From: charlesv@aupair.cs.athabascau.ca (Charles Van Duren)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
Date: 14 Sep 92 15:22:09 GMT

sml@ssc-vax (Stuart Lewis) writes:

#>So, what specific weapons and ammo do you folks recommend for home 
#>protection?  Assume it's for an adult with no previous firearms experience
#>(bows and crossbows aside) and a willingness to learn.  (Of course, no weapon
#>gets into my house under *my* power before I've been properly trained with 
#>it.)  Goals are to maximize effectiveness (shooting to wound is stupid) while 
#>minimizing both risk to others (pass-through on walls) and property damage.

#Good for you! (about wanting to get instruction first...)

#There are a couple of variables to consider.  Do you have children?
#If so, how old are they?  Old enough to be taught firearm safety?
#Or just old enough to get into things when mom and dad aren't
#looking?

#When my wife and I lived B.C. (before children :-)), the bedroom
#weapon was a .357 with +P+ hollow point loads.  

Is there something about the .357 that makes it _the_ perfect _bedroom_
weapon?

#We also keep a .223 semi-auto rifle in the bedroom with the clip
#seperately located - this is kept for coyotes. (we live on five
#wooded acres in the country). 

They come into your bedroom? Wow, I know they are curious and not
scared of people, but around our place they still stay away from the
house!

What kind of threat do they pose to you anyways?

#                                      By the back door, hidden behind the
#dryer, is a bolt action, clip fed .22 that is loaded with bird shot
#- this is for dogs.  Those I really don't want to kill - makes for
#bad relations with the neighbors!

So why keep a gun around for them?

#Both my wife and I know how to use firearms, and when our children
#are old enough, they will too.  There is absolutely no excuse for
#ignorance when it comes to firearms ownership.  I've taught a number
#of people how to shoot, and the first thing I ever tell them is that,
#"It's a statistical fact that more accidental shootings occur with
#unloaded firearms!"  ["Gee!  I didn't know the gun was loaded!"]

It's also a statistical fact that _all_ shootings occur with firearms.
No firearms, no shootings, fatal or otherwise! Isn't that amazing!
You're keeping at least two weapons for very unlikely circumstances
(coyotes and dogs). No matter how well trained you have everybody, this
increases the chances of mishaps tremendously.

#I've sort of meandered a bit here, but in my opinion, if you don't
#have children to worry about, go with a large caliber revolver -
#.357, .38, .41 magnum, etc.  If you have kids, go with a semi-auto
#with a clip that can be kept seperate.  Again, something large, no
#smaller than 9mm, i.e. 10mm, .45 auto; there's even a .357 semi auto
#- but they are really pricey.

No thanks. If I had to arm myself like that to feel safe wherever I
lived, I'd get the hell out! Imagine having to teach your kids that
they need guns around in order to be safe. Sort of a self-fulfilling
prophecy. Must be some wonderful place you live.

I'm not sorry if I offended people here. When I think of my home, I
consider it to be the _last_ place where I need to be paranoid about
my physical safety. And I am _not_ deluding myself into thinking that
I am safe when I am not.

As for the question of whether this topic is relevant here, I notice
for instance that rec.gardens is a separate group. Gardens are
generally associated with homes. As is the variety of music I play
at home, or the woodworking I do there.

So please move the discussion to where it belongs, to rec.guns, or
misc.paranoids.

CvD
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Charles van Duren - Senior Systems Analyst - Center for Distance Education |  
|      Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada T0G 0B0              |
*-------------------------------------\/-------------------------------------*
| Now Tom he claims, that a man's true joy,                                  |
| Is in the work he likes to do,                                             |
| And if I understand, Tom's a right joyous man,                             |
| And Tom, he's looking at you now....        Tom Blasingame (Ian Tyson)     |
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