lunaslide
member
If I lived in a place where I was that scared that I felt a need to carry a gun, inside my own home...., I'd move.
There is a basic assumption in your sentence that simply is not true.
Assumption: People carry guns because they are scared.
Reality: No, some of us put our guns on as we get dressed, in exactly the same matter-of-fact way we put on a seatbelt when we get into the car.
Bingo. I carry from the time I get dressed in the morning till the time I get undressed for bed. Why? Because my carry piece is attached to my pants. I don't take it off when I get home because I made sure to get a very comfortable carry hoster when I got my CPL. My gun is comfortable enough that I don't even notice it's there most of the time, even when sitting on the couch. It actually feels uncomfortable when I don't have it on, because I'm used to it.
"If I had to drive in traffic that was so dangerous I felt the need to wear a seatbelt every day ... I'd quit driving."
Um, no. You drive there because you believe it's safe, and you wear a seatbelt anyway because random disaster might strike. Ditto carrying the gun at home.
Right. I don't go around the house thinking that at any minute someone is going to break in. I'm relaxed at home and feel safer there than most places except at work (where I also still carry). But if I do need my gun, it's there and I've trained often enough to use it reflexively, even if I'm relaxed and watching TV. Likewise goes for my AR, which is next to the bed when I'm sleeping, next to my pants with the holster still on my belt. I don't have it there because I think WW3 is going to start any minute or the JBTs are going to be knocking in my door, or some equally far-fetched fantasy. I have it there because I've trained with it extensively and can work it's controls and aim it reflexively if needed. I do not have my shotgun there instead because it is new and I haven't trained with it much and do not know it as well as my AR.
It's all about preparedness, not fear. My quality of life isn't impacted one way or the other by my having guns around because they are worked comfortably into my existance and not bolted on in some artificial way.