Top Gun actress Kelly McGillis says she has been issued a conceal and carry gun permit after being assaulted during a break-in at her home on June 17.That's not a bad idea.
Still, one thing to do is have some awareness of when things are wrong and back up.
McGillis painted a dramatic picture of the June 17 incident in a Facebook post the day after it happened. After noticing an odd light on and finding the front door unlocked when she got home that Friday night, she noticed two pairs of sandals inside the house, one large and one small.Finding the front door unlocked would have been the time to back out and call in the local po-po.
Even with a gun, going into a building and clearing it single-handed is a very bad idea, even for professionals, or those with a boatload of training.
I would say especially with a gun, unwise to enter...you may shoot a child who surprises you, you may provide a criminal a weapon to use on you, etc. The idea that a gun is a magic talisman that protects you is way too common. My theory has always been that if I'm going to a place that I feel "I need" to be carrying, I need to ask myself why I am going there. It isn't a decider on carry/not carry, but simply a point of reference to figure out why I'm even thinking of doing something.
ReplyDeleteCP88... Exactly. I worked as an investigator for the public defender's office many years ago and 'Do I REALLY need to do this' was foremost in my mind. Kept me out of trouble many times. And the next question I asked myself, 'Is there a better way to do this', helped too. There are too many cops and PIs out there that view a dicey, dangerous situation was some sort of personal challenge. And they're the ones we read about.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you two have that choice.
ReplyDeleteSomeone came to my mother's home, once, and she had a .38 waiting if he made it through the window. If she had tried to go out the door, the bad guy was still out there.
And it's nice Ms. McGillis can get a permit. I, however, in the same city (11th homicide of the year!) as my mother but not being famous, can not get a theoretically available permit.
I don't go places where I "need" a gun. I also don't go places where I would "need" a first-aid kit or a fire extinguisher. I have them, as well.
ReplyDeleteThen you're smarter than most men, CM. You give a man a fire extinguisher, he runs towards any fire he sees, even if it's a stupid idea. You give a man a gun, he runs towards any trouble he sees, even if it's a stupid idea...
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I don't think most men are mature enough to be trusted with a gun because of that testosterone-fueled idiocy. Some things need to be left to the experts -- such as clearing a house when there's a break-in -- but you give a man a tool, immediately he's an expert on use of that tool and doesn't need no steenkin' experts. In most cases that's harmless -- if a man breaks the plumbing with a pipe wrench he doesn't know how to use but he thinks he's an expert on it because, yo, man, yo, you can just call a plumber, after all -- but with a tool designed to kill, well.
Hmm, maybe I need to write a science fiction story about a world where only women are allowed to have guns :).