Guns for self defense. A manifestation of cowardice.

[Ed Suspicious]

Reflection on The Screwtape Letters, specifically on the irredeemable vice of cowardice. Written by C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters is composed in the form of a series of letters from an elder demon (Screwtape) to a lesser demon (Wormwood). The letters are meant to evaluate and guide Wormwood in his progress at tempting and manipulating his target (the Patient) from a life of good that would lead him to god into a life that would wind the patient up in the depths of hell where his soul would serve as the sustenance upon which all creatures of Hell feast.

Cowardice is the trickiest sin for the devils to exploit because there seems to be a natural inclination for people to find no redeeming qualities within it. It is said to be a truly shameful state of being. A lot of people I come across in my daily discussions who would undoubtedly consider themselves good Christians exhibit a certain type of cowardice, but in this case it does seem to have lead to pridefulness that should be the most exploitable of vices.

Mostly I speak of those who live in seemingly safe and relatively low-crime areas, feeling justified in their desire to concealed-carry sidearms. They take this precautionary step of arming themselves for fear of one day needing it and being without the power to best equalize a situation where they or a family member find themselves to be a victim of a violent crime. The act of carrying a weapon in a largely safe environment bolsters not their safety, we all know that most of those who are subject to gun violence are family members who find themselves now in a position to make a fatal mistake, but rather it effectively only serves to exaggerate their fear.

The mere act of taking a precaution when the precaution itself can offer such potentially deadly repercussions is crazy to me and smacks of cowardice. They might argue that the act of arming themselves is similar to insuring their investment in their homes against the unlikelihood of tornadoes or flood damage in areas that don't often succumb to floods. This argument doesn't hold up simply because the consequence of over insurance or even unnecessary insurance is a marginal loss of working capital within the household. A bit less discretionary spending is a minor issue of comfort. It's really not much of a trade off. The potential for a loved one to succumb to harm from the object of unnecessary precaution, that is a loaded weapon (and it seems they argue that keeping the weapon unloaded until the threat actually presents itself makes the precaution pointless and wholly ineffective), they, due to a fear fueled simply by taking the precaution, find this an acceptable trade off. It sounds as though it plays directly into devil’s hands.

Any thoughts?

[badtoworse]

1. Sounds like a crock to me. Everyone's situation is different

A person's perception of risk and their own vulnerability is inherently subjective. Applying an objective standard to that is not reasonable.

[Ed Suspicious]

3. I'm curious, statistically speaking, where in America does gun ownership for self defense

trump the risk? I'm not trying to be snotty when I ask that question, either. I wouldn't even know how to quantify it given that the mere display of a gun may scare off an assailant, and the fact that many times small children play with guns and the gun doesn't kill someone.

Added during edit.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9715182

This says 4:1 guns discharged inside the home are more likely not in the prevention of a crime.

[badtoworse]

12. The short answer is anywhere a responsible, law abiding adult believes it does.

There risks as well as responsibilities to owning firearms. I trust people to evaluate those things and make rational, informed decisions about whether they want to own a gun. I don't believe the government or anyone else should make that decision for them.

Read the papers about women who are raped, old people beaten and robbed in their own homes, gays beaten by homophobes, hate crimes, etc.. Wherever those things happened or could happen are areas where gun ownership trumps the risk, at least in my opinion.

[Hoyt]

2. You'll never get the gun crowd to acknowledge the reality, but I agree.

I think most of them are like Elliot Rodger in this respect: "After I picked up the handgun, I brought it back to my room and felt a new sense of power. I was now armed. Who’s the alpha male now . . . . . ."

That's hard for them to give up, even if they know the harm guns do to society. So they rationalize a bunch of excuses to continue strapping guns on to venture out or to buy another for their weapons cache.

[dilby]

4. How often are women raped in this country?

Because last time I checked even the safest neighborhoods have rapists.

[LanternWaste]

8. Obvious to even the barely literate who he is and is not writing of...

I would think it's obvious to even the barely literate who he is and is not writing of by his use the of the qualifier "in this case". Seems as though victims of rape are not included his statement, "but in this case it does seem to have lead to pridefulness that should be the most exploitable of vices....".

However, I can certainly see how bias and dogma would tempt one to read that into it for the sake of ethical convenience.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. Pretty much sums it up.

A large number of the gun-crazed are also motivated by the hope that an opportunity will arise that they can exploit so that they can use their precious deadly toys to murder somebody with no repercussions. See for example Zimmerman.

[Erose999]

6. Just read the comments of a crime report, nutters will say "I wish that had happened to me so I

could have shot somebody". They're really, really, pathetic.

[DrDan]

7. I have had posts hidden for making that same claim . . . I continue to stand by it

[Shandris]

9. I guess in a low-danger relatively safe area...

...keeping a loaded gun would be just that -- cowardice. (Further to the point, I think keeping a LOADED gun is, no matter what type of area.) But not all of us live in those kinds of neighborhoods, either. I notice that the most strident anti-gun people on this forum (and for clarity, I am not pro gun nor anti gun. I am ambivalent on the topic, with a somewhat more nuanced view than either side appreciates) live in neighborhoods where this would apply, not neighborhoods like mine. While I do not personally own a gun of any kind, I wouldn't be upset to find that a neighbor does nor could I consider it cowardice or any other kind of descriptive of that sort. Well...for the most part. There are a couple of men who I think we'd all be better off without their having a gun, but they aren't keeping it for self-defense either.

[TheFrenchRazor]

10. you DA MAN!!! thanks for telling little 105lb, 75 year old women that they just need to man up

and take on that gang of teenage thugs bare-handed.

[Ed Suspicious]

11. You win for ignoring all relevant details in the argument and responding with hyperbolic bullshit.

Just kidding. You lose.

[billh58]

13. The NRA and the right-wing gun lobby

have used "you need a gun for self-defense" as a highly successful marketing ploy over the years. The actual numbers of self-defense uses which are classified as "justifiable homicides" don't support the premise however: 312 in 2012.

Guns in the home greatly increase the dangers (and the odds) of domestic violence with a gun, accidental death from a gun, and suicide by gun.

Bottom line is that more innocent people are killed with guns by far, than are criminals engaged in personal attacks.

[ManiacJoe]

14. The use of "cowardice" needs better explaining.

The mere act of taking a precaution when the precaution itself can offer such potentially deadly repercussions is crazy to me and smacks of cowardice.

Being prepared to handle a bad situation, as unlikely as that situation may be, has nothing to do with courage/cowardice. Preparedness is about planning and responsibility. Preparedness is about being able to survive a bad situation until the situation ends or until help arrives.

[Lee-Lee]

15. I've used a gun to defend myself, yet it hasn't harmed anyone

So far I think I come out ahead in the equation.

Do you want to tell me just how being proactive for my own security is being a coward again?