Reply #15: Of course it does.

[chrisa]

Pulling a gun in a situation that otherwise can be diffused is pure stupidity. As is trying to defend useless items like property or your wallet when you or those around you are in no danger of being shot. Even if you get mugged, what's the chance that the mugger would shoot you? Most just want your money, and that's not worth getting shot or shooting somebody over. Even so, muggers catch you by surprise anyway, so you're not going to have time to pull a gun out. I also agree with the article that it causes people to feel more invincible, causing them to be chased into ambushes or lose their gun to an attacker by making an extremely poor decision that usually costs them their lives (like chasing a burglar out of your house and into the darkness of the night, which is stupid). Police and civlians are prone to making the same mistakes (like a cop who was murdered years ago near where I live because he chased burglars and lost control of the situation).

With that being said, having a gun to protect yourself is an undeniable right given by the Constitution that should never be taken away.