Close Reading

Immigrated hear 30 years ago - happy with my experience. Strongly disagree with probably six out of your nine reasons (e.g. you can buy real estate with only 5% down, not 20%, etc.). Weather IS bad but everybody knows that.

Canada has the same problem as the United States: wrong kind of politicians elected. Like the U.S., most Canadians consider themselves compassionate liberals and thus feel obligated to vote for said, compassionate liberal politicians. The problem is, for Canada and the U.S., these compassionate liberal politicians don't know how to run the nation's economy except to run it further into the ground. And when the problems get really bad, the solution is always, raise taxes because liberal politicians are either Marxist Socialist and believe the citizenry are obligated to pay higher and higher taxes for more government intervention, meaning, interference, in most cases.\n Whenever Canada does get around to voting in a conservative prime minister and government, the Canadian mass media immediately goes on a years-long negative campaign of deliberately undermining the government in the eyes of the Canadian People, demeaning them as inept and uncompassionate and comparing them to fascists. Eventually the Canadian People get so distressed they have to vote back in the liberal party. And then the same happens again.\n I'm just glad our Canadian brothers are not blaming the U.S. government or the CIA, but instead are clear-headed and courageous enough to blame their own government and past legislations and laws that do the exact opposite of what is supposed to happen, level the playing field for all Canadians.\n I'm reading about the outrageous pricing of Canadian housing and am astonished. But one YouTuber explained this about his Canada. Everyone in Canada wants to squeeze into the few, concentrated urban areas that concentrate business, finance, manufacturing, job opportunities, et al. As it happens, these areas are too few and far between. So what ends up happening is geographical overpopulation, despite Canada having a total population of around 32 million souls. People in California can certainly understand this phenomenon. You can purchase a 3-bedroom house out in California City, which is near the Mojave Desert, for $176,000, but there's nothing out there to make it worthwhile living there. Conversely, a tiny, 3-bedroom home in Torrance, Los Angeles, was selling for $800,000 in 2018. \n As realtors put it this way all the time, location, location, location!\n I'm going to pass on commenting on Canada's National Health Care. I've read criticisms from native Canadians on the Internet. As Canadians, they're entitled to say whatever they want about their country. If I, a Yank, open my big mouth, I'm going to get trolled by a hundred angry Canadians defending their National Health Care as the world's greatest socialized medical care. Health Care is already expensive enough in the U.S. Most people get it through their employer, which pays a part of it. But employees' monthly deductions for health insurance have been growing steadily over the past 30 years to where it's now a huge chunk out of one's monthly paycheck.

They are implementing darkness. Uk has another 30 years left

I lived and worked in TO in a few areas for several years. I left in 2016. I am glad I left before it got bad. I started witnessing more racist comments on subway and platforms were becoming too crowded. After 30 plus years I moved to live in a rural area before moving to live in a similar setting to where I grew up in Oakville. I do love TO and it has so much to offer. I worked downtown and just could not keep up. I spent my spare time walking along the beaches especially Scarborough Bluffs and skating at Harbourfront on a weekday. These are fond memories that I will cherish.\n\n I heard that the shelters were over crowded and unhealthy places. I met a nice man in my building who was successful, lived on street for 13 years before successfully integrating into low-income housing. I learned the most from his stories and met some of the most fabulous people in the worst buildings. I had to leave for safety and mental health reasons. I could not see myself remaining in TO without support. \n\n I made the right move in the right time. Not everyone can afford city living. My quality of life and mental health are better but I cherish the friendships I made in TO. My Grandfather was a Mcleod and I am amazed how much you look like my mother when she was younger. She modeled for Ford and volunteered for a local Vet and hospital. I wish you well. I appreciate your honesty. Since I left, I have driven by TO on 407 a few times. I just didn't have the right mix of education and work to survive in the city any more.

This is a logical result of the fact that for the past 30 years Kanada keeps electing globalists, sociopaths and freedom haters at every level of their government. What did you thing was going to happen? But forget about the economy, these days they are legislating how people should address each other, and even attempting to legislate how people should THINK(!!!). It is insane. \n\nFirst time I visited Canada back in 1995. I loved it. I even considered moving there as I had a girlfriend material in Montreal... Then gradually, after each subsequent visit, of which there were at least 20, my opinion of this country went down and down, until I even crossed it from my list of countries where I would like to spend ANY amount of time, even as little as an airport layover. My last time in kanada was back in 2013. That was when I swore never to set my foot in that lib-swamp ever again.\n\nBurn in your own liberal Hell! I won't miss it...

That shows u whos coming when they are tearing that fence up. Come the right way like many of us did. It took years. Stop having 2 3 4 kids and we have to pay for it. People thi k this is funny? Do u k ow where they dtay? I live in s place where they a mile sesy turned s ice Hotel into a hiding place for them they have big gates they put up. Theyive in the hotel rooms and start the process snd they ha e kids lots of them.. free rent free pbones free money our government hiding this and we are sll paying for it. They say they want a betterife. Well hire one cause o i.d u dont know who they are and starting wage 30 hour. Yep thats right 30.

I agree about cash grabs. I own a house with a basement apartment, I didn't put it in, the previous owner from 20 years ago did. I recently got a new tenant and had it listed online, once I acknowledged it had been rented, Zolo called the city on me. I have to get the basement registered or evict my tenant or pay $25,000 for disobeying the bylaws. I decided to get the basement registered and they are telling me that I don't have 50 % Landscaping so I have to pay $800 to apply for an exception ( even after paying the fee I could still be denied, that's just a fee for the application)\n\nNo one within 30 square km of my house has 50% landscaping, that's not how the neighborhoods were designed. It's a cash grab. After paying the $800 I still have to go through the process to register the basement which is going to cost me another $1,000 plus whatever changes they ask me to make.\n\nWe are in an affordable housing crisis and this is the bs that I'm going through just trying to rent my basement. I'm not a slumlord nor do I overcharge for rent, the system is grossly unfair

I stopped visiting Canada 40 years ago because of insane or corrupt border control policies. I traveled to Canada from California to record an album for a popular rock star. My crew number 4 people and we had reserves a month for basic tracking in a studio there. We bought our own reels of 3 inch wide recording tape because the studio wanted twice the rate as normal and since my studio was a distributor for the mastering tapes we brought from my own inventory. Each reel of tape was 3 lbs and brought 30 reels. We got to customs and they said we owed money for importing the tape. Normally a reel would have been $180, and customs wanted $38,000 x 20, and would not let us retrieve it to take it back to the US side of the border. How can a tape worth $180 suddenly have duty of $38,000?\nIt was explained to me as the Potential Value of the tape which meant AFTER a hit song was recording in it. Most recordings are total losses and the tape cant used on a new project even if properly bulk-erased. They expected me to pay on the spot $760,000 in duties. I gave up and left the tape with them. I called the artist and said we could not do the project in Canada and we went back to California. The artist came to us a few months later and the result was a minor hit, and probably barely made its production cost since the label only distributed it in Canada. I talked to an international trade lawyer about what happened and he said customs officials were wrong in Canada but they are given full latitude with no appeal so his advice was never take anything over the border that I did not mind being confiscated. Sometimes they would let it in because it was going back out in a month, but likely they sold it off and pocketed the money. The US is corrupt on a federal level but Canada is corrupt on the local level. I moved out of the US 24 years ago have a much higher quality of life than is even possible in the US, and live very cheaply. Total cost of living with a very active social and cultural life impossible to duplicate in the US which as some of the least options for culture. And my cost of living is $1500 a month, less than utilities alone for one house in California, and that is for 2 people. Last month for example I attended world class opera, ballet and symphonies 9 times, and went out to dinner, in jazz clubs or dance clubs, visited12 top museums, and it was still under $1500 for the month. A pair of tickets to the MET in NYC for lower grade performance, sets, orchestra ad theater, was $1800!! $600 for tickets to drama for 2. Here there 237 drama theaters within walking distance of my city center home, and can walk anywhere at any time of day and be safe due to VERY low crime rates. Free medical is good. I am not citizen but still I had an operation and 10 days in a vip single room for $5300 and despite my insurance I had been paying back in California $824.month, it was going to cost me out o pocket $500,000 and one day in a recovery 12 bed room, and require paid nursing attendant for 30 days. The results were great and was treated like king.\nCanadians have lost control of their government but Americas are screwed regardless, with lower than international standards for everything, with crime, corruption in Washington, extreme cost of living, no access to culture, few if any safe parks. My adopted city is not only far more beautiful than any US city, my GF can walk, alone, anywhere in a city of 7mil at any time of day through any of the 600 beautiful parks open 24/7..at 3am. There are no homeless, and 80% of those over 20yo own their home clear of debt. No college debt despite twice the % of people having degrees. The rest of the world caught up and has surpassed the US and Europe in quality of life. \n\nI have only been back to the US 5 times in 24 years and each time I am shocked by how much the entire society has declined while most of the world outside of Europe, Canada, US, UK or Australia have dramatically improved.\nEvery year since 2008 more Americans leave the US to live elsewhere than legal immigrants arrive.

09:35 You wouldnt believe how bad the german transportation system have gotten.\nAnd in fact, paying for a house can take 20, 30 or even more years.

As Brit who emigrated to Canada 30 years this is not new. When i moved here in 1993, my Canadian friends were complaining about how bad things were. It's good and normal when citizens don't just accept the status quo. Living 30 miles from the US, I can tell you that it's av wonderful place to live and raise a family.

Live in a $3000 rental or buy a house mortgage life for $1 M for 30 years. And work in multiple jobs.....this is the most real estate bubble place on planet ????\n\n\nIn the hoax lie of supply demand its now a WORST housing bubble in world!!!\n\n\nAnd no good manufacturers no good jobs ..no quality technology nothing in the name of economic progress housing account for 50% of gdp while usa its just 15%

Like the Germans at the end of WWII Trudeau is stealing everything he can hobbling any chance of Canada recovering in the next 30 years and the BLOC and NDP are complicit in their crimes and the general public wonders why rent and food are unaffordable, welcome to the new third world Canada vote for your favorite again..... just shows that the voting age should be 25 and politicians need to be qualified intellectually with degree's other than drama majors....

500,000 new arrivals per year, in a saturated housing market is BOUND to cause demand and rarity... ANYONE that studied economics for even 30 minutes understands the link between offer, demand, and price... Anyways, the REAL issue is WHY THE SHORTAGE of affordable housing in this country? \nIs it creepy local elected officials that LOVE rising property evaluations and the taxes they bring? Is it speculative pricks, just buying anything to wash away dirty money? Is it the shortage of units that Airbnb and other short-term rental monstrosities created? Or is it, maybe ALL of those? No matter what it is, blaming the FEDERAL, when most of those conditions are due to LOCAL or PROVINCIAL control, is pretty IGNORANT!!!

well I sure would not recommend to come to Canada or less you a doctor ! I settled here about 30 years ago and the opportunities where a LOT different then specially around housing. My family is still in France and for example you can still rent a 3 bd apartment close to a big city for 700 Euros that's about a third of what you would pay here !!

great points! I've immigrated 30 years ago, but now I'm planning to leave Canada for good... the cost of living would make it impossible to live here a pensioner.

One thing he didn't mention about Ontario, is the southwestern area get crazy humid in the summer days, thanks to being surrounded by great lakes... One year (4-5 years ago?) I'm not joking go to 90+% humidity, somewhere between 30-40c.... Unless that's your jam... then by all mean! \n\n(Oh and far, far northern Ontario, we get polar bears during certain times of year, apparently. Only learned that a few years ago...)

I decided to leave Canada 30 years ago and Never look back.

Support ALL Canadians.. you guys just came here,, we've lived here out whole life and can't afford a home for our FAMILIES!! And we have been paying taxes for 30 years, my family for over 100 years... you are getting an extremely good education that you wouldn't get at home. Why do you deserve a home more than the rest of us??

Trust me, only the most proficient professionals will consider departing Canada. It's crucial to bear in mind that the majority of individuals who have migrated to Canada fall into categories such as temporary foreign workers, caregivers, refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, and college students. These individuals are unlikely to leave the country; they will endure any challenges they face in Canada because they have limited options. Canada has evolved significantly from the place it was 30-40 years ago.

These are all very valid points and unfortunately, most of these are the result of the inept government. As an immigrant from Indonesia who has been in Toronto for over 30 years, it wasn't always like this. I hope Canada can return to the way it was eventually.

Yes, unfortunately, Canada is not the same country as years ago. I am also planning to return to my country in Europe, after 30 years....

600.000 immigrants every year < how Canada can handle that many people < job < housing < possibility normal life ??? Asians milioners buying realstates / 30 -40 houses and renting < that is good investment for them / In Toronto $1 mln 2 bdr apartment < who can buy it ???? < My Daughter is PhD University Professor in Toronto and only 1 bdr renting apartment she can afford . Canada used to be the best Country on the world

There are just too many immigrants being let in. I’m shocked at the amount of international students at my college. I feel like its almost 90% are international students trying to get PR and some of them can barely write properly. The quality of work being put out by the students makes me question the integrity of schools. So many of them don’t care about what they’re studying and put minimal effort. All they want is PR. They are not willing to adopt Canadian values and I see people pushing and shoving to get on public transport instead of being civilized. I think immigrants from 30 years ago were a different group. Most were refugees and wanted a better life and were willing to adapt to Canadian culture and adopt new values. But nowadays, the mass of immigrants coming in are very different. Many of them are wealthy and are here not to make a better life for themselves and contribute to Canada. They are here to get PR in order to get Canadian benefits as its much better than their own countries. Some want to be able to move to the US later on. They’re taking advantage of the system and it’s f*cking the country.

What I understood from my experience in India is that all experiments should be finished by the age of 30. After that one should plan to excel in the country one resides. I do not know about your age and past experience. What I say that your root lies in the country you grow up. So, you may repent in success or in failure, either ways after many years. Recall the movie DDLJ. Do your best here, if you have come back to India. By profession also, India offers many high package jobs (mostly multinational corporates). There are some highly rewarding Govt. jobs as well. Have an eye on the corporate and professional world. Now you can write many international exams from India itself. Live your life!

I left 30 years ago tired of lame excuses and stupid explanations.

As a Canadian who has lived in almost all the provinces and territories, all my life, I can tell you that a lot has changed as I think the best time or era was in the 1970's and you may have come at the worst time as the worst appears to be now when everything has become too expensive. The other problem relates to Canada, its size, the distances to travel, the smaller tax base with a smaller population than that of United States or India. This is not intended to provide excuses but most people here do not even have a family doctor as many doctors find greener pastures in the United States where the dollar is 30 percent higher in value and salaries are not limited to government health care. It is hard to change when American influence dictates much of what transpires. Homelessness hasn't been a problem but the last five years has provided more hardship for many who find it hard to cope with how things have become.

You are lying to the people about Canada or you don't know. West Africans, aka sub Saharan African are not the favoured group selected for immigration to Canada. For some reason the immigration policy favours Indians from India. 90% of the people favoured now for immigration into Canada are Indians and secondly Latinos from Mexico or some other Latin American country. People from West Africa are a trickle. All this information is on line, Google it. Also Canada is experiencing inflation and everyone is crying about the very high cost of living and finding housing. The housing market is now going through a depression and the amortization rate instead of 30 years is now leaning towards 40-60 years owing to high interest rates. People do your homework. \n\nDo not listen to people who want to blow up themselves making false claims. Also there is not overt racism but it definitely THERE, try promotion to the highest level of management in the work place and see how many years you will plateau till retirement, aka HIT THE CONCRETE SEALING. Bro, I don't doubt your experience but you are definitely an anomaly, aka an exception as you are saying that you are here in Canada living the good life. So many West Africans in Toronto are working with InstaCard, Door Dash and doing Uber and Lyft. It is called the GIG economy. You are not in a stable job. The living standard is high in Canada, meaning even the poorest has access to a quality life through the Social Services govt system. Maybe you think that is living the good life equivalent or on par with a person of European ancestry who is at least 3rd generation Canadian and in over 75% of the cases have had a transference of Generational wealth.

I been in Germany for 15 years and no forever permanent. Some even 30 years very bad

I left my home land 30 years ago because of lack of opportunities, cold weather and high taxes!

My family came to Canada 30 years ago. My father and siblings worked very hard to build a business that provides services to the public. My spouse works harder now to provide half of what I grew up with. I wonder how they will provide for their families. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to live a decent life. It’s not the Canada I grew up in. It makes me sad my children are not growing up with what I had. The taxes are high and expenses are high. Trying to own a home is near impossible. It’s a challenge to keep going. I don’t have anywhere else to go let alone my kids. Hope things change for the better for our children’s sake.

I have been an immigrant to Canada myself for more than 30 years, we see grass is always greener on the other side trick you into going to another country. People leaving because 61% live paycheck to paycheck and what they own all belongs to the bank after they die. Cheers ?

Understandable, as the country is not the same as 30-40 years ago, when the assimilation, though tough, was much easier.\nThe biggest issue is with the parity of degrees, making many starting from the bottom.

The number of immigrants is increasing, but the infrastructure is not commensurate with the increase of people in Canada. For 30 years or more, no bridges, highways, or streets have been built, and even the infrastructure has not been developed.

30 years ago was stil affordable to live or come to Canada but now someone who wants to come and pay 3000 a month for apartment have to be insane

Canada will just be a Brampton in 30 years. Wonderful.

Quite a few of leaving are afraid that they may have unacceptable views, so they run away just in case so their bank accounts are not locked up ?. Definitely not the same Canada I came to, over 30 years ago.

I have worked in the oil industry for the last 30 years and through constant attack from Canadians in places that dont have an oil industry the industry in Canada is a shell of what it once was. I gained employment in the US 5 years ago and moved to the US 2 years ago. I and my family have applied for green cards. I appreciate living in a country where individual rights and freedoms are enshrined within the constitution.

Canada stopped educating and employing its own 30 years ago. That’s why it’s in this mess relying on horrible unmanaged uncontrolled immigration that’s destroying the country and it’s culture.

Instead of taking care of born and raised Canadians they want to take care of new comers. If they just dropped the crazy high tax rate all across the board and made it easy to start business here maybe Canadians would start having children if they seen a future. But no lets just make immigrant's work for nothing and hope they don't leave. We don't get paid enough in Canada that is why educated and talented born and raised Canadians leave this waste land. We could go across the boarder and make double and be able to afford a home in our prime working years. Why would I buy a home and pay it off in 30-40 years when I could pay it off in 10 years and have my wages go into living life and investments. Canada is done They stole the future of millennials and Gen-Z here don't fight just leave. It will be 30 years to recover from this time we don't have and our kids don't either.

As former Calgarians, my wife and I had lived in that beautiful city for 30 years. We moved to the GTA in 2008. We had observed that the last 15 years, the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) has had seen a gradual decline in both affordability as well as crime and safety. The last 5 years or so had been especially obvious with significantly steep jump in living (dwelling & food) costs as well as crime rates.\nAfter a couple of visits to Alberta in the last year or so, my spouse and I had decided to pull up stakes and relocate back to Calgary where housing is still reasonably affordable. We also feel much safer over there. Oh, did I mention that the ring road around the perimeter of the City is very near completion and it is free. Yes, it's free of charge, i.e.: it is not a toll road.\nIn general, drivers in Calgary, are also way more courteous than their counterparts in the GTA.\nOur relocation will happen in the next two to three months. Bye bye GTA (with no regrets) .......

You are an honest person. God bless you. I was born in India. At the age of 24 migrated to Tanzania. After living in Tanzania for 30 years migrated to UK. Faced same problems. Thank God. Settled down comfortably here. Carry on. May God bless you.

This is all on the US and it’s sanctions agonist these already suffering countries. Just In Venezuela alone over fours years they have lost the ability to sell over $30 billion in oil to the US that it needs BTW and since then they went from under 5,000 caught at the boarder to over 200,000 in less then two years. That’s financial warfare!! What would you expect \nIf you want them to stop. Demand your government lift the sanctions and just like that, you will get your beloved hotel cleaning, farm field picking jobs back.????????? How proud you will be again to see your children HARD at work ?‍?‍?‍???. \nNo more “struggling” to stop “them” from stealing your jobs ??‍♀️?

I always wondered why I had to be here when the snow tilted between 45 and 60 degrees in winter and hit my face at 30-40 km/h.\nquality of food, transportation, service from employees, speed of processing time, etc there were many things that made me really unsatisfied being living in Toronto.\nsame, at the first time I came Toronto, everything looks great. but not anymore \nI'm korean and I feel really unsafe when I go and live abroad. Korea, Japan, Singapore mainly all Asian countries are top 5 in safety all over the world I think. \nAsia especially Korean and Japan have great service, quality of food with reasonable price. I think I don't need to move foreign country. \nmy background is in South Korea but I can say living in Toronto Canada was horrible and harsh for Korean. Because of multiple reasons but the harsh weather is the biggest for me. Feels like winter in Toronto is 7~8 months long if I compare it to winter in Korea. Fall and Spring?? No, they don't have fall and spring and it's all winter. they have snow in early September late April or May. It was horribly hard because the cold air from the arctic and really powerful wind came all together. even though the weather and temperature look a little bit off from Korea, Canada has a much more harsh location with weather. not only harsh weather but they do provide really embarrassing experience such as expensive payment for everything, a lot of factors disturb me from leaking money. I don't think Canada is a good country. my view of this country totally has been changed 3 years ago.

Simply put, the people with money are coming into Toronto to live from all over the world, therefore, the drastic changes in pricing will happens! I lived here for 30+ years, and is still here, you need money to live here and the people with money are either retired, working with high pay jobs or from overseas, mostly oversea money! (rich visa students, ppl looking for PR, real estate investors that need to park their money without the control of their governments etc...)

My sister has lived i the U.S. for over 30 years now. She's so American, but won't get citizenship. Will only visit Canada.

I lived in the US for 30 years. I hated every year, except for having my sons there. My American husband is a staunch NRA supporter. At the 30 year mark, when I gave him an ultimatum. I gave him 30 years down there, and the time had come where he needed to do 30 years in Canada. We've been in Canada for 6 years, and he doesn't ever want to go back.\nI feel for the new mothers, who only get 6 weeks maternity leave (8 weeks for C-Section).\nCanadian Mums get a full year. Nurturing your new baby is necessary for a well-balanced child. You can't bond in 6 weeks. \nYour health insurance is nuts. We paid $1500/mo. just for our family. Then you have a $5k deductible first! Just walking into the ER is $500 and THEN add on labs, x-rays, meds, etc. My son was in mental health treatment and our insurance capped mental health at $25k for life. \nThe biggest slap up my head, was when I found out I CAN'T collect my SSI. I paid a lot of taxes, since we made 6 figures/year. So, now I'm screwed, since they won't pay a former Permanent Resident. Had I been a citizen, I could get it. My husband is a PR in Canada, waiting to take his citizenship test. If he applies for SSI, he needs to go down to the States for 30 days and nights, annually. \nI'm from Toronto, born and raised and I am so happy to have my feet back in my own country. My boys are still there, as well as my grandchildren. Thankfully, they fly up twice a year. You couldn't pay me to move back.

Candian here just had a baby 2 years ago. Our out of pocket costs were about $30 for parking and we paid a $200 fee to upgrade to a private room for recovery. Of course its not free as my wife and I pay a significant portion of our income in taxes but I don't mind pitching in for the good of everybody.

I've been to 30 states in my many decades of travel. The US has become a scarier place over the past 20 years. The politics is very partisan, Evangelicals have expanded their influence resulting in less tolerance of others, gun violence is insane, the poor are very, very poor with no way out, the very, very rich don't want to share at all (contrary to Christian teachings), the US version of capitalism verges on slavery (certainly not what Adam Smith envisioned anyway), the race issues are becoming simply stupid, the MAGA supporters and the socialist far left and wokeness are simply beyond comprehension . . . overall, tolerance for differences is becoming lost. People on the left and the right are equally are to blame. \n\nOne of Canadians' favourite activities is to crap on America(ns). This is unfair. There are wonderful places in the US and wonderful people. Collectively though, I think the US is coming apart at the seams. Canada certainly has its warts and our politics and society is becoming polarized too. But overall I'd say, Canada is friendlier, less violent, not as bigoted, more open minded, fairer, much less hierarchical, and more educated with regard to what's happening in the world. I do like the entrepreneurial bent to the US but its version often comes at a huge cost to people.

@20:30. Toronto, Vancouver have a lot of crime. We don't hear about it. If there is a shooting, then you ear about it.\nI want to see police presence, keeps criminals at bay, causes people to behave.\nWhy did my car insurance in Toronto go up by 80% in one year I asked my insurer? Car theft has shot up is the reply. I did not see that in the media, my neighbour's are not aware of it either.

I'm a Canadian who moved to Florida 30 years ago. I never regreted it, in fact I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to live here. I've had the best healthcare, great job, own my house and climate most Canadians would dream about. Sure there are crazy people everywhere but I never felt unsafe or needed to own a gun, I have very few complaints, especially when I'm sitting on a beach in winter time watching the sunset over the gulf.