Guns are useless against Ninjas... that's why I keep a few guitars in the bedroom for home defense.
I studied under the great El Kabong.


ARMING YOUR GIRLFRIENDS! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS NUTS!
Can I get in your will?

I prefer using my bare hands against ninjas. I am considering purchasing a gun to give regular criminals a fighting chance.

Matt, since you're just starting out, all this banter about carry techniques and Y2K supply stashes is a bit overkill for your purposes. I sure didn't want to take the NRA cert. course to get my concealed carry permit in VA, since I had had a permit in PA for years. But the law required it and I did actually learn something. So go sign up for one of those courses at your local gun shop. When I did it, they even supplied a bunch of guns for us to try out/qualify. Most important thing is getting something you're comfortable with and can shoot well. Since I was 6 yrs. old and my mom gave my dad a Commander for Xmas, I always wanted one of those. I finally got one and couldn't make it shoot straight to save my life. I spent money customizing it every which way. In the end, SIG Sauer won my heart and I can shoot my SIG's very accurately.

Since I live by the NRA range, I can shoot in their special events sometimes. I did one of those practical shoots, where they set the range up like a Hogan's Alley, targets' coming at you, shooting from behind doors and walls and even people screaming at you get the adrenaline pumping. When you've done that a few times, you realize how useless a fancy, decked out gun is if you don't know what you're doing with it.

Maybe they completed the same police academy correspondence course - as seen on TV.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/257451-armed-dangerous-loose-my-area-post2316776.html#post2316776

Along those lines Rick, I just called a local gun shop/ range. They charge $75 for a day and a half handgun course, that includes both instruction and range time. They also rent guns for $7 plus the ammo. So that's probably the route I will go, I want to check the place out in person first.

It cost me $90 and that was 11 yrs. ago.

LOL... thanks :D

First line of Defense
 

What, the would-be intruders trip over the two brown rugs?
:D

Dogs really are a great security system... My late grandmother and my aunt lived in the same house in San Bernardino for over 30 years (aunt was in and out with the grandparents). Grandma has had dogs for just about all of that time.

EVERY house on their street had been broken into in the last few years, except theirs. Theives really won't mess with dogs.



It just goes to showone thing: A gun is definitely not the be-all and end-all of self defense or security. Definitely employ every form of security that is practical for you whenever you can. The gun is the last resort.

6 months after I bought my place (20 yrs. ago), it was burgled by a heroin addict.
They caught him later - another story.
Local PD was super.
One of their visits was to do a walk-though-around, gave me tips, etc.
Left me with literature about deterrent measures, mostly written by felons.
Highest on their list was dogs - even little barking dogs.
Next was alarm systems.

what a mad place the usa is.......loaded pump actions under the bed? all the kids knowing where the guns are and how to use them? makes me glad to live in the uk!

I'll clock a rough time estimate on the Biovault. I do know that it opens more quickly when on AC power than DC (D batteries).

In terms of "why" have a weapon around in the first place, those of you who question the rationale must've missed things like Hurricane Katrina in the news, eh?

Of course we do not have hurricanes here in SoCal, but we DO have earthquakes, riots and all kinds of other nastiness. I am MUCH more worried about a major quake or terrorist incident (and subsequent SHTF scenario) than a burglar; although, our neighbors have been burglarized and I feel a tad more vulnerable to would-be criminals now that our Akita died and our other dog is 14 yrs old and deaf as a stone...

Andy, guns are the difference between subjects and citizens.

+1

And in that event, plenty of time to get it out of the safe and chamber a round.

Andy, no offense, but I hear kids and punks over there get weapons pretty easily... and protecting yourself with pretty much anything is verboten. Society is supposed to protect you there, yet how can unarmed police respond to armed criminals? Wasn't it just recently that a female officer was shot and killed responding to an armed robbery... while herself unarmed? (her death was more due to her lack of training, not her being unarmed... you don't just barge into a store while it's being held up by armed criminals)

Here in the US, a lot of us realize that society cannot protect us. The police cannot be there to protect us at all times... and that there are bad people out there.

Teaching children how to shoot and how to be responsible with firearms does not turn them into violent killers.... neglecting them and not parenting them does. Throwing them in front of the TV without supervision does.

Teaching kids about firearms removes the mystery about them. Teaching them safety in controlled circumstances instills responsibility and maturity. We don't let our kids run around willy-nilly with unsecured firearms in our homes (well, most of us don't!). It's actually very safe here in the US.

How many people do you know who have been the victim of a crime? Any crime.

I know one. Her car was broken into and her cheap stereo stolen. Other than that... none. No home invasions, no burglaries, no assaults, no rapes, no muggings...

I feel very safe in the US. I know many people who own firearms... doctors, lawyers, cops, technicians, construction workers, engineers... I work with at least a dozen people, that I know of, that own firearms, and I'm not afraid to come in to work.

I wouldn't feel safe walking down some streen in South Central LA, don't get me wrong, we have bad areas, but the whole country is a relatively safe place. ;)

Guns are part of American culture, have been since the frontier and Wild West days. There are nearly 300MM privately-owned guns in the US, and about 30-40% of families own at least one gun.

Handgun owners on the Internet tend to talk a lot about self-defense and SHTF (***** hits the fan) situations, and for some people that is no doubt one reason for owning one gun. For some others, gun ownership is a sort of political or social statement, harkening back to the Boston Tea Party and so on. But to me, when I see a gun enthusiast. who owns 5 or 10 handguns, often customized and expensive, it's pretty obvious that they own all those guns because shooting is fun and the precision machinery is neat. If they had room and money, it might be ten 911s instead of ten 1911s.

Personally, my dad taught me to shoot when I was 8 or 9, I really enjoy shooting, and I'll teach my kids to shoot when they are ready. Right now, they're not, so my guns are unloaded and locked up tight. If I lived in an area with lots of crime, I'd get a dog - or move.

Background:

http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/165476.pdf

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=581409

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3623/is_200502/ai_n9482707

My son and I went shooting with my father yesterday at a local indoor range. My son just got his first rifle for deer hunting (Browning A-Bolt II in .243 WSSM and I shot my Beretta 92FS 9mm and my father shot his Sig .45 and we had a great time. My son is being taught responsible gun ownership and doesn't have the dangerous combination of ignorance and curiosity that most kids have about guns. If kids aren't taught about guns, this combination can lead to disaster. We have a gun safe in the basement where all firearms are stored as we don't have them for "personal safety".

lots of fair points raised. im all for guns for fun (shot loads at the gun store in vegas-didn't want to leave!) i suppose its just weird to listen to people talking the way they are in this thread. you are right abou getting guns easily over here but i still think that the fact that they are illegal is a good thing over here. what really needs to be done is to arm our police with them though, instead of silly little extendable koshes. they are even scared to give them tasers.......

If you tripped over the BIg Boy he might have to get up...he has a 3 inch scar on the tp of his head from going one on one with a Mountain Lion.

But its the Little One that you have to watch out for she the vicious one...shes a killer...she even growls at me....and I feed her....I had to fight with that dog everyday for the first 5 years of her life...and I have the scars to prove it.