Is it better?
- Thread starter CUSO
- Start date
If I was asked this question a number of years ago, I would have wanted the gun. But then you live life and through your experiences you change your mind. What changed my mind.
11 years ago a woman who watched DD while I worked parttime, plus other kids, was shot in the head by her husband ( he was a very nice guy) and he then turned the gun on himself. She assured me they had no guns in the house. He died, she still lives with a bullet in her brain and she is paralyzed on one side of her body. Both were in their 60s at the time. This happened just before the kids were to be dropped off at the house.
My friend's husband, a prominent dentist, drove to a secluded area and committed suicide by sticking the gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger. In his suicide note he said that he thought of killing the wife and son too, but could not bring himself to do so.
11 years ago a woman who watched DD while I worked parttime, plus other kids, was shot in the head by her husband ( he was a very nice guy) and he then turned the gun on himself. She assured me they had no guns in the house. He died, she still lives with a bullet in her brain and she is paralyzed on one side of her body. Both were in their 60s at the time. This happened just before the kids were to be dropped off at the house.
My friend's husband, a prominent dentist, drove to a secluded area and committed suicide by sticking the gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger. In his suicide note he said that he thought of killing the wife and son too, but could not bring himself to do so.
HollyS
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2007
- Messages
- 6,105
I live in Texas. Our gun laws do not frighten me, intimidate me, or cause me concern, even though I do not own or know how to use a firearm myself. I choose not to have a gun. I might change my mind in the future.
I believe in the Castle Law - - and if I had a gun, would not hesitate to shoot to kill anyone breaking into my home. Protecting myself or my family would be my only concern.
As for people offing themselves or others, they are mentally impaired. The guns didn't matter. People kill people.
I believe in the Castle Law - - and if I had a gun, would not hesitate to shoot to kill anyone breaking into my home. Protecting myself or my family would be my only concern.
As for people offing themselves or others, they are mentally impaired. The guns didn't matter. People kill people.
rosetta
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2010
- Messages
- 3,417
Tuckins1|1296171202|2835114 said:
You sleep with four guns (is that correct?), a knife, a bat and a machete? Either that's serious paranoia or you live in a very dangerous place! Which gun would you reach for first? Have you thought about moving?
HollyS
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2007
- Messages
- 6,105
rosetta|1296173357|2835151 said:Tuckins1|1296171202|2835114 said:
You sleep with four guns (is that correct?), a knife, a bat and a machete? Either that's serious paranoia or you live in a very dangerous place! Which gun would you reach for first? Have you thought about moving?
I don't understand either.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2004
- Messages
- 6,628
I honestly think if someone is intent on hurting/killing you, they will be able to do it regardless of you have a gun in the house.
So I also agree with the mindstate, are you going to live with fear, or not? I have a friend who doesn't drive (either walks or takes public transportation) and lived in all sorts of places, south side of Chicago, rural Washington, New Orleans, we now both live in Durham, NC. There have definitely been times she has been alone, on the streets, ends up having conversations with sketchy guys. But she has never been mugged, never been harmed. She simply talks her way into just having a human conversation with someone who in other situations might be quite dangerous. In her view, even dangerous people are not dangerous all the time. Don't give them the cues for it. Introducing the threat of a weapon in those situations would have made it MORE dangerous, not less.
OTOH many years ago I've heard the story of my great grandmother beating the CRAP out of a couple men who were bullying my Dad when he was a boy (back then where he lived men typically wore pistols in their belts).
And once living in Chicago I got mugged, where trying to get into my apartment at night suddenly a man put his hand over my mouth and a knife to my throat. He got away with a busted nose, I got away with no scratches. I can't take any credit for it, I don't feel like a hero, it was complete adrenaline. But I know the same thing would happen if anyone ever threatened my kids, they would not get away unscathed. I just feel more comfortable not having a gun in my house. but I store a couple large barbells in my nightstand.
So I also agree with the mindstate, are you going to live with fear, or not? I have a friend who doesn't drive (either walks or takes public transportation) and lived in all sorts of places, south side of Chicago, rural Washington, New Orleans, we now both live in Durham, NC. There have definitely been times she has been alone, on the streets, ends up having conversations with sketchy guys. But she has never been mugged, never been harmed. She simply talks her way into just having a human conversation with someone who in other situations might be quite dangerous. In her view, even dangerous people are not dangerous all the time. Don't give them the cues for it. Introducing the threat of a weapon in those situations would have made it MORE dangerous, not less.
OTOH many years ago I've heard the story of my great grandmother beating the CRAP out of a couple men who were bullying my Dad when he was a boy (back then where he lived men typically wore pistols in their belts).
And once living in Chicago I got mugged, where trying to get into my apartment at night suddenly a man put his hand over my mouth and a knife to my throat. He got away with a busted nose, I got away with no scratches. I can't take any credit for it, I don't feel like a hero, it was complete adrenaline. But I know the same thing would happen if anyone ever threatened my kids, they would not get away unscathed. I just feel more comfortable not having a gun in my house. but I store a couple large barbells in my nightstand.
colorluvr
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2010
- Messages
- 1,794
I am also going to respond as though the OP posed a well worded question (which he did not).
NO ONE who is not comfortable around a handgun should try to use one for self defense and there is a huge difference between having a gun at home in a safe (more on that in a minute), carrying one in your vehicle (which requires a permit) or carrying one on your person (with a permit). The "would you want me to defend you" comments from the OP shouldn't be discussed in the same thread IMHO.
I seldom (if ever) comment on these types of threads, but I do feel a bit more explanation from the "pro- responsible gun owner side" should be forth coming.
If you feel that you want to have a weapon in your home to defend yourself against someone who breaks into your home, but are not entirely comfortable using a handgun, then I believe that your first choice should be a pump shotgun. They are easy to learn to use, they make them that are specifically for self-defense (the barrel is shorter than a hunting shotgun which makes it less awkward to handle but is too short to be good for hunting), it is pretty difficult to injure yourself by accident (unless you shoot yourself in the foot which is usually not life threatening), and you don't have to be a good shot to stop the person coming toward you. While a shotgun can kill, that is often not the end result, but they DO stop someone's forward motion, which is the whole point. A pistol has to be aimed in such a way to stop someone that "aiming to kill" needs to be the shooter's intension. Shooting someone in the knee or some other such "Hollywood" antic won't work in real life unless you are in fact a trained shooter who would not lose their cool in a tense situation.
Looking down the barrel of a shotgun that can be fired without the shooter being particularly skilled or having to aim and looking at a person holding a handgun and shaking so much that they probably won't be able to shoot it, let alone hit something will cause a very different reaction from the would be home-invader IMHO.
I am not advocating keeping a loaded shotgun in a house that has children, but many women (such as myself) find themselves home alone in the evenings sometimes due to my DH's work schedule and knowing that I could defend myself does give me a sense of security. We also keep a loaded pistol in a handgun safe that is activated by a series of finger touches (top looks like a hand print) that cannot be accidentally opened. You program it with a series of finger touches and so random touches will NOT open the safe. It is the only type of handgun safe I would ever keep a loaded weapon if there were children around (which in our case there is not, but we still keep the pistol locked up).
My first line of defense is my two large dogs that raise the roof when someone comes to the door. If someone still broke into my home (after hearing the dogs) and got past them, I would be certain that their intent was to do me harm, in which case I would definitely defend myself with either the shotgun or the pistol, depending on the situation and the "getting past the dogs" would keep me from accidently shooting someone I knew (a scenario that is often brought up when discussing handguns at home).
If I were again (haven't been in a long time) in a position where I was traveling alone in a vehicle where I felt I wouldn't feel safe if I had to stop or had car trouble, I would once again get a permit which would allow me to legally carry a concealed weapon in my vehicle. Even though I had a permit years ago, I have never carried a weapon on my person, but that doesn't mean I never would, it just means I've never felt the need.
NO ONE who is not comfortable around a handgun should try to use one for self defense and there is a huge difference between having a gun at home in a safe (more on that in a minute), carrying one in your vehicle (which requires a permit) or carrying one on your person (with a permit). The "would you want me to defend you" comments from the OP shouldn't be discussed in the same thread IMHO.
I seldom (if ever) comment on these types of threads, but I do feel a bit more explanation from the "pro- responsible gun owner side" should be forth coming.
If you feel that you want to have a weapon in your home to defend yourself against someone who breaks into your home, but are not entirely comfortable using a handgun, then I believe that your first choice should be a pump shotgun. They are easy to learn to use, they make them that are specifically for self-defense (the barrel is shorter than a hunting shotgun which makes it less awkward to handle but is too short to be good for hunting), it is pretty difficult to injure yourself by accident (unless you shoot yourself in the foot which is usually not life threatening), and you don't have to be a good shot to stop the person coming toward you. While a shotgun can kill, that is often not the end result, but they DO stop someone's forward motion, which is the whole point. A pistol has to be aimed in such a way to stop someone that "aiming to kill" needs to be the shooter's intension. Shooting someone in the knee or some other such "Hollywood" antic won't work in real life unless you are in fact a trained shooter who would not lose their cool in a tense situation.
Looking down the barrel of a shotgun that can be fired without the shooter being particularly skilled or having to aim and looking at a person holding a handgun and shaking so much that they probably won't be able to shoot it, let alone hit something will cause a very different reaction from the would be home-invader IMHO.
I am not advocating keeping a loaded shotgun in a house that has children, but many women (such as myself) find themselves home alone in the evenings sometimes due to my DH's work schedule and knowing that I could defend myself does give me a sense of security. We also keep a loaded pistol in a handgun safe that is activated by a series of finger touches (top looks like a hand print) that cannot be accidentally opened. You program it with a series of finger touches and so random touches will NOT open the safe. It is the only type of handgun safe I would ever keep a loaded weapon if there were children around (which in our case there is not, but we still keep the pistol locked up).
My first line of defense is my two large dogs that raise the roof when someone comes to the door. If someone still broke into my home (after hearing the dogs) and got past them, I would be certain that their intent was to do me harm, in which case I would definitely defend myself with either the shotgun or the pistol, depending on the situation and the "getting past the dogs" would keep me from accidently shooting someone I knew (a scenario that is often brought up when discussing handguns at home).
If I were again (haven't been in a long time) in a position where I was traveling alone in a vehicle where I felt I wouldn't feel safe if I had to stop or had car trouble, I would once again get a permit which would allow me to legally carry a concealed weapon in my vehicle. Even though I had a permit years ago, I have never carried a weapon on my person, but that doesn't mean I never would, it just means I've never felt the need.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
"guns don't kill, people do" ... 
MonkeyPie
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2008
- Messages
- 6,059
kenny|1296176733|2835220 said:Dancing Fire|1296174401|2835180 said:"guns don't kill, people do" ...
Neither guns nor people kill people.
Bullets do.
...and that is SUCH a lie. What, does the bullet fly through the air of its own volition?
TravelingGal
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
- Messages
- 17,193
MonkeyPie|1296178907|2835249 said:kenny|1296176733|2835220 said:Dancing Fire|1296174401|2835180 said:"guns don't kill, people do" ...
Neither guns nor people kill people.
Bullets do.
...and that is SUCH a lie. What, does the bullet fly through the air of its own volition?
If I'm not mistaken, that's a comic punchline from one of my favorite stand ups from all time - Eddie Izzard.
Kaleigh
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2004
- Messages
- 29,571
MonkeyPie|1296178907|2835249 said:kenny|1296176733|2835220 said:Dancing Fire|1296174401|2835180 said:"guns don't kill, people do" ...
Neither guns nor people kill people.
Bullets do.
...and that is SUCH a lie. What, does the bullet fly through the air of its own volition?
Yes, it's people that pull the trigger.
MonkeyPie
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2008
- Messages
- 6,059
TravelingGal|1296179136|2835251 said:MonkeyPie|1296178907|2835249 said:kenny|1296176733|2835220 said:Dancing Fire|1296174401|2835180 said:"guns don't kill, people do" ...
Neither guns nor people kill people.
Bullets do.
...and that is SUCH a lie. What, does the bullet fly through the air of its own volition?
If I'm not mistaken, that's a comic punchline from one of my favorite stand ups from all time - Eddie Izzard.
I have no idea. If it was supposed to be a quote, then sorry. If not, I stand by what I said.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2009
- Messages
- 4,602
HollyS|1296173194|2835148 said:
The number one group of people who commit suicide is retired white males age 60+. They actually outnumber any of the other groups combined. The preferred method is a firearm. The number one reason for this group committing suicide is usually due to PHYSICAL illness...when suicide notes are present.
You will say that this group is mentally impaired?
I've actually learned over the past year that most of them are not. "Mentally impaired" might be a judgement you would like to make, but no diagnosis is made nor do a lot of these men fit the criterion for a diagnosis for a mental disorder.
People kill people, but guns make the killing a WHOLE lot easier. 
I hate guns because of that - the fact that you can so quickly and easily dispose of another human being (guilty or innocent), even from a comfortable distance away. They're essentially killing machines. I can't think of another object whose main purpose is to kill.
I hate guns because of that - the fact that you can so quickly and easily dispose of another human being (guilty or innocent), even from a comfortable distance away. They're essentially killing machines. I can't think of another object whose main purpose is to kill.
movie zombie
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
- Messages
- 11,879
Cuso, i think this is an experiment in trying to educate anti's.......yes, i have an interest other than color stones. the guns in this house are mine, not my husband's. the sheriff even recommended the gun store where i bought some of them. politically i am a liberal....an endangered species on most forums associated with guns........ but i enjoy them and enjoy going to the range. i even enjoy cleaning them!
some here have had their opinion changed when they were threatened, their home broken into, stalked, etc....in other words, when their person actually was in physical danger. until then most think the police will protect them.
in my instance, i grew up with them in the house. i've had a gun of one kind or another most of my life. i've never shot at a living thing....and i hope i never have to.
MoZo
ps if i'm wrong re this being an educational ploy, i apologize. if it is, well, imo it wasn't well worded or thought out.
some here have had their opinion changed when they were threatened, their home broken into, stalked, etc....in other words, when their person actually was in physical danger. until then most think the police will protect them.
in my instance, i grew up with them in the house. i've had a gun of one kind or another most of my life. i've never shot at a living thing....and i hope i never have to.
MoZo
ps if i'm wrong re this being an educational ploy, i apologize. if it is, well, imo it wasn't well worded or thought out.
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2005
- Messages
- 33,280
MonkeyPie|1296178907|2835249 said:kenny|1296176733|2835220 said:Dancing Fire|1296174401|2835180 said:"guns don't kill, people do" ...
Neither guns nor people kill people.
Bullets do.
...and that is SUCH a lie. What, does the bullet fly through the air of its own volition?
It was a joke.
I'm making fun of bumper sticker thinking, short attention spans, USA Today depth of thought, the sound bite generation.
Also, it is the bullet that actually does the bodily harm, not the gun, the person using it, the store that sold the gun, but factory that made the gun, the US Constitution, the parents or political group that taught fear and gun love . . .
The bullet did it.
Not that that means anything.
kenny|1296180347|2835268 said:
'Mentally impaired' implies that people who commit suicide are ill, and thus, vastly different from us regular folk. I don't believe that. There are so many life circumstances that can drive ordinary people to the brink of despair and cause them to want to end their lives - e.g terminal illness, chronic abuse/domestic violence, feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem, constant bullying, depression etc.
Sure - not everyone who has these experiences will commit suicide, but people are different. Not everyone has the coping skills, support, and resources needed to help them get through a crisis. That doesn't make them mentally impaired.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
please use some common sense...
if we had 100% gun control in this country do you think all the criminals will voluntarily turn in their guns?
if we had 100% gun control in this country do you think all the criminals will voluntarily turn in their guns?
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 5,083
movie zombie|1296181002|2835273 said:
Well, we don't do gun forums, but even outside of them, there are still a few liberals who are OK with guns. You don't HAVE to be a conservative to not hate guns. However, gun CULTURE is something I really don't want to be around for any length of time. Too many whackos. Unfortunately, the vast majority of guns selling right now are not collector pieces, or shooter enthusiast guns, but are cheap, plastic, and paranoid. The last 20 years has change the gun biz quite a lot we're finding, and not for the better.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
the GUILLOTINE...Sha|1296180860|2835271 said:People kill people, but guns make the killing a WHOLE lot easier.
I hate guns because of that - the fact that you can so quickly and easily dispose of another human being (guilty or innocent), even from a comfortable distance away. They're essentially killing machines. I can't think of another object whose main purpose is to kill.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 5,083
Dancing Fire|1296182208|2835290 said:
And it ain't ever EVER gonna happen, so it is beyond hypothetical and really moot. There could be some reasonable restrictions, if the paranoid faction wasn't so loud, but to have guns totally banned in this country? Not happenin'.
Dancing Fire|1296182582|2835298 said:the GUILLOTINE...Sha|1296180860|2835271 said:People kill people, but guns make the killing a WHOLE lot easier.
I hate guns because of that - the fact that you can so quickly and easily dispose of another human being (guilty or innocent), even from a comfortable distance away. They're essentially killing machines. I can't think of another object whose main purpose is to kill.
True! ...'Modern-day' object, should I say, then?
movie zombie
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
- Messages
- 11,879
[quote="ksinger|1296182474|Well, we don't do gun forums, but even outside of them, there are still a few liberals who are OK with guns. You don't HAVE to be a conservative to not hate guns. However, gun CULTURE is something I really don't want to be around for any length of time. Too many whackos. Unfortunately, the vast majority of guns selling right now are not collector pieces, or shooter enthusiast guns, but are cheap, plastic, and paranoid. The last 20 years has change the gun biz quite a lot we're finding, and not for the better.[/quote]
i mainly lurk now....the "culture" within most gun forums is way to nasty for me. in addtion to the most intellectual statement some can turn out in a political discussion is to name call someone a liberal, lefty, etc. like that's an intelligent argument?!
yes, there is a lot of plastic out there. personally, i like real metal.
and yet the last 20 years has had more restrictions and regulations....
MoZo
i mainly lurk now....the "culture" within most gun forums is way to nasty for me. in addtion to the most intellectual statement some can turn out in a political discussion is to name call someone a liberal, lefty, etc. like that's an intelligent argument?!
yes, there is a lot of plastic out there. personally, i like real metal.
and yet the last 20 years has had more restrictions and regulations....
MoZo
Did You Miss The Throwback Thursdays For April 2024?
Did You Miss The Throwback Thursdays For April 2024? - 04/25
300x240.png)