I know there are a lot of police officers & military on this board (I have the utmost respect and admiration for ya'll by the way).

Just wanted anyone's opinion on having a weapon for protection in the home... The previous post sparked my interest.

Both my BF & a good friend of mine (we jokingly call him and his wife my Texas parents ) have encouraged me to have some sort of gun in the house since I live alone and not in the best neighborhood. The dogs are a visual deterrent, but I wouldn't count on more. There was a break in a week ago at a home down the street; crazy thing is the robber picked a firearms instructor's house to break into. Needless to say the robber was shot and no charges were brought on the homeowner.

I've been politely resisting their encouragement for the last two years because to put it bluntly, guns make me nervous. I didn't 'grow up' around them, and even chancing some type of accident scares the heck out of me. All that said... that doesn't mean I couldn't learn to safely handle one. I admit that break in so close got me thinking.

TxDad thinks I should get some sort of shotgun. According to him I would just have to 'point and shoot'. BF thinks I should look into getting a handgun.

Additionally... say I did purchase a firearm. It's not like it could just sit in the closet; I'd have to go to a range or course and practice often or what good would it do, right? So what kind of hobbies are there that I could get into for either kind of firearm? Last year I went to the "plinking range" with my brother at the club he belonged to; he shoots skeet & trap (sp?). That wasn't so bad, and everyone there was uber-safe about handling and rules. He's being transfered to Alaska next month for work though

I've done some research but I have to admit I still feel kind of clueless on all of this. I did find two good prospects for classes (facilities with a full range for beginner safety through advanced handling and scenarios, even classes geared for women). I like classes, if I do this I will definitely start there.

Just wanted some input other than my BF and TxDad... Pros, cons. Whatever. Feel free to PM me or reply-post. Thanks!

It sounds like you're a really terrific candidate for owning a firearm for personal protection.
You're taking the time to learn and ask a lot of questions, and you're willing to attend classes to learn how to safely and effectively operate the weapon.

I don't blanket recommend that everyone own a firearm, but that's not because I don't believe in theory that everyone should. I just know that the world is full of irresponsible or reckless people. You don't sound like either of those.

I think a shotgun would probably suit you quite well. A nice 12 gauge loaded with birdshot is great for home protection. You will stop any threat, and you don't risk sending lethal lead flying through the drywall and creating unintended victims.


The most important facet of owning a firearm for protection though, has nothing to do with selecting the right weapon or learning how to use it.

It has to do with making a conscious decision that you will use it if you have to.
You have to make peice ahead of time with the idea that you may be in a violent situation, and you may have to use violence to keep yourself safe.

Imagine yourself realizing that someone has entered your home.
Imagine yourself getting the gun and facing the intruder.
Imagine yourself firing.

Too many times people go out, purchase a gun and learn how to use it, and that's the end of it.
And when it comes time to use it, they don't. They've never thought that far ahead, and they freeze up when it counts- the brain can't process the situation.

Like the good LTC Dave Grossman said,

 Quote:

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

I prefer handguns. Then if you decide you get comfortable enough you may decide to carry. Revolvers are low maintenance. I carry either a 1911 full size, a compact Taurus polymer 45 or a Ruger SP101 depending on what I have on.


http://www.nrahq.org/education/

San Antonio - Saturday, November 01, 2008, TBD, $25
Ken Lewis, 210-256-9627. , kenlewis@satx.rr.com
Class types: Home Firearm Safety

San Antonio - Saturday, November 29, 2008, TBA, $125
Chris Stockton, 210-387-9797. , Chris@Alamodefense.net
Class types: Basic Pistol

I had a similar situation that happened to me many years ago, except that the home broken into was my own. Luckily my poorly bred little female Rott took it upon herself to protect her home. She got the guy by the leg and she took a beating (ended up needing stiches and had two hematomas), but that bite is what helped to capture him when he showed up later at the hospital. I was home, and grabbed a baseball bat and was running at the guy when he broke free.

Afterwards I realized how unprepared I was. The guy dropped four zip ties when Rox got him, and that fact scared the crap out of me when I found them. I would have never thought that my nervy little girl would protect me, but figured that she was enough to keep people like him away. You can't even count on that sometimes...

The next day, I went to the local range and started taking lessons. I bought a Springfield .45 XD and love the weight and feel of it. I also ended up taking private lessons with a Front Sight instructor who is also a LEO and the firearms instructor for our local police department (and as he is now my baby, I still get to take advantage! ) and found a new passion.

As for what kind of hobbies, well, that depends on you. At our range, twice a month we have shooting competitions. Some are for time, some for accuracy, and some are for both. It is a great stress reliever to go to the range and let go a little as well. I have introduced shooting to my mother and a few friends, and we have a great time getting together on the weekends and going to a local outdoor range. (Oh, and there is my little hobby of decorating the grip of my gun. It has pink rhinestone hearts this month, but that changes regularly. Keeps the men from taking my guns! I even had a gun that was powder coated pink!)

I now know that a shotgun would have been as good a choice. Just the sound of cocking it is enough to scare most off, and you don’t have to be a crack shot with them, so in the heat of the moment that is how most should be armed.

I personally use a shotgun. I'm good with it and I love it. I usually practice shooting every Tuesday at a very nice range nearby. I will say this, it does get easier as time goes on to handle, to feel comfortable, and most importantly not fear your gun. A shotgun has a great deterrent quality to it as well, no one mistakes the sound of a shell dropping into a pump action as anything else.

My only advice to you is pick something appropriate to your house, be aware of where your shot can go (I would feel terrible hurting my neighbor accidently), and finally, when you pull a gun on an intruder as horrible as it sounds your intent should be to kill them. Wounding an intruder (even one intending to hurt you) but not killing them leaves you open to legal action far more irritating and long term than the initial action in many states. I'm not sure about Texas but Washington has many examples of home intruders taking homeowners to court and winning for medical/pain and suffering nonsense and on the flip side a few examples of what was declared "justifiable homicide" for imminent danger cases.

Carolyn,
Alyssa has given you the straight poop. It's not just safety and aim to consider. Are you will to, maim, cripple, and possibly kill another human being????????? No small thing, that.
If not, rely on your dogs and a nice large can of bear spray. Yeah yeah, I hear some people don't have any reaction to it. If I were you though, I wouldn't worry about the very small chance of run into that one in a thousand. Believe me the odds are better you'd meet someone willing to run into the barrel of a shotgun than someone that wouldn't be effected by your advantage with bear strenght pepper spray.
However, if you do decide to get a gun. Practice, practice, practice. I got my first 'real' gun of my own for my tenth birthday. I've killed and maimed many things. So from this prospective; every time you practice, visualize what you're KILLING........Doesn't matter if you're shooting skeet or a man target, see it as real. Real blood, real cries of agony, real death rails.........It'll steal you for the final act.

For a beginner, I vote for a shot gun.
Randy

As a former member of a U.S. Army special mission unit, I can tell you that most of your marksmanship training can be accompolished through dry fire, especially for your intended purpose (home defense).

Marksmanship training begins through academic study of the marksmanship fundamentals (Steady Position, Aiming, Breathing, Trigger Control, and Follow Through) and safe weapons handling. Then it goes to practical application of those fundamentals by dry firing. Simplistically speaking, dry firing is practice without ammunition. You can do this by using a spot on the wall in your home - safe weapons handling is key here.

The next step is range fire. Only, a helper will hand you your pistol but you won't know if he has loaded a round or not. You conduct slow aimed fire to apply the fundamentals, one "round" at a time. You'll know if you're not applying them correctly when you squeeze the trigger and the pistol flinches in your hands when there is no round loaded. Typically, trigger control is the most difficult fundamental to master among pistol shooters.

Over time, you can advance to rapid aimed fire, multiple targets, correcting malfunctions, or whatever. But the point I want to make is that once you get to a point where you can apply the fundamentals, you can maintain your skills at an acceptable level strictly through dry fire, which is resource free.

Dry fire is really good training.

You can actually practice your "natural shooting position" and alignment, by placing a pencil down the barrel of an unloaded automatic pistol.

Place a peice of paper on the wall, and standing with the barrel of the weapon about an inch away from the paper (with pencil inserted), assume your firing position and aim.

Continuing to hold your position, close your eyes and count to thirty.
Without opening your eyes, pull the trigger.

If you hit your mark, you are in your "shooting sweet spot", the point where all your body mechanics come together to hold a weapon in a stable and consistent stance.

If you didn't hit your mark, keep adjusting in very small increments, ensure that you are controlling breathing and trigger squeeze.

Finding your natural shooting stance is important, because once you've found it and practiced it, you will automatically assume it when it really counts.

Hey thanks for all of the great replies everyone.

Those are all very good points and food for thought. Some of the things, like choosing shot that won't exit walls, I had thought about. More importantly would I be able to harm or kill someone in self defense? I have thought about it but not enough in depth.

A couple of years ago I took a self-defense class (that turned into a year or two of karate) and we spent a whole class period talking about defending yourself and what that means emotionally if you get to the point where you are physically harming someone. The three concepts I walked away from those classes with were 1)Stay away from bad situations and trouble if you can in the first place. 2)Run away; don't stick around to try out your karate moves and 3)You don't have time to ask how bad the person is trying to hurt you... assume the worst, and do what you have to do to get away as quickly as possible. I think the same probably applies to defense with a firearm.

Roger, Thanks for the links! I contacted Ken Lewis and will do either this or the next Home Firearm Safety course. This is a classroom only course and even if I decide to stick with my pepper spray (Thanks for mentioning that Randy), it never hurts to learn.

I also did some more research between shotguns and pistols... I think I will lean towards the shotgun and see where that takes me.

Jessica- glad you are safe and thanks so much for your input.

Best Regards all~

 Quote: Carolyn Pike

I also did some more research between shotguns and pistols...

The Judge

This probably wouldn't be the best for your situation......but it sure is cool.