Thinking of getting a gun/weapon for home protection

[MyExpWork]

Ever since my son was born 6/14/06 I have been waking up at night and staring at my bedroom door, thinking what I would do if someone came in either to rob us or....other.

I have never owned a gun personally, but have been around guns since I was a kid. To be honest, they scare me a bit, but I know how dangerous they can be, in addition, I know how to handle one.

This thought of self-defense goes beyond home protection too. I see what is happening in society these days, and I think, what if it happended to me, what would I do and how would I defend myself and my family?

Anyhoo, my plan (sort of) is to eventually get a pistol and take lessons and such. I also plan on including the wife in the lessons so we both know what to do and how to do it.

My only true fear is that what if my son gets a hold of it?! Granted he is only two months old, but he will soon be crawling/walking and getting into everything.

Your thoughts?

 

[410Fortune]

there are plenty of safety devices on the market that will completely immobilize the gun in case if falls into the wrong hands, yet still makes it quick to grab and easy to unlock.
Look at trigger locks.
For home protection nothing beats a shotgun, however a pistol can be just fine, easier to store near the bed, etc....

Classes are a great idea, you have to learn how to shoot, care, and operate a gun first. I think your idea is solid and I personally cannot imagine not having some protection for my home, even in suburbia living alone it is still a valid fear and the reason we have the make my day law.

 

[gensic11]

Start with the obvious: make sure you keep it in a location where the kid could never reach it. Make sure you keep the safety on at all times (proper training will teach you to undo the safety in time of need). Having a gun, in my opinion, is a great thing if you control it. Make sure if you lock it up - you are the only one to have the keys. Make sure if you are out of town or something you don't keep it loaded. Hide extra ammo just in case. You are probably a smart man - this is a simple subject. I believe if someone intrudes into your house they deserve to be shot - just make sure it isn't a friend or relative .

Just make sure if you get one you make an extra special effort to keep it in a good, safe, yet easily accessible location for you and or your wife. I highly recommend the training classes you were mentioning.

That's just my .02 very simple procedures

 

[MadScotsMan]

My $0.02.

Whatever your choice take a class, become very familiar with the firearm and practice, practice, practice. You don't want to be fumbling for the safety with a bad guy at the end of the hallway. In practicing, you also know what to expect from your weapon - recoil, muzzle flash, where the weapon hits downrange, etc. Also, whether your choice is a handgun or a shotgun, use ammunition designed for self-defense. Avoid anything that will "over-penetrate" or go through your target (or if you miss), through a wall and injure someone you're trying to protect. For a shotgun #4 buckshot is good. For a hangun, CorBon is a good choice. Always, always, treat a firearm with the utmost respect for its potential - safety comes first!

 

[moose1]

I have mosberg 12 guage for home protection, im hoping ill never have to use it.

 

[Gatorblazer]

Little bit different approach to this topic. If you are somewhat afraid of guns, and your wife is as well, maybe a firearm isnt such good idea? Take that same money and invest it in security for your house such as stonger locks, window gates and such. Just like that show "It takes a thief" This helps keep people out and reduces your need for in house security (guns). And keep in mind that you HAVE TO BE WILLING to pull the trigger! IF you hesitate, then the gun is useless. (Guns dont kill people, people kill people).

If you decide to get a gun, and I have several at the house that I have stashed, do not get a Glock. They are designed for duty carry, and therefore have a trigger safety. If the boy gets a hold of it, then hes more likely to fire it. Instead, get one that has a manual safety and keep it somewhere that he cant get to. I always take mine with me when I leave just keep it from kids. At night its no big deal because Im near it.

Also remember that an alarm co sign is a great deterent.

 

[Turdle]

A friend of mine has a single shotgun mounted to an ingenious wall mount

A short piece of deer antler is used to hold each end of shotgun, one in the trigger guard, preventing it from firing. Also, to remove from wall, your shoulders have to be even with it, and barrel end swung up toward ceiling to unlock trigger end from wall. A kid couldn't do it with a chair pushed under, but an adult can easily remove it.

It took some time to carve the trigger guard piece, but it works very well.

 

[Lt.Jim]

I keep a 9mm for home/family protection. You can buy ammo cheap to practice with. I can get 100 rounds of 9mm for 12bucks at walmart. For home usage I use hydra shock rounds.(a little more expensive but great stopping power) Lessons are a great idea and find a place you can practice at on a regular basis. Most police departments have gun locks that they will give you for free. As a matter of fact I have some extra gun locks and will send one to you for free if you do decide to buy a weapon. Remember your child's safety is the goal!

 

[everythintech]

i keep a rugar p89 in my bedside table, and different from previous opinions i keep the safety off. I have it in a daytimer, that i took the indsides out and added molded foam. The reason is even with training, as i get quite a bit, if i get awoken in the night, and i have to grab it, i want to just pull the trigger. Thats my opinion though. Also for home protection i have two pitbulls. They will hear things before i do when i am sleeping, so they give me nice warnings and like to bark at night. Kind of annoying some nights, but i remind myself that they are thinking in the best interest of us. They are a year old, next year sometime i am gonna get my neighbor, who is a master trainer for the navy, to put my dogs through more extensive training. These dogs are great because when i deploy, my wife feels safer. So if you arent too comfortable with a gun, get a pitbull.

PS: I also train my pitbulls with kids and cats, and i will never use my dogs in anyother way other then home protection, and i do train my pits to know the difference between family and playtime vs time to play serious.

 

[Blee1099]

I have a my 40 cal Glock plus the 9mm but for home protection I would have to agree nothing beats a Shotgun. I prefer my Mossberg 500. I have a 18.5" long barrel with copper sabot slugs in it.. I also carry a box of less lethal rounds for the shotgun.. They are foreign made less lethals that use a rubber ball round. It definately will knock the wind out of you.. Especially with a kid, consider getting gun locks or even a gun safe.

 

[skoal_mint]

You lucky yankys...In canada if we were to shoot somone becasue they were robbing us we would be in jail for a lonf time, no if and or buts...even if a robber hurts him self while he's in our house, like if he were to cut him self on borken glass, he can sue us..

weird but true

 

[section525]

Remington 870 Home Defense
7-shot, 18.5" barrel

Perfect for home defense and fairly inexpensive as far as firearms go.

 

[section525]

No poop-talking Glocks here! Having no safety is better IMO. If the kid was able to obtain possession of your gun, you already messed up.

Glocks are excellent for HD. I have actually retired my 870 to the safe and use one of my three Glocks in its place. Much easier to conceal and 'get-to' if necessary. Plus, with the proper permitting, they can go from the house to the truck, making them an all-around defensive firearm.

 

[Jason94sport]

Just make sure you know your CA gun laws. A lot of states have very different definations of when/how you can use deadly force in your home.
I don't own a gun yet, I've been shooting at the range & getting a feel for a gun, & what type I will buy. Reading up on the laws as well. I wouldn't want to go to jail cause I didn't understand the law even if I think I'm right.

 

[mattadams]

First off, congratulations on wishing to exercise your second ammendmant rights.
Now, statistics show that home owners who own a gun and don't know how to use it are more likely to have their own gun used against them in a crime. So if you do choose to get a gun, learn how to use it. I'm not just talking how to aim and how to pull the trigger, I'm talking how to pull it when needed, get that safety off, aim for the biggest parts of the body and then the smallest, all that stuff you need to know.
Now, its also no mystery that houses with kids and guns occasionally don't mix, so make sure the gun is safely secured, but accessibly when needed. a trigger lock is fine, but what about when that dude is coming down the hallway and you are looking for the key to the trigger lock? What if you left the key down in the kitchen? Now you are screwed and have no protection whatsoever. What I plan on getting soon, and what is recommended by many many gun shops its the pistol safe that is activated by a four-digit code that you punch in... it can be done in the dark and if someone tries incorrectly to get in too many times, it locks it for good and needs an override... the other option is a fingerprint safe, a bit more expensive and many gun shop owners would not recommend them because if you are sweating it can throw off the accuracy of the fingerprint analysis and some other "flaws". I searched and found the safe I was talking about... http://www.elitetacticalsources.com/gun_safes.htm You can buy it at most sportings goods stores.
Also, as others have said, practice with it... over and over... not just shooting, but drawing it, getting the safety off, cocking it, firing it, etc. or when you start to panic you'll forget how to do stuff and next thing you know you are a statistic.

In Colorado, we have the make my day law, which saws you break into my house and I feel you are a threat, I have the right to use any amount of force, including deadly force, to keep you from being a threat and to protect myself/my family/my possessions.

 

[spindlecone]

Get a cyl bore 12 ga.For the following reasons:
At close range it is the most lethal weapon know to man.
IF you happen to miss your target and hit the wall you will not kill a family member in the next room, or a nieghbor in the next house or apartment.
Pretty hard to miss with an open bored 12 ga.

 

[Rick]

I'm working on an idea for a safe room in our house. Not just to be safe from intruders, but a hardened area that would be able to withstand 100+ mph winds.

Most houses out here don't have basements so there is no where to hide if a tornado or high speed straight line winds comes through. About 10 years ago we had 120mph straight line winds rip through the city, it did a tremendous amount of damage.

But back to the guns, if someone broke into my house I would rather hole up in a safe room with my firearms, than try to secure the house by going room to room looking for the bad guys. I'm not superman and I've never been trained for that. I am very good with guns, but firing on a range and in a tactical situation are two entirely different situations. You do have to take care of yourself until the cops come, cause they're never around when you need them.

 

[msmith65]

Now, statistics show that home owners who own a gun and don't know how to use it are more likely to have their own gun used against them in a crime.

This is tangential and I don't mean it as criticism.

If you're referring to that study from the '80s, it ignored this vital point: Guns in the home are used far, far more times as deterrents (brandishing) than as weapons (firing). That study only counted shootings.

 

[JDraper]

There is absolutely no gun better for home protection than a short barrel shotgun. IF you ever find yourself in the situation where you actually have to handle the gun because of a home intrusion, you will most likely be seriously overloaded on adrenaline, which will make you a lousy shot at best. The odds of putting a single round in the correct location are very low, whereas a shotgun pointed in the general direction of an intruder will effectively do the job.

First thing to do is go take a weapons training/handling course. Then get yourself a good home security system and make sure all your deadbolts and windows have quality locks. THEN go get yourself a shotgun. A gun in the home should be the absolute last line of defense.

 

[302Xplorer]

12 ga shot gun, hands down. If someone breaks into your house, odds are it will be at night. If you are like me, someone who wears glasses, I can't see a damn thing and that combined with it being dark would make it hard to aim a little bullet to it's target.