Not Comfortable With A Gun? Get A Taser!

With all the gun debate going on, I hate to see so many of the arguements stem around an all-or-nothing approach.

I am in full support of keeping our right to arm ouselves. Having said that, I personally am not comfortable carrying a concealed weapon.

My husband is a police officer and encouraged me to get a concealed permit. I know how to handle a gun. I have been to the range numerous times and fired several different types of weapons and even gone through the officer-type firing scenario. I am a good shot. However.....I am not comfortable enough to carry one. For me, if you carry a gun it means you are ready to use it. If you pull that gun on someone, it means you are going to use it. If you are going to shoot someone, it means you are going to kill them. I don't trust myself with that. Someone breaks into my home...you better believe I am going for one of our guns and I'll have no problem using it to defend my kids. But to carry one means split-second reactions and decisions. I am not trained for that.

I have absolutely NO problem carrying a taser. Our local laws permit this with a background check. I got one that shoots the darts up to fifteen feet with a nice spread, and I can follow up with a dry stun, in case I miss or there is more than one attacker. They get a 30 second ride. (poilce tasers are typically set to 5 sec). It's designed with the intent that I shoot them and drop it and run. When the cartriage is used, small pieces of confetti come out of it with my personally registered serial number. I then turn in my police report with this number to the taser co. and they replace my taser for free. If the taser is recovered, it can be traced.

If I were on a walk and confronted by someone that did not back off when ordered, I would not pull a gun on them. I would only be okay with that if they had a weapon or were clearly trying to harm me. Deadly force vs deadly force. I would most defininitely pull my taser and inform them what it was and that I would shoot them with it if they didn't stop. (if they were unarmed....it they had a weapon they wouldn't get a warning. ) If I made a mistake and tased someone that turns out they didn't deserve it, they would have a nasty experience, but most likely that is all....they would be alive.

I have my taser with me at all times. It is a very affective defensive weapon without the risk of accidently shooting myself or someone else. Yes, it obviously has it's limitations, but I feel it is what's appropriate for me. It gives me a sense of security. There have been several instances where other friends that were with me were comforted in knowing I had it.

If you are debating whether to arm yourself, but are not confident in your ability to posess a firearm please consider a taser if your local laws allow it. I think it is an incredible resource and often over-looked as an option.