Honestly, me personally, im into some shady shit. a gun is a nice item to bring peace of mind. as far at the stories, guns being misused are much more reported. I had never even heard of any stories of people with concealed carry permits "saving the day" until i started searching for them myself.

A gun isnt just for protecting yourself from other humans. I know you say your playing field is even, but there are big animals i don't want fucking with me either. a gun puts me at an advantage against a bull moose or a bear, which i do and have come across in my life and it was scary.

Also, its not about needs. Nobody needs most things. Its about wants and desires. Guns are cool, they are satisfying to shoot. its fun to blow up watermelons and water jugs. My girlfriend owns a gun and it is never loaded or carried on her unless she is going target shooting. She doesn't "need" a gun except in that someone "needs" a gun to shoot a gun.

I think that the real issue is a lack of education on the matter, not just in the safe handling of a firearm, but in the legal consequences. People seem to think they can just walk around willy nilly with a gun and its ok. Its illegal to pull a gun out of your holster. its illegal to hide your holster in most states without a permit. its illegal to shoot a gun unless at a range or in the wilderness. even if you kill or wound someone in justified self defence, you still have the chance of being fucked financially in civil court by the person you just shot or their family. I was formally trained that a firearm is a fun hobby, and should never be used as a weapon unless as a last resort. You dont shoot someone because they are bitching at you in front of a gas station. you only shoot someone if they show ability and intent to cause imminent and grave harm, and all of those words have very strict legal definitions.

How is denmark by the way? I frequent /r/iwantout a lot.