Refuted by "pure propaganda" from an anti-gun blog?  With links that point to titles of articles or sources where books can be purchased, but no actual content.   Got to love this little snippet from the bottom of the linked page:

"Note to readers: OneUtah is a leading publisher of accurate, trustworthy, legal and scientific information about gun rights, guns, violence, gun violence and the psychology of CCP holders "

I can't wait to read about the psychology of the millions of CCP holders nationwide.  That should be loaded with generalizations.   Kind of like the psychology of hunters or anglers. 

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If you would like a more detailed source.  "More Guns, Less Crime" 2nd Edition.  John Lott, Jr.  University of Chicago Press.  200 pages of statistical analysis followed by another 100 pages of sources and bibliography.   With an author who has repeatedly and very publicly backed his findings, and printed a 2nd edition complete with analysis of other studies claiming to refute his findings.  An author who started the study as someone who was not and had not been a gun owner.

Let me beat you to the punch so you don't have to Google and find it on an anti-gun blog.  The survey was funded by the John M. Olin Law and Economics Program at the University of Chicago, and yes, John Olin has/had ties to the gun industry, but the program he established at the University of Chicago is overseen by an independent board from the University.

My Lott is currently a Senior Researcher at Yale Law School.

A summary of findings can be found here.  http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html

Also, for an ongoing list of actual press reports dealing with guns used in self-defense, try this  http://www.thearmedcitizen.com/  no editorializing, no BS from either side.  Just a list of articles, both good and bad, of citizens involved in armed confrontations.  You'll quickly notice that they report instances where gun owners are killed with their own guns, and other stuff that the pro-gun lobby would prefer you not read.  But they also give you an idea of how frequently private citizens use guns successfully for their own protection.  No crap--just news articles.  The archives can be sorted by state.

BTW, even in anti-gun articles that call BS on the 2.5 million number,  they still admit to significant numbers.  One of the surveys cited by gun control advocates put the number at only 65,000 "reported" instances of guns used in self defense annually, others put it at closer to 200,000:

"The American Journal of Public Health commissioned a study from David McDowell in the 1990's that suggested self-defense incidents involving guns happen around 65,000 times a year. That is a full order of magnitude below the National Self-Defense Survey figures. It should be noted here that these numbers are more or less in keeping with results from the government's National Crime Victimization Survey.

Now a key caveat: most self-defense uses of guns don't see a single shot fired. This means that many, if not most, self-defense incidents might be excluded from the Hemenway and McDowell studies."

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Regards,

Jerry

All, well that's different.  We can just agree to disagree

My opinion was formed, just as yours was no doubt, over time and not due to any single study or raving pro or anti blogger.  I think you can be well-read and still fall on either side of the issue.

As a child I witnessed my partially disabled father brandish a weapon to fend off two much younger men in a road rage incident--something which left a lasting impression on me.  I also have a very good friend who grew up hunting and fishing but later found his younger brother's remains after a suicide in which a 44 magnum was used.  My friend will no longer allow a gun anywhere near his home and I respect his feelings.

Everyone has to make the choice and I'm thrilled to live in a place where we *have* a choice.

Regards,

Jerry

Boy! Did I ever tear the lid off a big can of worms.  My apologizes to the forum. 

This post was about self defense against nasty fury critters with big teeth.  I never intended to turn it into a pro gun/anti gun thread. 

Steve, the statistics are really irrelevant. The bottom line is our constitution grants us the right to own guns. Laws that prohibit the ownership of them is unconstitutional and should be fought against with vigor. Laws that require registration, training, waiting periods, etc. are not. Federal government should stay out of it, but that falls under a different amendment.

Whoa Sasha!  You scared me there for a second.  At first glance I thought maybe those were XOXOXOXOXOXO's....  you know--"hugs and kisses".

Must be late

Oh, and I don't own a gun. I have no desire to own one. Why I don't own a gun? I've never enjoyed shooting. Hunting seems too final. I don't get to change my mind once I've shot something. I have kids in the house, and it seems like a bad idea to have a gun in the same house. If I were to secure it in a safe, would I be able to get to it in an emergency? Doubtful. Would I be willing to actually pull the trigger? Even more doubtful. So, you see, Sasha, the aforementioned statistics are relevant when choosing. I'm glad I have the choice. Seems we tried that whole prohibition thing once before. Seems it created crime, not eliminate it.

I was made fun off on fishing trips for carrying my m1911, then on one trip my fishing buddy was held at knife point by a young man. I looked over at my buddy and he had his hands up in the air like he was being held up. I set my rod down and pulled my .45 and came down the trail just up behind the man. The police check my concealed carry permit and arrested the young man, they had been getting reports about fisherman being robbed because they tend to be more focused on fishing than people walking up behind them.

I carry in the woods in case I run into Bigfoot or Yeti the Abominable Snowman.

(I carry Jack-O-Links Beef Jerky for them, that way they won't get mad at me).

Oops, I forgot about Sasquatch. I carry beef jerky for him too. He gets pretty ferocious when he's angry.

Late to the party, very good thread, some interesting points of view.
I am pro gun. Been around, and have had guns my entire life.
I will not banter the issue of gun control. It is an emotional issue that cannot be settled logically.
I could kill someone with a pencil or a pair of scissors, does that mean we need to have the Feds step in a regulate who can buy such items?
A handgun for protection in the wilds, in my opinion is absolutely necessary. I personally don't think I could whip a bear to death with a 2 or 3 wt rod.
My question would be, what's the biggest caliber I could carry, shoot safely and accurately to take that bear down!