What are the odds

[The Shootest]

What are the odds you will ever use your carry weapon when you are out and about in a self defense situation compared to like winning the power ball?.

[astute]

Originally Posted by The Shootest

What are the odds you will ever use your carry weapon when you are out and about in a self defense situation compared to like winning the power ball?.

While they are very slim, when you look at the amount of crime compared to the amount of Powerball winnings, I'd say I'm glad I can have my gun handy just in case.

[Dudeorific]

Well, in 25+ years of being able to carry (on and off) and only in my home state when I was a Special Police Officer, I have had to pull the weapon 6 times. Only once have I had to fire the weapon. It was 1981 and I was fairly new to Alabama. I was riding my motorcycle learning a few country roads where I lived. I ended up on a 1 lane dead end road and while turning the bike around, an old woman sic'd 4 dogs on me trained to kill. I ended up shooting 3 of them.

At the time I also owned a store. A regular customer had a child caught stealing in my store. The father came in 2 hours laterswinging a baseball bat. Just pulling the weapon ended the incident.

I've pulled 4 times over irate motorists that intended on doing me harm, just because I was an out of stater, or I was in the slow lane and not going fast enough for them.

Latest issue was 2 weeks ago in Alabama. A carload of 4 harrassed me for over 50 miles. I got off of the interstate and went through a town I know. They continued to harass. I finally pulled over in a well lighted area ( it was nighttime), called 911 and left the vehicle, gun in hand. They disappeared. It turned out they were young adults out in Daddy's car, drunken and wanting to harrass/rob an out of stater.

So, as far as I can say, the odds are fairly good you may have to defend yourself. I would never regret carrying as often as I can.

[GeneralSumter]

Winning the powerball odds are 1 in 195,249,054.
Source: some math wizard (Powerball Odds)

The odds of being a victim of a violent crime during adulthood are greater than 2 to 1.
More than one in three (35 percent) of adults are estimated to fall victim to violent crime.
Source: USDOJ, 2002 (Witness Justice: News Room - Crime and Victim Stats)

I'd rather spend my money on another gun rather than 500 power ball tickets. ;)

Hope that wasn't too technical for you... but the best I can come up with on short notice.

[GeneralSumter]

Reading further, on the "Witness Justice" site in my previous post, is it any wonder that:
"The District of Columbia has the highest violent crime rate in the nation" as of 2006, when the gun ban wasn't ruled unconstitutional until 2008?

[JJFlash]

There are plenty of stats on this (see the poster above who did a good job providing some) but the real issue is this: would you rather be caught needing the weapon and not having it, or have it and never have to need it. That's the bottom line to me: I NEVER want to be in a situation where my life, or worse, my family's lives, are in immediate danger and I have no lethal recourse.

JJFlash

[slowride66]

ON the day I Brought home my Twins {matching 380's} I had the opportunity to use them, there was a snake coiled up on my front step.

Being Concrete & all I choose not to shoot it . I still think it was a test.

A few years later I had to expose myself because of a human threat the odds were against me until I something that spits hot lead.

Bottom line is ,

ZZ Top

Its better to have it than to need it a lot!

SR66

[Ceicei]

Before I got my CCW permit, my home was broken into twice (when I was single). There were other incidents also, so the short answer is... Carry!

Chances are good you'll have something unpleasant happening to you. The question would be whether you'd need to use a gun--better to have it available than not. Your chances of needing one is definitely higher than winning a powerball.

- Ceicei

[DarrellM5]

How about "What are the odds of surviving a self defense situation if you aren't carrying?". Like the old quote says "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".

[AuburnFootball]

The odds of needing a weapon to defend yourself is much greater than winning the lottery. If you think about it, there are far more murder and rape victims every week than lottery winners.

I've been in a couple of situations where I used a gun to protect my family and prevent a crime. The most recent was last summer. I was going in to the local Home Depot in the middle of the day with my two kids when a guy rode up on a bicycle. I guess I looked like an easy target since I had young kids with me. He began to threaten me for money, I began pulling a gun, he rode away quickly, and no one but the two of us ever noticed.

At least I had a good story for the wife when I got home and she asked "see anything interesting at Home Depot?"

Richard