Best rebuttal to "You live in [small town], why do you need..."

[Carnes]

If I have time, I'll usually try to just go through the whole cost benefit analysis with the person.

The reality is that the town I live in is not very dangerous. There is some crime, but the overwhelming majority of violent crime here is not random. If you don't get involved in criminal stuff here, chances of being the victim of violence are pretty close to nil. But there is still that chance. There are crazy people in the world, and they won't call me ahead of time to let me know when they are going to be doing crazy things.

So, the chances of me needing a gun in this town are really low. So that means the benefit of me carrying a gun is pretty low... And that's half the equation.

The other half is, 'what is the cost for me to carry a gun?' Well, I already have the gun. I would shoot and train whether I carried a gun or not, so those don't factor in as costs to carry. I'd have ammo on hand whether I carried or not, so there is no cost there. Really, the only monetary cost is the LTCF fee.

So, the cost/benefit analysis says that if you give me 35 bucks ever five years, I'll stop any random wacko from harming you... Seems like a good deal to me.

Now, arguably there are other costs. Guns are dangerous, but I like living a more disciplined life so having a gun keeps me on my toes and I see that as more of a benefit than a cost. The gun has weight, but carrying extra weight helps keep me more healthy another benefit. Dressing to conceal is about the only cost that I don't particularly care for, but considering that I get a lot of other benefits beyond just self defense, I can deal with that.

So, given the cost/benefit analysis, why shouldn't I carry a gun? I just carry it everywhere I legally can. I probably won't need it, but it doesn't hurt me to carry it. I could understand it not being worth it to carry if it were some major chore, or really dangerous. Maybe if it were really expensive or took a lot of time out of my life... but as it stands I really don't lose anything by carrying and I stand to gain much. If I ever do need the gun, the return on the investment will be incalculable .

And really, the bottom line is that self-defense is an individual responsibility. It is my personal duty to have the right tools and training to get the job done. If I get killed by some thug or nut-job the only person I will ever have to blame is myself. I don't want to spend the rest of my life blaming myself for not being better prepared.




People typically respond pretty well when I walk them through the whole thought process.

[bigandy1966]

Nobody around me who knows I carry has to ask, they just know.


Raccoon City=Zombie Ground Zero

[rodder]

"in case i need to shoot somebody."

my favorite.

[bighornjd]

I like to answer questions like that with another question.

For example maybe, "what does where I live have to do with anything" or "why do you ask stupid questions"

[rikilii]

Because criminals have cars.

I live in a "small town" that's a 10 minute drive from downtown Trenton, and 20 minutes from Philadelphia.

[Edg]

I see people around here are being shot and stabbed around here all the time on the news.

[03scf250]

Because we have no local police and the only coverage is through the PSP barracks 15 miles away. Do you really think the'll be here in time?
Fortunately I live on and am surrounded by farms and I think some of the city thugs are scared they might end up as fertilizer.

[TaePo]

If nothing ever happens in small towns, then why are you so concerned about me carrying a gun???

[Plinker]

Because we have no local police and the only coverage is through the PSP barracks 15 miles away. Do you really think the'll be here in time?
Fortunately I live on and am surrounded by farms and I think some of the city thugs are scared they might end up as fertilizer.

Yup... what he said !

Plinker

[IronButt]

Nobody says squat to me when I OC. Maybe I don't look friendly enough to engage in conversation. Come to think of it, that's probably it.

I'd just ask, "Why do you have car insurance?"; or "Why do you have a fire extinguisher?"