This. If you have to use your weapon, you better make sure it has stopping power. I can't pretend I know what I'd do in the situation. You don't know if you can shoot someone until you do...or find out that you can't pull the trigger. Harrisment, you ask about non-lethal. I don't want to kill anyone, but if someone is in your home...YOUR HOME, and is threatening your wife or newborn baby...I think you will do anything to ensure they are safe. Don't assume the perp doesn't have the worst of intentions.
If any people are new to guns, two guns I would recommend for home defense. Glock and a pump action shotgun. Ar15s are actually not bad for home defense, but its best to keep things simple...that is why Glock...but whether it is a pistol, or shotgun, you have to practice alot. think safety all the way thru and feel right about it. consider everything. For ex. I would never parachute..,.too scared, but I feel very comfortable with firearms,..like I told one of my cousins who went shooting with me and considered buying a gun but wasn't sure..if you feel uncomfortable then don't own a gun.
Also, just because I have a gun that can kill them doesn't mean I intend to kill them from the outset. Part of preparing and practicing for self-defense scenarios is accessing risk and applying the required force as needed. I don't want to kill anyone, if for no other reasons that the legal hassles of doing so... even if they are in your house and threatening you. If I feel I can incapacitate someone without killing them, I hope that I certainly will. Again, in the heat of the moment you may not want to take that chance. Building on this... for weapons to be of any use in a self defense situation you have to practice, practice and practice some more. Using the weapon needs to be second nature and something you can do in your sleep. Knowing your weapon helps too. Knowing how it works, and exactly what you can expect of it in various scenarios is key to self defense success. This is a reason that most serious CHL holders take part in discussions via online forums breaking down defense scenarios piece by piece, such as those at TexasCHLforum.com.
I think we can safely assume one intruder was unarmed until he was inside the house. The other we don't know. They were never caught. I think it's also safe to assume that criminals don't want a fair fight. My mother never purchased a pistol, but for myself, I wanted to have that option of last resort. I don't want to depend on the good intentions of an intruder. We all make decisions based on past experiences, all we can do is hope that we made the right decision, we have prepared appropriately, and that everything turns out for the best. I am glad to hear that your mugging turned out okay.
I would make sure my family run away as fast as they could. Let them have whatever they want. The last thing I want is having a shooting rampage with those guys. If this is why the guns are used for, to protect from merciless criminal looking for kills, this country has a much bigger problem to worry about.
If the robbers are high, are threat of guns going to stop them? Why cant you just simply run away in that situation?
You're missing the point. A .44 magnum will stop them there is no threatening them in that situation. It's full out self survival at this point, they are in your house you need to protect your family and yourself. If that's an option then maybe, but what if they're coming after you and the only way out is thru them? There is nothing simple about a home invasion or break in.
Why would anybody come after me for the purspose of killing me in my house? Really? That's how you guys feel about this country?
It has nothing to do with my feelings towards our country, this is the best country in the world. There's plenty of cases where a break in turns into a murder for a number of reasons. I didn't grow up in a good area of Houston and saw my fair share of wrong address kick doors that didn't end well for the home owner and at times the culprits.
The reality bubble where you think running away during a break in will be an option. But you know what, please,please bust my bubble! Seriously come at me bro! Drop knowledge!
Lol seriously man? Are you really that oblivious? Watch the local news for once. But beware, it might shock you!!!
Dude, I used to think like that too. Owning a firearm was never an option for me, but then I got married and have children. I live in what I think is a nice neighborhood. Then I read police reports of the whole area thanks to our great neighborhood watch. I did my research, spoke with all the gun owners I know, did the range thing, and still didn't buy one until I got the thumbs up from other gun owners. That's just me though. You can try and make sense of the actions of criminals sometimes, if that weren't obvious with recent events. I used to think, if someone comes in my house, I let them take whatever. After all, I am a non-confrontational type of person. Then I read reports where robbers enter a home with the owners there, they rob the place and then kill the owners. People can talk about what are the chances. Well, I don't care. I just don't want to be caught helpless if by some long shot someone tries to do this to me or my family.
