Why I Decided To Get A Gun -- An Explanation

Believe me, it wasn't an easy decision to make...I've never believed in owning a gun -- and I've lived in a city for most of my life. I always felt that if you had a gun, you'd likely feel the need to use it. And heck, I'm probably only shoot myself in the foot... When I was on Travels of Discovery, I had pepper spray and a torque wrench for protection -- that's it. And I didn't use either of them once (well, I used the torque wrench to adjust the torque on Discovery's lug nuts). So why, if I never felt the need to have a gun in the much more dangerous city, did I opt to get one now that I'm living in a rural area? Part of it had to do with all the friends who said I needed one -- yes, I "caved" to a certain extent. "Well, if you're out hiking by yourself, what are you going to do if you come upon narco-trafficking?" (There are signs in the Chiricahuas warning about "illegal smuggling" to be found in the area.) It just takes one incident to, well, "ruin your millenium"...And while I have a "live-and-let-live" policy regarding critters -- I only draw the line if they come into my house -- I don't trust myself enough  to make the right decision if I'm confronted by, say, a mountain lion. Perhaps later down the line, when I've been there for, say a year -- but not during the transition time from condo living to rural living. And you can't believe how many people said "well, you really need at least 2 guns -- one for your house, and one in the truck." I definitely didn't want to start down THAT road...So I acquired a .22; I figured it would be the least "offensive" gun I could have. But I'm still uncomfortable with having even that. And it's not that I would "use" it right away, because I have to get it registered, get a concealed weapons permit, take classes...I suppose what it boils down to is I'd (reluctantly) rather have one, than be faced with a situation where I wish I had one, God forbid that should ever occur.. Regarding rattlesnakes -- and there are 2 very poisonous ones in the Portal area, Mojave and Western Diamondback -- I bought a "snake stick" through Amazon and hope to use it as my first "line of defense" if I should come upon one in, say, the well house (how long do I have to keep out of the well house; what if if decides to take up residency there?) the snake stick would allow me to pick it up behind the neck, place it in, say, a large trash container, put it in the back of my truck, and take if FAR away from my acreage. Of course, that's easier said than done -- and I haven't done it yet. But, in that instance, I couldn't leave it be. So it's a dilemma. Anyway, I felt the need to explain my decision -- I felt I was too flippant in talking about my acquiring a gun in the previous blog entry. I really agonized over it -- and hope I made the right decision...