but is it really wise to advocate guns, as a means of protection for trans-people
Probably not, and considering the suicide rates for Trans persons it's most likely not the best tool for them to have around. But I'm sure many trans people (just exactly like other people in genderal) love guns because it's something you can buy, so you don't actually have to do anything, like learn or practice or invest time into getting right. Guns do a wonderful job of short circuiting mental capacities too and instilling people with a false courage, as no doubt that any alley that ain't safe for you without a gun doesn't get any safer just because you have one. But hey, why confuse people with facts? After all, most of the T murders I read about, and are so righteously championed on here are ones that arise in a very personal/sexual setting where the gun is not going to help anyway. (The victims are almost always non-white too, but that never gets mentioned in our little 'oh my god I'm a potential victim' rants.)
At some point isn't the easy way to avoid problems like physical violence just to not hang out with physically violent people? Despite the little gem about "Good" neighborhoods being safer not being true, the fact is... it's true. Your odds of getting beat-up, raped, stabbed, shot (whatever) are hella lot better in Richmond than in Tiburon. I mean, I don't know that anyone has ever been shot in Tiburon. Rich people don't attack you, they have their lawyers send you hate mail. So I'm much safer walking in Pacific Heights than in the Tenderloin, and safer in the TL than out in Hunter's Point/Bayview. What makes a good/bad part of town is not the architecture, or use, or area - what makes it bad is having a high crime rate and you can look that up on-line, nice pretty maps for just about everywhere, interesting reading. And those number are directly linked to poverty. Your odds of being on the receiving end of physical violence pretty much go down as as the other person's income and or education goes up. (And income and education are pretty closely linked, of course.)
And one should always be aware of their surroundings - you know, be aware of where you are in time and space and all that. Be here now and all that. And no doubt (cause I've seen it) the people staring off into never-never land are the first ones to be culled from the herd.
Martial Arts are good, because if nothing else you'll come face to face with your shortcomings real quick. Most of the people in here who were raised in the girl world have never really even been really hit (one punch incapacitation - you know, turn up the pain to such a high level that you can't do anything at all or just black out) so it's a learning experience right from the first missed block. And you know how many punches most of the street and bar fights I've ever seen have lasted? One punch. Out go the lights.
If your really going to defend yourself in a fight, you best be able to really take some on some pain and suck it up, absorb some body blows and all that.
Any of the real stuff is only learned by constant practice and application. All most self-defense class will do it tell you to keep your head and don't make any bad decisions. ...the easiest way to get out of trouble is to avoid it in the first place...
Once again. If you think that some class has some secret/special technique or idea that will allow you to physically take on and defeat thug-like people who like violence, who practice violence, and who apply violence as a standard means of getting what they want day in and day out --- then you are highly mistaken. If you think there will be some insight/clever move that will allow you to take on two or more attackers and triumph --- then you are highly mistaken. None of that stuff will ever let you get back at the people who used to bug you, bully you, insult you, torment you, pick on you -- any and all of that bad ->-bleeped-<- that used to happen to you. It will not make you look, act or be any more studly. No one who you should really want to respect you will respect you for that. Only people who respect that are the people who live it.
PS, the cops use higher caliber weapons for one reason, because the bad guys are. Remember, most police officers are never going to pull that weapon on duty. It just if the bad guys have overwhelming firepower it puts the cops at a disadvantage. Most of the larger police departments move up in weapons after such an incident.
