Did I react Poorly?

[pontiacpratt]

I was talking with someone about buying their first gun for HD. We were discussing a XD in 9mm for he and his wife and he asked about a .380. I asked him why .380 since it's more expensive both the gun and ammo for a "lesser" round. He said if someone broke in his house he didn't want to kill them.
I responded quickly "Don't buy a gun then, get a Taser"
He seemed a little taken aback and I proceeded to explain my response.
I felt kinda like a Dick afterward but was that to harsh?

[Swiftyjuan]

You may have saved his life. If you have a firearm and will not use it, or "don't want to kill someone" then don't supply the BG with a weapon! He had not fully considered the responsibility of defending his family, and a gun in that situation is as much a liability as a trusted tool.

[Cokebottle]

You were spot on.

Any means of self defense can lead to death. It's just something that we have to be prepared to deal with if the unthinkable happens.

380, 9mm, 10mm, 45, 454, 500.....

A 22lr very nearly took out Ronald Reagan.

[23 Blast]

I would have reacted in the same way. You did alright, even if maybe your tone was harsh.

Unless you're prepared to use DEADLY FORCE - that is, take the life of another human being, then you have no business owning a gun. You should trust in 911 and your friendly neighborhood cop, and comply with all the demands of a home invader, in the hopes that his humanity will allow him to spare you and your family.

[DannyInSoCal]

You nailed it...

[Riflelover]

Sounds fine to me. Just like other people have been saying, if you dont have the nerve to defend youself with a gun you dont have any business owning one. Just my opinon though.

[Watchur6]

Sounds right to me. Good advice with the taser. I don't understand the guys logic about. 380 caliber though.

[llamatrnr]

You were spot on.

Any means of self defense can lead to death. It's just something that we have to be prepared to deal with if the unthinkable happens.

380, 9mm, 10mm, 45, 454, 500.....

A 22lr very nearly took out Ronald Reagan.

no :nearly: in Bobby Kennedy's case . . .

[jtmkinsd]

A 22lr very nearly took out Ronald Reagan.

And it was a ricochet at that.

[G-forceJunkie]

Not harsh at all. The truth hurts sometimes. The romantic notion of having a firearm "for defense" without the associated responsabilitys is just ignorant. When I train people who come to me, interested in self defense, I ask them "Do you believe in the death penalty? Are you prepared to kill a person? Are you prepared to live the rest of you life having taken a life? If the answer is no toany of those questions, they are better off without a gun in the house. Its all fun a games to buy guns and get training, but unless you are willing to take a life, watch a perp bleed out in your living room, and deal with the emotional and financial realitys of of a justified self defense shooting...your better off not pointing a gun a anyone. Some people just cannot handle that reality.

[Will Goes Boing]

It's ok to be harsh as long as you take the time to explain to him afterwards. Whenever you see police shootings you always hear people screaming and yelling about how they "should have shot him in the leg" or "shot the knife out of his hand".

What people know about guns and shootings come from watching tv. They think one shot is going to make the guy fly backwards and die instantly. They don't know that when a guy's adrenaline is pumping often times they don't even know they're shot and will keep coming at you. Not to mention during stressful situations, when you are moving, when the target is moving, most likely poor lighting if HD.... you'd be lucky to even hit the guy... much less try to shoot the knife out of his hand.

[well206]

If you are a salesman, a little more patience and understanding would be ideal to really get at what the customer wants or what he is asking for (the reasons behind the purchases he wants to make) to better serve him or to better inform him.

If it was a friend to friend conversation and there may have already been discussions regarding the necessity of using deadly force at times to defend one's self and family, then the comment may be within the lines of civility.

[VictorFranko]

"Don't buy a gun then, get a Taser" is NOT a harsh response at all, it was a good response.

[hk91666]

Great response, You may want to tell them if he just wounds them they will return and sue the cr*p out of he and his wife from prison.

[rkt88edmo]

You weren't too harsh.