This is frustrating...

[essjay]

"Funny" story: I bought my first gun a couple years ago. I let it slip to a friend of mine while we were eating lunch, a few days before my pickup date. He didn't make a big deal out of it, but he's pretty clearly against firearms (in general) based on talking to him in the past.

Two days after my pickup date, I find out that he's comatose in a hospital with a fractured skull, because his "mentally-handicapped"/"developmentally-disabled" neighbor hit him from behind over the head with a rock. Now, a firearm wouldn't have done him any good in that particular instance - he was attacked on a public sidewalk, wouldn't have had a CCW, and was hit from behind by someone he knew that he presumably didn't consider to be a threat, and KO'd on impact, with no chance to defend himself - but you'd think that this sort of thing would make him consider that being able to defend yourself in your own home might actually be a valid reason for owning a firearm?

Nope, but he is re-posting every BS-filled link about gun violence he sees on his Facebook. Disappointing.

[Sleighter]

Statistically speaking they're probably more likely to win the bet that they won't be violently attacked than your view that they will. That said, everyone here has already pointed out that the most unexpected things are generally the things that can ruin life the most. But you can lead a horse to water...

[epilepticninja]

Sheep.

Beat me too it. Cept I would have added an "le" on the end.

[enrique L]

A ship stranded on the beach is a Lighthouse to the sea.... Experience is an expensive teacher, Fools will have no other.

[Jimi Jah]

You can't fix stupid.

[Barang]

You've tried and they are not interested so give it a rest. The more you try the further you push them away and soon they'll resent you.

[Glocked@45]

My family has always been against firearms and most of my friends and just about all of my coworkers are clueless. Anyone's opinion of me is none of my business.
I will shoot, buy, collect, train and of course prep for the future, if and when a situation calls for I will be more ready than most.

[pacrat]

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.

You can lead a liberal to logic, but you can't make them think.

None are so blind as those that refuse to see.

[Citadelgrad87]

I never try to convince someone they need a firearm.

I do, when they ask me why I think I need one, tell them that I bet they wear a seatbelt when they drive, even though they don't plan to crash. I have fire insurance and even fire extinguishers, and smoke detectors, and I pray we don't have a fire.

I have life insurance, but I plan to live a long life.

I lock my door, even though I hope nobody tries to break in.

It's the same with a firearm. They aren't for everyone, but I can't understand the thinking "you won't have time to use it, someone could take it away, now they have a gun"

There's mental gymnastics going on when people think thst way.

There is nothing illegal or immoral about taking karate to defend yourself, or buying a firearm for the same purpose.

[SonofWWIIDI]

That's okay, the police will protect him.

[RamonSJC]

Some people have zero sense of personal responsibility.

[bsg]

i don't try to change another person's values or belief system, nor do i argue with others regarding mine. nevertheless, your obvious care and concern for loved ones is honorable.

[CandG]

They don't drive cars, they use Green Mass transit that uses no fossil fuels, Or ride the little yellow bus and wear helmets...

It's hopeless.

You tried, they won't listen to anybody though, don't take it personally. Just hope that their rude awakening doesn't result in a death.

[howbobert]

Sometimes the only thing that will wake people up is when a fire gets lit under them.

You did what you could do. Some people just wouldn't listen to reason. Just let it rest and pray that nothing bad does happen to them.

[L84CABO]

Well, maybe you should throw some numbers at them. I mean, they probably won't listen to logic or reason, but maybe they think the odds of something happening to them are greater than what they really are.

You have a 1:164,968 chance of being struck by lightning.

A 1:112 chance of being killed in an auto accident

A 1:358 chance of dying from assault by firearm

A 1:211 chance of dying from assault of any kind

The National Safety Council comprises this data annually. The above is what I've been able to find for free from the below sources. If you're willing to pay for their book you can probably get a lot more. And note that these are the odds of dying. I suspect the odds of only being injured are probably worse.

Note that the first link is from 2006. The other two are current. Note that these are lifetime rates. Often times these types of rates will be calculated based on the chances of it happening within a year. These are the chances of it happening within your lifetime...which I think is much more useful.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/are-you-crazy-carry-gun%E2%80%A6or-crazy-not

http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/injury-facts-chart.aspx

http://www.nsc.org/NSC%20Images_Corporate/odds-of-dying-graphic.jpg

Here's your chances of rape if you are a woman...and if this doesn't wake them up, nothing will...

1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).

https://rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims