I know many folks who feel the same way. I have had several 'pet' snakes including a Burmese Python. Bought it as a 6 week old 'baby' about 18 inches long and weighting only a couple of ounces. Two years later it was about 13 feet long and weighted in at 87 pounds. I was just a kid (16 years old) and living at home so once it reached that size by parents made me get rid of it. I found it a great home w/ a herpetologist who had half his living room glassed off for his other pet snakes.
The python I had never bit anyone, never even hissed. Very gentle snake. It liked being held – liked the body heat. It was a tropical snake and maintaining the correct temperature and humidity level proved quite a task.
Other snakes I’ve owned have been very cross-tempered and would hiss and strike and bite if they got half a chance.
Wild snakes are best left wild. Venomous snakes should not be tolerated around areas where people and pets frequent (houses, front/back yards, etc.).
Rattlesnakes are dangerous but they are docile as compared with copperheads. I’ve seen a copperhead come after a friend of mine, until he shot it. The weird thing about it is rattlesnake venom is more potent than that of copperheads.
The copperhead must have had young nearby.
You said a copperhead came after a friend of yours.
There is a type of Rattlesnake that WILL be aggressive. It is called the MOJAVE GREEN. I have encountered them in the west end of the Antelope Valley- west of Palmdale/Edwards AFB. We were riding downhill on a fire road. Snake was heading downhill also. Snake sensed us, turned around, and aggressively came uphill toward us. Other rider knew the danger better than I, and told me we had to turn around and get away from it, as it wouldn't just go off the trail and avoid us and the horses. Mojave Green is a real mean snake.
I agree about your assesment of wild rattlesnakes, as long as you don't step on them or scare them, they are very accomodating. I saw one and tried to get some pictures of it. It actually took some effort to get it to stand up and rattle for me.
While you say your python was gentle, at that size it was far more dangerous than a wild rattler. They simply have no idea that you may not want them to strangle you, or do they care about what you want anyway.