Do you / would you own a gun for protection?

[jjones]

yes i do and i've used them in that specific capacity. i haven't had to use them but i've carried specifically for the reason of protection. some neighborhoods in LA you want to have a gun with you.

 

[burnedout]

Do you / would you own a gun for protection?

Yes, many firearms. 12 ga. Winchester 1300 for inside the house. Numerous others for when and if the need arises.

 

[JonnyDuke]

Mitzi-

That case is different, had it happened here in the US it is possible he would have faced the same charges (especially in CA or NY) but that is simply because most people have a hard time realizing that anyone who breaks into your home while you are there could be there to do you harm. It is in fact common law that your home is your "castle" you are not expected to retreat from an intruder who enters your home. I don't know enough about the incident to comment further and the article didn't shed any light on it, but given what is available I might have done the same thing.

 

[Mitzi]

<< Mitzi-

That case is different, had it happened here in the US it is possible he would have faced the same charges (especially in CA or NY) but that is simply because most people have a hard time realizing that anyone who breaks into your home while you are there could be there to do you harm. It is in fact common law that your home is your "castle" you are not expected to retreat from an intruder who enters your home. I don't know enough about the incident to comment further and the article didn't shed any light on it, but given what is available I might have done the same thing. >>



You might of done the same thing - shot one kid dead and injured his friend with a pump action shotgun because they broke into your castle? Don't you think its a little excessive?

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people who want to protect their loved ones, possessions or property but using guns to achieve this is too much. To me, shooting someone who is doing nothing more than stealing something is over the top. If someone threatened me (or my family) sure, I would retaliate if possible - break a limb or two with a baseball bat, but killing them, nah, that ain?t right to me.

 

[darkjester]

Right now I don't think that I would, but I could definitely see the added security it could provide, especially if there are no children in the house and the weapon is in a lockbox or gun-safe or something like that. There are so many factors to weigh in on this decision for me (location of residence, home security features like bars and/or alarms, etc etc etc).

 

[SinNisTeR]

my dad has a .50 caliber desert eagle in a briefcase with clips filled with hollow-tip bullets. he said that we'd never use it for protection though.. its too damn cruel

 

[JonnyDuke]

Mitzi-

Sorry didn't respond sooner, but yeah... the kid broke into my house while I'm home... must be planning something cause I can't believe that anyone who was just going to steal some property would try it with me at home. If I were a burglar I certainly wouldn't! Aside from it being a sure way of getting caught, you could be killed! OBVIUOSLY!!! He should have known the huge risk he was taking by breaking into a stranger's home! Just as though he were jumping off a cliff without seeing what was below.

 

[Mitzi]

<< Mitzi-

Sorry didn't respond sooner, but yeah... the kid broke into my house while I'm home... must be planning something cause I can't believe that anyone who was just going to steal some property would try it with me at home. If I were a burglar I certainly wouldn't! Aside from it being a sure way of getting caught, you could be killed! OBVIUOSLY!!! He should have known the huge risk he was taking by breaking into a stranger's home! Just as though he were jumping off a cliff without seeing what was below. >>



At the end of the day, I don't feel he deserved to be shot dead for trying to steal something. If you feel he did deserve to be executed for this crime, then I respect your opinion but I feel it was an excessive use of force against two unarmed children.

 

[Zebo]

I recommend a taser or stun gun for those who don't like the idea of a bloody shooting followed by a lengthy police investigation regauding probable cause.

I was attacked by a rottweiler and hit him with 500.000 volts and he went down into the fetal postion upside down for over 5 minutes.

The best thing about them is the victim usually has no memory of incident and it's painless. If you pepper sray someone they want some payback.

 

[JonnyDuke]

Mitzi-

I don't like the idea of having to shoot someone dead, but if they invade
my home, that is in my opinion the last stronghold and I will shoot if someone makes a move toward me even if they are visibly unarmed, they have already shown that they are a definite threat by breaking into my home while I am there. I would hope that I would have time to warn them and they would flee afterward, but there may not be time for it if they are rushing at me the moment I open my bedroom door.

Carbony-

LOL
Try applying that stun gun to yourself real quick and then tell me it's
PAINLESS!

 

[JonnyDuke]

Another thing Carbony-

Using a stun gun requires you to be within contact distance. What if they have a knife... that's a little too close for me.

 

[Tauren]

Mossberg Law Enforcement 500 12ga. (pistol grip/short barrel)
Beretta 92f 9mm (15 shot clip)

 

[Zebo]

<< Another thing Carbony-

Using a stun gun requires you to be within contact distance. What if they have a knife... that's a little too close for me. >>



They have models which fire 15 ft cables into the victim for the faint of heart. And it's painless. Involutary muscle contractions are painless and this is what a stun gun does. I have handcuffed several victims after being hit and all said they had no memory of the incident of amy pain.

 

[kgraeme]

<< Another thing Carbony-

Using a stun gun requires you to be within contact distance. What if they have a knife... that's a little too close for me. >>



When I was doing weapons training we would show videos of gun vs. something else. One of the examples of how a man with a knife was able to close a distance of 16 feet and make a fatal kill before the other could unholster and discharge his sidearm. There were two lessons it emphasized. 1. Never assume that the gun gives you the advantage. 2. Be very, very wary of a man who brings a knife to a gunfight.

Actually, that last is a key reason I don't feel the need for a gun anymore. After years of training, I know that opponents who carry guns almost never intend to use them. They just carry them to bolster their confidence. A person who chooses to bring a knife into a bad situation usually knows what he's doing. I'm usually the one with the knife.