I went third party in 2016 because I was disgusted and at the time I didn't think my state would ever be anything but red. Since then I've learned that I am very much in a swing state and Republicans have made it very clear they are going full fascist. There is at least one conservative think tank spreading the idea that we need a "Red Caesar" which sounds a lot like Mussolini to me. I don't know if it's possible to shift the Democratic party further left or not at this point, but I won't be voting third party again unless there is some massive change in the way we handle elections.

Your anecdote is irrelevant. Carrying a gun is not a rational decision for most people because it increases the risk of harm to yourself and others regardless of how you feel about it. I'm not saying this guy should be in jail for defending himself either, but he ultimately was not in mortal danger and wouldn't be facing charges if he didn't have that gun.

Are you living somewhere abnormally dangerous? You are far more likely to use it when it isn't needed. It's the worse bet for most people and if you can't understand that then your fear is blinding you. This is like someone with OCD saying it's better to wash their hands constantly "just in case". Sure maybe you don't wash your hands for the 20th time one day and catch ebola, but more likely you just destroy your hands over time.

I get what you're saying, but even just making the threat without pulling a weapon is enough to get a charge in some places. In any case I don't think we should be carrying guns around in our day to day as if it was normal anyway. It's kind of like wearing a rubber suit all the time because you're worried about lightning strikes.

This is wrong and will firmly land you on the wrong side of the law in many places. Pulling a gun is a last resort to defend yourself when de-escalation doesn't work. You pull the gun when you've already determined that you have to fire it. Otherwise you're just escalating and making the situation more dangerous for yourself and any bystanders. This is also why I don't carry a gun in the first place even though I might legally be allowed to.