Not Carrying A Firearm Will Get You Killed

I have this discussion quite often, usually while speaking with someone who is opposed to firearms in general and against concealed carry specifically. The argument I get usually goes along the lines of  "I can just call the police on my cell phone". This is an argument borne of ignorance (meant in its original definition of "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing"). There are so many things wrong with this type of thinking that it's hard to know where to start.

First, let's address police response times. In Chicago, the average police response time is anywhere from just over 2 minutes to just over 8 minutes. This does not include the time spent accessing/unlocking the cell phone, dialing, and speaking with the dispatcher. That can add another minute to those times and we then see a window of 3-9 minutes before police arrive. That's under ideal conditions. Facing an armed attacker for 3-9 minutes is an eternity. Facing multiple unarmed attackers for 3-9 minutes is an eternity. Facing a bigger, stronger, more violent attacker for 3-9 minutes is an eternity. And the outcome will usually not be a good one for you.

Second, let's look at the reaction of the attacker. Should a criminal decide you're to be his victim this evening and you grab for your cell phone to call the police, his natural instinct is to attack and seize your cell phone. The last thing he wants is for you to summon the police. If he's bigger/stronger/faster than you, or armed, or it there are multiple attackers, then it's child's play to seize your cell phone or knock it from your hands. You can't use your cell phone to hurt him/them. No criminal is afraid of being attacked with a cell phone, especially by someone he perceives as weaker and more vulnerable than he is. On the other hand, producing a firearm will usually cause him to break off the attack and flee. The last thing the criminal wants is to be shot dead.

The presentation of a cell phone says: "I'm going to call for help, which will take a while to get here."
The presentation of a firearm says: "I'm going to use lethal force and kill you."

Two very different messages. One encourages an attack, the other deters it.

When I was in high school, I once spoke with a friend and his mother about self defense. My friend wanted to attend martial arts classes with me. I suggested the mother also do so, as crime in the neighborhood was going up. Living in a delusional non-reality in her head, the mother told me: "I don't need martial arts or a gun or pepper spray. I simply don't put myself in a position to be attacked." This coming from a woman who shopped alone at the local mall at night and who often parked in a dark area far from the entrance to the mall. A mall where criminals had taken on a new method of assault - they would hide between or under parked cars in dark areas and grab women by the legs or jump them while they struggled with their packages and car keys. And she knew about this! This is what we refer to as delusion - a persistent belief despite evidence given to the contrary. She was "safe" because she believed she was "safe" despite actually and willingly putting herself in danger.

I know far too many people who assume they will not ever become involved in a serious self defense situation. So too did most of the 1,165,383 victims of violent crime in the United States in the year 2014 alone. (source: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/latest-crime-stats-released)

The average citizen who works a 40 hour week sitting at a desk is in no shape to take on an attacker larger, stronger, and faster than he is - someone who lives in the tough streets of the worst neighborhoods and who is used to and comfortable dishing out violence. Or to take on an attacker who is armed with a baseball bat, a knife, or a gun. Or multiple attackers where we see a disparity of force.

Bottom line - in our modern, violent society, not carrying a firearm will get you killed.