Getting a gun

Unless you're planning on becoming an avid shooter of guns, like going to gun ranges and stuff, all you need is a shotgun for at-home security.

It's common knowledge that if you're getting a gun to ensure the safety of you and your family, the best gun to get is a shotgun, not a handgun.

ive been considering getting one too ... why is a shotgun better?

Huzzah, now any burglars will have an incentive to shoot me rather than just steal my tv.

Sorry I know you already know all the arguments against and I can respect that, I'm just pretty anti-gun ownership.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/d...-risk-of-getting-shot-and-killed.html

"Overall, Branas's study found that people who carried guns were 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their odds of getting shot were even higher.

While it may be that the type of people who carry firearms are simply more likely to get shot, it may be that guns give a sense of empowerment that causes carriers to overreact in tense situations, or encourages them to visit neighbourhoods they probably shouldn't, Branas speculates. Supporters of the Second Amendment shouldn't worry that the right to bear arms is under threat, however. "We don't have an answer as to whether guns are protective or perilous," Branas says. "This study is a beginning.""

even though you are prob one of the few ppl on lp i would trust with a gun

On November 08 2012 22:53 MARSHALL28 wrote: ive been considering getting one too ... why is a shotgun better?

Spray and pray. All you have to do is aim in the general direction of someone and they're going to get hit. Plus it is incredibly powerful and more likely to take someone out in one hit than a 9mm round. There's also a strong psychological aspect for the victim. People are more likely to shit their pants when they see/hear a shotgun being cocked and aimed at them then a pistol. Finally it's safer for the general public. If you go on a shooting spree through your house at 3am chasing someone you dont really have to worry about stray bullets penetrating other peoples homes and injuring them. Shotgun pellets dont really do much damage individually, it's the concentration of them all at once that fucks shit up.

I bought a pistol, but only because I needed the ultra portability of keeping it in my car, where it makes sense. I intend on getting a shotgun for the home some time in the future for the reasons outlined above. Go rent a glock and take it to the range, accurately shooting pistols and hitting anything meaningful is harder than you think. Sure you'll hit the target, but it NEVER hits exactly where you want it to, and thats with careful aim. In the heat of the moment, at night, or after you might already be injured, you're probably barely able to hit the broad side of a barn. But yeah it's better than nothing. I would never really want to keep a pistol around at home because I dont need portability there. I want a fucking canon, i.e. 12guage. And while I dont have children, I have long considered whether I would even keep my pistol if I do have kids. It's just so easy for them to point it at themselves and pull the trigger. It would be impossible for a child to kill themselves with a shotgun. And yes I know there are a myriad of ways to secure your pistol, but if by some freak chance your child manages to overcome them, or has reached an age of intelligence where they can figure it out (but not smart enough not to look down the barrel), they can still inevitably kill themselves by accident with a pistol, whereas with a shotgun there is no reasonable way they could.

Just make sure you teach your family how to use it. I'm a firm believer in safety knowledge rather than safety abstinence, especially with children. Once your child is of an appropriate age, i.e. not a toddler, they are likely to lose interest in it once you remove the mysterious nature and show them how it works. I routinely take my g/f shooting and make sure she's practicing proper handling protocol, and quiz her every now and then to verbally explain certain functions of my gun, how it operates, how to hold it, pretend like you're loading it, etc. The same should be done with your children eventually, just so that even if they break your rules and try to explore the weapon, they at least know how to handle it so they wont go accidentally killing themselves/friends. Just last night I was watching some heart-breaking video of a beauty queen confess she was raped by her father, and was showing off all the guns she has bought to protect herself from then, and on several occasions the first thing I see is her finger on the goddamn trigger while waving the fucker around showing it at different angles. It's little shit like that which separate accident victims from safe gun owners.

On November 08 2012 22:44 PuertoRican wrote: Unless you're planning on becoming an avid shooter of guns, like going to gun ranges and stuff, all you need is a shotgun for at-home security. It's common knowledge that if you're getting a gun to ensure the safety of you and your family, the best gun to get is a shotgun, not a handgun.

Pretty much this. It took me about 20boxes to feel comfortable with my first gun(hk usp). I'm now carrying m&p shield as my everyday ccw. If youre not planning to concealed carry or work on your aim, it's just best to get a shotty to blast off.

If youre already set on a pistol for home protection, id recommend getting a .40 rather then a 9mm. .40 has a lot stronger stopping power then the 9. You can always count on your 40cal to have the guy down and disabled on your first round. I trust my life to the 40cal everyday and not the 9mm for one.

On November 08 2012 23:37 AndrewSong wrote: [QUOTE]On November 08 2012 22:44 PuertoRican wrote: If youre already set on a pistol for home protection, id recommend getting a .40 rather then a 9mm. .40 has a lot stronger stopping power then the 9. You can always count on your 40cal to have the guy down and disabled on your first round. I trust my life to the 40cal everyday and not the 9mm for one.

Yeah but cmon, people dont just eat 9mm rounds and brush it off. Aside from the psychological impact of being shot, the immediate reaction to the pain is going to be a quick assumption they are going to die and probably collapse from the impact anyway. People get shot with rubber bullets/beanbags by the police and usually assume they were dead before realizing they are ok. A 40 will completely destroy whatever it hits, but it's also harder to control. Unless you're a gun enthusiast you likely will never acquire the skill to accurately shoot it on a regular basis. A 9mm is just easier to control. I would feel safer knowing my accuracy is greater than hoping to god one of my remaining rounds actually lands on point.

I'd recommend a shotgun as well - also make sure you invest in keeping it securely locked.

As far as pistol - it's all preference i believe for what you're talking about, and I would almost lean you towards getting a big shiny revolver, you won't even have to fire that thing.

I'd also recommend getting out to a range and shoot a bunch of different guns and find one you like.

I agree with NewbSaibot with the fact that it doesn't matter much with regard to 9mm or .40 caliber. Obviously .40 caliber has more stopping power, but I would say it just comes down to preference. 9mm is plenty enough if that's what you want.

Some good advice so far. Considering ccw in the future to keep in the vehicle/on me but until I get some practice I doubt I would go that route...Shotguns from what I've seen are very cheap, more than pistols even, so I don't see why I couldn't consider both. Just seems like one of those counter-intuitive things I guess, where you assume a pistol is a better starter weapon than a shotgun since it's smaller, but I guess a shotgun is more reliable/easier to use in a moment of need. Good stuff LP! Also in regard to the 9mm vs .40, I want something that my wife can shoot as well. And although it packs less punch I think the recoil of anything bigger would scare her away from trying it more than once at the range.

im probably never going to check responses to this but here it goes anyways..

i grew up with guns and did target shooting competitively, actually got 2nd in juniors in oregon, so i know how to handle guns and grew up respecting them, but your points for getting one just seem silly to me.

During a home invasion ( ive read, im not 100% sure ) you are more likely to shoot a friend or family member than to shoot an actual invader.

If america every finds some crazy way to outlaw guns and then decide to come after you for them, a glock isnt gonna get you very far. They would have a massive gun turn in thing, and no one would do it, and then you would be hanging onto a felony.. or if they did it like in the UK you could just file for a shotgun or something "for sport".

Lastly, handguns are made for killing people, nothing more, so if you dont plan on doing that, i wouldnt get one.. its just going to collect dust somewhere and be something you think about selling every few years, and eventually it wont be worth more than 20% of what you paid for it.

At least with a shotgun you can easily go shoot clays or just throw anything up in the air and blow it apart, like a big kid toy, which is all guns really are unless you are a soldier or police or something along those lines.

On November 08 2012 23:11 TheLink wrote: Huzzah, now any burglars will have an incentive to shoot me rather than just steal my tv. Sorry I know you already know all the arguments against and I can respect that, I'm just pretty anti-gun ownership.

lol @ this being the only sensible response and being from the only non 'murrrican in this blog.

a fucking SHOTGUN? LOL

You have a child, they top the chart for responsibility. Its safe to assume youre already a responsible adult.

Why dont you make a proper emergency kit. Battery powered radio, canned food, bottles of fresh water, torches etc.

I think this would be more useful in a storm than a glock or a shotgun, but im guessing most Americans will disagree with this.

Also consider the reason you want lethal force. An incident that requires it would probably be very very dire and require immediate attention. By this I mean a home invasion in the middle of the night. To properly secure a pistol from a child will also result in you securing it from yourself. Whether it's a trigger lock, or kept in a safe, this all adds precious seconds or even minutes to your ability to use it. I keep my pistol in a holster, loaded with a round in the chamber, in the center console (arm rest) of my car. The idea is that it's ready to go at a moments notice, just squeeze the trigger. I would never keep it around the house like this, and thus in doing so it becomes less useful. The point being that since I am the only one who will ever use it, I dont have to worry about protecting it from anyone else when in my car. You can store a shotgun with the same carelessness around your home most likely. I suppose a child could learn to pump it, and then accidentally pull the trigger and kill a family member, but it's doubtful, and it gives you the freedom to store it in a more careless manner so that it's ready when you need it.

I just know that if I ever need to use a gun, if I TRULY need to use it, I want it to be usable immediately. If I cant justify this kind of immediacy, then I'll just stick to a baseball bat or ninja sword by the bed/door.

I'm one of those who think a thief will be more eager to shoot you when you have a gun and that the % of endangering your family becomes larger with waving a gun around, this topic makes me feel out of place. Also not of the belief that breaking into someones house warrants death. It kind of makes sense for people living in the country with nobody around.

On November 09 2012 01:15 Nazgul wrote: I'm one of those who think a thief will be more eager to shoot you when you have a gun and that the % of endangering your family becomes larger with waving a gun around, this topic makes me feel out of place. Also not of the belief that breaking into someones house warrants death. It kind of makes sense for people living in the country with nobody around.

its not about warranting death, its about self defense, not against your point just clarifying.

and lol @ the shotgun... unless u live in rural Arizona forget the shotgun, its ridiculously impractical.


Anybody with half a brain will go through a couple of ammo boxes in the range to learn how to properly handle the thing.


Talking from experience when i was a child, they will find and play with the gun, there is literally nothing more fascinating for a little male kid than a gun, so instead of hiding and putting locks on it (still use the locks obv) teach ur kid when he is old enough how to safely handle the gun so he wont blow up his brains when he finds it.

Also if the gun's purpose is only for home protection a revolver is a better option, easier to handle and not forget things in a panic situation and it doesnt jam, you would be surprised how often automatic guns jam especially if you are not very careful with maintenance which happens often over the years.

I say fuck it, go overboard with safety. Some electricity in the fence just before the moat you will dig and fill with acid. Get some barbed wire up and plant booby traps in your garden. Landmines, vietnamese type contraptions and such. Install new doors and windows that have solid locks and get some surveilance up. And to protect yourself from parachute trooper invader zombies just get some anti-air gear installed on the roof of your house. Make a bunker that can withstand nuclear war and serve as a noas ark for your family and closest friends.

With that said i'd be more worried about people who make excuses to prepare for events they can shoot at some stranger than a homeless guy looking for breadcrumbs. If you want to buy a gun then act like a man and instead of beating round the bushes with theories and rationalisations just walk up to your woman and man up. That is if you are trying to sell the story of owning a gun to her, which it very much seems like to me. Your points about owning a gun are vague at best. You don't need a reason to own a gun cause why the fuck not.

What gun would you guys suggest for someone who desires to aimlessly invade homes and steal peoples appliances and possibly shoot at infants and women ? I'm thinking an uzi because you never know if they have visiting parents sleeping in the guestroom or drunken friends passed out on kitchen floor. Take into account that villain is probably drunk, on drugs or both. His aim is to defeat someone with a 0.40 or a 9mm, possibly a shotgun.

There's an old saying, don't turn a burglar into a bandit.

Your argument about Hurricane Sandy is kind of invalid because it is not like people will start swarming your house seconds after a devastating hurricane. Instead of being a hero gunman firing at multiple zombie-like invaders coming from all directions from your watchtower you have plenty of times to 'hide your kids, hide your wife'.
Being disciplined is a state of mind rather than owning a relic that posesses supernatural behaviour correcting powers. To me atleast. If i understood this wrong please explain what being disciplined means to you.

how many people here have had people break into their house before? Buying a gun seems totally insane to me.

If you were a tired burglar sleeping on the couch watching tv and the owner walks in would you rather have a gun or not?

that being said im not the first one to mention that statistically you are more likely to hurt a loved one than save them, and everybody thinks they wont be that man.


I wonder what the numbers are but my guess is that a bat or a sword are overall better choices to keep your family alive.

what about a non lethal gun, like a taser or something. Surely those are better options.

On November 09 2012 02:03 Stroggoz wrote: how many people here have had people break into their house before? Buying a gun seems totally insane to me.

I woke up from my drunken slumber on the couch to 2 burglers in the house (truth)

By the time I had ran to the safe to grab the key for my gun cabinet, unlocked it, got the gun out, took the safety off and loaded it they had run off.

The bat is perfectly fine in my book. I have golf clubs, raquets, a snooker cue and a kitchen sink. I'm not saying i won't bite the intruders ear off, destroy his kneecaps or stab him with a pencil if he was unarmed (or getting my ass kicked). I just don't know because i haven't been in such a situation but owning a gun seems overly excessive. At least where i live. Over here it is likely to beat an intruder using cotton candy and a hex.

bat > golf club?

On November 09 2012 02:12 byrnesam wrote: Show nested quote + On November 09 2012 02:03 Stroggoz wrote: how many people here have had people break into their house before? Buying a gun seems totally insane to me. I woke up from my drunken slumber on the couch to 2 burglers in the house (truth) By the time I had slowly made my way to the safe tripped over garbage while constantly falling over and grabbed the key for my gun cabinet, somehow managed to unlock it in my drunken stupor, got the gun out, vomited, took the safety off and loaded it with blanks they had run off.

fyp

On November 09 2012 02:20 sTrAtO wrote: bat > golf club?

A bat is better to stab with because there is bend in a golfclub stick. However a golfclub generates more head speed and instead of being blunt there is a heavy funny looking metal object attached to the end and thus cause more damage. It gets cold here in the winter and if the villain is wearing warm clothing and a childs drawing under his shirt the damage you can do with a bat is severely decreased.
I'm not completely sold on either.
What would be the best possible object to choose to defend against an unwelcome intruder? For a regular person that doesn't have katanas, ninja stars or nunchuks available that is.

The thing is, in USA, someone who's willing to break into your house is likely to have a gun.

Would you rather have a bat/knife/etc. vs. someone who's willing to enter your home and steal from you and your family, and have the possibility of the burglar harming one of your family members because they have what he wants and/or wont give him what he came for?

A taser gun is nice, but, remember that a burglar will enter your home at night when you're most likely asleep or when they think you're not at home, which is usually when the lights are all out. You might get the chance to turn on a light and have a better chance at using the 1 shot that a taser gun gives you. Also, most people will be caught off guard if they actually were in the situation of them vs. someone invading their home, and so turning on the light might give the burglar enough of a scare to attack out of fear.

In the end, people in USA who are dumb enough to invade someone else's home will most likely have a weapon. It's up to you to choose how to handle yourself, but as for me, I'd rather use a weapon that gave me the best chance of protecting myself from getting harmed and getting my property stolen as well as protecting my family if I had any of my own.

p.s. This is one of many reasons why I'll be moving back to Korea after I finish school. Guns and drugs are illegal. Cops don't even carry guns, even when there are riots. The police obviously have guns, but it would take a serious issue to ever need them.

Seriously, just don't.

I definitely said "unarmed".

If a burglar catches me in my sleep i don't have anything on me but my family jewels. If i happen to be holding on to the tv remote or handmade tea cup he greatly desires, holding a gun to me, you better be damn straight i'm giving up the remote. If by any chance i happened to have a precious diamond in plain sight and i hear someone breaking in, you better be damn sure i won't go hiding it in my anus. Fuck your monetary value. I can't imagine anyone i know being stupid enough to resist giving her great grandmothers precious ring in the event of an armed robbery. What kind of twisted logic is this? A child holding onto his/her beloved teddybear stuffed with diamonds from Africa? I don't follow you at all.

If my home is being broken into by someone with a gun i'll help him carry the tv, computer and bathtub to his van.

The mentality of being prepared for the worst is so wrong for me. You can never be too safe, go read the overboard suggestions. If you live in a neighbourhood where you are in constant danger of being assaulted the thing to do is consider moving.

A lot more responses than expected, and kind of expected anti-gun stuff, but I appreciate all of the replies. I guess another reason that might be reasonable, although I'm not sure what type of weapon would be best for the situation, is that we also have coyotes that jump into people's yards and eat their pets on a regular basis. Once the wife heard that she was on board for gun ownership. Also, I live in Las Vegas...Might as well be New Orleans. If anything ever went down people would be looting and whatnot after a few days when the supermarkets are all empty and no local water supply. I know I sound like I need a tinfoil hat (enter tutz), but the fact of the matter is that I'm not really worried about someone burglarizing my home and me shooting them, so the gun will likely collect dust or be un-useable in a situation like that. My list of reasons wasn't meant to be in order of importance. In all honesty, peace of mind and insurance policy are my prime reasons for wanting a gun in the first place. I also eventually would like an AR-15 as well. The swiss have it right imo, everyone must be in the military where they are issued an assault rifle, and they keep and maintain the rifles after they finish their service and have yearly tests at shooting ranges. I wish every country required gun ownership.

On November 09 2012 00:14 byrnesam wrote: Show nested quote + On November 08 2012 23:11 TheLink wrote: Huzzah, now any burglars will have an incentive to shoot me rather than just steal my tv. Sorry I know you already know all the arguments against and I can respect that, I'm just pretty anti-gun ownership. lol @ this being the only sensible response and being from the only non 'murrrican in this blog. a fucking SHOTGUN? LOL You have a child, they top the chart for responsibility. Its safe to assume youre already a responsible adult. Why dont you make a proper emergency kit. Battery powered radio, canned food, bottles of fresh water, torches etc. I think this would be more useful in a storm than a glock or a shotgun, but im guessing most Americans will disagree with this.

I already have an emergency kit and 6-8 weeks worth of food and water, looking to store up to 1 year's worth over time. The investment is just so cheap for "never know" situations (natural disasters, financial collapse, riots, etc), this (gun) is more like an extra piece to put into the gtfo box. And to digress a little bit, it may as well be free to store food and water since after a certain amount of time you can just eat the food and replace it, so everyone in the world who can afford it should have at least 1 month of food and water, and if you don't you should buy it asap. /tutz

lol listen to yourself man, you are one of those anti-zombie basement builders

I can't say i am on board with the "i wish every country required gun ownership".
Your post is concering to say the least.

Owning a gun. Don't sell it to us or your wife, discuss it with her. I don't mean to be rude but it seems like little Timmy wants a new toy and a lolly at the supermarket.

Brb buying tons of catfood because i had forgotten all about them and making extra backups for backup tin foiled hats for their cute little heads aswell.

On November 09 2012 03:17 Baalim wrote: lol listen to yourself man, you are one of those anti-zombie basement builders

An increase in anti-zombie basement bunkers has been noted since the start of the famous tv series "Walking dead".

On November 08 2012 23:25 mnj wrote: http://www.newscientist.com/article/d...-risk-of-getting-shot-and-killed.html "Overall, Branas's study found that people who carried guns were 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their odds of getting shot were even higher. While it may be that the type of people who carry firearms are simply more likely to get shot, it may be that guns give a sense of empowerment that causes carriers to overreact in tense situations, or encourages them to visit neighbourhoods they probably shouldn't, Branas speculates. Supporters of the Second Amendment shouldn't worry that the right to bear arms is under threat, however. "We don't have an answer as to whether guns are protective or perilous," Branas says. "This study is a beginning."" even though you are prob one of the few ppl on lp i would trust with a gun

Maybe I'm really weird, but I would be perfectly fine with a higher probability of being killed, as long as there was a corresponding increase in likelihood of villain expiring in a similar fashion... Thankfully I've never lived in a country where getting a gun is even a consideration (I lived in the safest neighbourhood in all of sweden growing up, and now I live in korea where I am yet to see a place that isnt perfectly safe to walk around at alone at 3 am).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Lol@ Canada & Switzerland having most of their guns death as suicides !

If you're new to firearms, get a .22 to practice your fundamentals before you buy a home defense pistol. (You will still want to practice with your intended weapon eventually, but it's good to learn with minimal recoil first, and .22 ammo is way cheaper than any other sort).

On another note, do you live in a house or apartment? If the latter, what are your walls made of? I've seen the results of a suicide at the building where I work... the bullet went through the guy's head and three flimsy walls, finally stopping two apartments past his. If you're surrounded by drywall, you should be using hollowpoints for home defense. A shotgun works fine too. Anything with more penetration can endanger your family or neighbors.

I am definitely PRO-guns. Most of u guys dont live here so you will never experience robbery but things get worse every year and these fuckers are fucking animals. get a bunch of sick guns with unlimited ammo and just make sure u know all the laws about procedure incase someone does break in that way when you kill him you don't get put in prison for shooting them in the back or whatever. The way I see it is they've already decided that they have to go all-in with life so you can't just let them get away with that otherwise he is going to keep robbing more people if you were an easy mark. also i think if you shoot him you should really just put the fucker down for good and execute him in a way that is consistent with how the whole robbery took place once u guys exchange fire. make sure he dies badly

- khan

You sound like you get robbed every other week?

lol murica

loool

On November 09 2012 07:01 okyougosu wrote:

fyp.

Seriously, the answer to being robbed is insurance, not defense. No matter the circumstances if my house ever got broken into I would fucking stand aside and let them take whatever they want, calling the police if possible. If you gave me a gun and guarantee'd shoot them everytime with no repurcussions to me I don't fucking take it, I just leave.

On November 09 2012 01:15 Nazgul wrote: I'm one of those who think a thief will be more eager to shoot you when you have a gun and that the % of endangering your family becomes larger with waving a gun around, this topic makes me feel out of place. Also not of the belief that breaking into someones house warrants death. It kind of makes sense for people living in the country with nobody around.

My father has been a hunter all his life and we always had guns in the house. I felt the same about them as you do, until my father got almost killed and the fact that my mother was carrying a 357 saved his life.

Where I live the dumb government has made it pretty much impossible to carry a gun legally, but every teenage crook carries a gun illegally

I used to have a shotgun in the house, but I borrowed it to my brother a couple of years ago, and the swapped it with somebody. still pissed about it. 2 or 3 years ago at about 9pm a bullet went thru the window of my daughters room. she was watching tv on the bed, we where in the room next door, and it sounded like somebody would have hit a huge hammer against the wall. i rushed to the room. bullet went thru window, some aluminum, then left a small hole in the wall. i found the lead bullet on the floor and like 2 days later i found the metal jacket of the bullet somewhere else in the room. we live on a 9th floor, and the living area isn't even considered that bad for local standards. We where all really nervous that night, and i didn't have the shotgun anymore in that time, so my wife made me sleep behind the entrance door with a loaded speargun.

On November 08 2012 23:53 thewh00sel wrote: Some good advice so far. Considering ccw in the future to keep in the vehicle/on me but until I get some practice I doubt I would go that route...Shotguns from what I've seen are very cheap, more than pistols even, so I don't see why I couldn't consider both. Just seems like one of those counter-intuitive things I guess, where you assume a pistol is a better starter weapon than a shotgun since it's smaller, but I guess a shotgun is more reliable/easier to use in a moment of need. Good stuff LP! Also in regard to the 9mm vs .40, I want something that my wife can shoot as well. And although it packs less punch I think the recoil of anything bigger would scare her away from trying it more than once at the range.

As someone who has done a lot of research on which weapon is the best for home protection...there is no question that the shotgun is the best. Honestly I would snag a shotgun for home defense and a handgun for a future CCW.

im surprised grenades still havent been mentionned
theyre effective and surprisingly cheap

I was slightly expecting "OUR FREEDOMS BEING GIVEN TO ANOTHER BASE!!!"

But I didn't read that. Kudos.

This thread makes Canada as good as Canada says Canada is, God Bless Canada, maple leafs and beavers, igloos and hockey. Canada.

are shotgun bullets better than handgun bullets at ricocheting?

I suppose the relationship between owning a gun and dying by gunfire probably has a lot to do with the fact that no training is required to own one. It's like saying car owners are more likely to die by auto accident than non-car owners. Now imagine if no license was required to drive. Regardless, all this talk about the .01% opportunity you will ever need to use one really comes down to whether or not you want to live in the .01% zone. I've seen a lot of fucked up videos on the internet, videos of people dying, being slaughtered, set on fire, mutilated and so forth. The shit is real and this shit happens every day. Somebody out there right now is going to have their throat slit or their head chopped off or their entrails eviscerated, etc. I just dont want to be that guy on the police tape who was killed because I just happened to step in the way of some maniac. Truth be told, it probably would increase the liklihood of getting shot if I tried to shoot an assailant. Afterall we both have the same goal of self-preservation. What else is he going to do when I pull a gun on him? Especially if he has the upper hand. But at the same time I have also seen countless videos of people being shot for no apparent reason whatsoever. So I simply try to remain vigilant. Make sure nobody can just sneak up on me and take me out, and maintain a constant level of suspicious alertness.

Basically I just dont like the idea of entrusting my safety to the fate of the universe, and simply saying "today I hope I dont die because I intend to do nothing to protect myself".

So far I don't really follow just about any of the reasoning for owning a gun.

Why doesn't the pro gun crowd ever just come out and say guns look cool, guns are fun to shoot, guns makes me feel powerful and better about myself?

On November 09 2012 18:01 RiKD wrote: Why doesn't the pro gun crowd ever just come out and say guns look cool, guns are fun to shoot, guns makes me feel powerful and better about myself?

i thought that part was just assumed

+ Show Spoiler +

No?

I actually thing getting a gun is one of the most retarded thing to do, only make you in danger, someone get into your house to steal, if he has a gun, and see you with a gun, what will happen? hes gona be scared for his life as much as you, and shootings will happens,
what you want to do is keep these people out
i dont see people going into your house when a big dog guard it when a shit tons of others house can/will be easier to get into
+ dogs are good for families
hugging one reduce stress and all
its good for your wife when you are not home, shes gona feel better with a big dog than a gun hidded somewhere + dont feel alone
good for your kid too, dogs can be very protective of kids/families + fun for your kid ;o)
dogs brings tons of positiv stuff
kind of a job but worth it
you can train your dog to attack too, like any cop's dog... its way harder to fight a 130 pounds dog than a 250 pounds human...

posted a german shepherd pic but obv shit tons of diff dog can do the job

don't have to feed a gun tho

I figure this story is worth mentioning:

During my time in Thailand it was about 9pm on a Wednesday and i start to hear some screaming in my apartment building.

At first i thought it was just some drunken revelry, but it continued and became more distressed.

At this point, I stood up from my desk and opened the door to the hallway so i could hear better, I heard more anguished screaming.

Armed with nothing but my boxer shorts and t-shirt I walked down the hall to find the location of the screams. As i walked down the hallway a number of people were peeking out their doorways, but no one joined me.

I entered the stairwell of the building, looked over the handrail to the level below and saw a Thai guy savagely beating his GF who was in the fetal position on the stairs.

So, at this point i knew i had to break up the fight. So i yelled as hard as i could "OI" to create a distraction. He (she did too) looked up at me, and we all froze in a moment of time. I did nothing more than posture myself, there was no aggression and i didnt need to strike back.

By this point a couple of other people had left their apartment to see what was happening and a couple of Thai people interevened. One man and one women, They seperated the couple and walked them away from eachother for a bit to cool down.

I didnt do anything that I considered heroic. In fact I did what i think anyone should have done in that situation. Investigated what was happening and defused the situation with minimal danger to myself and everyone else. There was no need for me to fly down the stairs and try and kick the guys head in.

What was more concerning was what I heard people say shortly afterwards when i told them this story. I was told that "I shouldnt get involved" because this is normal for Thai people, and that "I risked getting beaten up by the man and his friends" for "getting involved"

The level of cowardliness amazed me. Its easy to excuse doing whats right by coming up with excuses of what "could" happen.

Now lets imagine I had a gun in that situation and that i lent over the handrail and pointed it at the guys dome. Do you really think that was going to help the situation?

Should i have been concerned that when i yelled at the guy over the handrail he was going to pull out a gun and shoot me?

Plenty of guns floating around in Thailand and plenty of guys on methamphetamine wielding them.

The point is this, dont live your life thinking you need a shooter to protect yourself. A little common sense and restraint will keep you safe.

Invest in some good locks and an alarm system if youre worried for your childs safety, but seriously, from the bottom of my heart, dont risk her life by bringing a gun into the house.

Wh00sel ive always thought you were one of the smartest guys on LP and your blog pretty much confirms it. Youre in control and working hard. However this blog post is depressing. I cant help but feel that this would be a bigger mistake than when you bought the GT-R.

On November 09 2012 05:49 RaiNKhAN wrote: I am definitely PRO-guns. Most of u guys dont live here so you will never experience robbery but things get worse every year and these fuckers are fucking animals.

From what i remember of the story you told me, whilst sympathetic that it must have fucking sucked, the guns were of little to no benefit in the long run and the same result would have occurred without them and would probably would have put you in less danger.

The chances of wh00sel ending up in the same situation are minimal based on the circumstances that caused your situation to arise.

also an alarm for your house could be smarter? :O

I would never consider owning a gun if I would live in a country with little crime. But Venezuela is among the most violent countries in the world. As I mentioned earlier, I was always against the idea of owning a gun, thinking that it probably could do more harm then good. I was always the type of person who thinks that most situation can be avoided. I used to do some pool hustling as a teenager, in some pretty shady places, and when you play for money I would often get into arguments, but was always able to talk my way out of it and never got into a fight, even though some of those situation where pretty bad. I did some martial arts as a teenager, not to much, but you know they try and teach you to avoid violence. My father, being a hunter has always had many guns at home, and when we lived on a sailing yacht he used to sleep with a 357 under his pillow. So you can say that I was raised thinking owning a gun is the way to go, but I formed my own opinion about it.

I've had some bad experiences, like having my car stolen when I was 17 by 3 guys and having a gun pointed to my head for like 30min, till they let me go in some remote area, and another robbery at gunpoint, as well as other people pulling a gun on me another couple of times. Despite these experiences I was still against owning a gun, mainly because I think a gun wouldn't have made a difference in any of these situations.

Land is very cheap here, and about 15 years ago, my parents bought some land in Venezuela. Really beautiful place with 2 rivers, nature, hunting. They had to make a better road, so they bought an old caterpillar bulldozer and lived in a tent while making the preparation to build a house. One day when they where returning from a nearby village the dog started barking while they where getting out of the car and at the same moment 2 guys with mask came out of some nearby bushes and said now you are fucked old man and started lifting a shotgun to my father about 5 meters away and taking aim. They pretty much ignored my mother completely cause they likely didn't see any threat in her. Little they knew that my mother was carrying the smith & wesson 357. she started shooting and besides having practice with hand guns, was so nervous that she didn't hit them. A fraction of a second later the guy fired the shotgun, but the bullets only damaged my fathers jacket and one little graze to the flesh. The guy would have never missed with the shotgun at that range, unless my mother hadn't shot. they dived into the bushes and my parents where able to get into the car and to the police. when they returned the villains had burned down all the equipment and torched the dozer. My parents wanted to retire in that area, but after that incident sold the land and went back to Germany.

In Venezuela the criminals have become very unscrupulous, and you hear many stories about people getting murder t despite not putting up resistance. A neighbor, and old couple got killed a couple of years ago, and I know which was the gang (well it was more like organized crime) who did it and how it happened. The boss of the gang was a neighbor and a sister in law went to school with a girl who was one of the members long time girlfriend. The old couple had all kind of security and alarm systems in their house, but this gang was specialized, since they stole banks, armored cars, atms (i know sounds like from a movie doesn't it ?). Besides being violent they where pretty smart guys, probably the reason that the bosses where in the mid thirties and haven't been killed before. They used to take a kid along some of the robberies who was specialized in opening all kind of locks. this kid was a crackhead, and during the robbery freaked out and cut the old couples throat. The whole gang was killed a couple of months later by some special intelligence police send from Caracas. And ironically the crackhead who killed the couple wasn't killed by them. I'm sure it wouldn't have made any difference if they where carrying guns.

So my point is that there are situations, places where owning a gun for protection is better. You could argue, that it's better to avoid these places altogether, and I think you are right. Actually I'm working on that and hope to find some nice country in the future and move there.

I still think that a lot of people only buy guns to feel better about themselves, and if I would buy a gun I would keep it as secret as possible, not even telling relatives about it to avoid gossip. Also training is essential for the correct handling mindset.

^omg...

Canada ho Canada i love you Canada

I'm seriously freaked out by this thread haha.

I've been robbed once at home and my car has been destroyed three times already, also I've been beaten up and sent to hospital a few years ago by 3 stupids in the middle of the night who wanted my cash and weed... Yet I haven't gone totally paranoid lol.

You guys need pills not guns, don't live with that anxiety, what the hell.

If normal people like you feel like killing people you don't even know is a good idea, I don't want to meet your crazies...

I grew up around guns because I had a lot of country friends (used for hunting and pest control). In my experience all of these kids from years ago were far more responsible with guns than most adults I meet today who handle guns (and/or crossbows) and did not get safety drilled into (or slapped into) their heads when there were young. I've seen otherwise intelligent, well educated adults swinging guns around in a rambo impression to pointing loaded crossbows at people because they are absent mindedly having a conversation.

Unless you are a farmer I see almost no upside for owning a gun especially with a child in the house. For the kids I grew up with guns were part of their family's way of life, they are just a tool with no particular appeal because they are out and around all the time. There were no scenarios of waiting for the parents to go out so they can play with the mystery box or role play being a bad ass by holding the gun. If we wanted to use the guns, we finished school and could then go shooting around the farm. In a suburb that won't be happening and it doesn't sound like there will be daily/weekly excursions to the range. If I was a parent this would always be rolling around in the back of my mind.

Besides if you do get robbed your adrenaline is going to go through the roof, your hands will be so jittery that you won't even be able to load the gun and by the time you bumble around in the dark you'll of alerted the burglars and they'll be gone. Never mind that you're probably more likely to just be held up if your unarmed rather than shot if you're carrying.

Niggas don't rob me they now I'm down to die for my chain. G UNIT

What you need is a suicide vest. Nobody messes with you when you've got your thumb on the button, gun or no gun.