Time to get a gun?

Chicago Tribune ^ | 09/06/2005 | Eric Zorn

[Jack Wilson]

Time to get a gun? Along with our powerlessness against nature and the fecklessness of the government's response to a crisis, a third frightening aspect to the tragedy of New Orleans has been the breakdown of civilization in the disaster zone that accompanied the snapping of the so-called thin blue line.

Among the questions it prompts in my mind is one that is old and unresolved: Should I own a firearm?.

Thirteen years ago, when Los Angeles was up for grabs during the rioting that followed the acquittal of police officers charged in the Rodney King beating, the images of shopkeepers unprotected by police staving off looters with rifles knocked me off my comfortable anti-gun perch. Who wouldn't want a firearm under those circumstances? And who knows where such circumstances will occur next? .

It's hard to bring this up again without sounding like one of those cackling vigilantes who would gladly shoot someone swiping a bicycle out of his carport, or one of those basement-bunker survivalists besotted by paranoia..

I resisted back in 1992 and still rely on 9-1-1 and a pitching wedge under the bed to protect my family. But the rapid descent from crisis to chaos to anarchy in New Orleans was another reminder that paranoia can come to look like prudence in hindsight.

[VeniVidiVici]

Every time someone offered that sliding rack on a shotgun bit I'd hand him a broomstick, turn off the lights and tell him to come down the stairs or around the corner holding the stick like a weapon.

So then you're saying it's best to go after the intruder? I would think it would be best to let the intruder come to me. At least given my small house I would certainly have the advantage!

[tacticalogic]

Racking a slide may scare one but it'll let three know where ya are.....

If you're dumb enough to rack it standing still.

[Chode]

not even man enough to own a baseball bat!!!

he'd prolly just shoot his damn fool self anyway...

[mylife]

The shotgun should be charged when you engage. You ain't there to scare them, you are there to stop the threat.

Good Point and well heeded. I often worry that scattergun mentality will make an idividual lax. But it does provide a better hit ratio while all hell is breaking loose.

My bottomline is shoot it like you mean it. As you said, this aint a movie

[TheMom]

My preference is the handgun. It is easier to maneuver and fire in a crunch. It doesn't matter much if your aim is perfect . . . just aim that bad boy at the goblin and it will hit him somewhere, and keep shooting until all the threats are stopped.

Because a number of the evacuee's are being housed in government housing close to our neighborhood & my work area, I have started carrying my Glock, locked & loaded, in my car.

[Cobra64]

Thanks...Im writing that down....I have a pea shooter a 22 automatic...not much for self defense...

A hot .22 LR JHP placed in the right places will stop anyone. Three rounds in the noggin works every time.

Keep in mind that it is very difficult to reload .22s; the primers are a bitch!

LOL.

Series, 9mm Sigs (P226) stainless steel are my choice for the home.

I carry a Sig .380 (9mm Kurtz) P232 stainless steel when travelling.

For yard work, a Bond Arms stainless steel .357 derringer with snake shot. We have copperheads here in North Carolina. On average, I dispose of two to three every March/April/May season. One time I used the chain saw on the snake next to the fallen tree I was limbing.

[Nov3]

I unloaded 2, 3 in Magnum 12 ga 00 buckshells from a pistol gripped Ithaca clone 3 weeks ago and I braced for it.

Your problem was the DISCO @$$ pistol grip. Under stress practically no one can hit with one and the recoil becomes uncontrollable

[Neil E. Wright]

for a good, all-around carbine, check out the Kel-Tec Sub2000. It comes in two flavors, 9mm and .40cal. I have the 9mm so I can shoot the same ammo out of my Hi-Power ... :)

Kel-Tec

[af_vet_1981]

Something about racial violence and gang rapes turns even the most liberal nut into a man who wants to defend his family.

[Cobra64]

The sound of a shotgun being racked is a sure attention getter.

That is for sure. A pump chambering a round is a scary sound hearing it in someone's home at night. The slide action of a semi chambering a round into the chute is equally disheartening. Closing an O/U or S/B/S wouldn't be as intimidating. One guy who lived in the mining towns of CO told me, that if a "bad guy" heard my friend chambering a pump, he'd sh!'!te a brick, and then trip over it scrambing out of the cabin!

[Squantos]

Whatever....

[mylife]

Your problem was the DISCO @$$ pistol grip. Under stress practically no one can hit with one and the recoil becomes uncontrollable

So I found L0L! As I said earlier, I like the shortened Shotgun in close confines, But with those loads its uncontrollable and likely to maim the shooter.

I just wanted those that recommend shotguns(and I'm one of em) To inform Newbies as to some of the things experienced shotgunners take for granted

[Cobra64]

I resisted back in 1992 and still rely on 9-1-1 and a pitching wedge under the bed to protect my family.

What's your handicap? Are you a club member? /s

[Nov3]

I just wanted those that recommend shotguns(and I'm one of em) To inform Newbies as to some of the things experienced shotgunners take for granted

Amen

However there are few things that are instinctive to shoot besides a shotgun. A decently designed shotgun is one hell of a tactical weapon.

[Eaker]

So then you're saying it's best to go after the intruder? I would think it would be best to let the intruder come to me. At least given my small house I would certainly have the advantage!

wtc911, please feel free to disagree if I am incorrect.

Veni, knowing your home is key. You have figured this out. In your situation I agree. If possible keep the light low as you know where your furniture is and they don't.

I have a 3000 sqft home with the kids upstairs and the our bedroom down. I don't have your option. It is different for everyone, and everyone needs to really think about their situation. You have and you are asking questions. Good job!

[metmom]

Hard-core liberal coming around...


A good dose of reality will do that to you.

[Squantos]

Nice Neil !

Any good or bad on that SUB2000 rifle ?

[laker_dad]

We live in an area where you really don't need to lock your doors at night, so why do I need a gun? I don't, but I picked up a Mossberg 500 12 gauge today anyway. Just in case that someday comes...

[Cobra64]

Every child should be taught gunmanship as part of them becoming an adult.

I agree. My kids were taught to shoot .22s and shotguns when they were around 12 years old. Once we finished target practice with the .22 on water mellons, the kids fired #6 12 ga. rounds at the mellons. Hmmm? They got the message.

[mylife]

I havent tried slugs.

You need a rifled barrel for slugs IMHO.

But you to bolster my point, that while a shotgun is prolly the most effective weapon in close quarters that you could recommend, there is a lot of unspoken knowledge that we dont tell newcomers when we suggest a home defense gun.