Have you been the victim of a (violent) crime?

[penultimatestraw 473]

Reading the gun threads, it seems quite a few of you have firearms for protection. I've always thought people overestimate their risk of violent crime, but I've been fortunate to live in relatively safe places. Though I've heard of plenty of identity theft and property crime, I haven't much first hand experience. Growing up, my family's riding mover was stolen off our property and I had a pair of boots stolen outside my workplace. Also someone hit me on my bike and drove off. That's it.

 

As far as violent crime, before we met, my ex-wife (34C) was sexually assaulted by one of her supervisors, and a good friend's wife (36C/D) was mugged a few weeks ago - really a purse snatching that evolved to mugging because she wouldn't let go of her bag.

 

What about you? For the gun owners, have you ever used your firearm for self protection or to deter a crime?

[MDC 7,882]

Not really, no. It's actually kind of incredible the amount of time I've lived in or around a major city without being the victim of a serious crime other than minor theft / vandalism etc.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Not really, no. It's actually kind of incredible the amount of time I've lived in or around a major city without being the victim of a serious crime other than minor theft / vandalism etc.

I was thinking the same thing. I grew up in Atlanta, and Honolulu isn't a small city either. Granted, I've been in the suburbs most of the time.

 

It also seems like the guys that are most fearful for their safety live out in the boonies.

[JTB 52]

Crime or violent crime? Thread title seems misleading compared to your op.

 

Please add violent to your thread title. TIA.

[JTB 52]

And to answer your question. No, I haven't had to use my arsenal of weapons for fending off violent threats yet.

 

Then again, I haven't used my life insurance yet either, but I still have it just in case. Just like you Pen, just like you.

[edjr 6,898]

I loaned someone $400 and have yet to see any of it.

 

is that a crime?

[cyclone24 1,935]

I endured the tv series LOST and its horrific ending....charges pending.

[BLS 314]

According to the BJS, as of 2013, every person in the US over the age of 12 statistically has a 1 in 43 chance (year over year) of being involved in a violent crime (forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, homicide/murder).

 

 

1 in 43.

 

If 1 of every 43 planes crashed, would you get on one?

 

ETA: Yes, I've been attacked. I also could have helped a woman once when I was younger, and didn't.

No, my gun has never been drawn to de-escalate a situation, but I came close once for the defense of a young man being beaten by 4 thugs. Instead I recorded them on my phone, had fiancé call 911, put right hand on gun in truck and told them "you're all going to jail".

 

They looked at me like I was next till they read the side of my truck that said "Firearms Training" and they left.

I followed them in the truck, giving turn by turn directions to the PO PO. They caught em.

[penultimatestraw 473]

And to answer your question. No, I haven't had to use my arsenal of weapons for fending off violent threats yet.

 

Then again, I haven't used my life insurance yet either, but I still have it just in case. Just like you Pen, just like you.

Funny you mention life insurance. I have it as a benefit of employment, but downgraded it (pay nothing) as I don't think it's important for a childless couple who are both gainfully employed. I also have the minimum auto insurance. But I like to live life on the edge.

 

And I am interested in all types of crime. But unlike violent crime, just about everyone has experienced identity or property theft.

[penultimatestraw 473]

According to the BJS, as of 2013, every person in the US over the age of 12 statistically has a 1 in 43 chance (year over year) of being involved in a violent crime (forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, homicide/murder).

 

 

1 in 43.

 

If 1 of every 43 planes crashed, would you get on one?

 

ETA: Yes, I've been attacked. I also could have helped a woman once when I was younger, and didn't.

No, my gun has never been drawn to de-escalate a situation, but I came close once for the defense of a young man being beaten by 4 thugs. Instead I recorded them on my phone, had fiancé call 911, put right hand on gun in truck and told them "you're all going to jail".

 

They looked at me like I was next till they read the side of my truck that said "Firearms Training" and they left.

I followed them in the truck, giving turn by turn directions to the PO PO. They caught em.

That stat is misleading, as crime is concentrated in poor urban areas, and women are more at risk too. I doubt my odds are anywhere near that number. But while we're talking odds, your lifetime risk of dying of heart disease or cancer is 1 in 7. Are you doing everything you can to lessen that risk? Unlike eating right, exercising regularly, not smoking, or drinking in excess, owning a firearm increases your risk of self-harm. What is the lifetime risk of dying from self-harm? 1 in 97.

[BLS 314]

That stat is misleading, as crime is concentrated in poor urban areas. I doubt my odds are anywhere near that number. But while we're talking odds, your lifetime risk of dying of heart disease or cancer is 1 in 7. Are you doing everything you can to lessen that risk? Unlike eating right, exercising regularly, not smoking, or drinking in excess, owning a firearm increases your risk of self-harm. What is the lifetime risk of dying from self-harm? 1 in 97.

 

You're free to do whatever you want. Means absolutely nothing to me either way.

[penultimatestraw 473]

 

You're free to do whatever you want. Means absolutely nothing to me either way.

Of course. But if the yearly risk of a violent crime for every adult is roughly 2%, we should have plenty of crime victims on the board. I just want some perspective, as me and my loved ones have been very lucky thus far.

[jerryskids 7,085]

I've lived in or near Boston and Phoenix for more than 1/2 my life and never had a problem. My brother and I were almost held up on Market Street in Philly (brother had a gun in his face), but the kids spooked and ran. That event did not make me want to carry a gun.

[MDC 7,882]

Of course. But if the yearly risk of a violent crime for every adult is roughly 2%, we should have plenty of crime victims on the board. I just want some perspective, as me and my loved ones have been very lucky thus far.

I'm guessing the risk is much higher among women, younger people, minorities and the poor.

[vuduchile 1,947]

I've never been the victim of a violent crime. I've lived in NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, CT, Dallas, Indiana, Michigan and the DC suburbs.

 

I've felt unsafe at certain times, but have managed to avoid any serious situations.

 

My immediate family consists of my wife and 2 sons. My extended family consists of my mom, dad, 2 uncles, 1 aunt and 13 cousins.

 

Unless you count getting into a bar fight, not a single one of them has ever been the victim of a violent crime.

[BLS 314]

I've lived in or near Boston and Phoenix for more than 1/2 my life and never had a problem. My brother and I were almost held up on Market Street in Philly (brother had a gun in his face), but the kids spooked and ran. That event did not make me want to carry a gun.

 

I can respect that. I wonder though, if you've never been in a car accident, why wear your seatbelt?

[jerryskids 7,085]

 

I can respect that. I wonder though, if you've never been in a car accident, why wear your seatbelt?

I don't get the analogy.

 

Also I have no problem with people who carry, as I hope I've established. That particular situation would just have been escalated if my brother or I had had a gun. Also we were drunk...

[MDC 7,882]

 

I can respect that. I wonder though, if you've never been in a car accident, why wear your seatbelt?

Your odds of being murdered are something like 1 in 19,000. Your odds of dying in a car crash are around 3x greater than that regardless of whether you're wearing a seat belt.

 

Carrying a gun everywhere would be like wearing a crash helmet and body armor every time you get into a car.

[BLS 314]

I don't get the analogy.

 

Also I have no problem with people who carry, as I hope I've established. That particular situation would just have been escalated if my brother or I had had a gun. Also we were drunk...

 

I've lived in or near Boston and Phoenix for more than 1/2 my life and never had a problem. My brother and I were almost held up on Market Street in Philly (brother had a gun in his face), but the kids spooked and ran. That event did not make me want to carry a gun.

 

 

Maybe I'm off-base, but my point was to correlate your experience above, with the fact that just because most people have not been in a car accident, doesn't mean it's not a good idea to wear a seatbelt.

 

I respect your choice. And honestly not trying to suggest you're being foolish by not wanting to carry a gun. So don't take my post as antagonistic.

 

I'm simply saying there's too much at risk to not have some protection for yourself and your family. We are all VICTIMS of our own experiences.

We are limited to what we see and believe by them. If you could live inside a cops head for a day, you'd never leave your home without one. But that's one extreme to the other. As an intelligent, successful, business man you know life is about balance.

[BLS 314]

Your odds of being murdered are something like 1 in 19,000. Your odds of dying in a car crash are around 3x greater than that regardless of whether you're wearing a seat belt.

 

Carrying a gun everywhere would be like wearing a crash helmet and body armor every time you get into a car.

 

Nice cherry picking. Violent Crime....1 in 43. I covered that earlier.

[MDC 7,882]

 

Nice cherry picking. Violent Crime....1 in 43. I covered that earlier.

So you're going to carry a gun every day to deal with the possibility that you may be the victim of a violent crime, the overwhelming majority of which you're going to walk away from no problem, even though you are almost certainly not in the demographic who are likely to be assaulted.

 

Do you also wear SPF 50 sunscreen every day and grounded shoes to make sure you survive lightning?

[BLS 314]

So you're going to carry a gun every day to deal with the possibility that you may be the victim of a violent crime, the overwhelming majority of which you're going to walk away from no problem, even though you are almost certainly not in the demographic who are likely to be assaulted.

 

Do you also wear SPF 50 sunscreen every day and grounded shoes to make sure you survive lightning?

 

I do carry a gun every day. And I have never used it, nor hope to.

[MDC 7,882]

 

I do carry a gun every day. And I have never used it, nor hope to.

That's fine. I have no real issue with concealed carry. I just think saying it's for safety is kind of silly. There are many other bad things that could happen to you that you probably do not take any precautions for.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Your odds of being murdered are something like 1 in 19,000. Your odds of dying in a car crash are around 3x greater than that regardless of whether you're wearing a seat belt.

 

Carrying a gun everywhere would be like wearing a crash helmet and body armor every time you get into a car.

No, it wouldn't, because the helmet and body armor incrementally improve your chances of surviving a crash. The gun increases your risk of a violent death.

[MDC 7,882]

No, it wouldn't, because the helmet and body armor incrementally improve your chances of surviving a crash. The gun increases your risk of a violent death.

There is so much circumstance in here that I don't know you can make that claim.

[penultimatestraw 473]

 

 

Maybe I'm off-base, but my point was to correlate your experience above, with the fact that just because most people have not been in a car accident, doesn't mean it's not a good idea to wear a seatbelt.

 

I respect your choice. And honestly not trying to suggest you're being foolish by not wanting to carry a gun. So don't take my post as antagonistic.

 

I'm simply saying there's too much at risk to not have some protection for yourself and your family. We are all VICTIMS of our own experiences.

We are limited to what we see and believe by them. If you could live inside a cops head for a day, you'd never leave your home without one. But that's one extreme to the other. As an intelligent, successful, business man you know life is about balance.

I don't have the stats, but I think most people have been in a car accident. And many have benefitted from seatbelts. Probably multiple people you know, and plenty on this board. I was T-boned by a driver running a red light, and I'm glad I wore my seatbelt. Not to mention it's the law in most states.

 

My point is "too much" risk is in the eye of the beholder. One's opinion might not reflect reality particularly well.

[penultimatestraw 473]

There is so much circumstance in here that I don't know you can make that claim.

I quoted the research finding in the other thread - gun owners are more likely to be victims of gun homicides than those without a firearm.

[MDC 7,882]

I quoted the research finding in the other thread - gun owners are more likely to be victims of gun homicides than those without a firearm.

We are talking specifically about BLS, a gun expert, concealed carrying. I don't think it's fair to take stats that show all gun owners are likely to be involved in a gun related crime or suicide and take the leap that BLS becomes less safe every time he carries.

[penultimatestraw 473]

We are talking specifically about BLS, a gun expert, concealed carrying. I don't think it's fair to take stats that show all gun owners are likely to be involved in a gun related crime or suicide and take the leap that BLS becomes less safe every time he carries.

I'm sure BLS is far better at defending himself than the average bear, but I don't think he's immune to a crime of passion. The thing is, the likelihood of the latter far outweighs the chance of some random intruder threatening his life.

 

And if you are talking about overall safety, I'd wager he is no less suicidal than the average person, but he has lethal means readily at his disposal.

[MDC 7,882]

I'm sure BLS is far better at defending himself than the average bear, but I don't think he's immune to a crime of passion. The thing is, the likelihood of the latter far outweighs the chance of some random intruder threatening his life.

 

And if you are talking about overall safety, I'd wager he is no less suicidal than the average person, but he has lethal means readily at his disposal.

You should be called pedanticstraw.

 

My point was that "safety" is a silly reason to concealed carry given that there are many other bad things that could happen to a person that guys like BLS probably don't prepare for every morning.

 

I've got no big problem with concealed carry. I would venture to guess these guys are far better trained than the average gun owner and infinitely less likely to perpetrate crime.

 

I just don't buy safety as a reason to carry a gun every day unless there's some crazy circumstance, like you're carrying huge amounts of cash or routinely in bad neighborhoods for your job etc.

[patweisers44 865]

I've been in a restaurant that got shot up, but I wasn't a victim there. Got hit by a car on my bike by a guy with no license, but I wouldn't call the crime in that case violent.

 

I would vote no.

[penultimatestraw 473]

You should be called pedanticstraw.

 

My point was that "safety" is a silly reason to concealed carry given that there are many other bad things that could happen to a person that guys like BLS probably don't prepare for every morning.

 

I've got no big problem with concealed carry. I would venture to guess these guys are far better trained than the average gun owner and infinitely less likely to perpetrate crime.

 

I just don't buy safety as a reason to carry a gun every day unless there's some crazy circumstance, like you're carrying huge amounts of cash or routinely in bad neighborhoods for your job etc.

That is part of my point as well. I really don't know why we ever bicker about gun issues, as we are pretty much on the same page.

[MDC 7,882]

That is part of my point as well. I really don't know why we ever bicker about gun issues, as we are pretty much on the same page.

I think you overplay your hand a little on the stats and it's misleading. Otherwise I don't see any real disagreement.

[rholio 339]

First time in Detroit, 17yrs old. Hurrying past an alley and had a guy try to mug me. Was just drunk enough to start swinging, not too drunk for it to not work. Put the boots to him and starting looking for a cop...

 

Long story short, I mugged a guy in Detroit.

[penultimatestraw 473]

I think you overplay your hand a little on the stats and it's misleading. Otherwise I don't see any real disagreement.

I have no idea how using objective data (versus opinion or "common sense") is overplaying anything. Or misleading. But it's all a colossal time waster anyway, as changing someone's opinion on gun control is about as likely as a middle class suburbanite saving themselves with a concealed firearm.

[RaiderHaters Revenge 4,543]

I had an attempted break in once but it set off my alarm and they ran

[MDC 7,882]

I have no idea how using objective data (versus opinion or "common sense") is overplaying anything. Or misleading. But it's all a colossal time waster anyway, as changing someone's opinion on gun control is about as likely as a middle class suburbanite saving themselves with a concealed firearm.

Lumping suicide rates in with gun crimes is to me having fun with numbers. So is the assumption that stats regarding overall gun ownership and safety apply to a gun dealer / expert. That's our only point of disagreement.

[penultimatestraw 473]

I had an attempted break in once but it set off my alarm and they ran

I had an alarm in my first home in Hawaii. The alarm went off in the middle of the night when I was home alone and it was pretty scary. Not sure if it was a false alarm, but I can imagine having a gun in that situation would have lessened the fear.

 

Fortunately, I no longer have an alarm.

[Meglamaniac 792]

_{Many violent encounters but only 2 come to mind where I would consider myself a 'victim'}

_{1. Closing up the bar and bringing out the deposit bag, was hit in the back of the head with a brick, lost the damn nightly deposit}

_{2. Was bouncing a local dive and had to remove a guy for starting a fight with his ex, later I walker her to her car as she was still fearfull, dude tries to run us over in his truck, was able to shove her out of the way but he got me in the shoulder with his side mirror as I tried to get out of the way before he slammed into her car.}

[penultimatestraw 473]

Lumping suicide rates in with gun crimes is to me having fun with numbers. So is the assumption that stats regarding overall gun ownership and safety apply to a gun dealer / expert. That's our only point of disagreement.

Fair enough.