This morning I was pointed to a blog post here that made me do what I don't usually do... jump into an apparently ongoing argument.
Go read the post, then read the comment that I left, which at the time of this posting is awaiting moderation, and tell me, am I wrong to be a bit offended at his assumption that everyone is, or has handy, a large muscular manly man well versed in martial arts and what have you? That my safety is somehow less important than his? Because that's how it came across to me...
Here's my comment, and I did try to be polite:
Sir, as one of those “Radical pro-gun” people, who may be labeled a troll after this comment, I have to ask you a few questions-
How is it a sign of personal weakness that I assess the world in a realistic way? I’m 5′7 and 100lbs or so… no matter what martial arts or self defense classes I take, there is going to be someone out there who can overpower me with sheer muscle.
Does the fact that I consider the subject of my personal safety and carry a gun not because I expect someone to jump me, but because I know, in the realities of our times, that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away make me somehow weak or unfit?
Personally I think that the conscious and deliberate decision to use all tools available to you to protect yourself and your loved ones is a good thing.
I’ve made a choice, a personal decision, that my safety and well being is more important to me than the safety and well being of a person who means me harm.
Is there something wrong with that, in your mind?
I take personal responsibility for my own safety, and that is why I carry a gun. If that makes me weak in your mind, so be it, but I hope you’ll think about what I’ve said before you jump to conclusions about me.
21 comments:
He obviously didn't read his wife's original post either. That was clear to me in the first few paragraphs. The guy is living in his own little distorted reality. Big burly men are brought low e wry damn day by little bitty women with enough sense to arm themselves.
Also its nice to have a gun when big burly guys brag about how they've taken karate and how they like to beat people up who don't agree with them.
Your comment likely won't see the light of day.
He's a monster jerk!
Farmgirl - I posted 2 comments as well, which he childishly "edited"
The guy has some problems for sure.
There is defiantly some reasoned discourse taking place at his blog. I'd be surprised to see your well thought out comment appear there.
Oh, and I couldn't agree more with your comment.
I'm 6ft, 150 and have cerebral palsy. I'm going to be at a physical disadvantage in most altercations.
He also doesn't seem to get that it wouldn't matter how big he is if he's met by multiple attackers, or armed ones.
I carry a pistol. I'm too damned old to recover from an ass-whuppin'.
Wannabe bullies like the person in question are the best reason to carry. And he knows it.
He is right to fear the presence of an armed victim, the next time he loses his poor impulse control and physically acts out.
"God made man (and woman). Samuel Colt made all men (and women) equal."
B Woodman
III-per
WV: "nocan" - do.
As a few others mentioned, the fact that clowns like this are out their is at least part of the reason that many people choose to arm themselves. He's impressed with his own physical prowess, and guys like him are usually the ones itching for a fight. His comment that if someone is facing him with a gun, that they must be scared of him so he doesn't need to be scared of them, made me laugh. He should be very scared of the extra holes that are about to appear in his body in such a scenario.
I'm 5'8", 165lbs. S&W makes it a fair fight, because a fair fight is the one you win.
With that said, folks that choose to carry have a responsibility to educate themselves. There is no excuse for a gun "accidentally going off".
The man is a fool. The scariest man I know is a bail enforcement/repo/bodyguard/private eye who wears a XXXL and is an expert in bare hand combat. He always carries. He will be the first to tell you a firearm neutralizes his size and skills.
The sad part to his thinking is that I am actually larger than him and probably have more experience throwing my weight around in useful ways (livestock management on the farm) and I carry a gun....
I'm also a pacifist in the majority of instances and know that if I am somewhere that is being robbed or held-up I will be the first to get shot as I most likely will be the largest physical threat (6'5" ~370lbs or farmboy). I will not accept that I can't end the scenario. At the same time, I have been in a fist fight and many arguements while having a gun on my hip, at no time did I feel that I needed to pull the weapon as I was not in fear for my life (escalation of force).
I hate when people say 'big folks dont need guns' its just bullshit.
I've rambled on long enough, sorry but he just annoys me and I feel sorry for his wife, I'm sure by his attitude that he isn't the easiest person to live with.
I just (5:50 p.m.) visited his site and couldn't find any trace of your 8:30 a.m. comment among the 15 comments posted there. I left one of my own but suspect that it, like yours, will never appear.
I did mention in my comment there that his automatic labelling of those who dispute his opinions as "trolls" says much more about him than about said "trolls."
I have to agree with the other "Big guys" who have commented. I am a 6'3" 260lb former Marine, and I cary where it is legal for me to do so. I have found at times that my size has been used by a couple of would-be attackers as an excuse for them to arm themselves (one with a knife, two with broken beer bottles). I was lucky in that I have been able to handle these situations without having to resort to my gun but the old saying is true "it's better to have a gun and not need it than need it and not have it".
BTW... a word on using a broken beer bottle as a weapon. How Hollywood cheesy is that? One guy was almost able to actually hurt me with one because I was laughing so hard.
s
Apparently he's taken down the post. I followed your link and found a 404 response (No such file). It's gone from his archive list as well.
I guess y'all picked on him so he took his ball and went home. :-)
He probably realized that the "trolls" were making more sense than him so he took the whole blog down before more people could see it.
Re: broken bottles. Evidently, if you break it wrong, you'll wind up with a fistful of broken glass imbedded in your hand.
That's why I usually use a chair, or a table :D
Well, it's now a 404... the entire post and all responses are gone...
Toastrider, the few times I was in a bar fight, you could find me under a table heading for the exit. I'll let someone else take the lumps. I prefer to keep my hide intact. I've been very successful for 62 years.
If Nicole Simpson (OJ's wife) had had a gun, not only would she be alive today, taxpayers wouldn't be footing the bill for yet another murderer. And if everyone took responsibility for taking care of themselves, the cops would be out of a job. Then we the people would no longer be harassed and intimidated by those who are supposed to protect and serve.
I'm another guy... about 6' tall and 200lbs... who's also disabled and with both hips replaced by the time I was 28. Some big guy, with or without any kind of weapon, tries to do my harm, I have no intention of letting them get that close.
Somewhere on the web, I saw a thing that said this:
Anti-gunner: "Guns are for people who can't use their brains."
Pro-gunner: "Okay, so you wake up at 3am with some guy standing over you with a butcher knife; QUICK! HIT HIM WITH YOUR BRAIN!"
Not only are the posts gone, but Rob Russell's entire weblog is now incinerated down the memory hole:
http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2010/01/rob_russell_is_a_coward.html
It's all relative. If you were to say: "I keep jumper cables handy so I won't be stranded on a dangerously cold night" you would be complimented on your concern for personal safety. There's no difference between jumper cables and a gun, except the intended use. Some people seem to have a hard time grasping this concept.
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