Arming Yourself

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
Trigger locks are good

[/ QUOTE ]
Not when you need to access your gun quickly.

[Freakin]

I think the safest approach to looters is to let them take whatever the [censored] they want. If someone breaks into your house in a disaster sitaution, get your whole family in one room, yell out that you are all upstairs and you won't stop the looters from taking anything, and pray for the best.

I think it's more likely that someone will be hurt if you actively engage looters trying to take your stuff.

That being said, I think there is a definite place for home defense, as not everyone breaking into your house will be content with stealing your TV.

To be safe with a pistol is to keep the gun unloaded and locked (either with a trigger lock or in a safe) and to keep the ammo (or loaded clip) in a separate place. I don't think that if someone smashed a window in my house that I'd feel safe having to unlock a trigger lock, grab the clip, and be confident enough to shoot whoever was intruding.

I would personally prefer a taser and a bat. I don't have kids now, but when I do, I don't want to risk them a) somehow getting the gun and ammo together b) being shot by a stray round that goes through a wall

I think shotguns are a fairly decent way to protect your home, mainly because the sound will deter most intruders when you cock it.

Freakin

[newfant]

Just be careful that you don't shoot one of your kids when they come home late at night and startle you.

"Who's there?" BOOM! Oops.

[beta1607]

Agreed - but for the OP this is not relevant since he wants it in case of a disaster not in case he has a home invasion.

I have also read about pistols coming out that will recognize your hand print and only allow you to fire the gun coming out in the future which would be awesome but probably very expensive.

[thatpfunk]

there is nothing i own that i think is worth killing someone over.

i am not worried about anyone killing me just for the fun of it, there are better things to worry about.

i however would not mind owning a gun for recreational shooting.

[cardcounter0]

A number of bits of bad logic in your post.

1) Merely owning a gun is useless. You have to now how to USE a gun. This should involve lots of training and practice.

2) Guns are not dangerous. It is the bullets in the gun that cause the problems. An unloaded gun is a safe gun, so don't leave loaded weapons around where children can get there hands on them.

3) Why would the children be getting your gun anyways? Let me see, I have a can of gas in the garage for my lawnmower. Very dangerous, children and gasoline. Do I worry about it? No, they know better. I have electrical plug in sockets all over my house. Very dangerous. Children could stick their finger in them and kill themselves. Do I remove all electricity from the house?

Teach the kids they if they touch your guns and survive, they will immediately be killed by you, so they better not even look at them. (and of course the dangerous part of the gun, the bullets, are kept seperate from the weapon anyways).

[rustyboy]

My parents have had guns all of my life. First, the guns and ammo were both 7 feet above the ground on top of a shelf. My parents always stressed the danger and risks invovled as early as I can remember. Being 6 and three feet tall somewhat limited the access to me, but not to them if the need arose. Again,, if you take the time to educate your children, bad things (more than likely) won't happen.

The chances of being in a area that suffers an apocalyptic-like disaster are so tiny as to be insignificant.

The chances of being in an area that suffers an apocalyptic-like disaster and descending into such chaos that you need a gun is even smaller.

The chances of someone getting hurt by introducing a gun into your house are higher than the two scenarios above.

[bisonbison]

For people who answer Yes, I'd love to know if you have children and what steps you take to keep the unthinkable from happening.

If you believe that's the unthinkable, I'd suggest not getting a gun. The thinkability of potential dangers is what allows us to avoid them.

[newfant]