Maybe you don’t realize that a firearm is not an instant safety net. There are many instances where just the display of a firearm instantly escalates a non-shooting situation into a shooting situation - which greatly endangers everyone involved (including and especially your family as they’re now near the target of the other shooter and their bullets). 

Another reality that firearms present is they can be taken from the user. Dorks with no experience can and do get their guns taken. 

In both of these situations a gun has made the situation exponentially more dangerous. Often escalating a situation from something that could’ve been avoided with situational awareness into something deadly. 

Force multipliers work both ways. You’re not some badass and your gun has just as much change of getting you or your family killed as it does of “protecting” them. Ignorance to think otherwise. 

 When did I say it was an instant safety net. If the opponent has a gun, the best defense is a gun.  

 You said a gun makes you feel safer. It definitely also makes you and your family less safe in real ways. Don’t slip. 

 Gonna don't make me feel safer. They factually make me safer... 

 I will say that I'm only here because I carry my gun. At BitBlockBoom a few years ago I was jumped by 3 dudes with sticks that beat the snot out of me. If I hadn't had my gun in my middle console of my car I have a feeling I wouldn't have made it out of that one. 

 Well I’m glad you had it and I’m glad you didn’t die. That’s fucked up. 

If you read these replies back I’ve never said I’m anti-gun. I own two firearms, I know how to use them, and grew up using guns. My dad is an ex marine and so was raised with proper firearm training. I don’t concealed carry and I’ve never personally been in a situation where it would’ve helped me. I’m not saying those situations don’t exist though. 

But the situation where a gun can turn a non-deadly situation into a deadly one for both parties is a reality too. There are tradeoffs, always. 

 100%. I've thought many times about the situation and had they had any sense they could have still had a chance because I wasn't prepared at the time to take a life. I was the perfect description of what you were pointing out.

When I pulled two of the guys immediately ran. The third stayed and kept punching me in the face lol if they had all just rushed my arms it could have went many other ways.

This isn't to say I don't train wiht my firearms on the reg either. I could go from holstered to a shot in quick fashion but being ready to take a life was a different thing for me. I'm honestly lucky it played out the way it did. I commend you for all the points you make. I just had to make the point for anyone reading that guns can save your ass lol https://files.freespeech.casa/media/0f563fe2cfdf180cb104586b95873379a0c1fdcfbc301a80c8255f33d15f039d/1ecc5a2a8cb1dfe82ea7b0a9c94edde20d29fea5a6ac035de99473f3aa284e10.webp https://files.freespeech.casa/media/0f563fe2cfdf180cb104586b95873379a0c1fdcfbc301a80c8255f33d15f039d/fc75d250ebd3adcfd115d3b641e03100953f664a4db56251d69356028fcb2707.webp 

 whoops meant to grab the pic of my face but grabbed the cars bashing instead lol https://files.freespeech.casa/media/0f563fe2cfdf180cb104586b95873379a0c1fdcfbc301a80c8255f33d15f039d/864f6d276c5b596c7f3478ca1df30e5feb2ec96e7041b6211ae8c102a5224ab5.webp 

 Were they trying to rob you? That’s a crazy ass story. 

I got jumped and stabbed once but they waited until my back was turned to attack. I was able to fight them off and they got spooked and ran away. In that scenario I was lucky I didn’t go down as things would’ve gotten a lot worse. I’ve thought about it and for sure I couldn’t have accessed a gun while the two dudes were assaulting me. And getting a hypothetical gun taken from me in the melee would’ve made things a lot worse. 

Guns can definitely save your ass. I’m not denying that. But I think most people have never really needed a firearm and probably won’t. And in some cases the firearm can make things worse. But in your situation it sounds like it saved you. 

 Yeah it was a car jacking at an AirBNB I was staying at. The part that still kind of haunts me is that my inaction led to a woman on the other side of the complex I was staying at (this was a gated community!) actually getting car jacked after they ran from me. I've never met her but the cops told me she was ok other than being shook up. I guess it turns out they were a part of some mexican gang because the cops picked them up and asked me to come back to Texas a couple weeks later to ID them but there's no way I could point them out. The first hit I took from the stick literally launched my contact out of my eye so I was fighting blurry the rest of the encounter. 

 Was giving up the keys ever an option? I’ve thought about this in life and I think the best option is to just give a robber with a weapon whatever they want and move on. 

Even if you’re concealed packing if someone pulls out a gun and demands your stuff the safest and smartest thing to do is just give them the goods. Easily replaceable. Not remotely worth getting shot imo 

 I definitely could have but there was important things to my business at the time in the car that would have made for potentially huge issues for others that relied on me but def not worth my life. Lots of lessons about preparedness came from this encounter. 

 I would probably do that too fwiw. The last thing I want to do is shoot someone. A giant headache and a moral weight for the rest of your life. A car isn't worth it.