Who is a greater danger to your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?
Freelance criminals? Or cops?
Anytime one goes out in public, and many times when you think you are safe in your own home, you are in danger of being victimized by an aggressor or thief.
The chance of being victimized on any particular day is very small. Of course, it does happen without warning every single day to many people, all of whom thought it wouldn't happen to them and couldn't happen here. You should always be prepared.
Many people (more than the anti-liberty bigots/gun-haters suspect) take responsibility for their own safety, and the safety of the innocent people around them, by carrying a weapon. With or, in most cases, without government permission.
Unfortunately for civilization, the chance of being stopped and attacked by a cop who is willing to enforce victim disarmament "laws", having your weapon discovered, and being kidnapped or murdered, grows larger each and every day that those counterfeit "laws" stay "on the books".
Carrying a weapon "deeply" enough that it is less likely to be seen by the reavers makes it much harder to access when needed in a hurry to fend off an attacker or thief. But this is the reality of the world we live in. You weigh the risks and decide which risk is greater.
You can avoid the danger of being attacked by the badged reavers for the "crime" of taking personal responsibility for your own safety by abdicating that responsibility and walking around unarmed. Or you can beg permission from The State to be "allowed" to carry a weapon. Subject to their whims, restrictions, disarmament zones, fees, and inclusion in criminal databases, of course.
Either of these poor options robs you of your humanity in a real way, since it is an admission that you belong to The State.
Unfortunately, the danger from government enforcers is probably greater today than the danger of being victimized by freelance criminals. It makes the decision more difficult.
You have to decide based upon your incomplete assessment of the situation surrounding you- Who is a bigger danger: criminals or cops? I know who I think is more dangerous.
I expect to be able to go my whole life without ever being put in much real danger from an encounter with a "criminal"- danger that I can't handle- but I have already had several encounters with cops that could have turned deadly if the cop was simply having a bad day. So far, I've lucked out, but I know who is more dangerous to the good guys.
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