So I am wondering now, who is there in your community to stop someone from committing gross acts of violence against your population?

If you've not the ability to defend yourselves, and the police aren't right there when you need them, and wouldn't be sufficiently armed if they were there anyways, then I'd say it is only a matter of time before the world you know comes crashing down.

Then again, I might be wrong.

Perhaps the question is what would the motivation be for an act of violence to be perpetrated in your area?

I would assume that some in your community have or possess items of significant value, which would be easily transportable, maybe even on their person on a daily basis, maybe even money.

Yes, there are places in the USA in which it is still reasonable to expect to leave your front door unlocked whilst you head into town to do a bit of shopping or off to the pub for a dram or two. These places still allow us some modicum whereby we can tally and doff vagrants, brigands, and the occasional highwayman or so.

I liken your situation to the process of osmosis. Given that your violent crime rate is low such that you are no longer really too concerned (so it seems) with the notion of defending one's self and property, relative to the reality of other places in the realm, I would expect that such criminal pressures will eventually equalize and you will some day regrettably find that your community will be subject to the same attrition others have faced/are facing. It would be preferable if this were not the case, but the world is getting smaller all the time, and the have nots do still outnumber the haves, and nature always seems to work to an equilibrium, sooner or later.

I hope you won't mind terribly if we direct some of our fellows to your area enlightened with this new information. It may help to alleviate some of the predatory pressure we have here for a time. Hopefully you will find a less violent means of dealing with them than we have. If so, please enlighten us as to how this is accomplished, for as we have found, the only effective way of deterring predatory manner is the use of firm and direct force.

I would always consider defending myself as a genuine reason for carrying any weapon. Perhaps the most genuine reason I can think of. I also believe a knife, like any other tool, becomes an offensive weapon only when it is deliberately used as such. It is not any more inherently offensive than a brick or a shard of glass or a pair of scissors or a scarf. Unless I am using it in an offensive manner, which does not include just holding it in my hand (which is not the definition of brandishing as some would lead us to believe), then the police ought not be allowed to declare it as such just because they think I might do something offensive with it. You may not be prosecuted for it, but you will not ever see it again once it is confiscated by the police as well. If you use it at home to defend yourself, you will likely be before the magistrate after being hauled into the hoosgow for illegally defending yourself in your own home (seems to me I recall hearing about just such a thing not too long ago).

Funny how the british have one policy for their homeland subjects, and quite a different one for other areas they operate and manage. Seems an awful lot like US policy we've cited here too.