PS...   pepper spray is not a bad option,.. at closer than 15ft it can be more effective than a non-lethal gunshot...
... and it doesn't carry the stigma of a sidearm...

I tested a tiny bit once... Man!, that stuff burns!...
I keep that memory in my "huge mistake" box... ...

Now stray animals that rome into my yard I shoot on site. Stray people I don't fancy shooting unless there is a real reason to do so.  So far I've never had to.  I've only drawn one of my weapons once on someone at that has only been at my residence but I didn't have to fire it. Drawing the weapon was enough to get them to leave.  That shook me up plenty enough after the situation just having to draw it on a person.

R.F.

I'm out in the country myself,  that is why my first 2 rounds in the Shotty are rock salt rounds.  I do give the dogs a chance now that one of my neighbors has moved and taken their mean dogs with them, that tended to try and attack in a pack fashion. Most of the animals that tend to come onto my land, do create damage that's why I do shoot at them. I don't do it just for sport.

I've always found it interesting that some folks think guns are the problem, and others who think they are the solution.   For those who think the latter...   since you feel safer with a gun, how would you feel if everyone was packing?  Doesn't the same thinking extend to everyone?  In fact, let's extend the philosophy and give every nation a nuke - same idea; just a matter of scale.   If you don't agree with that, just reduce the concept back down to one person and I think you see my point.

I have guns and enjoy plinking at tin cans, but I don't and wouldn't carry one for the reasons that Serow and some others have stated.   However, that said, there were two times in my riding experiences where I actually found myself reconsidering...

Once was on the Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota.   I had made a side trip to the Wounded Knee cemetery to visit and pay my respects.  When I exited my bike was surrounded by 3 big drunk Lakota Sioux Indians who demanded a "tour fee" of $50.   I was riding solo on their reservation, and there was no one else around for as far as you could see.   I only had about $35 in my wallet, which they graciously accepted and drove away.  If I had been packing and pulled the gun, I'm sure things would have turned out differently, and I may not be writing this today.

The only other time was riding across the Yukon Territory and Alaska.   Up there, you have to rethink trip planning and safety because something as simple as a flat tire or running out of fuel can kill you in any number of ways.

Just because someone is a black belt, that doesnt mean they should go Bruce Lee every time someone does them wrong. Being armed & pulling a gun when its possible to walk away with a loss but no huge drama & trauma is wiser. Just HAVING a gun doesnt demand its use. WISDOM & Self control are important. Nukes kill across an area,indiscriminately, a gun kills its target, No Comparison, thats a game people play,, weak, very weak,

As long as criminals KNOW they are operating in an armed society, they never know if their intended victim is armed. Its not important that everyone carry to put a crimp in their style.,

I remember when car jackings were all the rage. Louisiana was very hard hit. Finally, they said "If you want to carry a gun in your car to protect yourself, Okay". In a few short weeks, there had been a few successful jackings & a few Not so successful, where the car jacker was left kicking, screaming, bleeding & dying in the street with Gut Shot wound,,
Car jacking fell out of favor Very quickly,..,
Guns are a tremendous asset in stopping crime, just the fact that someone May be armed is a deterrent. Make guns illegal? Well,, you go hang out in Chicago a while & report back on how that works.

If theyre poachin snakes, Id leave 'em alone,

That's diabolical clever!... ...

So funny I saved it to my 'puter...   ...

Thanks Verse... ...

It is a cinch that you can use it to wipe somebody out.