<font color=orange>After having participated in the the EXCELLENT topic of IS IT BETTER TO CARRY A GUN OR NOT topic (Kudos to everyone who posted there!), I began to consider how others see crime in the US. It seems to me that most everyone that lives outside the US thinks that the US is an unsafe place to live. I was wondering how many US residents have been the victims of violent crime or know a person that has been. I also wondered how safe you fill where you live and work.

I personally know of only two people that have been victims of violent crime. One was a victim of date rape in High School (yes I consider Date Rape a violent crime. Rape is rape no matter what the circumstances are!). The other was a friend of my wife and me. Her husband shot her during a domestic argument. He claimed that she came after him with a knife. So he shot her in self-defense. A knife was found near her body, but her fingerprints weren't on it. Cocaine was also found in her blood stream. The police wanted to charge him, but the DA said there wasn't enough evidence, so he walked.

I live in Knoxville, TN and I feel safe most places I go here, especially where I live and work. However, there are places here that I wouldn't be caught in after dark.</font>

yup

<font color=orange>But do you feel safe where you live?</font>

I've always lived in the country and I've never felt unsafe there. There are areas in many cities I've visited that I didn't feel very safe in. There's a lot of anger in some of the city dwellers, when you see the conditions they live in it's not hard to guess why.

When I go on trips with the family I always have something under the seat... usually it's a nice little brass mace I've got (about 7 pounds), nothing like a rap on the noggin to make a miscreant "see the light". [img]smile.gif[/img]

Just sticking my oar in from the UK contingent here...

No, I do not feel safe where I live. Drug-gangs, shootings (illegally obtained guns of course), stabbings, arson -I currently have 3 burnt out cars within sight of my apartment and we have the fire-brigade out every couple of weeks to put out deliberately started fires in my building - car-crime, burglary, criminal damage. My ex-lodger was stabbed on the stairs up to my apartment last year.

I feel relativly safe, I had some little punk kids break into my cars a couple of times. They moved and no problem since. My cousin was a victim of a home invasion, he got his teeth kicked out and was beaten up pretty badly. The perp's, at least one has been arrested and is sitting in the pen for around 12 year's without early paroll, but we all know how that goes, the other absconded and there is a warrent out for his arrest. The funny thing about this is that it turns out they were his neigbors and they wanted his carpentry equipment. One of defense lawyers asked him he invited them in, There was a size 11 foot print dent in his front door by the way, at his point my cousin lost his cool and almost got put in jail himself for contempt... gotta love our system here. I personally have been shot at and been involved in crowd control( pepper spray is all I have to say )
So yes I have seen my fair share of human ignorance and I know plenty of people who also been in situtions. As I have said I also teach jui jitsu and some judo, so I have taught a few people how to overcome there fear in the clench so to speak, a few of which have been rape victims. The mental scaring that these people go through is immense and my heart felt sympathies go out to them. Molestation is another pet peeve of mine, I just found out the other day that I have a sexual predator not more then three blocks from where I live. I made a poster of the guy and showed the children and the parent's in the neighborhood what he looks like so they can be aware of him. But yes I still feel safe beleave it or not..yet another reason why I have a gun :D so if that scumbage comes down my block and even looks sideway's at my daughter he's gonna loose an eye :D j/k thats what pepper foam is for heheheh..
Criminals beware I armed and intend to kill you if tresspass against me or my family ;)

Rant off

I love this board, I get to rant about thing's I most likley will never have to do, I hope.. Taking a life should not be easy for morale person subduing someone is another story.

as a paramedic i have seen the worst ppl have to offer and the best.i have seen children hurt and killed by there own parents stupidity and hate and i have seen perfect strangers come to the aid of each other.safty really depends on you and those around you.not where you are

Gee, what I would give to own a nice Arctic warfare magnum! I could have so much fun! Picture Duck hunting out of your living room window... ::Zooms in across the park, as you see 3 pigeons sitting peacefully on a green, wooden bench...in the next second you hear a large POW and two of them fall:: (Or maybe I like counter-Strike too much.. ehehe)

I live in Montreal and feel quite safe, but I have known people who have suffered from violence. The sister of a girl I liked in high school was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Fortunately, that was the only incident in my life (knock on wood).

Allright... lets see. Violance where I live eh? HA!!! Don't forget, I live in the middle of Western N.Y. and the nearest civilized community is an hours drive away! I feel totaly safe here! What is a raccon going to murder my familiy!?!? LOL!
Anyway, yeah there are places where I wouldn't go! How about... almost every city in the world? At least the INNER city. I would never set foot in that place!