>>>To me there are three different trains of thought here:
>>>-I will never kill anybody (You)
>>>-I will kill somebody if I have to (Me)
>>>-I will kill somebody if they mess with me
>>>
>>>I think the majority of the murders fall into the 3rd group. That means they are prepared to kill somebody, which is why they have a gun handy. Take their gun away, and they will feel insecure and have to find something else.
>>
>>The statistics I see indicate that a lot of the third group murders occur only because the weapon is at hand. People get fired up, there's a gun available and they shoot. Without the gun, they might attack with their fists (or whatever else is available), but they'd be a lot less likely to inflict fatal wounds. And some would walk away and cool down.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>I don't agree with you. I think the third group likes to feel "powerful" and likes the feeling of the gun hidden under their seat in their vehicle or in the pocket of a jacket. If they don't have a gun, they will find something else.

I had a guy step out of his car and come at me (in the cr behind him) with a kid's baseball bat. Much better that than a gun!
This guy found a basebal bat as his substitute, and I believe that by the time he got to my car he had second thoughts as to how effective it might be. He could have shot from beside his car it it had been a gun.

cheers