Re: Riding a bike a protection and in general

On Tue, 17 Jun 2025 11:17:12 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 6/17/2025 9:10 AM, AMuzi wrote:

On 6/17/2025 3:56 AM, Catrike Ryder wrote:

On Mon, 16 Jun 2025 22:20:11 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>

On 6/16/2025 3:10 PM, AMuzi wrote:

My point was that there's no general rule and should not be.
>
Firearms can be useful, they are also frequently misused, and violence
of all sorts happens with or without firearms.

>
The general rule is: If you have a firearm for "defense" it's because
you're afraid of something or someone. ...

 
'Fear' yes but not without reason.  Does 'fear' apply to all the
millions of people with a baseball bat and/or machete near the door or
only firearms?  'Prudence' may be a better word.

>
"Prudence" is related to fear, because without something to fear at
least a little bit there's nothing to be prudent about. And whether the
proper word is prudence or paranoia depends on the actual level of risk.
>
Unlike some here, I think it's nonsense to say that nothing is
quantifiable, that _everything_ is subjective. That attitude is just a
lazy thinker's way of pretending one's uninformed opinion is always right.

My opinions are always right.

I don't buy that attitude - maybe in part because in my profession, I
was paid to (among many other things) correct other's mistakes. My
education taught me to pay attention to data, and I taught that to others.

Sure you paid attention to the nonsense data that said that having a
gun in your house made it more likely to get shot.

So let's concentrate on one topic, and ask about data. Our timid
tricycle rider will not ride on a quiet suburban bike path unless he has
a handgun ready within seconds to shoot someone. What's the data
justifying that paranoia? What's the frequency of people on that path
needing deadly force to defend themselves? What's the risk of serious
attack per million hours of Florida path riding?

Krygowski is totally obsessed with me. I'll bet he lies awake night
thinking what he can say to get back at me for picking on him.

I think the risk is so low that nobody has bothered to even begin counting.
>
Earlier this year I rode several Florida bike paths, as well as many
streets and roads. Neither I nor the Floridians I rode with carried
weaponry, and I'm sure if I'd proposed it those Floridians would have
scoffed.

Krygowski's imaginary friends, no doubt

But if someone does refuse to ride without a handgun, it can only be
because there is some level of fear - in this case, a fear greater than
that of the young mothers pushing baby carriages on the same trail. You
can say the level of risk is too high for him, in his personal reality;
but that's the reality of a timid, timid person. You can call it
"prudence" but it's really paranoia.

Assumes "facts" not in evidence.

And about the possibility of a home invasion that started this thread:
For the location where the Deacon lives, how often do home invasions
happen? I'm betting the count is almost precisely zero. But what's the
data?

What's your point?

--
C'est bon
Soloman