A person breaks into your house....

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Jittles

Golden Member
Apr 17, 2001
1,341
1
0
OK, question.

I know there are pros and cons to this but what exactly.

What if you loaded a blank as the first round, fired once with an intruder, then judged by his reaction whether or not to pump him full of "speed holes?"

I'm from the great state of ALASKA, where my dad owns a 12 gauge shotgun and a rifle, and my best friend's dad owns more guns than then entire state of california has in it.

I DO plan on buying a handgun for protection/shooting at a range after college.

EDIT: And I DO plan on using that if anybody threatens my wife/family/property.
 

Jittles

Golden Member
Apr 17, 2001
1,341
1
0
On a side note:

What handguns should I consider looking at?

This gun will be for home defense so I don't want it so powerful it blasts a 4 inch hole in the wall after going thru somebody.

I also want to be able to take it to a range and fire it there.

It also has to be cool. Like a Walther PPK. Yeah I don't know anything about that but just because James Bond uses one that makes it cool. My friend is actually looking at buying one (EXPENSIVE.)
 

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,906
12
81
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: Booster
Originally posted by: hammer09
i'm in texas so if he had a weapon, I'd shoot immediately.

And what if he's a police detective, FBI agent or whoever? They don't always wear uniform, and not all of them show their tags quick enough. If you shoot such a guy, well, it's going to really suck.

Actually, there was a case in TX where some deputies went on a bust, didnt yell "Police" or otherwise ID themselves, the owner killed them both, and was either not tried or found not guilty, I forget which.

dang....hehe hopefully none of that happens to me.....and yeah, i did hear about the roberer suing a family about something, but i thought it was cuz he fell on something, broke his arm, and sued the family cuz they had dangerous obstacles or something in the lawn....
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: Jittles
OK, question.

I know there are pros and cons to this but what exactly.

What if you loaded a blank as the first round, fired once with an intruder, then judged by his reaction whether or not to pump him full of "speed holes?"

I'm from the great state of ALASKA, where my dad owns a 12 gauge shotgun and a rifle, and my best friend's dad owns more guns than then entire state of california has in it.

I DO plan on buying a handgun for protection/shooting at a range after college.

EDIT: And I DO plan on using that if anybody threatens my wife/family/property.

My opinion: Not a good idea. When you pull a gun on a man, you had better be ready to shoot him, and if you're ready to shoot him, you had better be ready to kill him. Dont try to do anything but put him down. 6 feet down. The only exception to that is, IMO, when for legal reasons you cannot shoot to kill immediately. If he is running away and outside your house but on your property, in Ohio, as I have been told by some cop friends, you "aim for his legs", and the DA will usually let you (provided they know and can prove you're a good shot) hit as high as the belly button w/o prosecuting. All that said, however, tactical consideration of your life/the lives of your family rank WAY higher than legal considerations. IE, he's walking down your hallway away from you to your kids room, you dont know if he has a weapon, he doesnt know you're there... I'd say shoot him rather than risk him being able to take one of your kids hostage if you yell "freeze" and he runs.
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: Jittles
On a side note:

What handguns should I consider looking at?

This gun will be for home defense so I don't want it so powerful it blasts a 4 inch hole in the wall after going thru somebody.

I also want to be able to take it to a range and fire it there.

It also has to be cool. Like a Walther PPK. Yeah I don't know anything about that but just because James Bond uses one that makes it cool. My friend is actually looking at buying one (EXPENSIVE.)

You can buy Glaser safety slugs if you want to avoid overpenetration, thus basically freeing you to use any common caliber for your handgun. Which model to buy? Well, that depends on your budget, your ability to control recoil, and how big you want it (both in caliber and physical size of the whole pistol).
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
What if you loaded a blank as the first round, fired once with an intruder, then judged by his reaction whether or not to pump him full of "speed holes?"
You can buy some of those incendiary 12ga shells that will shoot fire about 14 feet, or make your own. heh

First thing many people need to understand is that, unless you are using some relatively heavy firepower, there will be no immediately perceptible 'reaction' when a person is shot. Life isn't like the movies, really its not. Trust me.

They don't fly back 20 feet through walls or windows when shot. No gaping holes 'appear' on their bodies through which light shines from the other side. They don't 'shutter' with every bullet striking their bodies. Throw all of the Hollywood imagery in the garbage and out of your mind.

When you read of a training method that describes a double-tap and evaluation, the ONLY evaluation you can hope to make is whether or not the target is still making gross movements which are indicative of a threat. e.g. whether or not he is still physically moving towards you, whether he is on the ground or on his feet, etc.

You're not going to be able to tell the time on his watch, read his T-Shirt, tell whether he is smiling or wincing, or any other minute details.

A warning shot can be useful, in very limited situations, but usually isn't. The general rule is, don't shoot unless you feel that you must to protect life and limb, not a moment before, and then shoot until the imminent threat is stopped.

Again, I cannot recommend highly enough Massad Ayoob's book on firearm self-defense, titled "In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection". It should be available from Amazon, Borders, Barns and Noble, or any other book store. It is a highly informative book that deals with many of these questions and many more, written by an internationally recognized expert in lethal force and the legal or psychological implications in our society. It explicitly details many of the legal pitfalls which may await a person who uses a lethal weapon in self-defense.
 

bolido2000

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
3,720
1
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Very interesting thread. I am just wondering...how many of you have actually killed someone? How does it feel? I am not sure if I could live with it, unless I was 100% sure he was going to kill me or my family.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
Very interesting thread. I am just wondering...how many of you have actually killed someone? How does it feel? I am not sure if I could live with it, unless I was 100% sure he was going to kill me or my family.
As a police captain, Massad Ayoob also has substantial knowledge in the psychological and emotional aftermath's of police and civilian shootings.

Many police officers and civilians have been driven to suicide and other self-destructive behaviors by the remorseful psychological affects of having to shoot or kill another, even if by all accounts they were justified in their actions. You cannot know how deeply it may affect you until it has happened to you.

Even worse, some police officers have been driven to suicide, not merely by the impact of the shooting itself, but because their actions were condemned by certain community leaders or public officials, even when their actions were deemed by independent review to be justified. It is incredibly important during incidents of this nature for a police officer to feel as though he is supported, until the facts are known and a thorough review has been conducted to show that his actions were not reasonable.

These race-baiting city mayors and police chiefs who are willing to offer-up one of their own police officers on the alter of sacrifice for their own political gain should be dragged through the street by their balls.