To all those who argue that a .22 is not a good weapon for home defense, I must disagree with you. If a gang of rough squirrels invaded your home, a .22 would serve quite well! Seriously, though, for a .22 to be effective in a defense situation, the shot would have to be quite well placed. In a typical home defense situation, the luxury of time is not available to line-up a proper shot. A short 12-gauge pistol grip (Mossberg makes some nice ones available to non-police purchasers) with heavy birdshot & cylinder choke is great. Handgun calibers of at least .38 are also effective. Anything less, and the knock-down force is not sufficient to defend against a drugged-up and/or adrenalin-fed attacker.

Just remember, though, that effectiveness of your defense weapon is severely undermined if you do not practice with it. Take it to the range and squeeze off at least 500 rounds (not necessarily in one visit), and continue taking it to the range at least a few times each year. Chose a gun whose recoil you are comfortable with; if the 12 gauge or the 357 Magnum kicks so hard that you can't recover in time for a second shot, it's not a good home defense weapon choice for you. If you live with your wife/girlfriend/room mate, take them to the range and teach them, too. They might have to use the gun at some point to defend YOUR life.

One last word: whatever gun you chose to use for home defense, make sure your kids can't get at it. Teach your kids about guns, their destructive power, and the responsibilities involved in handling one. Make sure they know their "gun rules" (my 7 year old little brother knows them ALL by heart) and repeat them often. Let then use it under your strict supervision, and let them know that ANY TIME they want to see it, you will bring it out for them; and stick to this promise! Quench their curiosity yourself so that they are not tempted to sneak around when you're not there. I can say because he learned the rules & respects them, I trust my little brother more with a weapon in his hands than I do certain friends my own age. That's not to say that I don't supervise him STRICTLY if he's handling one, though.

 

Although I'm a proponent of shotguns for home defense, I'd like to suggest Mace or pepperspray, and judicious use of a heavy club. My son used pepper-spray to defend himself in an attempted holdup by a gang led by a pipe-wielding idiot. The person he hit went down like he had been hit with a bullet, and all his brave friends ran for the hills. The good part is that if he had used a gun, he'd have been charged with attempted murder by the anti-gun courts.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Nov-02 AT 09:32 PM (EST)]I own a variety of guns of different caliber's from a .22 to a .300 Ultra Mag. My home defense is whichever I get my hands on first. I don't think it matters if it's a .22. You start bustin' some caps and you're gonna get someone's attention. I would never underestimate a .22 for such, especially at close range. When we're talking home defense, we're not talking 100 or even 50 yards. We're talking point blank to 15 yards. Wounds created by the .22 may not be lethal unless properly placed, but who really want's to kill anyone? If a .22 is what a person is comfortable with, so be it.

Become familiar with your state laws on when you can use lethal force. It varies from state to state. I hope none of us ever have to use any firearm for that purpose.
Bronco894x4

 

 

http://www.i-kirk.info/tales/vnr08.html


Fully automatic M-16 all you need for home defense.


And if I run out of shots.


I am not bad with a wakizash. A katana I find too big for indoors,

come sneaking around my house while I have a 'chen wakizash. You will die where you stand if I dont like you, I could cleave your head off without thinking.


A sword at 20' is more deadly then a gun.


But seriously americans must have it alot easier then us canadians, you have to have shells locked in differnet rooms then your gun up here. So hard to have a gun for home safety by the time you get ammo and gun etc; together your either dead or robbed.

Swords are legal though =)


CK

 

I own several rifles, handguns and a shotgun so I am not anti-gun but the truth is that most people shouldn't own a gun or try to depend on one for defense. Any gun is useless you practice with it CONSISTENTLY, especially a handgun, unless you are a believer in the idea of just making noise to scare the guy. If you believe that you don't have to hit the guy and just the noise will work then I would hate to be your family member or neighbor if you have no problem in shooting off rounds everywhere just "for noise." If you think you can sneak around your house to do a surprise attack on the person, good luck, that usually only works in Hollywood. Most people, if they even wake up in time and then can gather their bearings and their backbone, aren't going to be mentally prepared to handle a weapon safely and accurately. What are you going to do if one of your kids comes out at the same time as you and the burgler meet or see each other and start shooting? What if you accidently put a round through a window or even a wall, most houses in the lower 48 are only 2x4 or 2x6 construction, that's not much, even to a .22 rifle. How well can you handle a rifle in the dark, in the dark in a hallway or your bedroom? Where will you keep the weapon if you are worried about your kids getting to it? If it is safe from your kid then most likely it won't be easy access for you. As someone else mentioned, be aware of your state/provincial laws regarding the use of deadly force. Most break-ins occur when you are not even home. The best way to protect yourself from a break-in when you are home are locked doors, with deadbolts (screwing the plates in with 3" screws that can reach into the wall stud for added strength), leave your exterior lights on at night and keep a couple of interior lights on, just a small lamp or two with low watt bulbs. One of the best ways to protect your home is with a dog that has a healthy bark. Just do your neighbors a favor and don't be one of those a-holes whose dog barks constantly day and night, whose dog craps and pisses in everyone elses yards, whose dog chases everyone and everything that moves or whose dog tries to attack anything that comes within 30 feet of it. The problem is rarely with the dog, it is usually with the idiot who owns it and was too lazy and irresponsible to train it properly. You can usually see the same traits in someone kids that you do their dogs, if they are too lazy and selfish to teach manners and responsibility to their kids their dog will be just as worthless and all of the neighbors can't wait for a meteor to wipe all of you out. Whoa, sorry for the speech.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-Nov-02 AT 09:50 AM (EST)]>most people shouldn't own a gun or try to depend on one for defense


I hope what you're really trying to say is that a person with no experience in firearms should attend a training course in handling a weapon. Everyone has a right to keep and bear arms, unless they are a convicted criminal. I agree with everything else in your post.

 

>>most people shouldn't own a gun or try to depend on one for defense
>
>
>I hope what you're really trying to say is that a person
>with no experience in firearms should attend a training
>course in handling a weapon. Everyone has a right to keep
>and bear arms, unless they are a convicted criminal. I
>agree with everything else in your post.

I agree with this comment as well. Proper preparation is fundamental to lessen the chances of an encounter (lights on, dog, etc.). Alternatives to firearms are also effective (mace, swords, knives -- all of which I have). But in the event that I must defend my life against an armed assailant, no one can convince me to give up my guns. Never. Call it "wrong." Call it "immoral." Call it "uncivilized." Cal it "illegal." Threaten to arrest me for killing an attacker. I don't give a . If you want my guns, you're going to have to pry them out of my cold dead hands. And I promise, that task will be more hazardous to your health than smoking a warehouse full of cigarettes.

Sorry about getting so emotional. I just read an article about some of the gun (or anti-gun, I should say) policies they're trying to implement in my home state. All of a sudden, I feel like writing another check to the NRA.

 

good post AKford, good advice. i understand where you are coming from, but if it will help ICELANDER sleep at night knowing he has a gun, of any caliber, then so be it. odds are he will never even have to pick up a baseball bat to defend his family. to each their own is what im tryng to say here.

and about leaving lights on in the house aint a bad idea either, gives outsiders the impression that there is someone awake in the house, and if a pseron needs to shoot a bad guy at least it wont be in the dark, it will be in a lighted room where you could identify someone.


as for being able to stalk someone in your own house, "only happening in hollywood" i definantly agree with you there.

im not bashing you for your posts, im agreeing or disagreeing and stating why/ my opinion.

buy a BIG dog... great danes are EXTREMELY intimidating, my father breeds them, people wont get out of their vehicles in the drive way unless the dogs are kenneled. although a shepard does the trick, like at my house.


BuiltToughF250

 

Like I said, I am not anti-gun, otherwise I wouldn't own them, but most people tend to get over anxious and paranoid about being attacked, robbed etc.. and their thoughts turn to buying a gun and most, unfortunately, won't take the time to learn how to safely use one. If it makes someone feel better to buy a gun then I am all for it as long as they take the time and effort to learn how to use it and then mentally prepare themselves to use it when the time comes. I enjoy my rifles and handguns, I love to challenge my target shooting ability but I also regularly practice shooting, malfunction drills, proper handling/draw techniques, reloading under time, shooting in the dark etc...
However, the best way to protect yourself in the first place is to make your home less appealing to break into; lights, deadbolts and a good dog (Great Danes are very intimidating and have a great bark) are great ways to help keeping you and your family safe. The right to bear arms is very important and needs to be maintained which is why I support the NRA. However, the right to bear arms by idiots is dangerous, but you can't weed out the idiots before they buy a gun so hopefully they will weed themselves out.
Reference the 10/22, it is a great rifle, I am glad that I bought mine when I did, back in 1984, when the price was only $110!

 

Have to say I love shooting 22's but for home defense I'll stick to a 12ga. Just recently I bought a Winchester 1300 Defender. 7 in the tube and 1 in the chamber is far more firepower than you will need in a burglary situation.(Hopefully) Also I recently found an auction site where you can purchase just about any type of load that you would want for 12 gauges, incendiary, slugs, shredder slugs, tracers, assorted less lethals, and my favorite for home defense, Rubber bird shot! Good fun. Again only with respect for the weapon, and after proper training.

 

A gun is a good thing to have if properly trained. I am all for home protection, but since the misses and me have had arguments concerning guns in the house with kids. We now have a 1/2 lab, 1/2 sheapard. She sleeps upstairs with us. Anybody enters our house, she will know before they get close to the second floor. (Lightning) our dog is not one of those, bark all night dogs. (thank goodness), However she is very protective of the kids, and us. She is our first line of defense. I would still like to have a 357 hidden somewhere upstairs, but to keep peace in the family this will work for now. I live in NW PA. and there is more registered guns in this area then people living here. One person in our county cought two escaped prisoners from Pittsburgh State Penn. after the cops where searching for two days. When they tried to steel his 4 wheeler. Gun control is a very bad subject around here. So I agree with my friends that we should have the right to defend our homes. Even if we never have too. Because in our county, the thought alone is a deterent.

I personally would like to see a program/show deticated to, how many people were saved by guns in their homes. Instead of the opposite. In short, some form of protection is always better then none.


Thats my story, and I'm stickin to it.

86 F-150 4x4 4spd
302 EFI with 351w heads, Roller Rockers, Hedman Headers, K&N Air Filter, 7" lift with 35"s

 

>I personally would like to see a program/show deticated to,
>how many people were saved by guns in their homes. Instead
>of the opposite. In short, some form of protection is always
>better then none.


Read the NRA's "American Rifleman" magazine. It has a column every month called "The Armed Citizen". I am assuming it still has this column......been a few years for me.

My personal statement regarding home defense. ANY dog will be a deterent if they make noise. That is the last thing an intruder wants. My personal choice of weapons is a single shot shotgun, open choke, 18" barrel, bird shot. Miss the shot, the intruder cannot use your weapon on YOU, except maybe beat you. I would never use slugs or buckshot as the penetration is too much, they will go through more than one wall. I personally witnessed the damage 00 buck did to a home I lived in. Roommates brother picked up a loaded shotgun, pulled the trigger. 00 buck went through the interior wall, blew a section of 2X4 stud out, bowed the wall out about 4 or 5 inches, then went out the exterior wall and window. The old asbestos type shingle siding shattered, 2 pellets through the window to who knows where. In other words, love thy neighbor, but don't wound him! I forgot to mention this idiot was a trained professional, an ex Navy Gunnersmate w/ Vietnam experience, and at the time a county detective! Training is always good, but not 'fool' proof!

Someone mentioned a sword for home defense. I'd love to see you be effective in a narrow hallway!

As so many others say, just my .02's worth.

 

>Also I recently found an auction site
>where you can purchase just about any type of load that you
>would want for 12 gauges, incendiary, slugs, shredder slugs,
>tracers, assorted less lethals, and my favorite for home
>defense, Rubber bird shot!

Do you have the address for this site?

Thanks, JJ.

 

>Do you have the address for this site?
>
>Thanks, JJ.

JJ, Here ya go. http://www.gunsandammo.com/auction/Browse.asp?Cat=3019&Timeframe=0&Page=4&Items=50 ,