What's Your Emergency?

Sometimes a blog post comes easy. Sometimes I have to hunt for something to talk about. Today I had to hunt.

And them I found this.

How often does the burglar call 911?

Apparently there were other times when they could have, but lacked the opportunity.

One report I saw on line said civilian guns are used 2.5 million times a year to stop crime. Although that seems a little high, we are talking about a country of over 300 million people.

There is also ample evidence that once states have enacted concealed carry laws crime rates drop.

There are people who are against private ownership of guns; obviously I'm not one of them. They believe that guns only have one purpose, and that is to kill, and that no individual needs that power.

In some respects they are right; guns are an effective killing tool. Notice the last word: TOOL. Wikipedia defines TOOL as any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal. I think that is an adequate description. A person can defend themselves with any number of tools- sticks; bricks; bats; knives; swords; physical prowess in defensive arts like boxing or karate. Or a gun. Each method is a weapon.

Guns can also form a defense without being used, only displayed, like in our initial story. Wikipedia defines weapon in part this way: In a broader context, weapons may be construed to include anything used to gain a strategic, material or mental advantage over an adversary. Guns make good weapons because they instantly create that advantage.

Knives will work to create that advantage as well, like in this scene from Crocodile Dundee. This scene also displays, to me anyway, how weapons can level the playing field. The crook initially has the advantage, by having a weapon, and then accomplices. Dundee evens the odds by not only having a weapon, but by having a larger weapon. And knowing how to use it.

The knowledge is key. Any weapon is useless without the knowledge of how to use it.  Having a gun isn't a defense. Having a gun and knowing its proper use is. If you decide to own a gun; make sure you know how to properly and safely use it.

Just like any another tool. Having a table saw is usually a good thing. Not knowing how to use one safely is a bad thing.

But those stories are for another day.