Man..

Not to seem obtuse, but I just honestly do not understand any thinking that doesn't include being able to defend yourself, your family, your property.

"I'd rather let them steal it because my insurance will pay for it.."?

Ok, so some criminal somehow knows that you have comprehensive insurance?

Why would you tolerate being violated if you have the means to defend yourself?

Now I will be the first to say that you should NEVER carry a firearm if you haven't taken some training in the proper use and deployment of firearms..

I'd never shoot someone taking the cd's out of my truck, for instance.. or my backpack, along those lines..

But to just say, "hey, this ******er got through my window, into my house, (whatever) so he deserves to take what I have.."

That's wussie talk and it oughta be stopped.

Stand up for your God given right to be unmolested in your person and possessions. Learn to defend yourself and your family regardless of what the "government" says..

Protect yourself, no one else will or can.

And there are PLENTY of right thinking attorneys out there who will defend you pro-bono if you're in the right.

Not to even mention that most grand juries wouldn't even indict in the first place, at least here in Texas, as long as you're the good guy.

 

TexEdition:
I 110 % agree with you.

I have made BMV calls and people are so upset they ask if they have a right to shoot anyone found in their truck. I always told them that they have a right to protect their property, they do. I also advise that they will still have to be brought in before a Gran Jury and they will have to be able to articulate that deadly force for a $200 radio was used and thus justified.

I also let them know that they will have to sleep knowing that killed someone for a $200 radio even if they get off with no charges.

99% understand and finally calm down and say that they never thought of that. You have to tell them that if they were being threatened or someone else with threat of seriously bodily harm or death, no problems. They have to be able to articulate it without citing book law of 'imminent bodily injury or death'.

 

The point is that there can be situations where a gun is exactly what you need to have any hope of protecting yourself and loved ones from another gun or any other form of danger. I don't see any irony in it. I'm not trying to be a **** but I strongly disagree with you on this one.

 

"GUNS dont kill people, I kill people"


Think about it

 

I have guns because I refuse to be a victim.

I live in a very rural area. Last month, there was a home invasion just a mile down the road. The home owner managed to break free from the villians and retrieve his handgun leaving two of the three invaders dead. Had he not owned a gun, the funeral that weekend would have surely been his.

 

one night while living in north carolina...

im headed to bed and i hear a scratching metallic noise at my front door. i go and get my gun from the closet and stand in the doorway. as i come back i see the door open. I pulled the slide back on my pistol (thats a very distingushable sound at 3 am in the dark) the next thing i hear is a crowbar hit the wood floor in my living room. I see someone running like hell across my front lawn. Had i not had the gun what may have happened to myself, my girlfriend or her 2 year old daughter?

 

and what do you suggest people do to protect themselves from criminals with guns.

 

I can understand that train of thought too, I use to be like that, I use to think I was superman too.
I still think that I can stop a speeding bullet....... once.....
I'd rather not try if I can avoid it at all and defiantly don't want my wife and kids to try it.

If someone breaks in my house, I will go get my kids from thier rooms and get them to safety. Thats my #1 concern!!! I do not want them in the middle and want them as far away as possiable and pray to god I dont panic and fire at anyting that moves. It could be my kids too.
If I stumbel on someone in the process, I will do what ever I need to do to neutralize the situation as quickly as possiable.
If you try to clear your house by yourslef, and the intruder also has a gun. Even if your a trained SWAT/Special Forces, your chances of survival are less than 50%. There is a reason they use a team, because Rambo is a fictitious charecter, it just don't work like that in the real world. In the real world you die.

 

I can certainly agree with all you said there as far as securing the the little ones, making sure.. SURE!.. that it's not a family member you have in the sights..

However, you're not even close in saying it's a 50-50 chance. Take 20 hours of training, practice with your weapon. Do you suppose that the crackhead paying you a visit at 3 a.m. has any training whatsoever? No, he or she does not.

It's not a crapshoot if you have discipline. You have a huge advantage. More along the lines of 90% in your favor, as has been well documented.

And the best thing about getting training from a professional is that it not only teaches you when and how to use your weapon, but when NOT to.

Invoking "Rambo" is ridiculous.. No responsible person, as I think most here are, would EVER just fire blindly into the dark at a sound.. it's unthinkable..

Using a firearm under any circumstance is a grave responsibility, never to be taken lightly.

Rambo... give me a break

 

I was using Rambo more as the one man army symbol.
One man cant walk into a room where there are 3-5 guys with guns, I dont care how well trained he is, he wont come walking back out. Thats only in the rambo movies, thats what I was going for with that anology.
Plus the side analogy of it being the theatrical feeling of the good guy always win is only in the theaters.

A trained profesional would never clear a house by himself and would never tell anyone too oeither. I don't know where you got that training but I hope you didnt pay for it and definatly hope you never have to use it.

90% is definatly way to high....
Hes got a gun and I've got a gun I call that even, wich is 50/50. If there is more than one of them, my odds are lower.
I have to pause to make sure to identify my target so I dont shoot someone I know before I can even fire.... he dont.... he dont know or care who it is....his odds just went up and mine fell.

If hes a crack head tehn he's likely high. I think it was this thread that we mentioned guys cranked on acid or speed, taking 6 direct shots from a .357 and not slowing down. You may fataly wound him, but he could be fighting for atleast another 3 mins before he bleeds to death. Another movie myth about guns, just becsaue you shoot someone (I know from hunting experince) they dont always die imediatly. Your odds just went down, thats more tha nenough time for him to charge you, since he knows hes going to die anyway he has nothing to lose but to kill you.

Your best route for survival, if for some stupid reason you cant get away, is as a profesional defense instructor would teach..... fortify an area and hold your position. Make them come to you. Your odds then are 60/40.

 

I find this thread curious at best. Just up the road a couple of miles is a small town that has passed a law that all residents "MUST" own a firearm. I have friends that live there, and I go there often. What a nice, pleasant, low crime community. Everyone knows that everyone is armed, and I think because of that folks are much more civil to each other. I don't remember of hearing of anyone getting shot since they passed the law, (which was many years ago). This is Idaho and to say the least is not very liberal, I think most residents allready owned guns anyway and the law was passed just to tell the antigun nuts and criminals they are not welcome.

 

I'd like to retire there.

You know people have your back as well
*As long as you are on the RIGHT side of the law.

 

i wish i was able to carry a concealed weapon, because today i had a bum pull a giant fillet knife on. i had a little pocket knife but didnt feel safe. i eventually attracted enough attention so that he ran off

 

My dad always told me:
Son, run from a knife but never run from a gun. You can't out run a bullet son.


Now in my older age, I dont much feel like running unless I have to. Now I'll evaluate the situation, and if they aren't holding it right, or show any signs that they have little to no idea what they are doing with it...... then I'll take it away form them and take them out wwith it, if I think it will save some energy.

 

I'm a little on both sides. I have several weapons, including a Sig 226 .40 with I use for range shooting and a Remington 870 which I use for home defense.

I don't keep any rounds for my pistol in the house because it's just too dangerous with my family around.

I keep 7 shots in the cartridge on my REM, but not chambered. But if someone breaks into my house, the first thing you're going to hear is "clack, clack" of of double-O buck being chambered into my 870!