If someone breaks into your house are you going to be able to get at your gun and load it before you find the intruder? I don’t think so. And with the possiblity of children or grandchildren getting at the weapon, you can just keep the gun in your bedside. I see no reason to get over your fear of guns, but if you really want to step one would be to go to a gun range and learn how to use one. My Dad hunted game when I was a child, but I’ve never ever felt that guns were necessary for my protection.
I think you all have talked me out of it, LOL. A home security system will be much better for me.
I live alone now with a big, barking dog. Although I, and my kids, grew up with hunting rifles and I am not afraid of guns, I do not own one. I would not hesitate to kill someone who was threatening my children, but I don’t think I could shoot someone who is just stealing my stuff. It’s only stuff (and it’s insured) and not worth killing over.
I work with two women who are licensed to carry concealed handguns. One has worked in law enforcement and I’m pretty sure her gun is in her purse at all times. I would trust her with my life. The other is a ditzy, paranoid, older lady who is scared of her shadow. I am pretty sure she leaves her gun at home, at least I hope so.
There’s no harm in going to a gun range and learning more about guns and how to use them.
Agreed. Unless you live in an area with an abnormally high violent crime rate, there really isn’t a need to own a gun for self-defense. Pepper spray, tasers, baseball bats… any of these would provide good protection if you are concerned about your safety, and live in a relatively safe area as far as violent crime is concerned.
If you are curious, I’ll add a vote to the suggestions of seeing what kinds of classes are offered in your area.
If you really want to feel protected in your home buy a dog. It’s a warning system, deterrent, protection, and companionship in one.
Every single one of those people affected by a horrible tragedy involving a gun used irresponsibly would have agreed with you right up until the second someone pulled that trigger. No gun owner ever thinks it’s going to happen to them.
“No gun owner ever thinks it’s going to happen to them.” Even when it happens to more than 70,000 of them each year.
Several friends who grew up with guns at home have recommended shotguns for close-quarters self-defense over rifles or pistols as they felt the latter two require much more shooting practice to be proficiently accurate…especially in high stress situations like a home invasion.
It’s something I can believe through my brief experience shooting an elementary school classmate’s 1890’s era Spanish Mauser as an 8 year old at a nearby gun range under the supervision of his father who was a retired Marine SNCO who was not only an experienced drill/weapons instructor, but also a veteran of Korea and Vietnam before retiring.
It really kicked like a mule and one must keep the sights lined up and know enough to correct for any particular zeroing issues.
There’s also an issue that in some densely populated areas, a rifle bullet will have the danger of being too powerful to the point of endangering one’s neighbors due to overpenetration which means the bullet may endanger others outside of the confines of the home. Another reason why those friends cited the shotgun as the better self-defense option for close-quarters home defense.
A dog is riskier than a gun in terms of non-fatal injuries. While there are approximately 17,000 non-fatal, accidental shootings in the US each year, there are over 350,000 dog bites, resulting in a trip to the emergency room. Of course, no dog owner ever thinks it’s going to happen to them, even when it happens to more than 350,000 of them a year. On the other end, dogs could be too friendly: http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/15884-fake-burglar-tests-how-dogs-react-during-break-in. Get a dog because you want a dog, not because you’re worried about robberies.
Agreed, with the caveat that what’s important is the bark, not the bite. Course you have to decide whether or not you’ll become injured to the bark and ignore it when it’s reporting the real thing.
Get a gun if you want, take classes at a range, lock it away for inheritance if you still don’t feel comfortable with it.
We’ve more than one, less than two dozen, for various uses. Snakes, dove, deer, trips, etc. Also have a couple of dogs for about as many reasons.
I’m glad you’re thinking you won’t get a gun now because it didn’t sound like you could become comfortable with it. I own a stun gun instead because I am afraid I would hesitate on using a real gun on a person, and that hesitation could end up killing me. The problem with a stun gun, though, is you have to be close to the person for it to work. You should really look into getting a dog. And if you get an alarm, make sure that it is NOT silent. At our house, we have about 10 cameras outside around our property that light up when a person crosses in front of them, we have a couple of good barking dogs, an alarm that is really loud, and some great floodlights that we can turn on from our bedroom. We also don’t have bushes next to the house where people can hide.
Getting a gun because it seems normal or everyone seems to own one doesn’t seem very compelling to me. Studies I have seen indicate that somewhere between 1/3 to 2/5 of households own a gun. Could be the case that additional people own one but are reluctant for various reasons to admit it to someone taking a survey. Don’t think that gets to more than half of households owning one.
Besides the issue of following the pack, I guess I would look at what about where you live/spend time makes you think you want a gun. Is that fear more than your fear of guns? If so, is there anything you can do to address those fears without one?
As for a dog, I would think about whether you want to own one which would provide much in the way of a protection benefit. I have one who 100% would never bite anyone. Just not in her nature. Might knock you over with her tail. She has a very impressive bark and is a good sized dog. But she would sell the family into a lifetime of slavery for a handful of milk bones. Ones that would actually provide protection would be one I likely wouldn’t want to live with on a daily basis.
Different people will have different views/experiences with guns and dogs. You know yourself better than anyone else here.
The bark is all that is needed. It’s to deter a burglar from entering your home, not stop him in his tracks.
^To take that one step further, there’s one school of thought a beware of dog sign can be almost as effective as an actual dog.
Our dog likely wouldn’t bark. And if you tossed her some food she would run away and be very quiet for a while.
Some people say the same thing about signs for an alarm system – almost as good as an actual system. And sometimes it can be a matter of comparing what your neighbors have. If you have a dog or an alarm system or deadbolts and your neighbor doesn’t, your neighbor may be the more likely target. Though ultimately the most important thing to me is where you live.
A dog is just not in my future. Not ready to commit to that.
@VaBluebird I am a gun owner, have several handguns, two riffles and a shotgun. Been around them all my life. I would echo what others have said and that is find a course and take a class. The gun ranges around me all offer classes and they also allow you to rent the gun so you can try them out before you buy. You can also take private lessons. That might tell you if you would like to be an owner or not.
I also have a concealed carry permit and yes, I do carry. Like most of the people I know who carry I am not looking to find trouble and my first choice would be to run first. I live in a very safe city that regularly ranks as one of the best places to live. However, I have several friends who are LEO’s and they always remind me, when seconds count we are only minutes away.
Here is the one thing I will offer. You can have the best equipment, the best training and the best thought out plans but when a situation happens, you don’t know how you will react. I used to be a volunteer firefighter and I would see a lot of people who talked a good game but the first time they faced a real fire they panic and froze. You don’t know how you will react in a life or death situation until you’ve been in one. I have been in several but I also was trained extensively for those situations. Real life is not like what you see on TV.
I see similar traits of people I see at the range. I’ve seen several that in my opinion have no business owning a gun and would probably end up having their own weapon used against them or hurt themselves. Also, shooting a paper target isn’t the same as shooting a living thing (animal or human).
I do have a dog and a few years ago my dog did alert us to an intruder in the middle of the day when my wife and daughters were home alone. I arrived home about 30 minutes after the event and noticed the fence gate was open. When my wife told me the dog was going crazy earlier I went out back to look and sure enough, I found fresh foot prints in the grass and onto our back deck up to the door. We found out later several homes around us had been broken into. The dog caused the potential intruder to keep moving so yes, a good dog can work.
At the end of the day, its a personal choice and you alone have to make it and take responsibility for the choice you make. Best of luck on whatever you decide.
Our dog rarely barked. He was silent. When dirty, he looked a bit like a wolf. He was a white GSD. A photo of Charlie with a sigh “May I help you?” displayed in the window might have stopped some Mormons from ringing our doorbell. 