The voice of him that crieth in the Bloggerness!
Absolutely! I think a big reason that small towns/rural areas (at least here in the South) have less crime is not necessarily less mischief makers but more people afraid of getting shot sneaking into someone's house.
Wish more people thought like this. Especially the Airlines. Arm everyone that gets on the plane and see if terrorists can take it over. 
Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.
Every human interaction? When our daughter is sick, and her mother holds the bucket when she throws up and cleans it out afterwards, was she persuaded to do so or forced to do so? When a man and woman pledge themselves to each other for life before God and man, is it the result of reason or of force? When the Good Samaritan picked up the Jew and bathed his wounds and paid his charges, was he persuaded or was he forced? When our Lord healed the sick and forgave sins and died on the cross for us, did we persuade Him to do this or force Him? What sort of moral and civilized society does Marko envisage, that has no place in it for love?
I think you could consider either love or duty an aspect of reason. If I do something for a loved one, it's because the love I bear them persuades me to do so. The Good Samaritan, likewise, was impelled by a sense of duty, which is an extension of a sense of right and wrong, which is also a matter of persuasion, albeit a persuasion that he'd received in childhood, long before the event.
And I don't think you can include God in this, as He's not subject to either persuasion or force anyway. Human interactions are between equals (at least in relation to God) human-divine interactions are not.
Also note the increased crime rate in EVERY country and city around the world that has banned guns.
In college, I was the only girl on the range for tactical competitions. I can't say I was talented, but even in my scrawny days, no one messed with me! I don't think women would be so susceptible to abuse if we took weapons training as little girls!
The Bill of Rights is there for a reason, even if the current politicians don't get it.
; )
Woman, unless you've better than doubled your girth in the last two weeks, your scrawny days aren't over yet.
I agree that girls in particular should be taught how to shoot. I feel kind of bad that I'm not doing that for my daughters now, but as I mentioned, my only gun is dismantled and likely to stay that way for a while.
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