I can live without wiping my ass, but I prefer to buy the toilet paper before I take a s**t.

You're right, plenty of people live just fine without guns.

However, there are a lot of people who are murdered, a lot of rapings and murders, homes burned, and families destroyed because the victims did not have the means to protect themselves.

I WANT to have a gun in case I ever NEED to have one. It's possible that I may go my whole life without this want ever becoming a need. But it is also possible; especially with my close proximity to an area known for it's high percentage of violent crime; that I will one day NEED to have a gun in order to protect my family from a dangerous situation through force.

It's possible, not inevitable. But I don't take chances when it comes to the safety of my family and I prepare for the worst case scenarios for the same reason that I have a few bottles of water hidden in the trunk of my car (just in case we break down somewhere away from society); just in case one of these hypothetical scenarios becomes a reality.

Like many other "portrait" projects... These are mildly interesting due to slightly controversial content. Most are only portraits in the fact that they are "set up". With a few examples approaching what you would see in a feature story in a local newspaper most fail as dynamic portraits. Another example of person with an agenda buys lights, realizes lights are really bright and sets off on a "portrait" project to further their agenda. I could make MUCH more interesting portraits of the gun nuts in my life
but I doubt most of them would want thei mugs (and their guns) on the internets.

Why?

I could say "I need my gun to feel safe" meaning I would not feel safe if I did not have it. Why does adding that condition make it so much more important? It doesn't matter the terminology you use.

note: I do not own a gun, nor do I plan on ever owning one.

These comments have been a really fascinating read, not so much for the debate on gun ownership, but for the way the arguments have played out. To me it's very interesting to see how some people's ability to argue deteriorates as the discussion progresses.

Fascinating.