.40 .45 or 9mm

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Double check driving habits, DUI's, and people not wearing their seatbelts, and you can cut down that statistic by quite a bit. Most people are idiots behind the wheel and the very same people shouldn't be operating firearms either.

What the driving statistic says to me isn't that we should prevent all people from driving or owning guns. No, it says to me that we need STRICTER driver's license requirements, testing, training, and issuance. I don't understand people who flip out about guns when there are people flying around on the roads in giant machinery that is just as dangerous. Get the morons off the road. . . just as you should keep guns out of the hands of morons too.

I've been robbed before. . . and I've been assaulted too (both in the USA). Hey, I was "jumped" by 10+ drunk college dudes wanting to "brawl." And I've also been crashed into by other cars. . . once by a police officer that ran a red light with his lights on but no siren (and I was on a motorcycle at the time). Now I can't exactly "defend" myself against other drivers (there is only so much you can do, defensively). You can't exactly shoot at someone before they crash into you. But you can definitely stop a robbery in progress. . .

Watt - we're going to have to agree to disagree. I live in an area where we don't get "10+ drunk college dudes" wanting to brawl. I don't get to areas where I'm likely to meet them, either. By choice.

I'm an old phart of 55, and I love where I live and how I live. No fear! ;-)

[djct_watt]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Watt - we're going to have to agree to disagree. I live in an area where we don't get "10+ drunk college dudes" wanting to brawl. I don't get to areas where I'm likely to meet them, either. By choice.

I'm an old phart of 55, and I love where I live and how I live. No fear! ;-)

I'm not forcing my beliefs on you, just saying not everyone can be as fortunate as you. As you can tell from my post, I don't live there anymore. But some people cannot choose where they live and where they find jobs. Not everyone has that luxury. But yeah, stats like the one you posted make me far less concerned about the people who (legally) bought guns than I am over DUI offenders still being allowed to drive.

[why?]

I agree with the getting the gun that has the least expensive practice ammo for your daily carry. Never mind that most the world uses 9mm with great success.

Originally Posted by SailDesign

I'm just glad I live somewhere that doesn't make me feel like I need a "daily carry", or ANY "carry", come to that. I have a 20-gauge side-by-side and a Winchester 52 target rifle, all locked up snug - haven't pulled them out for use since we sold the farm. Travelling anywhere in New England, I have yet to feel "the need" for a carry-along. And that suits me fine.

I think there are maybe 6 or so areas in all of new england that must be avoided, the rest are all ok.

Originally Posted by MadMax

Well, Rhode Island is considerably safe; but since the population of the entire state is about half of the metro area of the city I live in, I wonder if that's because there's no one around!

Seriously, the crime stats for RI are low; but there were still 2,660 violent crimes there in 2009 (to include 39 murders, 287 forceable rapes, 786 robberies, 1,556 assaults) for a population just slightly over one million people, so it isn't like crime doesn't exist!

Heck, even in this metro are of well over two million, the chances of being a victim of a violent crime are low; but they go much lower when you have the ability to defend yourself!

I guess it's just the life of a sheepdog...

Cheers! M2

NE is safe. There are a few parts of boston where you should not tread, and maybe the same can be said for a few of the smaller cities, but that is about it.

While I am a fan of guns, and will eventually get a license to carry, I have never felt I needed one. And if you avoid the cities, there is almost no violent crime. Even in the college cities, there just aren't those type of incidents.