[BC] Personal protection (was other subjects)

[Cowboy]

On Tuesday 01 August 2006 11:13 pm, Dave Dunsmoor wrote:
> > Should engineers carry firearms?
> 
> Personal choice. Entirely.

 TRUE !

 Of course, for me, it's a JOB !
 NO job, with the possible exception of a military career, secret service,
 or some such, is worth dieing for !
 As such, if it's THAT dangerous, and I know it, get someone else.

> > Yes, I know, many have a "no weapon" policy. And then you get to
> > decide which policy/law to ignore ... and deal with consequences.
> 
> My policies regarding personal safety/protection supercede all others.
> Entirely.

 Agreed !
 There are already so many confusing and contradictory laws and policies
 that it's impossible to know them all, except in a very small community.
 It may well be illegal to defend yourself.
 That's a possibility I'll deal with later, but alive.

 Of course, as above, it's my opinion that the BEST way, is to simply
 stay out of harms way to the extent possible.

> However, as it happens, I am fortunate in that I do not work in any
> situation that
> would cause me to carry weapons.

 It's a choice. I choose to simply not work there.
  ( Note that I work neither in the Secret Service, not the military. )
 If that choice isn't practical, then hire an off-duty cop as an armed escort.
 I know of no jurisdiction where this isn't possible.
 If the cops won't go there, armed, trained, etc. then it's a safe bet
 I won't go there either.

 It's RADIO ! No one will die because a few spots get missed.
 It's a safe bet that I value my life above commercials, and above
 the cost of hiring an escort.

> If I did, then this would mean that I either carry, or don't go, and I make
> the decision, no one else.

 Again, agreed !
 Were that the case, I'd carry a large caliber weapon with low powered
 shot shells, commonly called snake loads.
 I'm not interested in taking a life !
 I'm not interested in inflicting damage of any kind.
 My interest is only in preventing damage from being inflicted on me.
 As such, snake loads allow one to "miss" and still hit the target, while
 at the same time inflicting minimal damage, but in close quarters will
 still inflict a great deal of pain, and a direct hit will still put a man down.

 A gun is an OFFENSIVE weapon, not a defense of any kind.

 Permanent solutions ( dead people ) are rarely good solutions to temporary problems !!

 While I choose to avoid a gun fight at any cost, only a blithering idiot
 brings a knife, or pepper spray, to a gun fight !

 I'm a target shooter.
 5 inch paper at 30 yards, I rarely miss.
 Would I be that good under the kind of pressure where the target is
 shooting at me ?
 While I'd *like* to think so, the reality is probably not.
 It's a question I'd rather not know the answer.

-- 
Cowboy