You don't "have to" do anything. You can just take your chances if you want, it's a free country.
Yes, I could sit back, do nothing, and hope that I get lucky and nothing happens. That "I don't care, I'm not going to prepare" attitude is pretty prevalent in the USA, whether you are talking about financial issues or home preparedness.
I think describing this attitude as head-burying totally misses the point. There are risks that come with not having a gun in the home - such as that someone will take some of your stuff in a way that you could have prevented - and there are risks that come with having a gun in the home - homicide during domestic confrontations, suicide, misfiring, the burglar/whoever getting control of the weapon. Some people, such as those who understand statistical reasoning and can think critically about risk, look at those costs and decide they're not worth it. Others have such big balls that they just don't care what the facts say, or know that they're just different somehow than the population as a whole.
"Some people, such as those who understand statistical reasoning and can think critically about risk, look at those costs and decide they're not worth it. Others have such big balls that they just don't care what the facts say, or know that they're just different somehow than the population as a whole."
I've got a BS in Chemical Engineering from RPI, an MEng from MIT in Env. Engineering, and an MBA from Boston University. You might be surprised, but all three of those degrees required courses in statistics (though, to be fair, I tested out of the MBA statistics requirement). I've spent 29 years as a professional engineer and manager (yeah, I've done a fair bit of stats, there, too- on almost a daily basis- though far more as a manager than as an engineer). Bottom line: I've had a bit of experience with statistics. Seriously, I'm pretty sure I understand stats (I won't mention the fact that I took college level stats classes while still in HS through a program for gifted students through Syracuse University, because that would just make me look like a dickhead, right?).
I'm taking a bit of a risk here (though a rather small one) when I say that it's likely that my ability to "understand statistical reasoning and think critically about risk" is at least equivalent to yours. If not, please feel free to exploit your superior knowledge and beat me up over my shocking inability to understand statistics (yeah, I know, it ain't going to happen).
Aside from being an MBA/Engineer, I was also a boy scout/soldier, and grew up in a family of hunters. My grandfather hunted until the day he died, and collected guns - he probably had enough to invade a small nation. I'm talking shit tons of guns. A whole room full of them, probably at least 50 rifles, pistols, shotguns, and automatic weapons- everything from BB guns to elephant guns- pistols, rifles, even a Tommy gun (that required a special license). My dad was also an Army vet, though less enthusiastic about guns, though he always had a rifle in the house as we grew up. I've lived 51 years in homes with guns. Shockingly, no one was ever shot. How could this be, Mr. Statistics Know it all?
So here are some statistics that make sense, even to those who aren't as arrogant as you are about "statistics." If you visit my house as a guest, you have a 0% chance of being shot. Not even if we disagree. God knows, as a Libertarian, I've had plenty of heated debates on the patio with both Republicans and Democrats. You'll be well fed (perhaps excessively fed, my wife has a tendency to go a bit too far on "laying out the spread"), and well entertained, even if we don't agree politically. We are great hosts.
If you break into my house late at night as a criminal, you have a 100% chance of leaving in a body bag. I'm a nice guy, wouldn't hurt anyone, but I've got a 'whole different attitude when it comes to criminals endangering my family. I go back into Army mode.
End of story.