner or a family member than a home invader. Without getting into too much of an argument about that statement, it’s true that there’s a risk of accidents and suicide. I can reasonably minimize the accident risk with good safety training for myself and everyone in the household, and proper storage. I’ve never been suicidal but there is some family history, so that’s not a risk I can dismiss.
Where I live there’s not much risk of being a victim of a crime that I might be able to prevent by owning a gun.
There’s also all the costs associated with owning a gun: buying the gun and a good safe, training courses, time and money spent on regular practice, etc. For some of you those costs may be accounted for as a hobby, which is fair enough.
If crime rates increase where I live this estimate of utility may change. But my first instinct would be to minimize my risk in other ways, perhaps by simply moving somewhere safer.
This. I’ve shot my share of guns in the past, but have never owned any. If I were to get one with the intention of using it for home defense, I’d feel compelled to be good at using it. Not just how to reliably score a bullseye at 20 feet, or how to not accidentally shoot yourself in the balls, but things like:
-knowing the rules of engagement, so I can minimize my odds of going to jail for murder or being successfully sued for wrongful death
-tactical training for close-quarters use of a handgun, so I can maximize my odds of remaining alive after a conflict with a home invader
For stuff like this, if it really matters to you, then you don’t just do it once and then say “now I’m ready.” Just as pilots and SCUBA divers need to stay “current,” this is something you need to practice on a regular basis; when you finally do hear that window breaking in the middle of the night, you don’t want to be hesitating and trying to remember what steps you were supposed to take next.
We live in a third world country and have no need for a gun. The police here have cudgels that they can use to keep order. When we repatriate to the US I cannot imagine wanting one. We have five cats and a dog that will protect us. :dubious:
Absolutely not. I have never touched a firearm in my life and don’t intend to ever do so.
Nope. The chances of a deadly break-in are near zero. The chances of a gun accident are far greater. The math doesn’t add up.
If I lived overseas in an area where it was normal, I wouldn’t have a problem with having an armed guard.
No, even though I live in a relatively high crime area. I just don’t feel safer with a gun around.
We have several. Ivylad buys guns like I buy shoes.
What shakester said. I do have a little can of pepperspray in my nightstand, though. Those are illegal where I live. Its 16 years old by now.
So does he always buy one for each hand? 
If I lived alone, maybe, but I don’t live alone and don’t ever plan to again.
We do have a functioning family-heirloom firearm, but no ammunition, and I haven’t touched it in years.
He would if I let him. He bought a Kimber over the holidays…it was on sale.
You wear shoes on your hands?
Nope. Statistically, you’re far safer without a gun than with one.
Obviously I need a gun for work so I don’t have much choice.
The (only) in your title makes it hard to pick an answer. I expect I will probably never use one in my private life for self defense but I can’t predict the future. However any gun I have would not strictly be for self defense since shooting is fun. It will always be a combination of self defense and target shooting.
I would never buy a gun, period. My FIL, a retired police officer, gave me his service revolver a few years ago. At 80 years of age, he said he didn’t think he could shoot straight with it if he had to. I took it home, put it in a Crown Royal bag then a cigar box. It currently is located in a storage container in the garage with a bunch of other stuff. Even if I wanted to use it, I don’t have any bullets and have no idea how to load it.
If I lived on my own I might consider it. As is, my wife would be vehemently opposed and, like China Guy, we have a son on the autism spectrum so the risk of an in-home firearm related mishap is probably greater than the risk of being stabbed to death by maniac crackheads.