Yes.
That is why I would not own one.
I had a borrowed one when I was living in a really bad area. Yes, I was shown the how to’s. I kept it inside the house. I had a window shot out- trying to hit my smaller TV screen across the room. I had things stolen off of a porch- plants, etc. My attached apt friend had a smash and run. Lost items $$$, took less than 4 minutes to do. It was totally different to learn that when you heard gunshots, to hit the floor first, and then say “What was that?” Carrying groceries was a chore= in by unlock car door, get bags. Lock car door, walk up sidewalk to door, unlock house door. Set groceries down in livingroom. Go out door- lock. Back to car, to end of front sidewalk unlock, get bags….lock, repeat. You get the idea.
I was finally able to move to another area. My last night there, with bare bones of furniture left, I was exhausted and I unknowingly had pneumonia. I was so thirsty. I went down to get some juice. I heard someone messing with the lock on door near fridge. Got gun, moved the venetian blind out to the side. A big guy was breaking in. Did not even notice me, he was so intent. I put the barrel up to the glass and tapped twice on the window. I will never forget his face and how fast he took off. He’d have qualified for the Olympics.
If he’d have continued in that night, I would’ve used it. The city police could not have gotten there fast enough to help. It was surreal. I do believe that women are sometimes targeted because some depend on them to not be able to defend themselves. He wasn’t there that night for bare bones furniture, kids.
I gave the gun back.
If I had had one with me as my own, later on in life, I’d have not hesitated then either. Unless you are in some situations, one cannot know how they would react. Flapping one’s arms and yelling “Shoo! G’way!” doesn’t work. You can’t control what happens, postulate as much as you wish. When placed in very terrible circumstances, you can’t really know how you will act if severely threatened, so don’t become comfortable in the morality play some construct for their lives, and what your fate may have in store will come to pass. One never knows. Never.
Do I believe in gun control, yes. Will it work? Not right away with the rickety beginning it will inevitably have. But realistically, the streets don’t sell licenses to carry when selling and buying weapons out there. It will take more. Enforcement all the way to balancing juries for court cases concerning the issue.
No, I don’t kill spiders, nor other pests, animals, some pluperfect assholes I’ve encountered, etc., – yeah- perhaps cockroaches, I think. Or waterbugs, or fleas, or mosquitos. But mosquitos vs someone there to hurt you or yours? Hmmmm. Subtle differences?
But it’s very safe from where some sit. I hope you never get to a point where you are placed into such situations of safety for you or them. The lines would blur for most.