Bearing Arms in the Hood: Does Owning a Gun Make Me a Part of the Problem?

So...a bullet came through my window last night...

And flew into the kitchen cabinet...

I heard the shots, and although it startled me, I had no idea it came into the house until I woke up this morning. Thank God no one was injured. I'm sure it wasn't intended for us but I couldn't help but be scared, and the thought of explaining it to my daughters is sickening.

A few weeks ago, a guy they know was shot across the street. A while ago, my oldest daughter had her phone stolen out of her hand by some jerk while she was walking down the street...he was never caught and she still sees him often. And now this...

Hot Lead

Unfortunately, for us, I chose an area populated by a bunch of baby thugs...unsupervised miscreants who would rather shoot someone than work out their real issues. You know...the kind of kids that get a reality check in jail once they found out who is really tough... I get that they're misguided... victims of every negative thing our society has ever birthed, and I feel for them...but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let one of these little bastards take anything from me.

I work in the community, and I'd do anything in my power to help someone change their lives for the better. However, too many times, you hear of the basketball coach giving his everything to help kids, only to be shot dead on the very court where he helped others learn. Or the social worker beaten to a pulp for giving a damn about the welfare of someone else's children.

So...several times recently, I've contemplated buying the biggest shotgun possible,
and actually daydreamed about blasting a whole in the chest of an unexpected intruder...sick, I know. The only problem with buying a gun is that I'm afraid of the karma that comes with it...

I feel like if you surround yourself with negative things, you draw negativity into your life...like, I'd never really need a gun until I actually have one, get it?
The thought of purchasing a gun makes me feel like I'm going over to the dark side...and becoming part of the bigger problem at hand.

Even though in every city, every day, innocent people are robbed and murdered, and even killed inside their homes by stray bullets I know a gun wouldn't have protected me against this stray, but protecting my home and my family is my top priority, and it seems like the bad guys have the upper hand. They don't even think twice about having guns, or about robbing little girls or shooting innocent people.

I don't know...I want to be a part of the solution, but more than that I want to feel safe in my own home...but who says guns equal safety...more questions than answers.

Does owning a gun make me a part of the problem? What do you think?