I am afraid of guns, I cannot lie. It stems from a childhood trauma when a family friend accidentally killed himself. Now we have come to a time in our lives where perhaps we should arm ourselves. We’re older, we’re in a rural area. Have any of you obtained weapons and learned to use them and overcome any fears or simple reluctance? We’re retired, we have the time to put to it.
You are more likely to accidentally hurt yourselves or each other, or shoot a family member or someone like a meter reader than protect yourself. I’d say skip it altogether. Add an alarm system to your house if you are truly concerned.
Get a can of Wasp spray. Or some pepper spray.
Why do you feel you need guns now when you haven’t in the past?
I grew up with guns. My dad was a local target shooting champion and proud card-carrying NRA member. I’m not afraid of guns but I also won’t have them in my house. I am not willing to put in the necessary time to ensure that I could rely on muscle memory in a panic situation, which is very very different than any target practice. I don’t want to be in a situation where my own gun is used against me.
If you’re determined to overcome your fear, work with a reputable gun shop to select the proper gun for you. Take an in depth gun safety & training course and then practice practice practice. Shoot regularly at a shooting range and practice all aspects of gun ownership…cleaning, loading, unloading, securing the weapon, getting it out from its secure place quickly, etc. Work to develop muscle memory so that if you ever do need to protect yourself you will be able to retrieve your gun quickly and will not risk making a terrible mistake (like accidentally shooting yourself or a loved one) or having your own weapon used against you.
There is a lot of bad advise on this thread. Yes, you do run the risk of hurting yourself and family members, but only if you are incompetent. Just like any other activity, gun ownership requires proper training, research, and a high level of responsibility. The gun is not what you should fear, only your abilities and training. If you are responsible and take all of the necessary precautions and educate yourself, you have little to worry about. I had guns around me at a young age, the whole gamut. Firearms can be intimidating, but walk into any gun store and you will be kindly greeted by experienced gun owners. YouTube is your best friend starting out. Gun ownership and self defense are very specified subjects, so you should only be taking advice from experienced gun owners, NOT random people on College Confidential. Regarding the other replies, a home security system will not stop a person who is already inside of your house from doing harm to you and your family. Same with pepper spray (wasp spray?! Really?), There are PLENTY of incident where pepper spray had absolutely no effect on an assistant. And the claim about you being more likely to shoot one of your family members than a bad guy is absolutely ridiculous. The firearm is the ultimate equalizer.
If you have any questions please feel free to message me. Good luck!
Keep in mind, OP, all posters here are “random people on College Confidential,” including the one above.
Why do you feel you need guns now when you haven’t in the past?>>>>>>>>
It has always been in the back of my mind really. It seems so normal. So many people are “packing”, LOL.
I grew up with guns since dad was a hunter. But it was always safety first. I would never have them around without proper training. And you have to consider your household also. If you are uncomfortable using them – forget it totally.
If you feel so strongly you may need them some day (and I sincerely hope not) then take the time to learn proper use and safety. And perhaps other forms of self-defense would be better for you.
I totally agree with traveler98.
Absolutely I am a random person, that’s why I recommend to get information from credible sources. Even so, I think I can speak on the subject better than those who do not have experience with guns.
What exact risk are you trying to defend yourself against? Break in? Civil war?? Is the risk a real risk or just perceived? Are there other steps you can take to alleviate your concerns? Do you have the reflexes, speed, steadiness, and gumption to handle a weapon if this perceived threat becomes reality (note: I think most people think they will do better in such a scenario than they actually would)? Are there children that frequent your home or adults who should not have access to guns for a whole host of reasons?
“I think I can speak on the subject better than those who do not have experience with guns.”
@AnthonyZ Perhaps you are making assumptions here not knowing the background of others. 
Do you need a shotgun or rifle because there might be an animal who gets too close to your rural home? We actually have coyotes and other things that come into the city, but you can’t shoot a gun in the city so need other ideas to protect your home and small pets. Are you thinking of a handgun? How big?
What I’d do is take a gun safety course and then arrange for some time on a gun range. If you can’t get over your fear or if you don’t think you can actually use the gun on a person or animal, you’ll at least have some idea of what to expect from others using guns and may get some other ideas of how to protect yourself.
You are a rising HS senior…right? Your personal perspective is a sample of one…and certain,y is welcome to,the discussion.
But you make it sound like you are an expert on this subject.
What dos said.
If you have a gun, you’re more likely to die from it than ever use it to defend yourself.
And honestly, if someone breaks in with a gun, your chances of getting to the gun before the intruder shoots or flees are very small.
An alarm system is way more useful. Invest in that. Plus, an alarm can’t accidentally kill anyone.
Why not get a stun gun? They are fairly cheap, easily accessible, and though not as effective as a gun (obviously) it could be the best option for you. Protection, not scary, get a few and put them in different places throughout your house. My 89 year old father said he was going to get one for every room…though I don’t know if he has, it’s more likely that my Mom could get irritated and use it on him. You’d understand if you knew my Dad 
I wouldn’t take advice from someone who doesn’t know how to spell it.
I don’t have a problem with guns and lots of people I know have them.
But if I was afraid of guns, no I wouldn’t get one.
We personally do not have any guns and have no plans to get one. We also live in an rural area.
We live in a rural area ourselves and I own a couple WWII rifles (Russian Mosin Nagant and an M1 carbine). Both have locks and both are stored away. I use them strictly for fun at the shooting ranges here, not for self-defense.
I personally don’t see a need for a gun for self-defense. The people where I live are all pretty conservative and family oriented… everyone looks out for one another. Crime is super low. Most people own guns for fun or hunting.
This is only true if you include suicides.
By making the following suggestion, I am honestly not trying to introduce anything political into this discussion.
With that disclaimer, I would recommend you consider a couple of things:
- Buy a book or do some online research about the federal, state, and local laws in your area regarding gun laws. Any person who is considering owning a firearm needs to educate themselves first before they even purchase a firearm. You absolutely must understand what is and is not allowed under the law.
- Owning a gun is a serious thing and you are wise to think long and hard about it. It's a big responsibility and you should not enter into such a decision lightly.
- If you don't know where to buy a book like in suggestion #1, go to a reputable gun shop in your area and ask for a suggestion. They might even have some in stock that you could purchase.
- Consider taking a firearm safety course. The NRA conducts gun safety courses. There's an introductory one for new handgun owners that is 1 day long and it involves 6 hours in the classroom before you even go to a gun range. I took such a class and I was impressed about how much the course emphasized safety.
- The #1 rule about gun safety is that even though you know that the gun is not loaded, you always treat it like it is loaded. Even if you just checked it and you know that there are no bullets in the gun.
- Even if you have no children at home, you need to consider how you would store a gun. Refer to suggestion #1 because local and state laws in your area may dictate various forms of safe gun storage.
- Even if you choose not to own a gun, I would highly recommend that you take a gun safety course anyway.