[KLRANGL]

Ive takin martial arts since I was 5 (im currently 21). Akido, Kendo, Iaido, Kobudo, Ho Shin Sool, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing, you name it... I can tell you now that I would most definitely not want to have a gun in my face, unless it was about half a foot away (in which case my chances of survival go from nil to slim)...

But I also believe that the mindset of being trained in self defense as well as the reflexes and physical improvements you get when taking martial arts classes cannot be beat... Self defense is all about being prepared, and that 5% chance I have of saving my life from 2 armed gunman is much better than that 0% chance I have without taking classes... Life is never fair, but why not try and improve the odds? The point is that there are so many benefits from taking such classes that anyone with the time and money would be wise to take some... Just stay away from competition styled classes and stick with true self defense...

And if I may make another point, the self confidence you get from self defense classes can also get you out of a jam by just being assertive... Most bad guys wont mess with someone they think will put up a fight, preferring to stick with weaker targets... One of the assistant instructors at the last place i took classes from was this 90lb 5'2" woman, and she scared me more than most of the 6' 200lb guys did...