You aren't likely to find anybody here with that kind of experience who wants to discuss it over the Internet.

I thought of that but figured I would ask anyways. Basically my curiosity stems from possessing a firearm being a deterrent as opposed to firing said gun.

Its very personal and painful. Most people that have engaged in a SD incident do not like to talk about it openly. Its not something to be bragged about. That being said. Sometimes the BGs do not have it in them to continue if faced with a weapon. They, for the most part have the same fears as you and I. However, there is a certain breed of criminal that does not care, those are the individuals that you must train for, you just never know what BG you will run in to.

Your wife's fear can be overcome with some range time, and some professional instruction by a instructor. It will benefit the both of you.

I got up last night out of bed with my Glock in my hand ready to shoot,,,,,it was the cat "catching a fit".

The only thing I worry about when shooting a bad guy in MY house is all the blast noise from the gun. (Its loud as hell) I could care less about the bad guy.

He is right,,,the both of you need to spend time at the range and also set your wife down and talk to her, and explain to her how bad it can get if someone breaks in your house while your there asleep. I had to explain it to mine,,,she understood. (Thank God)

I just got her a Ruger for Christmas,,,,now we have MORE guns in the house!!!! (And thats a Good thing!!!)

I don't understand why women generally are unsettled by a weapon yet are not disturbed at the idea of being victimized and nobody being able to do anything about it. Being defenseless and safe have become the same thing these days thanks to media social conditioning.

In any case, I live in an apartment building in a college town so my weapon has never been pulled on anybody. However, during the holidays when all the college kids are expected to return to chicago (seriuosly everyone in Iowa is from chicago) there is alot of theft and home invasion that occurs during this period. Also we get alot of guys (gangstas) pretending to sell magazines door to door (really they are scoping for places to rob), they usually don't like the sound of a gun being cocked. They've completely stopped coming to my door.

I do apologize if anyone finds this topic inappropriate in any way. We have two small children and that's where my wife's concerns are based. Of course I will keep all guns locked and away. But as a concession I was offering not to store any ammo at home until she takes a class and becomes more comfortable.

It's basically boiling down to the age old debate of does simply possessing a firearm deter a BG or instigate worse violence.

Originally Posted by Cavere

But as a concession I was offering not to store any ammo at home until she takes a class and becomes more comfortable.

It's basically boiling down to the age old debate of does simply possessing a firearm deter a BG or instigate worse violence.

Oh man, dude, I do not mean to go at you or anything but owning a pistol without any ammo, never a good idea, its just an expensive brass knuckle waiting to be stolen.

You kids should never be able to get a hold of a gun if you properly store it!!!

You have kids you say? Seems like a better reason to own a gun. I don't have children but not being able to defend them against armed criminals would scare me. But I can't blame you, my parents were unarmed raising us for awhile.

I understand what you mean. It would be a range pistol for a short time until my wife gets some experience.

My parents never owned a gun. And up until now my straight razors have been my HD but we've lived in a gated condominium community. We're moving to a house in march which is when the no ammo phase will end.

Second hand story: Son (age 14) and Daughter (age 17) home from school during Christmas break last year (2011). Mom and dad were at work. Four armed thieves (ages 18-23) broke into house through back door, probably believing home was unoccupied. The kids heard the noise. The son told his sister to get in her bedroom closet and call 911 on her cell (which she did). The son took defensive position inside her bedroom door with the family 12 gauge and loaded buckshot. When first armed perp tried to enter the bedroom, the son fired twice. All perps fled but that injured one only made it as far as the yard, where he expired. Cops arrived 10-15 minutes later (it's a big county). The family refrigerator was collateral damage. Whole thing was on the 911 recording. The girl was pretty shaken but the boy was cool throughout. The local paper covered the incident in detail over several days as details emerged. The Sheriff found and arrested the three surviving perps. All of the perps already had substantial criminal records and several were out on bail or probation. There were no charges against the family.

If there are both a defensive firearm and young children in the house, then the gun must be kept on an adult's body, or directly under an adult's control, at all times. No exceptions.
Safes and lockboxes are not sufficient protection against a truly curious, intelligent, but untrained child.
However, if there is a responsible and trained child in the house, the equation changes considerably.

I have had occasion to use my self-defense pistol at home.
I did not have to present ("draw") it, but I did have to indicate—subtly—that I was armed and ready to use it.
When I—subtly—indicated that I had a weapon and was ready to use it, the attempted home invasion stopped immediately, and the potential intruder retreated.
The potential intruder was, subsequently, quickly found and questioned by the sheriff's deputy on duty, who escorted him onto the next scheduled ferry.

Originally Posted by Cavere

I do apologize if anyone finds this topic inappropriate in any way. We have two small children and that's where my wife's concerns are based. Of course I will keep all guns locked and away. But as a concession I was offering not to store any ammo at home until she takes a class and becomes more comfortable.

It's basically boiling down to the age old debate of does simply possessing a firearm deter a BG or instigate worse violence.

Basically the ultimate responsibility rests with you and your wife. If you and your wife are new to firearms, have never been around them, or been raised around them, you both need as much training and classes as you can attend. Firearms are not forgiving and one mistake can mean disaster. That being said your children's ages make a difference as well and what you teach them. Some may disagree, but I do not leave one in the chamber when at home. You may never need a firearm, you may need one tomorrow, it's like having insurance, rather have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it. Research and statistics are arguable, but good guys having firearms significantly reduces the harm done to them during violent encounters.( Guns and Violence: A Summary of the Field ) Furthermore, I'm just not the victim type(some are) I'd rather fight and defend if possible rather than being a defenseless victim at the mercy of anyone. If you ever have need to pull a gun on anyone you better darn well be willing to use it. And yes, a firearm deters a BG and does not instigate worse if you hit them center mass w/ OObuck. Just remember, a firearm is just a tool, it can be used by good and evil and as long as mankind exists there will be good and evil. Time and technology evolve, human nature does not. If we were still cavemen and women we'd be defending ourselves w/ rocks, spears, and clubs, which are deadly, we have just happened to have evolved to firearms thank goodness.

1. Gun without ammo = poor replacement for baseball bat
2. Gun locked in safe = see 1 above
3. Gun in hands of untrained individual = Danger to all

Obtain basic gun training from certified NRA or equiv. instructor before purchasing anything more than a bat.

I have experience with firearms. My wife does not. She will not have the code to the safe until she gets proper training from someone other than myself.

There was a time when I had a 12 gauge pumper pointed at the head of an individual on the other side of a sliding glass door while I told him if his foot came across that threshold he would die...all the while the 911 operator was telling me that they are on the way and to put down the weapon...(ah...I don't friggan think so girlie)

You could just see he wanted inside the house in the worst way..he'd take a step forward then think better of it every time I said, "I WILL kill you"...he took off when he heard the sirens.

Some estranged husband thinking I was responsible for his wife's infidelity. He kept saying he knew his wife was in there and to send her out...My front door is steel and there are still dents in it from him beating it with a maglite to wake me up.

And just for the record, I didn't know him or his wife.

That's as close as it's ever gotten for me and that was plenty close enough.

As others have said, training for both of you. Really good training is not cheap, but it is, by orders of magnitude, cheaper than lawyers. I like Front Sight in Nevada, others don't. But it is family friendly and the four days are well worth it. There are memberships floating around which will make things much less expensive. PM me for more.

My wife was in the same situation with me, she's still not extremely comfortable with it. I do bring it out to clean it and all on occassion but I just keep it in the guest room, in my safe and I practice with it in there. She doesnt say much any longer but like I said, she was unselttled at first. Just get a $50 safe from Target and latch it down, always keep it locked in there. I keep my ammo in there as well. Kinda outta sight, outta mind.

Sure hope you don't have to use it....by the time you get to it, it will be too late.

Originally Posted by TheLAGuy

My wife was in the same situation with me, she's still not extremely comfortable with it. I do bring it out to clean it and all on occassion but I just keep it in the guest room, in my safe and I practice with it in there. She doesnt say much any longer but like I said, she was unselttled at first. Just get a $50 safe from Target and latch it down, always keep it locked in there. I keep my ammo in there as well. Kinda outta sight, outta mind.

My wife grew up around guns in her family, and was still wary when we purchased her first gun to carry. Only took her a few weeks to actually put the clip in the pistol. She has yet to graduate to loading one in the chamber.. But she feels much safer and won't leave the house without it now...

Originally Posted by Cavere

I do apologize if anyone finds this topic inappropriate in any way. We have two small children and that's where my wife's concerns are based. Of course I will keep all guns locked and away. But as a concession I was offering not to store any ammo at home until she takes a class and becomes more comfortable.

It's basically boiling down to the age old debate of does simply possessing a firearm deter a BG or instigate worse violence.

Cavere

I am going to be blunt. If you are not prepared to draw a loaded gun and immediately shoot to kill don't buy the gun.

If you hesitate if your life or a loved ones is in immanent danger of death you will die.

It is crazy to protect your family with an empty gun. You would be better off with pepper spray.

The loaded gun needs to be locked in a quick access night stand vault.

I can access my loaded and chambered 45 auto in 2 seconds without getting out of bed.

Russ

^^^^ I feel the same way.

If you find your self needing to use a firearm to protect you, your family or your property it best be loaded and ready to use. And he's right. If you hesitate even for a second, you'll find yourself in a bad position or worse. I've always felt that if someone comes into your home knowing your in it, means no good and is willing to hurt or kill you. Best thing to do is get a small gun vault. They aren't expensive and will protect the gun from your kids while still allowing the gun to be there when you need it.

Originally Posted by Cavere

...[D]oes simply possessing a firearm deter a BG or instigate worse violence.

Please explain how possessing a gun—even a loaded gun—could "instigate...violence."

Kids are curious by nature. I have found that if you try to hide something from them, they will only want to see what it is even more. Dare I say it, but if I had small children and you are going to have a gun, you need to teach them what it is and to respect it by not touching it. I know gun ranges will not allow children on them, but if you have someone that lives in the country where you can shoot yourself, it MAY be appropriate (only you and your wife will know for sure) to take them along with you (make sure they have eye and ear protection) and show them what a gun will do. The loud bang and the bullet holes in the target should be enough for most children to understand that this is not a toy and should not be played with. Get them trained on using firearms as soon as you feel they can handle it. My father taught me how to use a 12-guage shotgun when I was in middle school. Before that I was shooting a pellet gun and 22 rifle. My wife grew up in the country and used small arms fire from a young age as well. If you don't feel it is appropriate for your children to know anything about guns or they are too little to be taught about guns, then I personally feel you should not have one in the house with them. That is my personal opinion and it is up to you to make the rational decision as to whether or not you want guns in your home if you have children. But it is your responsibility to make sure your guns are kept safe and out-of-reach of anyone who does not know how to properly handle it regardless of their age.

Hello, I am new to the forum and being a Canadian, yes let the bashing begin. From an outsiders view I cannot help but think that your country is messed up. Home invasions, etc. and all this fear of government hidden agendas, I am surprised that half of you dont have bomb shelters. Please explain all this " The sky is falling mentality"? I don't want to criticize, but I can't help but think that gun control needs to be done. Sure I would like to walk around packing, its all the other people packing that concerns me. I haven't been in a scenario that a baseball bat wouldn't fix. I do own guns (hunting) and they are all locked up in a safe. I took my restricted course to purchase a handgun for range shooting as that is the only place to shoot.
Yeah I know we are bleeding heart liberals and whatever else you guys think, but if someone breaks into my house to steal something, should they loose their life because of it? What if it were a young man that choose the wrong path in life and made a poor decision? He is now dead.
Let the flaming begin... thank you

Originally Posted by Mayfly

Hello, I am new to the forum and being a Canadian, yes let the bashing begin. From an outsiders view I cannot help but think that your country is messed up. Home invasions, etc. and all this fear of government hidden agendas, I am surprised that half of you dont have bomb shelters. Please explain all this " The sky is falling mentality"? I don't want to criticize, but I can't help but think that gun control needs to be done. Sure I would like to walk around packing, its all the other people packing that concerns me. I haven't been in a scenario that a baseball bat wouldn't fix. I do own guns (hunting) and they are all locked up in a safe. I took my restricted course to purchase a handgun for range shooting as that is the only place to shoot.
Yeah I know we are bleeding heart liberals and whatever else you guys think, but if someone breaks into my house to steal something, should they loose their life because of it? What if it were a young man that choose the wrong path in life and made a poor decision? He is now dead.
Let the flaming begin... thank you

Welcome, first you are a Canadian, I'm a US born citizen. I'm not sure what your constitution grants in rights( if any) but here in the US we have what is known as a bill of rights. Our country was founded upon a deep mistrust of an authoritarian Federal(central) government.You may disagree, but that's the way it is. To say that any Government will not fail, or become tyrannical, and fail to protect you at any point in time is naive in my opinion. We the People(the true government) have certain inalienable rights and as such a law abiding citizen has an inalienable right to own firearms. I don't know where you live, but safe to say, here in the US we have many evil, stupid, uneducated, criminals hell bent on robbing, burglarizing, murdering, raping and other forms of mayhem, as like any society in varying degrees. As such, I wish to be armed in order to protect myself from those type of individuals, especially in my home. I don't know what type of Utopia you live in Mayfly, but where I live Utopia just ain't happening yet. I guess we could turn back the hands of time and get rid of all firearms and protect ourselves w/ clubs, spears and rocks, but i don't see that happening anytime soon. As far as your hypothetical young man scenario, that may be true, but just as well the person breaking into your home could be hell bent on killing you as well. You seem like the victim type, which is fair enough, but just not me, thank-you. Oh, BTY, if you can, please join and support the NRA...all the best.