Have you ever thought to yourself, am I too paranoid - I seem to have potential weapons in every room?

[19magic]

Like I've got my knives and pans in the kitchen, my wood whittling tools in the living room. I've got my switch blade in the upstairs hallway, the lid to the toilet tank comes off so that's mine in the bathroom. And I've got scissors and things in the bedroom I'm happy to chuck. I still want to get a steel baseball bat, and ball, cause just having the bat means your intended use is as a weapon. I am tempted to try and get a slingshot, but I don't think I am actually allowed to own a proper one or not lol. Back when I was living in a house I always made sure there was a pile of rocks beside the front door, in case they needed to be thrown or chucked on a foot or something.

And if I'm out or about I often have my keys in my pocket so I can give myself a wolverine hand lol plus I always watch the shadows when I'm walking to see if anyone's following me and keep an eye out for chunky bricks or stones. Nothing has ever happened to me but I don't like the idea of not being prepared.

What's your tactics?

[AmandaYVR]

That is a very good question you are asking yourself. Despite what many do not want to admit or acknowledge, this is about fear. Not all concerns about safety are unwarranted. We survive because we stay aware, and often, on guard. But there comes a point (in one's psyche) when these feelings can run away from us, unfettered, unchecked. The person convinces themself that this is necessary, this is the bare minimum I need to do to survive, but this mentality can create its own problems and side-effects. The person lives in a permanent state of mistrust (and that's 'mistrust', not 'distrust' - there is a difference.) They may choose to forgo experiences because of a presumed or estimated risk. But that risk is often exaggerated, amplified by a now-overactive amygdala.

There are still, and always will be, many regions of the world where there are, in fact, dangers lurking just outside one's door. These people can never fully let their guard down. They learn the lay of that land. They learn the movement and flow of the people. They read body language. It's not a 'sixth sense' so much as knowledge that is acquired over time, learned from careful observation of the environment.

But in the West, and much of North America, anxiety is now at, apparently, all-time highs. Parents fear child abductions, when, in fact, no more children are abducted than in the past. The rates have stayed relatively flat and steady (low). But the parents see that hyper-awareness and hypervigilance as necessary to keep their child safe. What they don't tend to see is the fear factor that they have inadvertently instilled in their child, as they become a young adult.

This might lead into a discussion about why the term 'adulting' is now in everyday use. And why so many teenagers do not have a driver's license. And why the terms 'helicopter parent' and 'bulldozer parent.' Or, the prevalence of residential 'safe rooms.' Or, 'doomsday shelters', you know, "just in case."

I'm not going to get into the guns topic. I'm tired of the arguments on it. If it's not guns, it will be knives. Someone protecting their home is one thing (which I don't necessarily agree with either, but that's beside the point). Legal concealed carry-ons—do we really want everyone armed? Is an armed society safer? And this is the fundamental, which has somehow turned into an ideological debate, question. My answer: Absofuckinglutely not.

Anyway, I commend you for asking yourself this q. Think for yourself. You do not need to be a member of a hive mind. Ask yourself - What am I limiting by maintaining this belief?

[Agape93]

I am paranoid, rightfully so. And I do have weapons all over the place.

[MementoMori777]

felt that, i do laundry, throw kut the trash, get the mail and even sometimes walk around inside my house with a gun, but i dont argue with my better safe than sorry mentality, if someone gonna break into my house while im taking a shit or showering, they got a suprises coming when they least expect it 😂

[MementoMori777]

out*

[lorenzomichael]

No I believe that's just being prepared for any one of the idiots that plague our world to do you harm. People everywhere should never be unprepared for anything at any time anywhere.

[Lliam]

Here in the U. S. we can own guns and use them for self defense, at least in most locales. We don't have to rely on hand to hand combat when in immanent danger.

[19magic]

After seeing all the school shootings, I am glad the most I'll have to worry about is a knife, or another blunt heave object. Also the idea that streets have gun/s in most households is kind of scary. Despite all that I've always wanted to hold and shoot a shotgun, I don't care about handguns or rifles but have wanted to shoot a shotgun.

[Lliam]

For some reason, European media blows gun violence in the U. S. our of proportion.

There are actually very few actual school shootings. Although the few that do occur are tragic. I don't understand that phenomenon. Unfortunately, though, schools are "gun free" zones, and gun free zones are like shooting fish in a barrel.

For years, the total number of firearm related homicides hovered between 14,000 and 16,000 a year. After the covid lockdowns, they rose to around 20,000.
But the FBI says that 80% of firearm homicides are gang related. So, out of 20,000 total, around 4,000 are not gang related. Out of 450,000,000 people in the country at any one time? And 80 to 100 million legal gun owners.

To put the numbers in perspective, 40,000 people die from accidental falls each year. The same number die from accidental poisonings and 500 children a day are hospitalized for accidental poisonings. Motor vehicles kill around 40,000 people every year. Is anyone traumatized by or even aware of those numbers?
Extrapolating from official records, over 400,000 people have probably died as a direct result of the covid jabs globally. Is that being publicized?

And why are the numbers of defensive gun use (DGU) ignored. Credible estimates are around 1.5 million a year. How many rapes, assaults, robberies, burglaries, trauma and murders have been prevented?

I'm not saying that people who don't want guns should own them. But I'm not afraid of them and think they have legitimate uses.

[19magic]

I totally understand their uses and a good defence makes a good offence. I mean that's one of the reasons every western country has nuke deterrence. It's also why I swore off the green party a few years back, (not that I did ever vote for them but I did consider it at one point), they said they were going to get rid of the nuke in Scotland, after all the shit with Russia fuck that.

But at the same time, while I've played shooting games loads of times I've never even seen a handgun before, let alone touched one. While the knowledge of allowance of concealed guns would never put me off from visiting, its a little unnerving, even if I know that to get that license you must be trusted and probably pass certain exams and requirements to do so.

[Lliam]

👍👍👍

[TallAnon]

I used to when I was young, but now I'm confident enough in my body that I don't need a weapon.
If they have a firearm, I'm dead; No need to even consider it.

[19magic]

I wish I could say the same, I used to think differently until I arm wrestled one of the guys and he was a skinny lad and I was always the strongest out of the girls. And while I didn't lose that match I also certainly didn't win. There's also been times I've roughhoused a little with guys and I've gotten my hands pinned, and there's no way I could escape that.

[TallAnon]

Yeah, there's plenty of evidence where highschool guys beat female olympic athletes in their field, it's better to have something to protect yourself.

[Alex8736]

Pepper spray, air horn and a box cutter which all 3 are legal

[19magic]

Pepper spray is illegal here and air horn is okay so long it's a single tone and not multitone.

[exitseven]

Just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you.

[eagle1951]

damn who you expecting to get attacked by

[19magic]

Thats the thing, absolutely nobody lol