Posted on 07/06/2011 4:36:38 AM PDT by marktwain
I never cease to be amazed at how many people approach me and ask about taking them out to learn to shoot. Like most outdoorsmen I know I usually try and accommodate these newcomers to the outdoor sports but sometime there just isn’t time to do it all. I usually have to refer them to other experienced outdoorsmen or to a professional shooting range to learn the basics from a certified National Rifle Association instructor.
Many of these “newbies” are women who have wanted to learn how to use guns. In the world of today there are certain elements that have done everything they could to make one believe that it’s a bad thing to have guns in the house. To these folks it’s “politically incorrect” to keep a gun in your home. As economic times get tougher by the day and crime seems to be spreading, many of these anti-gun folks are beginning to look for ways to protect themselves and the most reasonable solution they see is to join forces with the pro-gun crowd and learn to use guns for self protection.
Fortunately some recent Supreme Court decisions have removed some of the stigma against owning guns and a lot of people are finding themselves frequenting gun stores shopping for a personal protection weapon.
Increasingly the numbers of women who want to learn to use guns want to learn to shoot handguns for personal protection and in a large percentage of these cases they also want to obtain their concealed carry permit so that they can keep a small handgun in their purse or pocket everywhere they go.
Male or female, in North Carolina it’s necessary that someone wanting to get the concealed carry permit has to go through a professionally taught class consisting of hours of classroom time along with actual shooting time on a range before the permit can be issued. There’s usually a reasonable fee for taking these classes and it’s money well spent to take the course taught by a professional instructor.
In other cases, the individual wanting to receive instruction on the safe handling of guns for personal protection is thinking in terms of having a gun just to keep in their home for protection against burglars, snakes or just to have one gun to keep around the house for whatever might arise. In this case a gun is a tool much the same as a hammer, saw or a screwdriver.
To the person wanting to have just one gun to keep around the house I always recommend a shotgun as the one gun that is the most “all-around” gun I can think of.
Considering the person wanting to use a shotgun for home defense, I usually recommend a pump action 12 or 20 gauge as the best weapon for all around use. These are very reliable guns and relatively inexpensive.
Having worked around criminals for a number of years I’ve learned through talking with them that there are two things that act as the best deterrents to anyone breaking into your home. These two items are a gun in the house and a dog that barks at something or someone that’s not supposed to be in the house. Either one of these things individually acts to deter an intruder but having both of them together is even better.
One other item that a lot of homes have today that acts very well to keep intruders out of your home is a good, modern, alarm system.
In most cases it’s not a good idea to keep a fully loaded gun sitting around the house and this is particularly true in the case when children are in the area. It’s against the law in many states to keep any gun sitting out loaded (or unloaded) with ammunition close at hand where a child can pick the gun up and accidentally shoot it.
On the other hand an unloaded gun has about as much use as a piece of iron pipe when it comes to protecting yourself or your property. When people ask my advice about what gun they should choose for home protection, in most cases, I recommend that they buy a shotgun that they can comfortably handle and then go to a shooting range and have an instructor teach them how safely to use it.
The shotgun should be kept loaded and securely under lock and key and kept close by where you can quickly get to it in case an intruder is breaking into your house. In cases such as this it is important to be ready to use the gun quickly and to have to unlock the gun cabinet, get the gun out and load it could waste valuable seconds in an emergency. An even better idea is to keep it loaded with several rounds of heavy shotgun shells in the magazine of the gun so that you have to work the action to place a shell in the barrel before the gun can be fired. There’s a reason for this.
Most intruders are quite familiar with the sound of a pump action shotgun being charged with a shell and the ominous “click-clack” of the loading action will usually scare the bejabbers out of most criminals. If that doesn’t turn the intruder around a loudly spoken warning to them that you’re armed and will shoot usually does the trick, too. Hopefully these actions will turn the trouble away but if it doesn’t and you feel that you’re really being physically threatened, I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot at whatever’s threatening you. Aim for the biggest part of the target and pull the trigger. At close range the shotgun is usually very effective at stopping most any threat.
I do not recommend using the same type of shotgun shells that you’d use for hunting deer for home defense. A load of buckshot or a slug can go through the target, the wall back of the target and could hurt someone in the next room. A load of smaller shot such as pellets #4, #2 or BBs is devastating at close range and usually stops in the intended target.
A handgun of adequate power such as a 9-mm or larger is a very effective personal protection weapon but it necessitates a larger degree of training to effectively use guns like this. A shotgun is easier to use in a lot of cases and vastly more effective at close range. If whatever you might be shooting at isn’t at close range and a threat to your wellbeing, I question whether or not you should even be shooting at it.
When someone comes face to face with a home invasion or a burglar in the act of breaking into your home it’s far, far better to turn the threat away without shooting someone. Whether you’re justified in shooting someone or not it’s always preferable that you simply drive them away and then call law enforcement to handle things. If, regrettably, you should have to use deadly force to protect yourself, your family or your property, it’s a messy and very involved process you usually have to go through with to prove such action was indeed justified.
The Second Amendment gives every American citizen the right to keep and bear arms but that right comes with a great deal of responsibility. If you do own a gun learn to safely use it and understand the local laws that might come into play should you find it absolutely necessary to use deadly force to protect yourself.
On this week of the 4th of July we need to remember that our American Independence Day was brought about through the judicious use of guns and keeping that right that the Second Amendment to our Constitution guarantees to every American citizen is well worth fighting for today.
Like a combine...but with a car.
Golf aren’t hard to find, just look where the crazies are running around with the clubs trying to get em. Got to be careful though, take one of those crazies golf’s, and they will chase you with that club.
Golf are too damn hard to peel, and even after you get em peeled, they are kind of chewy.
You saw that episode too. One of the best. Say you got any pot-passers?
Well, they weren't sneaking around your hall way all quiet like in the middle of the night when they heard it, that's why. :-)
What’s your verdict on the little Kel-Tech carbine? The gun shop around the corner from me had one in .40 S&W ($339) yesterday and I am tempted to get it. I read quite a bit about them last night and most people seem pleased. I don’t need another carbine, but I like the idea of having a folding rifle that will fit in a backpack, tackle box, or the lockbox under the seat of my truck. Plus, it would give me an excuse to get a Glock 22.
Worked just fine after I did a little carving, how about you?
Well, my son bought one and he goes on a regular basis and shoots. I personally haven’t used on, but so far my sons opinion has been rather good.
I’m thinking of trading in my clip shotgun for this as I think my wife can handle this better....if she needs to.
Were they "good" bystanders, or "bad" bystanders?
/sarc....
I am thinking my wife and daughter could handle one as well. They need something that packs a punch with as little recoil as possible. Both shoot well, but neither is comfortable with large calibers.
“To the person wanting to have just one gun to keep around the house I always recommend a shotgun as the one gun that is the most “all-around” gun I can think of. “
Mossberg 500 tactical with a sliding stock. We just got one and its sweet. Its designed for up close and personal.
You think golf’s are bad, you ought to try bill yards
I like it. Only shot it once at the range on a very windy day. Out of the box, hit the paper every time at 50 yards.
My Wife has a Glock 19 (9mm) so that’s the configuration I got. Waited 6 weeks to get it.
Also got some of the 33 round mags from Glock.
It's a nice little carbine. It is easy to use, quite accurate out to about 150 yards, and packs more punch than a pistol because of the longer barrel. As you note, it is easy to store and transport in a backpack or small bag and is very light weight. The price is right, as well.
I highly recommend it.
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