Guns & Nightmares

I had a dream last night that changed my thinking 100% - that was until the light of day. But in my half awake state I decided I had to write on this topic here.

The dream was a long involved series of events that started when a group of bad guys with guns moved in on a hotel where I was staying while traveling with my son. The bad guys gathered all the hotel guests in one room and then stood over us with guns pointed, while others stole things from the hotel. I kept trying to call 911 but my phone wouldn't work (so how many millions of times do we have to have dreams like that!) the dream went on interminably but throughout the dream, every where I went, people were shooting one another and I was afraid. When I woke up I thought "I'm buying a gun, that's the only solution".

I am not buying a gun. I have no intention of buying a gun and yet more and more that's what people are doing to protect themselves. We are becoming a fearful society and as guns are now relegated to the cops and the low lifes, we non-gun totting good guys are falling victims. Does that make any sense? Shouldn't the good guys have the guns?

I have a very good friend who now owns a small hand gun for protection. Her boy friend carries a gun almost all of the time. Both are very peaceful, non-violent people. She tells me that it's partly a cultural thing - the gun totters of the great west still exist and think it's their right to protect themselves. Of course, I have to agree, and yet, guns terrify me.

I have always felt that if you have a gun, you're more likely to get shot than if you don't have one. I still contend that mace is a better alternative. You can purchase pepper spray that is quite powerful and capable of reaching a threatening party from 25 feet away that will debilitate the bad guy long enough for you to get away. They even have lazer pointers on them so you don't miss. Why shoot them?

Of course, there are all sorts of opinions on this subject. I am just curious to know how all of you feel.