I go out to the range about once a week and am always amazed that hardly anybody is there vs. the numbers of weapons that are sold around here. The average person has never dealt with the effect of the adrenalin rush that they'd experience in a situation where they'd be needing a defensive weapon and it's very hard to justify the need as a practical matter. The guy on offense on the other hand may be at the same shaky disadvantage, but the advantage of surprise is so great that having something handy at the ready seems silly, and a way to more insure a bad result.
Then again six bears have been shot two miles from here in the last year.
