Should Christians Carry Guns?

BNR32FAN · Jan 19, 2019

step_by_step said:
This is not an attempt to make anyone angry or stir up anything. This is a real question that I'm struggling with in my life right now. I just want to start a friendly debate/discussion and I also don't want to include politics in this.

That being said, I'm considering getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon. It's something that I've thought about for a long time now and it's been back on the front of my mind lately. I would want to train myself so I knew how to use the weapon and when using it, I would never want to kill anyone.

But my question is, is it wrong for a Christian to carry a gun? In Matthew 26:52, Jesus warns Peter that all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Does this mean that we shouldn't arm ourselves? I personally know a few Christians who live firmly by the second amendment and therefore have lots of guns for protection. Does God frown upon this?

Personally I think it would be great if more Christians carried a gun. Godly people of good moral character carrying guns could save lives. I’ve recently bought a pistol to protect my family because of a dream I had of some people breaking into my house with a machete. I woke up screaming to my wife MARIA RUN!! In my dream all I had to defend myself was a knife. This opened my eyes to how exposed and defenseless I would be in a situation like this. So I bought a small .22cal semi auto pistol and taught my wife how to use it. I don’t want to hurt anyone but at the same time it is my responsibility as a parent and a husband to protect my family. I believe the Bible both supports self defense and defending those who can’t defend themselves. Hopefully just having a gun can deter an attacker just by presenting it in a threatening manner and if not hopefully being a very small caliber I can injure the person without killing them. But I’m the end I’m not willing to put my family at risk to save the life of someone who put themself and me and my family in that situation. Ultimately the choice is up to the person doing the attacking. He can either leave or get shot. My wife was completely against me getting a gun. She said I don’t want to kill anyone. I said I don’t want to either but when your watching someone rape and kill your daughter all that goes out the window and I’m not about to let it get to that point. These things happen on a daily basis all over the world. Majority of people always think this will never happen to me. That’s what dead victims thought to. My philosophy about owning a gun is this, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I believe it was 2017 when a gunman entered a church shooting and killing 25 people and injuring about 40. A man who lived nearby grabbed his gun and came to the aid of those in the church and shot the gunman causing him to flee. If it hadn’t been for the man who lived nearby coming with a gun to defend the people in the church there’s no telling how many more innocent Christians would’ve been killed that day.

Aldebaran · Jan 19, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
Personally I think it would be great if more Christians carried a gun. Godly people of good moral character carrying guns could save lives. I’ve recently bought a pistol to protect my family because of a dream I had of some people breaking into my house with a machete. I woke up screaming to my wife MARIA RUN!! In my dream all I had to defend myself was a knife. This opened my eyes to how exposed and defenseless I would be in a situation like this. So I bought a small .22cal semi auto pistol and taught my wife how to use it. I don’t want to hurt anyone but at the same time it is my responsibility as a parent and a husband to protect my family. I believe the Bible both supports self defense and defending those who can’t defend themselves. Hopefully just having a gun can deter an attacker just by presenting it in a threatening manner and if not hopefully being a very small caliber I can injure the person without killing them. But I’m the end I’m not willing to put my family at risk to save the life of someone who put themself and me and my family in that situation. Ultimately the choice is up to the person doing the attacking. He can either leave or get shot. My wife was completely against me getting a gun. She said I don’t want to kill anyone. I said I don’t want to either but when your watching someone rape and kill your daughter all that goes out the window and I’m not about to let it get to that point. These things happen on a daily basis all over the world. Majority of people always think this will never happen to me. That’s what dead victims thought to. My philosophy about owning a gun is this, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I believe it was 2017 when a gunman entered a church shooting and killing 25 people and injuring about 40. A man who lived nearby grabbed his gun and came to the aid of those in the church and shot the gunman causing him to flee. If it hadn’t been for the man who lived nearby coming with a gun to defend the people in the church there’s no telling how many more innocent Christians would’ve been killed that day.

There was actually an incident close to where I live recently that has some resemblance to your dream. A gunman arrived at someone's house in the middle of the night. The dog barked and woke everyone up, and the father went to the door and watched the individual outside who had a shotgun. The gunman shot the father through the door, then forced his way in and found the mother and 13 year old daughter hiding in the bathroom. He made the mother bind up the girl with duct tape and then he shot the mother in the head. Then he dragged the girl to his car and put her in the trunk and held her captive for 3 months before she managed to escape. Now, she's pictured on the front cover of People Magazine and has been in the national news lately.

This girl survived, but her parents did not, and they were unable to protect her. Nothing I've heard so far indicates they were armed. In rebuttal to some people here who say that they don't want to be armed because they don't want to kill anybody, I can say for sure that this girl's family hasn't been saying anything like that at all. I know for sure that they wish this tragedy had been prevented, and I'm pretty sure their main concern wouldn't be whether or not the gunman/child kidnapper got shot or not.

JosephZ · Jan 20, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
Hopefully just having a gun can deter an attacker just by presenting it in a threatening manner and if not hopefully being a very small caliber I can injure the person without killing them... Ultimately the choice is up to the person doing the attacking. He can either leave or get shot.

Owning a gun and having this attitude is likely to put you and your family at greater risk at being harmed than not having a gun at all. Unlike some other self defense weapons, a gun is a lethal weapon and intended to be used as such. When pulling a gun on someone in a self defense situation you either shoot until the attacker is neutralized or you don't shoot at all. If you have the mindset of only wanting to hurt an attacker it will naturally cause you to hesitate before pulling the trigger and/or not aim at parts of the attackers body that may lead to life threatening injuries.

Choosing a small caliber like a 22 also means you have to aim better than you would have to if you had a larger caliber weapon. A single shot from a 22 can kill or neutralize an attacker, but you have to be able to hit the person in just the right places to do so. Blood loss and damage to the central nervous system is what ultimately stops an attacker who is intent on harming someone, so being able to hit a vital organ, an artery, or the spinal cord is required.

Hoping that just having a gun and threatening an attacker with it leaving the decision up to attacker as to whether or not they want leave or get shot will add seconds to the encounter that you can't afford to spare. The time it takes to recognize the treat, reach for your gun, aim at the attacker, and finally pull the trigger will take up enough time on its own. Those added seconds you give an attacker to decide if they want to walk away or not can lead to you becoming the victim, perhaps even the victim of your own gun, rather than your attacker. Once you are naturalized, there will be nothing more you can do to prevent the attacker from harming your family. You may also end up providing the attacker with a weapon he would not have otherwise had to use against your family as well.

It's not having the gun that protects you, it's you having the will to take the life of another human being if necessary that does.

These are just some things for you to consider. If you haven't already received training in using a firearm for self defense, I hope you will consider doing so in the near future.

messianist · Jan 20, 2019

HosannaHM said:
What does this prove?

And is it ever right to defend ourselves?

Its a statement of fact. I don't need to defend my self.

HosannaHM · Jan 20, 2019

messianist said:
Its a statement of fact. I don't need to defend my self.

Okay fair enough. Question though: are you a pacifist?

BNR32FAN · Jan 20, 2019

JosephZ said:
Owning a gun and having this attitude is likely to put you and your family at greater risk at being harmed than not having a gun at all. Unlike some other self defense weapons, a gun is a lethal weapon and intended to be used as such. When pulling a gun on someone in a self defense situation you either shoot until the attacker is neutralized or you don't shoot at all. If you have the mindset of only wanting to hurt an attacker it will naturally cause you to hesitate before pulling the trigger and/or not aim at parts of the attackers body that may lead to life threatening injuries.

Choosing a small caliber like a 22 also means you have to aim better than you would have to if you had a larger caliber weapon. A single shot from a 22 can kill or neutralize an attacker, but you have to be able to hit the person in just the right places to do so. Blood loss and damage to the central nervous system is what ultimately stops an attacker who is intent on harming someone, so being able to hit a vital organ, an artery, or the spinal cord is required.

Hoping that just having a gun and threatening an attacker with it leaving the decision up to attacker as to whether or not they want leave or get shot will add seconds to the encounter that you can't afford to spare. The time it takes to recognize the treat, reach for your gun, aim at the attacker, and finally pull the trigger will take up enough time on its own. Those added seconds you give an attacker to decide if they want to walk away or not can lead to you becoming the victim, perhaps even the victim of your own gun, rather than your attacker. Once you are naturalized, there will be nothing more you can do to prevent the attacker from harming your family. You may also end up providing the attacker with a weapon he would not have otherwise had to use against your family as well.

It's not having the gun that protects you, it's you having the will to take the life of another human being if necessary that does.

These are just some things for you to consider. If you haven't already received training in using a firearm for self defense, I hope you will consider doing so in the near future.

I completely disagree and hitting someone in the gut is not hard to do when I can rapid fire at a target 12 inches wide at 70 feet away and hit it every time. A person who is not wider than a 12 inch target is not going to be much of a threat to me especially when he has a few gunshot wounds. I can empty all 11 rounds in about 3 seconds. I don’t know what your talking about hesitating. If a person is trying to slowly advance on me I’ll try to wound him. If he’s rushing me I’m going to empty the clip on him or rapid fire until he drops whichever happens first. Nobody is going to take 11 gunshot wounds and still keep coming. If he’s close enough to me that he could possibly reach me say within 10-20 feet I’m not going to try to wound him I’m going to point and rapid fire until he drops. I’m smart enough to know that if a person is close enough to me that they can lunge at me and get to me in just a few seconds I’m not going to hesitate at all. Any movement towards me at all I will shoot and that takes less than a second. If somehow the attacker is even 5 feet from me I can shoot him at least twice before he reaches me and I still have the option of moving back. I also disagree that hitting a person in vital areas is the only way to stop an attacker. When a person is shot the first thing they do is panic because they don’t know the extent of the damage. The amount of pain also hinders their ability to proceed. People who are gutshot have a natural tendency to fall the to ground and curl up in the fetal position in pain. I think your idea of being more likely to be attacked by presenting a gun than not is incorrect. If a person is angry or crazy enough to advance on you while you are pointing a gun at them they are more likely to attack if you do not have a gun. 9 times out of 10 you point a gun at someone who doesn’t have a gun and their going to walk away. If the attacker has a gun and I aim at him I’m shooting. I’m not one of these over sensitive people who feel bad about shooting someone trying to hurt me or my family. The way I see it they put themself in that position not me and I won’t hesitate to shoot them if that’s what it takes to protect me and my family. I don’t carry a gun when I go places it stays at home. So if I’m using my gun it means someone came to my home with the intent of doing harm and I have no problem with protecting myself and family in that situation. My pistol is double action single action and I always keep a round in the chamber so if I have to grab it in a hurry all I have to do it point and pull the trigger and the gun will clock itself and fire in one trigger pull. I don’t have to keep my gun in the cocked position to be ready to fire. This is not the first gun I’ve owned and my father was a Marine for 18 years and taught me gun safety and how to use a gun. I know owning a gun doesn’t make me 100% safe. I keep my gun in a hidden in a lock box because I have children so if I need it in a hurry that can be a problem. I only take it out of the lock box at night when I go to bed and put it in a holster on the top side of my mattress so I can get to it quickly at night if I need to. I keep the combo on my lock box to where I only have to change 2 numbers. It takes me about 3 seconds to open it and get my gun. That’s about the best I can do having children I can’t afford not to keep it locked up. But having a gun is a huge advantage over not having one at all. A person who doesn’t have a gun might’ve had enough time to go get one but they don’t have that option. So it won’t protect me in all situations but it can in many situations.

BNR32FAN · Jan 20, 2019

messianist said:
what's sad is there are non-believers out there and they wouldn't think it's acceptable to carry a gun for self-defence, yet there are professing Christians opposing Elohims word.

You sound like some who does not have a family depending on you to protect them. I had the same mindset when I was single but when I became a father it became my responsibility to protect my family. This is why I’ve just recently decided to buy a pistol. You want to hear something sad you should read about the church in spring Texas where in 2017 25 Christians were killed during a church service and 40 were injured by and armed attacker. If it wasn’t for a person living nearby who came to their aid with a gun and shooting the attacker even more innocent Christians would’ve died. Most people mistake the 7th commandment to say thou shalt not kill but the actual Hebrew word used is râtsach which also means to murder. The Israelites were commanded by God to kill those who committed capital offenses. The context used in this case refers to the unlawful killing of a person. Not killing in self defense.

Thou shalt not kill.

kill

H7523

Lemma:

רָצַח

Transliteration:

râtsach

Pronounce:

raw-tsakh'

Part of Speech:

Verb

Language:

heb

Description:

1) to murder, slay, kill a) (Qal) to murder, slay

1) premeditated

2) accidental

3) as avenger

4) slayer (intentional) (participle) b) (Niphal) to be slain c) (Piel)

1) to murder, assassinate

2) murderer, assassin (participle)(subst) d) (Pual) to be killed

messianist · Jan 20, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
You sound like some who does not have a family depending on you to protect them. I had the same mindset when I was single but when I became a father it became my responsibility to protect my family. This is why I’ve just recently decided to buy a pistol. You want to hear something sad you should read about the church in spring Texas where in 2017 25 Christians were killed during a church service and 40 were injured by and armed attacker. If it wasn’t for a person living nearby who came to their aid with a gun and shooting the attacker even more innocent Christians would’ve died. Most people mistake the 7th commandment to say thou shalt not kill but the actual Hebrew word used is râtsach which also means to murder. The Israelites were commanded by God to kill those who committed capital offenses. The context used in this case refers to the unlawful killing of a person. Not killing in self defense.

Thou shalt not kill.

kill

H7523

Lemma:

רָצַח

Transliteration:

râtsach

Pronounce:

raw-tsakh'

Part of Speech:

Verb

Language:

heb

Description:

1) to murder, slay, kill a) (Qal) to murder, slay

1) premeditated

2) accidental

3) as avenger

4) slayer (intentional) (participle) b) (Niphal) to be slain c) (Piel)

1) to murder, assassinate

2) murderer, assassin (participle)(subst) d) (Pual) to be killed

what you have done is made an assumption, this is dangerous my friend.

BNR32FAN · Jan 20, 2019

messianist said:
what you have done is made an assumption, this is dangerous my friend.

Not according to the commandments of God. I keep my gun at home

“"If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22:2-3‬

“And He said to them, "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, " No, nothing." And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ' AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS '; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment." They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:35-38‬

How many times was Israel commanded to not defend themselves when they were attacked?

messianist · Jan 20, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
Not according to the commandments of God. I keep my gun at home

“"If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22:2-3‬

“And He said to them, "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, " No, nothing." And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ' AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS '; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment." They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:35-38‬

How many times was Israel commanded to not defend themselves when they were attacked?

You sound like some who does not have a family depending on you to protect them.

RaymondG · Jan 20, 2019

There is no better protection, than the protection of God. Unwise is the one who would tell God that their gun will keep them here even if God calls their name. Less wise is the one you tells God to refrain from protecting their family, because they don't need it anymore...."for i now have a gun."

JosephZ · Jan 20, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
I completely disagree and hitting someone in the gut is not hard to do when I can rapid fire at a target 12 inches wide at 70 feet away and hit it every time. A person who is not wider than a 12 inch target is not going to be much of a threat to me especially when he has a few gunshot wounds. I can empty all 11 rounds in about 3 seconds.

That's under ideal conditions, your skills will not be at the same level if you are awakened in the middle of the night by an intruder in a darkened room. It will take several seconds to get your bearings and for your eyes to adjust. Naturally your marksmanship skills will not be nearly as good under stress either.

BNR32FAN said:
I don’t know what your talking about hesitating.

Your next quote tells me that you will be the type of person to hesitate in a real world situation.

BNR32FAN said:
If a person is trying to slowly advance on me I’ll try to wound him.

If you are even thinking about wounding a person, that will cause you to hesitate in a life or death situation whether they are coming at you slow, or rushing you. Also, no matter how good of a shot you may think you are, you will not be able to shoot someone in one of their extremities in a stressful situation. That works in the movies, but not real life. Very few people possess the skills to pull something like that off and this is why no firearms self defense trainer will ever suggest that you shoot only to wound someone.

BNR32FAN said:
I can empty all 11 rounds in about 3 seconds.

That's only after the amount of time it takes you to recognize the threat and take the necessary actions to respond. This can take several seconds, especially in a situation where you are awakened from a deep sleep.

BNR32FAN said:
Nobody is going to take 11 gunshot wounds and still keep coming.

You would be surprised how many rounds a determined attacker can take before they are stopped, especially with a smaller caliber weapons like a 22 and even more so if they are under the influence of drugs.

BNR32FAN said:
I’m smart enough to know that if a person is close enough to me that they can lunge at me and get to me in just a few seconds I’m not going to hesitate at all. Any movement towards me at all I will shoot and that takes less than a second.

Once again, that's only after the amount of time it takes you to recognize the threat and take the necessary action to respond. An average man can cover about 20 feet in 1.5 seconds, so even a single second in an average sized room leaves little time for you to decide what kind of action you are going to take.

BNR32FAN said:
I also disagree that hitting a person in vital areas is the only way to stop an attacker.

I was speaking of an attacker that is intent on causing you harm, meaning they are determined to do so. The only way you can neutralize a determined attacker is either by causing them to quickly loose blood by hitting a vital organ or an artery, or damaging the central nervous system by hitting the spinal cord or brain.

BNR32FAN said:
When a person is shot the first thing they do is panic because they don’t know the extent of the damage.

You can't count on that happening. Not everyone's reaction to being shot is going to be the same.

BNR32FAN said:
I think your idea of being more likely to be attacked by presenting a gun than not is incorrect.

I didn't say you were more or less likely to be attacked, I was referring to the time it takes you to respond to the attack. Any hesitation at all will increase the chances of you becoming a victim. Once again, an average man can cover about 20 feet in 1.5 seconds. If someone enters your home unexpectedly while you are sitting on your sofa, or walks into your bedroom while you are sleeping, there's not much of a chance that you are going to be able to react in time to stop them from reaching you whether you have a gun or not. If you do have a gun, there is a high likelihood that your own gun could be used against you in a situation like that.

BNR32FAN said:
9 times out of 10 you point a gun at someone who doesn’t have a gun and their going to walk away.

The problem is you will not know if the intruder entering your home in the middle of the night is one of the nine that will walk away, or that one that will ignore the fact that you have a gun. You have to treat everyone who is a threat as if they are that one.

BNR32FAN said:
I don’t carry a gun when I go places it stays at home.

I agree with your decision not to carry your gun outside the home. Personally I feel Christians carrying guns in public sends a mixed message to the unbelieving world.

BNR32FAN said:
I keep my gun in a hidden in a lock box because I have children so if I need it in a hurry that can be a problem. I only take it out of the lock box at night when I go to bed and put it in a holster on the top side of my mattress so I can get to it quickly at night if I need to. I keep the combo on my lock box to where I only have to change 2 numbers. It takes me about 3 seconds to open it and get my gun. That’s about the best I can do having children I can’t afford not to keep it locked up.

It's good that you recognize the limitations you have in using a gun for self defense in your home. Another thing to keep in mind is that it's only when a threat is recognized early on that you have an opportunity to use a gun in self-defense. If a sudden attack occurs and an assailant gets the jump on you, your gun isn’t going to be an option.

BNR32FAN said:
having a gun is a huge advantage over not having one at all.

Here is some information from one study that is often cited that shows there is little difference in the outcome when it comes to using a gun or not in a self defense situation.

When the victim took protective action, 4.2% of victims who did not use a gun were injured and 4.1% of victims who did use a gun for self defense were injured. In property crimes, 55.9% of victims who took protective action lost property, 38.5% of those who used a gun for defense lost property, and 34.9% of victims who used a weapon other than a gun lost property.

CONCLUSIONS
Compared to other protective actions, the National Crime Victimization Surveys provide little evidence that Self Defense Gun Use is uniquely beneficial in reducing the likelihood of injury or property loss.
The epidemiology of self-defense gun use: evidence from the National Crime Victimization Surveys 2007-2011. - Semantic Scholar

BNR32FAN · Jan 20, 2019

messianist said:
You sound like some who does not have a family depending on you to protect them.

I’ve already told you I do.

HosannaHM · Jan 20, 2019

RaymondG said:
There is no better protection, than the protection of God. Unwise is the one who would tell God that their gun will keep them here even if God calls their name. Less wise is the one you tells God to refrain from protecting their family, because they don't need it anymore...."for i now have a gun."

Why can't someone carry a gun and trust God? 2 things can be true at the same time. Can't you protect yourself with a gun and realize that God is the true source of protection?

HosannaHM · Jan 20, 2019

messianist said:
You sound like some who does not have a family depending on you to protect them.

I still would be interested to know whether or not you are a pacifist.

messianist · Jan 20, 2019

BNR32FAN said:
I’ve already told you I do.

You missing the point my reply was to what you said and then I pointed it out again.

JosephZ · Jan 20, 2019

HosannaHM said:
Why can't someone carry a gun and trust God? 2 things can be true at the same time. Can't you protect yourself with a gun and realize that God is the true source of protection?

The more important question is what kind of message does it send to the unbelieving world when they see Christians carrying guns? Why would they trust what we say when we claim that our hope and security is found in Christ, while at the same time we are carrying a gun for protection?

HosannaHM · Jan 20, 2019

JosephZ said:
The more important question is what kind of message does it send to the unbelieving world when they see Christians carrying guns? Why would they trust what we say when we claim that our hope and security is found in Christ, while at the same time we are carrying a gun for protection?

That's why you conceal carry

I'm kidding. You make a good point and I get your logic, but I wonder how far we could go with that. Maybe we shouldn't lock our doors at night because after all, we wouldn't be trusting God. Maybe we shouldn't stop an attacker or use any type of violence because that wouldn't be trusting God to intervene. Maybe we shouldn't stock up on food or provisions when we see a storm coming that will likely keep us snowed in because that wouldn't be trusting God to provide. Where do we draw the line?

I don't think it's wrong to be prepared to protect yourself, and I don't see how it lacks a trust in God. Just because someone carries a gun doesn't mean they don't trust God. As for the witness to unbelievers, I still think we could explain our position and rightly divide the Word.

"The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD." -Proverbs 21:31

Gregory95 · Jan 20, 2019

Whether Christ whipped the people I don't think that matters in this argument. I believe it is okay for a follower of Christ to be used by the the Lord to be vigilent / protect strangers and family its on my heart to be ready to stand up to evil madmen. honestly you'll be hard pressed to find scripture on this issue, NOT because its not /is allowed. BUT because scripture revolves around the Lord as its his word, why would he speak of something like a random mad man killing/raping etc. the violence in the Bible has to do with 1. NT being persecuted for the Lord's sake or 2. OT Jews being directed by the Lord to take their promise land from the heathens . this is a issue we should take up to the Lord ,to pray on this issue and beg not our will be done. it is the will of God that we seek after. if the Holy Spirit puts it on your heart to be unarmed, perhaps you are not going to be used in a way that requires to be armed . if the Holy Spirit puts it on your heart perhaps the Lord will use you to save others, after which you may share the good news with those who have been given a second chance to see that the Lord wishes for them to come to him instead of letting them be killed. thus never getting anouther chance to accept Christ and be saved this is my 2 cents others may agree others may disagree we should look to the Lord not man !

BNR32FAN · Jan 20, 2019

JosephZ said:
That's under ideal conditions, your skills will not be at the same level if you are awakened in the middle of the night by an intruder in a darkened room. It will take several seconds to get your bearings and for your eyes to adjust. Naturally your marksmanship skills will not be nearly as good under stress either.

Your next quote tells me that you will be the type of person to hesitate in a real world situation.

If you are even thinking about wounding a person, that will cause you to hesitate in a life or death situation whether they are coming at you slow, or rushing you. Also, no matter how good of a shot you may think you are, you will not be able to shoot someone in one of their extremities in a stressful situation. That works in the movies, but not real life. Very few people possess the skills to pull something like that off and this is why no firearms self defense trainer will ever suggest that you shoot only to wound someone.

That's only after the amount of time it takes you to recognize the threat and take the necessary actions to respond. This can take several seconds, especially in a situation where you are awakened from a deep sleep.

You would be surprised how many rounds a determined attacker can take before they are stopped, especially with a smaller caliber weapons like a 22 and even more so if they are under the influence of drugs.

Once again, that's only after the amount of time it takes you to recognize the threat and take the necessary action to respond. An average man can cover about 20 feet in 1.5 seconds, so even a single second in an average sized room leaves little time for you to decide what kind of action you are going to take.

I was speaking of an attacker that is intent on causing you harm, meaning they are determined to do so. The only way you can neutralize a determined attacker is either by causing them to quickly loose blood by hitting a vital organ or an artery, or damaging the central nervous system by hitting the spinal cord or brain.

You can't count on that happening. Not everyone's reaction to being shot is going to be the same.

I didn't say you were more or less likely to be attacked, I was referring to the time it takes you to respond to the attack. Any hesitation at all will increase the chances of you becoming a victim. Once again, an average man can cover about 20 feet in 1.5 seconds. If someone enters your home unexpectedly while you are sitting on your sofa, or walks into your bedroom while you are sleeping, there's not much of a chance that you are going to be able to react in time to stop them from reaching you whether you have a gun or not. If you do have a gun, there is a high likelihood that your own gun could be used against you in a situation like that.

The problem is you will not know if the intruder entering your home in the middle of the night is one of the nine that will walk away, or that one that will ignore the fact that you have a gun. You have to treat everyone who is a threat as if they are that one.

I agree with your decision not to carry your gun outside the home. Personally I feel Christians carrying guns in public sends a mixed message to the unbelieving world.

It's good that you recognize the limitations you have in using a gun for self defense in your home. Another thing to keep in mind is that it's only when a threat is recognized early on that you have an opportunity to use a gun in self-defense. If a sudden attack occurs and an assailant gets the jump on you, your gun isn’t going to be an option.

Here is some information from one study that is often cited that shows there is little difference in the outcome when it comes to using a gun or not in a self defense situation.

When the victim took protective action, 4.2% of victims who did not use a gun were injured and 4.1% of victims who did use a gun for self defense were injured. In property crimes, 55.9% of victims who took protective action lost property, 38.5% of those who used a gun for defense lost property, and 34.9% of victims who used a weapon other than a gun lost property.

CONCLUSIONS
Compared to other protective actions, the National Crime Victimization Surveys provide little evidence that Self Defense Gun Use is uniquely beneficial in reducing the likelihood of injury or property loss.
The epidemiology of self-defense gun use: evidence from the National Crime Victimization Surveys 2007-2011. - Semantic Scholar

That statistic doesn’t encompass the more wide verity of reasons for breaking and entering. It is only aimed at burglaries not homicide, rape, abduction or kidnapping, etc. It also doesn’t provide any source of information no actual numbers they took into consideration any exactly what situations. It’s simple math if an attacker breaks in your house with a gun what chance do you have of defending yourself without a gun? Zero percent chance. If you also have a gun it’s maybe 50/50. Your idea of someone breaking in at night and my being tired and my eyesight being blurry really doesn’t matter. That’s going to happen whether I have a gun or not. I’ve already said there are situations where the gun may not be benificial but there are many cases where the gun is beneficial. In a case where I hear someone breaking in my house and I have time to get my gun it is beneficial versus not having a gun and hiding with no way of protecting myself and my family hoping the police will show up while I’m completely defenseless.

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