[Delkaetre]

Terminus - Guns are a more attractive target for resale, more likely to result in serious injury, don't require close contact for that serious injury or fatality, and are more discreet than a car. They are created and designed simply and solely to kill or wound. (Your gun stats show over a third to nearly a half of gun deaths are homicides- acts of malice, not accident)
Even knives are meant for food, not people. Cars are for transport, road accidents are relatively rare given the amount of time spent driving and even rarer still is a malicious road accident. But guns, when kept at home for defense, are for no reason other than killing people and/or animals. And I just don't see any possible reason for that many guns except for greed and a possible lack of restraint.
I don't deny his right to own them, I question his good judgement in owning so many for no reason other than "I can because the bit of paper says I can".


Deadman- If I was attacked on the street, I'd let them have my handbag. Robbers don't usually want to kill whoever they're robbing- it's just not worth it. It makes the stakes higher in every possible way, destroys the chance of identity theft, and means there's way more chance of someone actually coming after them.
If I was attacked by a random drunk bastard in the street rather than a mugger, I'd be terrified, and I'd probably yell for help and try to calm him down. I'm not good at running, so there wouldn't be much point unless I thought I could get a good lead. I *am* good at calming aggressive drunks down, though. I've had practice. If he attacks me, I'd rather not be armed- in a struggle, it's possible for a physically stronger assailant to disarm you, and that can put your weapon at their hands.

If I was attacked in my own home... I have insurance to cover things. I'd far rather the insurance paid for stolen goods than I risked being killed for trying to be brave and failing to find/load/aim a weapon in time.
At some point later, after the shock and horror and calling the police, I'd be wondering how they got onto the fourth floor through the four different security systems including a keypad and electronic fob that the new place has.
If my adrenaline got the better of me and I thought "No! I cannot let this violent and possibly armed person take my comic books!" then I cannot predict what I would do. Possibilities include throwing the blanket on them to blind them, sneaking out to grab a nearby solid object and hit them with it, biting, etc.

But, quite frankly, if someone who is possibly armed and probably violent wants my stuff that badly, they can have it. I have good locks, double glazed windows and a heavy door. I have household and contents insurance. I do not think that sleeping with a loaded gun under my pillow is wise, or that hoping I can load an empty gun quickly and quietly enough to shoot is effective.

A gun raises the stakes. A gun makes it clear that I am willing to endanger their life. If they're in the middle of my house and I raised a gun to them, I'd be fucked if they shot first. Life isn't like TV, robbers very, very rarely kill.

I feel no need to be armed. I'm moving into an area with statistically higher crime rates, to the largest city in the country, where I plan to be abroad on my own late at night fairly frequently since I want to visit my friends in other parts of the city.
I would rather be unarmed and give them my money than risk being stabbed because they thought I was going to attack them.

Well, that became a bit run on. I'm also fairly sure that it won't have managed to get my views across, because your (deadman's) thought processes seem alien to mine. I don't know how you think the way you do, and why you can't or won't see what seems sensible to me, so if you don't agree with me, or think I'm a pussy, or want to make some snide comment about "seeing how I feel about being unarmed when I really am attacked" or whatever, fine.