I've been following the discussions here about gun control and regulation. I see a good number of people stating that they own one or more guns and taking the position that any laws that would end their legal right to posses a firearm would be unreasonable and deprive them of something that they feel is necessary. I would like to ask people to share what experiences have occurred in their lives that convinced them that they require the protection of owning a gun.
I lived in the middle of San Francisco for 25 years. It is an intense urban environment and unfortunately incidents of violence happen on a pretty regular basis. However, in all that time nothing happened to me to make me feel that I needed a gun. I used public transportation most of the time and generally went where I wanted to go and did what I wanted to do. I certainly used some prudence about where I would go by myself after dark, but I wouldn't have acted differently if I had had a gun.
I have trouble understanding why so many people in the US seem convinced of the necessity of gun ownership. From the descriptions of Newton, CN it sounds like a pretty peaceful low crime suburb. Yet, there seems to have been extensive interest in gun ownership. It does not appear to be an atypical community in that regard.