--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: guess the question is, how paranoid do…" description: "\"“guess the question is, how paranoid do you want to be? How many guns does it take to make you feel safe? And how do you simultaneously keep them loade..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/stephen-king-13_children_guess-the-question-is-how-paranoid-do-yo_1433345.jpg" --- # guess the question is, how paranoid do you want to be? How… ![“guess the question is, how paranoid do you want to be? How many guns does it take to make you feel safe? And how do you simultaneously keep them loaded and close at hand, but still out of reach of your inquisitive children or grandchildren? Are you sure you wouldn’t do better with a really good…” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/stephen-king-13_children_guess-the-question-is-how-paranoid-do-yo_1433345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/stephen-king-13_children_guess-the-question-is-how-paranoid-do-yo_1433345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/stephen-king-13_children_guess-the-question-is-how-paranoid-do-yo_1433345.jpg) > ““guess the question is, how paranoid do you want to be? How many guns does it take to make you feel safe? And how do you simultaneously keep them loaded and close at hand, but still out of reach of your inquisitive children or grandchildren? Are you sure you wouldn’t do better with a really good burglar alarm? It’s true you have to remember to set the darn thing before you go to bed, but think of this — if you happened to mistake your wife or live-in partner for a crazed drug addict, you couldn’t shoot her with a burglar alarm.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Paranoia about safety leads to excessive gun ownership; true security may lie in non‑violent measures. **In simple terms:** Guns aren’t the only safety solution. Key Takeaway Consider alternatives to armed protection. Themes security paranoia gun ownership Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - home security systems - community watch - self‑defense training - mental health counseling Key Concepts Risk assessment family safety psychology of fear Questions to Reflect On - Is your fear proportional to actual risk? - What non‑lethal safeguards could you adopt? A Different Perspective Relying on firearms can create new risks, especially around children. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [Too often, the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-coolidge/too-often-the-opportunity-knocks-but-by-the-time-you-push-back-the/) [Rita Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-coolidge/) > [There's gonna be a lot of slow singin' and flower bringin' if my burglar alarm starts ringin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-gonna-be-a-lot-of-slow-singin-and-flower-bringin-if-my-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's gonna be a lot of slow singing and flower bringing If my burglar alarm starts ringing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/there-s-gonna-be-a-lot-of-slow-singing-and-flower-bringing-if-my/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [“Gya!! Stay away from me, weirdo! I'll press the burglar alarm!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peach-pit/gya-stay-away-from-me-weirdo-i-ll-press-the-burglar-alarm/) [Peach-Pit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peach-pit/) > [Modern man threw a brick through his own window in order to sell himself a burglar alarm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-carr/modern-man-threw-a-brick-through-his-own-window-in-order-to-sell/) [Allen Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-carr/) > [“There’s a phrase, the elephant in the living room, which purports to describe what it’s like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-s-a-phrase-the-elephant-in-the-living-room-which-purports-to/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Well, I'm like a drug addict, I'm always saying I'm going to stop, and then I don't, what I've said consistently is that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/well-i-m-like-a-drug-addict-i-m-always-saying-i-m-going-to-stop-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There'a a phrase, "the elephant in the living room", which purports to describe what it's like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-a-a-phrase-the-elephant-in-the-living-room-which-purports-to/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [To-night I am going to take a party to the headquarters of the fire department, where I have a cinch on the captain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-davis/to-night-i-am-going-to-take-a-party-to-the-headquarters-of-the-fire/) [Richard H. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-davis/) > [As Secretary of Housing, I do have to express alarm, signal the alarm if you will, that the potential for homelessness to grow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cisneros/as-secretary-of-housing-i-do-have-to-express-alarm-signal-the-alarm/) [Henry Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cisneros/) > [I have slight attention-span issues, so I will often wander off, and then I will be alerted - in inverted commas - when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-have-slight-attention-span-issues-so-i-will-often-wander-off-and/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There's gonna be a lot of slow singin' and flower bringin' if my burgalar alarm starts ringin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biggie-smalls/there-s-gonna-be-a-lot-of-slow-singin-and-flower-bringin-if-my/) [Biggie Smalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biggie-smalls/) > [The fire alarm definitely just went off...I think I'll stick to microwaveable popcorn from now on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bailey/the-fire-alarm-definitely-just-went-off-i-think-i-ll-stick-to/) [Candace Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bailey/) > [I don't use an alarm, though sometimes Alexa wakes me, especially if I have to get up at a certain time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/i-don-t-use-an-alarm-though-sometimes-alexa-wakes-me-especially-if-i/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [“We kiss until the alarm sounds off on my phone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/we-kiss-until-the-alarm-sounds-off-on-my-phone/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Alarm quotes > [“We kiss until the alarm sounds off on my phone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/we-kiss-until-the-alarm-sounds-off-on-my-phone/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [I don't use an alarm, though sometimes Alexa wakes me, especially if I have to get up at a certain time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/i-don-t-use-an-alarm-though-sometimes-alexa-wakes-me-especially-if-i/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [The fire alarm definitely just went off...I think I'll stick to microwaveable popcorn from now on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bailey/the-fire-alarm-definitely-just-went-off-i-think-i-ll-stick-to/) [Candace Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bailey/) > [There's gonna be a lot of slow singin' and flower bringin' if my burgalar alarm starts ringin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biggie-smalls/there-s-gonna-be-a-lot-of-slow-singin-and-flower-bringin-if-my/) [Biggie Smalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biggie-smalls/) > [I have slight attention-span issues, so I will often wander off, and then I will be alerted - in inverted commas - when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-have-slight-attention-span-issues-so-i-will-often-wander-off-and/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [As Secretary of Housing, I do have to express alarm, signal the alarm if you will, that the potential for homelessness to grow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cisneros/as-secretary-of-housing-i-do-have-to-express-alarm-signal-the-alarm/) [Henry Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cisneros/) > [To-night I am going to take a party to the headquarters of the fire department, where I have a cinch on the captain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-davis/to-night-i-am-going-to-take-a-party-to-the-headquarters-of-the-fire/) [Richard H. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-davis/) > [We've already seen digital picture frames pre-loaded with viruses; I'm not eager to have my refrigerator hacked or my alarm clock turned against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/we-ve-already-seen-digital-picture-frames-pre-loaded-with-viruses-i-m/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [You lock your windows before you leave. You put on an alarm if you live in the country because you know that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/you-lock-your-windows-before-you-leave-you-put-on-an-alarm-if-you/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [Waking up naturally to light is way better. It feels way better than waking up to an alarm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/waking-up-naturally-to-light-is-way-better-it-feels-way-better-than/) [Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/) > [It's gonna be awesome! A suspected pedophile dunks my kids head in a bucket so when she dies she can live in an invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/it-s-gonna-be-awesome-a-suspected-pedophile-dunks-my-kids-head-in-a/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I'm like a fire hose when the alarm goes off in a battle against a woman. Don't ever count me out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-riggs/i-m-like-a-fire-hose-when-the-alarm-goes-off-in-a-battle-against-a/) [Bobby Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-riggs/) > [Sleeping is my drug, my bed is the dealer, and my alarm clock is the police..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-sakundiak/sleeping-is-my-drug-my-bed-is-the-dealer-and-my-alarm-clock-is-the/) [Mitchell Sakundiak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-sakundiak/) > [“Tip #2: No more alarm clocks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-helen-conroy/tip-2-no-more-alarm-clocks/) Mary Helen Conroy > [I don't set the alarm to get up. I get up when I feel like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/i-don-t-set-the-alarm-to-get-up-i-get-up-when-i-feel-like-it/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) Browse all 272 Alarm quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“guess the question is, how paranoid do you want to be? How many guns does it take to make you feel safe? And how do you simultaneously keep them loaded and close at hand, but still out of reach of your inquisitive children or grandchildren? Are you sure you wouldn’t do better with a really good burglar alarm? 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