[extropy-chat] Guns a choice for the individual

[Matus]

All this talk in the conversation on gun centers around the effects that
guns have in populations, not on individuals.  Does *my* owning a gun,
and learning its proper operation end up making *me* more or less safe?


I don't care if the average person is made less safe on average if more
people have guns, or if the average person is made safer if more people
have guns.  I thought this list was full of rugged individualists!

Do more guns = less crime, or more crime?  Frankly, I am not concerned
with this, I am inclined to feel the evidence suggests the former, but
this may be dependant on other factors, like average income of an area,
average population density, or education levels. 

The question of primary concern is, for an individual, does owning a gun
make one safer or less safe?  This decision will come down to each one
of us, it seems the majority of the people on this list have chosen to
not own a gun.  What made you make that decision?  I do not yet own a
gun, but I intend on buying one and learning its proper operation.  Does
anyone here feel that my owning a gun would make me less safe?  If so, I
am open to hear the compelling arguments, since my goal is to increase
my safety, not an ideological support of owning a gun.

I see a lot of people on this list making pretty severe changes in their
lives for the chance to live longer, for instance, practicing CR, or
exercising regularly and radically altering diet, or taking medication
that might not be proven effective.  Yet I would wager that most of the
individuals would never own a gun, can I only conclude that they feel
this would make them less safe?

Michael