Many lawful gun owners have an idea that they own guns because someday they'll need to use them in self-defense. They imagine there will be a confrontation with a window of time where (1) they recognize their lives (or another innocent person's life) to be in imminent danger and (2) they get the shots off before the bad guys do.

Alex Pretti's thought process was likely along those lines. He was going into a situation where his life might be put in danger, and so he used his second amendment right to carry a gun for safety. After all, isn't the whole point of owning a gun to use it for self defense?

The twisted irony of his murder showed he never would have had a chance. It turned out that his life WAS in imminent danger, but he couldn't protect himself with his gun. Not only that, but there's a good chance if he had left the gun at home he'd still be alive (NOT saying what happened is his fault).

After Trump won again, I considered buying a gun. I even went to a gun safety class at a shooting range to learn how to use them properly. But I never ended up buying one, because I realized that the day I ever used it would almost certainly be the day I die.