Your "feelings" can betray you.
"Being" safe and "feeling" safe are two very different conditions.
If violence comes to you, the perp won't make an appointment.
The perp won't care if you "feel" safe or if you are "ready" yet.
By being armed as often as possible, you can have the tools readily at hand in which to influence the outcome of the encounter in your favor, not theirs.
How to address your points...?
1. I feel safe because I have taken measures to live in a safer environment. Google "Population Density Alaska" and compare it to your state (I assume NH). New Hampshire's population is more than 100 times more dense than Alaska's. If you subtract Anchorage (I live 400 miles from Anchorage), our state has virtually no violent crime. Sure, there is your occasional pot bust, DUI, theft, domestic dispute, etc, but murders, and even homicide are very rare. Here is a link to my local newspaper.
http://newsminer.com/ Here is the police blotter.
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story_public_safety_report/20108078/article-Public-safety-report-%E2%80%94-Sept--11?instance=public_safety_report I really do feel safe at home, and anywhere that I go in town.
2. I can't disagree with you on this point, but in my area being safe has more to do with staying warm and on the road in the winter and avoiding moose/bear encounters in the summer.
3. I'm making the percentage up, but if violence comes to me there's a 99% chance that there is zero intent to kill. Let's talk about a hypothetical scenario. My pickup still looks pretty new, even though it has 176,000 miles on it (06 F250). Suppose I park in a parking lot and am jumped as I step out of my truck. I'm pretty sure that they are there to steal my truck, not kill me. What should my response be? The truck is mine. I paid cash for it. There's probably several hundred dollars worth of crap in it that is also mine. To be honest, I'm probably going to hand over my keys. Am I willing to kill someone over a truck? Not really. I would file a police report, file an insurance claim, and hope that I can get my truck back.
4. See point 2, but I should add something. While I admittedly do not place handgun ownership very high on my list of priorities, it is definitely on my list of priorities. However, even higher on my priority list is handgun training. I do not want to own a handgun until I feel like my wife and I are both proficient enough.
5. I never said I was not armed. I almost always carry a knife. If I'm wearing a belt, I have a large fixed-blade knife on my person. Also, my wife and I are both trained with our shotgun and I am also trained with our rifle. The shotgun stays at my house, while the rifle stays in my work truck.
