The times, they are achangin’!
@GKUnion No societal harms from jumper cables. 
I’d call that a false comparison.
The need to feel you need to be “prepared” means you feel the need to protect yourself from something, does it not? You’re the one that mentioned risks and odds in #112. Do you feel your risks and odds are that high that you need to concealed carry everywhere you go? Again, using the odds you liked to mention to build your case for not changing gun laws, is the risk so great? Since it isn’t, seems like there is some fear built into the decision making.
Did I mention not changing gun laws? My comment was specific to irrational fear.
I’d rather not go into too much detail, but I’ve found myself on the wrong end of a gun, and knife, in the past. I’ve also been the victim of an aggravated battery that left me with 52 stitches and almost cost me my dominant eye.
I would say insurance is a good comparison, you hope that you don’t have to use it, but have it as a way to mitigate risk. I don’t live in constant fear, but if I do run into a situation I prefer to be prepared. Unarmed I don’t stand much of a chance against someone bigger and stronger than myself, or even two people, the gun just helps even the odds a bit. There are cops who go through their career without ever having to use their weapon in the line of duty, does that mean they shouldn’t carry one? I do think everyone should have to complete a gun safety course though, if you are going to carry you need to know how to safely use your weapon and the best way to act in various situations.
“There are cops who go through their career without ever having to use their weapon in the line of duty, does that mean they shouldn’t carry one?”
I don’t see the corollary to police whose job is to protect the populace.
I do agree on training courses as well as background checks and lots of other training and licensing. We should expect gun owners to jump through as many hoops as vehicle owners do. Insurance policies for gun owners, like autos, would be a swell idea as well, speaking of insurance.
If guns were insured like autos: auto insurance will not cover you if you or a family member intentionally run over a pedestrian, as they exclude coverage of intentional torts from an insured. If gun insurance was structured like auto insurance with similar exclusions, it would never pay out in the event of a homicide or mass shooting. It would only pay for gun injuries that occurred as a result of accidental shootings.
It is free-market. Walmart can decide to do whatever they want, just as Dick’s did last year
Add Ali’s food store chain to the list.