Justice

I'm glad you recognize the heinous nature of rape. But while you've changed your position about the appropriate punishment for it, I have not.

I obviously disagree with you, but let me clarify why. Of course a gun is not a guarantee of escaping rape, as I recognized earlier. The reason I advocate them for self-defense is b/c I think they represent a better CHANCE at stopping a rape.
The reason I cited fear of guns and hurting rapists (mortally, if need be) as reasons why women don't escape more rapes is an indirect one and I should have made that more clear...it's not b/c I think women make the decision not to fight back at all during a rape attempt out of fear of somehow hurting a rapist in their own self-defense, but b/c I think women don't have that shot at a better chance to defend themselves if the situation arises b/c society pounds it into womens' heads that only evil people use evil guns to do evil things and the idea of KILLING an attacker is somehow made to seem immoral. Guns are always made to seem like the villain, and I can understand that--b/c they usually are used by criminals rather than victims. The fact that a gun MIGHT just be a lifesaver isn't shouted quite as loud. Consequently, I don't think many women buy guns b/c they are made to fear them and that they can be used against themselves than be used BY them in defense of themselves. Rather than training women in the proper use of guns, women are told to fear them. I experienced this personally b/c when I finally mustered up the courage to buy a gun, I still felt like a criminal for months just possessing it in my residence--not to mention actually carrying it with me concealed. Reading the handgun rules of any # of states, or any # of organizations trying to rid the world of guns completely, is probably enough to scare a person into not buying one, considering the penalties for carrying inadvertantly somewhere that doesn't allow it, and the hellfire and damnation that is attached to using a gun at all. I'm not saying a woman gets raped b/c she doesn't have a gun. I'm saying that a woman might have a better chance at escaping a rape if she has a gun and knows how to use it and is not afraid of using it.

I agree.

I maintain that the will to use it ,and when used properly, it is.

I apologize for the strawman, but I couldn't understand why you seem so against guns. I still maintain that the guns themselves and the number of them in the world are not dangerous unless used inappropriately. If everyone in the world carried a gun and didn't use it unless necessary, I don't think the world would be any more dangerous than it is today. I do think a lot of crime would be prevented b/c potential victims would sometimes be better able to defend themselves.

Considering the # of rapes I alone hear about, I sometimes think the world is pretty wild. And they're just the ones I hear/read about. And the fact that you haven't ever felt threatened enough to feel a need for a gun does not make the world safer for any number of other people--esp. women. As a man, you have a totally different perspective of threats in the world. And I don't think that you have as sensitive a perception of some threats that a woman does--about rape for ex.

I wonder what the guys think of that...I've yet to hear a reasonable alternative suggested from you.

Bad description on my part--what I meant was people with no history of violent crime (and obviously no mental health issues either). Of course, "law-abiding" was way too general a phrase.

I hate it and wish it could be stopped and don't have a magical solution either. BUt I've shared my ideas on the subject. I think we obviously agree to disagree on how the problem should be handled. So I'm going to leave it at that I think. Later.