Firearms Used for Protection, Not only Factor in Self Defense
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: July 30, 2012
"Well of course, why else would you buy a gun besides protection, hunting, sporting, or just fun," said James Hill, co-owner of Abilene Indoor Shooting Range.
Shooting a gun is about more than just hitting the target.
"There's a bunch of people that believe owning a firearm means they're protected. But they shoot seldom, if at all. They just have it. That's not protection," said Hill. "You know you want to be comfortable in what you do and your ability."
Gun shops are seeing an increase in buyers. And APD says there's an increase in gun violence as well, with the number of robberies and assaults with a firearm going up in the first five months of this year compared to last year. But Hill said it's all about the owner, not the gun.
"It gives you the ability if you have it in you to defend yourself. The gun itself wont' defend you, you have to have that ability," Hill explained.
Though owning a fire arm can provide a sense of security is not as easy as simply pulling the trigger when in danger.
"The ability, the desire to protect yourself then you're going to have the tools if you have a firearm and the knowledge on how to use it. Having a gun does not give you the ability to defend yourself. It's within you," Hill said.
Hill said that having a fire arm in case of an emergency, though not an every day occurrence, can be helpful.
"That's one thing we could look forward to. Let's say police response is four or five minutes. Most fights don't last a minute. You get injured, killed, car jacked. If somebody had a CHL and could help me, I would thank them," Hill said. "I mean, I would want somebody to help me, just like anything else."
Shooting a gun is about more than just hitting the target.
"There's a bunch of people that believe owning a firearm means they're protected. But they shoot seldom, if at all. They just have it. That's not protection," said Hill. "You know you want to be comfortable in what you do and your ability."
Gun shops are seeing an increase in buyers. And APD says there's an increase in gun violence as well, with the number of robberies and assaults with a firearm going up in the first five months of this year compared to last year. But Hill said it's all about the owner, not the gun.
"It gives you the ability if you have it in you to defend yourself. The gun itself wont' defend you, you have to have that ability," Hill explained.
Though owning a fire arm can provide a sense of security is not as easy as simply pulling the trigger when in danger.
"The ability, the desire to protect yourself then you're going to have the tools if you have a firearm and the knowledge on how to use it. Having a gun does not give you the ability to defend yourself. It's within you," Hill said.
Hill said that having a fire arm in case of an emergency, though not an every day occurrence, can be helpful.
"That's one thing we could look forward to. Let's say police response is four or five minutes. Most fights don't last a minute. You get injured, killed, car jacked. If somebody had a CHL and could help me, I would thank them," Hill said. "I mean, I would want somebody to help me, just like anything else."
