Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Inspired b y Enrique's poll: How many do not own a gun for defense.

Yeah, but poorly.. Obtain the right transport vehicle or hammer and those two jobs would be done much better..

Consider this: You got four strange male perps beginning to destroy your front door - bent on entering and robbing/mugging/murdering..

Let's say that you have a .22 single shot rifle..

You think you really have the right 'tool'?? You gotta consider a few potentials when you wish to have an item for self defense..

JMHO..

That was my point. Never has the need for defense entered my mind when choosing a firearm.

Mine are all geared toward hunting or target shooting.

A 28 inch Mossberg 500 12 ga loaded with #6 pheasant shells would do the trick, but it is not the weapon one would choose if home defense were a high priority at time of purchase.

The same could be said of my 7.5 inch Super Blackhawk or Marlin ten shot carbine in 41 magnum.

If defense of home and self were of high concern to me, my gun collection would consist of different specimens. And some of them would be more accessible than they are, locked in the safe.

I am certainly not saying that I would not use lethal force to defend those who reside within my home. I am saying that I think the likelihood of needing to is infinitesimal out here at the end of a mile of canal bank and dirt roads.

I've a few firearms mainly purchased for defense from bears as we spend a fair bit of time in the country.

but bears don't concern me nearly as much as people do if the SHTF

I believe I've both areas covered in spades


even have a few tools for hunting, the fact that every one of them would defeat a ballistic vest about as easily as if a bad guy were wearing a paper sack is just icing on the cake for them.

So, home and self defense are low on the concerns list? IMVHO, those should be TOPS on the list.. If your current firearm selection is all 'locked in the safe', then you have, when seconds count, only minutes to try to open the safe and be locked/loaded..

Crooks don't wait minutes..



Not trying to put you on the spot on this.. Just trying to get you to think about the entire scenario and consider making some, er, 'adjustments'...

I don't think there is a place left in this country or any for that matter, that I'd feel safe enough, not having a weapon close by or on my person. I"m not that naive any more. The world has changed and its changed EVERYWHERE.

Thats unfortunate but I'm not going to ignore it either.

Of course I don't think we should have ever relied on trust or law enforcement, yhou should protect your own and be done with it.

Some good points are made here, all of which been been considered at considerable length many times in the past.

The bottom line is, I have seven beautiful grandkids. The oldest is seven, the youngest six months. They all live within ten minutes of my house and we have one or another of them in our home several times every week.

The likelihood of one of those precious children being harmed by an unsecured firearm is thousands of times greater than the chances of a criminal home invasion in the night (around here).

A guy has got to go with the odds.

Funny, I was one of those kids that grew up with 'unsecured' firearms in the house, as did many I know. It's the unknown that kills.

What's the saying.....

"Caution, Life can cause Death"?

I guess it depends on circumstances,location, etc. There are people who own vehicles only for emergency situations, but don't drive otherwise. Same with guns, even as a cop, I have work guns and fun guns, but I never really consider any specifically for "defense" of me. My wife, on the other hand. has one.

Yeah, right... and its not like there aren't vaults that allow a loaded one you can grab in a second.... I prefer to be able to protect my precious grandkids, rather than trust luck. My luck sucks.

Glock 20 with a mag equipped with a Taylor base extension holding 20 rounds of Double Tap 135 grain screamers. Beside it is a Surefire M6 Guardian flashlight.

As did I, Scott, and so did my children. But I was directly responsible for my kids' training and discipline. Such is not the case when speaking of my Grandkids.

I have shared pics here of my grandkids firing my rifles, as young as five years.

They are hardly an unknown. They are supervised.

Once again, as unlikely as it is that one of the kids could get hold of one of my firearms, and harm come to them. Such is far more likely to happen here than is a home invasion.

There are many locations within a twenty mile radius of my home where I would not feel secure without a weapon under my pillow. (figuratively at least)

Perzactly... Farmhouses (including ours) never knew what a 'gun safe' was, nor a 'gun cabinet'.. They were all stashed in corners, or on a gun rack over the bed... We were taught early about firearms - and somehow, some way, we all survived without a single accident..

Say what you want - but EDUCATION is the key..

When my son was a toddler we gave him a couple toy guns.. But we taught him from the very first minute that it's not to be aimed at us, the dog, or any other animate object.. By the time he was 4 it was already ingrained that the muzzle direction is to be noted - always.. Started him on a .22 by age 5.. By 10 he already had two years of trap shooting under his belt and got his first 25 straight at age 12.. He's now almost 19 and I've not had to caution him about safety over the last dozen years or so..

He now outshoots me on a regular basis - the little turd..

A great point indeed.. Maybe you could take 'point' and get 'em under your wing.. Ensure it's done right..


To that point, no argument..

Know what? Crooks travel..

Until about 20 years ago, we all felt safe in this area and never (or rarely) locked doors, pole sheds or garages.. With the growth and expansion of the Twin Cities the creeps therein were beginning to branch out in their criminal activities and hit the surrounding countryside.. It's amazing how much crime we have around here now - and people have learned to lock doors and be more prepared for home invasion due to the much-increased potential.. And the center of those cities is about 45 miles away..

Curious here, but do you have a high shelf, or taller piece of furniture you could at least place one handgun there for quick retrieval if the SHTF and yet be well out of reach and/or visibility of the grandkids??

Redneck, this is something that we'll have to deal with soon. My oldest "kid" is 35 and we're expecting our first grandson in Sept. My kids were brought up very similar to yours that firearms were there for them to use with my permission and there never was any issues.
Don't know how we'll deal with grandson as I also don't know how my SIL will train him at home.
Times have definatlly changed...BG

They have indeed... Congrats on your upcoming granpahood..

Everyone wants their kids to be able to swim, because someday they might be exposed to water.
So many think learnng about guns is bad- maybe thinking they can keep guns away forever?
That won't work, sooner or later kids and guns get together.

To get a feel for and teach firearms etiquette, I recommend a muzzleloader standing in a corner. Flinter or sidelock percussion. IMPOSSIBLE to load "accidentally". At first the curiousity is obvious. Very soon however, the mystery goes away and a rifle has just become accepted as a part of the scenery of the house and they'll leave it alone.

The muzzleloader idea is a goodun'. It's amazing how much us old folks keep learning from you younguns.

I live a few miles outside a small town. When I hear something outside Im packing when I check it out. Two legs or four I dont trust it. Para Ordnance Super Hawg 1911 45 acp 6 inch barrel and a 14 round mag. Itll stack the whole clip right where I want it to. Its not that I am untrusting. Its just that I have learned better.

Here also...occasionally we forget to close the garage door at night...don't worry about 2 legged intruders...but I hope I never find a skunk or rattlesnake in my garage