@sfa, dc is a rough place, their crime statistics per small areas is retarded compared to other departments.

@posh, everyone "knows some people" who had "something happen" to them that goes directly against anything which is popular theory. I know cops who've gotten robbed at gun point, while being in full uniform, and had their guns on them.

You are right, guns are not the end all to any confrontation. But they are a great piece of mind, TOOL. They are tools, I can hammer in a nail with my glock just as well as I can with a hammer

SFA has a great point about education. Once a person has been properly educated about guns and gun safety, the chance of them doing something, or allowing something to happen (a crime) is MUCH smaller than someone who is incompetent or has never been educated. Example - self defense shooting in an EXTREMELY high crime area, 2 robbers on 1, who had a concealed carry permit and fatally wounded one robber, otherwise he'd be dead.

Find out the stats on how many people who have VALID licenses to carry commit gun related crimes as compared to those do not have licenses to carry...the proof is right there.