A Question For Gun Owners

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a debate or an inflammatory post in anyway, just honest curiosity.

I have a question for those who own guns. I often here self protection as a reason for owning guns. The idea being that if confronted with a home invasion you could fend off the invader. However, it also seems from reading threads here that responsible owners keep the guns in a locked gun safe and store them unloaded. Some even apparently store ammunition separately.

So how does this help you in a home invasion type situation? Don't those things happen pretty fast? I can't see an intruder waiting patiently for you to go to the room with the safe, unlock it, get the gun, get the ammunition from wherever you store it, and then load the gun. It seems that if you are responsible gun owner, it ruins the point of having the gun in the first place. Is this the case or is there something here I am missing?

I have never held or shot a gun, and do not have plans to own one, so maybe this is just ignorance on my part about how long it takes to retrieve and load a gun.

 

[Luv'sTink]

That is not why we own guns.

 

[dcentity2000]

I'm planning to buy a match .22 competition Walther KK300 rifle for target shooting. Before I get the rifle I will have to be awarded a strict firearms licence and once I own the rifle it will be kept in a secured range in armoured cabinets with rounds stored separately in another safe. Both cabinets will be bolted to the wall, reinforced and kept in a secure facility.



Rich::

 

[Mellie2162]

This isnt the only reason we own guns. That being said, there are gun safes that are small enough to hold 1 handgun and ammunition that can be placed in your bedroom or somewhere close by to give you enough time to get it loaded.

 

[DisneyKT]

We have guns because of my husbands job. We have a gun safe built into the wall in the closet. We also have a alarm for our house.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Responsible gun owners keep their expensive guns in a safe so that, in the event of a home invasion, they can be sure their investment won't get stolen.

Rifles and shotguns are not usually the best choice for close range home defense. Handguns are what people keep loaded or near rapid loaders, usually in a beside table drawer or other easy access location. Is this responsible gun ownership? It can be. I grew up knowing that I should treat every weapon as if it were loaded. I was taught to handle and use guns at an early age. There was no way I would ever have mistaken one for a toy.

There are many reasons people keep guns. For an investment, for target shooting, for hunting, for sentimental reasons (like the only gun I own, the .22 rifle my dad taught me to shoot with and gave to me when I was 12), and for protection.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I always wonder about that myself. I'm unlucky enough to know that when someone is IN the house, things happen fast. Really, really fast.

I suppose you might have time to unlock something, get the gun out, unlock something else, get the bullets out and load the thing. But you might not. Not all the guns are locked up around here because I don't want to take the chance on finding out. Been there, done that, NOT doing it again. The next one that walks in gets carried out.

DH keeps his hunting stuff locked up in a display case, though.

 

[sha_lyn]

For one, self protection isn't the only reason to own a gun. Also self protection does necessarily mean from an armed intruder either. I am just as concerned about a rabid animal that I may need to shoot.


As for easy access yet safe storage I suggest a safe such as

http://www.studentmarket.com/Gun-Vault-GV1000C-STD-GVT1000.html


IT can easily be mounted to the back side of a headboard or to a wall behind a night stand etc.

 

[pisco]

My wife and I both keep a gun next to our side of the bed. They are unloaded in that the magazine is not in the gun but is loaded and ready to go. However, we do not have children so do not have to worry about the possiblity of the weapons falling into the wrong hands.

And we know we will have plenty of time to load the guns should we ever need them as any invader would have to get through both of our 130lb German Shepherds before they got to us. That should buy us a minute of two. LOL

 

[CowboyCO]

I keep a .357 Mag with a speedloader in the BR closet. The speedloader is in the nightstand drawer. So, I can get it and then the gun and have it loaded in 10-20 seconds if need be.

I've never experienced a home invasion, but it does happen.

I've also never experienced a house fire, but I have smoke detectors and insurance. Be Prepared!

Also _ I have needed it when we had a bear in the backyard and the dog was back there going nuts. I grabbed the .357, went out and got that little yapmeister and came back in. The bear spent the rest of the afternoon napping in the back yard.

 

[sha_lyn]

I just wanted to add that our one and only handgun is locked up unloaded. I will not fire it because it is "too much gun" for me to safely handled.
However I do want a revolver for myself that I will lock in a safe like the one mentioned above and I will use the ammo that is designed to not penetrate drywall

 

[amyhughes]

Being in the business I am (Oil & Gas), and what I have to do everyday, I keep a gun on my person or in my car (yes in the glove box and it is locked). I drive about 250 miles or more a day, plus I have to walk up to someone's house and knock without ever having met them before in my life, and this is primarily in rural areas. So yea, for me it is self protection. I also take self defense courses. My main goal is if it's them or me, I make it home to my kids at night.

I have never had to pull out my gun or use it on the job. But, I always prepare for that one day where it will come in right when I need it. Also, there is a fair amount of snakes, and other harmful wildlife (wild pigs etc.) that if you stumble into the wrong oil field you could run into. So it's best to be prepared and be cautious.

 

[C.Ann]

A baseball bat under your bed would be much quicker to get to and you can do some serious damage to an intruder if you swing at the right areas..

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I've never even held a gun nor do I ever plan to. Aside from a really bad experience when I was a kid (had pistol held to my head by a friend's sister), I also think that I would be the type of person who would not be very good at handling it safely. I would probably end up shooting myself. A gun would just not be an option for me, but I can understand why you would want one.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I just wanted to add that our one and only handgun is locked up unloaded. I will not fire it because it is "too much gun" for me to safely handled.
However I do want a revolver for myself that I will lock in a safe like the one mentioned above and I will use the ammo that is designed to not penetrate drywall

(??)

Umm, A BB gun or pellet gun will penetrate drywall.

I don't think such ammo exists. unless its blanks.

 

[sha_lyn]

Yes such ammo exist and no it isn't blanks



http://www.gun-shots.net/bullets.shtml#frangible-projectile

Frangible Projectile
Frangible Projectile bullets are bullets which are designed to fragment into pieces when they strike the target.

These small pieces impart their energy quickly into the target instead of penetrating deeply into the target.

Frangible Projectiles are designed to reduce long-term damage to a target while at the same time causing maximum short-term shock.

In addition, Frangible Projectiles also provide safety for home-defense applications because they do not penetrate barriers such as drywall.The most famous brand of Frangible Projectile is the Glaser Safety Slug.

 

[pdchris]

That is not why we own guns.

Agreed. I own a 9mm. It was a war souvenir that my father took off a dead German Luftwaffe pilot in WW2. I keep as a memento of his service to his country.
I plan to leave it to my son with the understanding that he will never sell it. If he can't or won't keep it, then I'll want him to donate it to a military history museum.

 

[Master Mason]

I have a number of guns, they are not for protection persay, they are mostly inheritances from my father and grandfathers. They are all locked up and unloaded.

I have a billy club under my bed if I need something quickly.

I chose to lock mine up, my dad chose to keep his loaded and in his bed stand. We knew from the time we could walk not to touch dad's guns.

 

[sha_lyn]

I keep a wooden practice sword next to my drivers seat. I have too many ittle kids in my van to feel safe carrying a gun, but I plan to get a concealed weapons permit eventually.

As for home protection, I would rather have a gun, but just haven't taken the time to shop around, practice etc.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Yes such ammo exist and no it isn't blanks



http://www.gun-shots.net/bullets.shtml#frangible-projectile

Sorry but you are mis-informed.

I have shot hundred of rounds of frangable ammo. it is comprised of copper particles, and it is designed for shooting metal reactive targets (some are man sized and will fall when they are hit correctly) The bullet is designed to fragment and not come back toward the shooter. (thats a bad thing!)

The bullet was designed to not destroy the (expensive) metal targets, that can be reset for the next shooter. They still leave a dimple and copper residue on the steel target.

The bullet is still leaving the barrel of the gun at about the same velocity as the normal caliber load (9mm/.40S&W/.45 and so forth)

Drywall would be no problem for it!

The news media errounously made a report about this after 9/11 when they interviewed air marshals practicing. The rangemaster explained that the frangable ammo did not destroy the metal targets. The reporter thought that it would not penetrat the skin of an aircraft (it will, its aluminum)

Also, that ammo is for range use only, duty ammo remains a variety of hollow point and/or FMJ, depending on the use. (its also quite a lot more expensive than regular ammo.)

I know, TMI.