There's no need to get nasty, livewire. We're each entitled to our own opinion.
I suppose yes, if a gun was truly the one and only way to end a threat, then I would likely use it. But that would never be my first choice, or as in your case, instinct. I'm not wired to kill. Maybe that's the difference between us.
I didn't intend on being "nasty". But I did intend on making all of the readers take a deep look inside yourselves. I see you have done that, Monique, and I thank you for your honesty. Yes, each of us are entitled to our own opinion, and I want to make mine very clear, without certain posters slanting what I said, to suit their agenda.
Do I have the instinct for self-preservation? Absolutely. That "instinct" in me is VERY strong. I am a survivor. But it's not an "instinct" to kill. Rather, it's an instinct to survive. I don't consider myself "wired to kill", although I do know that if I had to, I would, if it was required to save myself or a loved one. It would be a last resort, but when things happen quickly, survival is foremost in my mind, not options that MAY, with the benefit of hindsight, have been a better choice. I know this because that is the way I have been trained, for many years. In my line of work, I have seen a lot of death, and killing. It's not something I enjoy, nor do I rush towards it. But it is not something that I will run away from, either. Guns are nothing but tools, in my eyes. I have personally been responsible for providing the tools that have saved dozens (that I know of) of lives. Those people would most likely have been killed or raped, if they didn't have those tools to protect themselves. Guns in the right hands SAVE lives. I know that for a fact. I have seen it. And many times, those lives are saved without ever firing a shot.
I suppose it's easy for some people to say, "I would never kill someone, under any circumstances". But those people probably have never been in a truly life-threatening situation. They have never looked down the barrel of a loaded gun. Or looked at the snarling, foaming mouth of a strange dog, as that dog ran towards their child.
Yeah, it's easy to say. Until you've seen it.