A family member of mine -that may be just a bit sheltered, but that’s my opinion- recently told me that “you don’t ‘need’ guns.”

It has been bothering me that they think this way, and I have been coming up with several non-aggressive arguments to try and inform them that, while we may not “need” guns, we also don’t “need” clothes, or shelter, or the Internet. But all of these things have uses and are thought of as necessary.

I don’t want to sway this person into a 2A advocate, but I want them to understand why the statement “you don’t need guns” is foolish and naive.

Edit 11/7/23: I have thought on this subject a lot over the past couple days and I think I have come to the conclusion that I will simply let the subject lie with my family member. However, if they themselves wish to continue a conversation on the subject, my stance will basically be this: “You are right, we don’t need firearms, in the same way that we don’t need first aid kits or fire extinguishers. These are all tools to be used in emergency situations that we hope never occur. However, it is my right and prerogative to own guns as well as carry and train responsibly with them. I respect that you do not like them and do not believer that we should have them. That is your opinion. It is my opinion that we should all be allowed to prepare ourselves for emergencies and disasters so that we may overcome them. This is why I also have sought out medical training, carry medical supplies more often than even my gun, and have training in the use of fire extinguishing equipment. I hope we can agree to disagree on this subject and understand each other’s perspectives. On that note, can you explain to me a little bit about why you don’t like guns?”

Also just as a little aside, for those who have pointed it out, yes I understand comparing firearms to clothing and shelter was a bad analogy. I did not really have a better way to explain at the time.

Thank you to everyone who commented for helping me to be able to better articulate how I feel about the subject.