Off-topic: Something for home defense?

[TexasSP]

Proper education is the key and you don't have to leave the gun laying next to the bed to be effective. Your kids know not to touch the hot stove or play with knives. The idea and end result is the same, education and safety. I grew up with guns in my house as a child and knew where they were. I also knew not to touch them and why. My kids are taught the same. In fact if my 5 year old happens to see my gun and I am not right there he immediately comes and tells me.

Having kids is just not a good argument for not having protection.

The other side of the coin is that you can't always control every aspect of where your kids will be and what they will find at someone else's house. It's not like you do a full interview with all your kid's friends' parents to see if they own guns. Better your kids know and understand than to come up on it naively. Kids who are never around and have not been educated about guns are far more likely to be curious when the see one somewhere. Knowing only what they see on TV they will not take the magnitude of handling one as seriously as a kid who grows up around them and is properly educated.

The actual statistics of children being injured or killed by guns in peoples homes is very small. Be careful when looking through statistics because they do not accurately differentiate street violence gun deaths from accidental deaths in homes. Many activists try to falsely make it seem as though the deaths are happening by accident while in reality they are not.

[brainanator]

Originally Posted by TexasSP

Your kids know not to touch the hot stove or play with knives. The idea and end result is the same, education and safety.

And I distinctly remember touching the stove once, hurt like hell, wouldn't recommend anyone do it. I also have fond memories of accidentally running a finger along a blade when I was really little, now I'm very careful.
And I know I was told not to touch the stove sometime before I did it. Maybe that was why I wanted to do it, because I was told not to. Just sayin.....kids don't always listen to parents.

[Finnster]

Originally Posted by brainanator

And I distinctly remember touching the stove once, hurt like hell, wouldn't recommend anyone do it. I also have fond memories of accidentally running a finger along a blade when I was really little, now I'm very careful.
And I know I was told not to touch the stove sometime before I did it. Maybe that was why I wanted to do it, because I was told not to. Just sayin.....kids don't always listen to parents.

Thats where I'm coming from. I grew up in a big hunting family and was around guns from a fairly early age. Had a BB gun when I was 5-6, went bird and deer hunting w/ my (older) cousins quite a few times. Had my own shotgun and deer rifle, and shot plenty of birds w/ the shotty. Did hunter's safety and the whole lot, and always being drilled by my cousins about proper gun safety. Been to the range a quite a few times too. Not a gun nut, but not a newb either.

Being said, if my parents said not to do it, it was usually an invitation to do it. Had plenty of friends who had guns in the home and a family far less careful than mine. Kids love to show off when parents are not around, and we always knew where things were hidden or how to get into safes or other things our parents had no clue about. Everyone was smart enough not to point them at anyone or go around pulling the triggers, but we did enough stupid things that I can look back on it now and think, "man, we were a bunch of little dumbasses..." We didn't get the guns out other than a couple times, but we certainly set fire to, shot, burnt, blew up, broke in to, or stole the keys to plenty of stuff we should have never touched in the first place.

With the murderer on the loose yesterday as an example, I would have felt ~10% safer if I had the shotgun at home. And that was in a situation that was: in the daytime, known person and armaments outside, and already photo ID'd by news reports, and with the police in the area for quick backup. Basically had as good as intel and advantage as I was ever likely to get.

What was the counter-worry was, where would the guy come in, would he just start shooting or try to take hostages? Would I be able to attack him in time, and if my attack failed, would he attack my family in revenge or to "eliminate witnesses." Where do I keep my kids that would be safe from stray bullets? What If I thought someone was coming in, but what if it was just my mother-in-law coming over to check in and couldn't call first bc the phones were down? The guy was in the military and far better trained, so the only chance I'd have would be surprize, so gotta be the first to shoot.

Would I actually want to pull the trigger on something I'm not 100% about? Two of the big rules for hunting was know your target before you shoot, and never point the gun at something you didn't intend on killing. Any of the times we were out hunting, when you did see something and went to shoot, nerves get all jumpy, your heart starts pounding and it always took quite a bit of effort and experience to be able to calm yourself and act with control (and get off a decently aimed shot.) And that was just shooting at birds, in the daytime, in the middle of nowhere and the birds dont shoot back or sue your ass if you just wound them.

Contrast that to a possible break-in. Maybe a noise downstairs in the middle of the night. Maybe even the daytime when you're not expecting it. Do you really carry around a loaded gun everytime something goes bump? Are you ready to pull the trigger on some noisy shadow, or to do wait to turn on all the lights and yell and look at the person before you pump off rounds (and give yourself away)?

Honestly, what made me feel the safest was knowing all the doors were secure and I had dogs with me. I think I'd rather have a couple of baddass dogs and a bat than my shotty. Let them figure wtf it was and attack and I'll just club the mf'er as they are bitting him. Does make me consider the security of a couple of the doors and windows we have tho.

Not trying to push any particular policy or course of action. Just convey a particular real-life experience. I totally understand why someone would want a gun for self-defense. I'm just saying it not cut and dry, or as obvious as having a good lock on the door. Guns will escalate the situation to lethal levels and its not guaranteed to go your way, and not all situations are sneaking downstairs to catch a crackhead with your TV in his hands and you get the chance to blow him away before he can act, and the police come over, offer thier congrats and everyone just goes back to life as normal and there are no reprocussions after. Choose carefully.