I agree. Too many examples have arisen over the years of a gun-wielding crazy, fanatic, etc., going into a building and taking out crowds of unarmed people. I vaguely recall one example back East of a killer shooting people on a train, going from car to car, and the survivors had to wait for him to reload to subdue him. Never did find out what happened to the killer, but I bet not much! The lives of victims are cheap in our legal system....cheaper by the dozen?
@Neville Telen I once saw a quick video made by a passenger in a subway car seated at one end, looking towards the far end. A thug suddenly arose midway in the car, back to the video maker, and began making demands at gunpoint. At least a dozen able-bodied men seated and standing behind the robber remain glued in place. Several could very easily have throttled this bastard from behind, but as is usual in New York City, none moved. Frank
I would much doubt the social disease of apathy is confined to NYC, more likely prevalent in all areas of this country, especially major cities. About eight years ago I was on a Muni bus in Frisco when a thug boarded, refused to pay the fare, and when the driver ordered the subhumanoid off the bus, it started punching the driver. No one moved until I started heading towards him, then some fat guy got out of his seat, and blocked my path until the creature had finished with the driver, and left....then 'tubolard' sat back down like nothing happened. So not only did no one on the bus try to aid the driver, one fine citizen intentionally blocked me from intervening. Never expect help from anyone at any time. Always assume that if trouble comes your way, you are the only one to depend on.
@Frank Sanoica and @Neville Telen , I like your posts and agree. One thing I've seen recently about deterring thieves is to keep your car keys next to your bed. If you suspect a prowler press the alarm button so the car will honk and flash it's lights. This will send most of the bad guys running.
@Sheldon Scott But consider if the intruder is in your home, he is bound to be highly nervous, "twitchy" in maybe more ways than one, and if he's carrying a gun......his finger will be on the trigger, not next to it. So, the circumstances of course dictate plans of action. If the guy is jimmying your sliding glass door from the outside, by all means get the car alarm going. The self-defense culture varies by geographical location, of course. While we lived in Phoenix years ago, a man was awakened by an intruder doing just that: trying to force open the glass door with a crowbar, seen clearly by the homeowner when he clicked on the outdoor light, which did nothing to sway the intruder's efforts. Armed with his pistol, the homeowner, family cowering in their bedroom, fired one shot through the glass door, killing the intruder. He was not charged with any crime. Frank
It couldn't hurt. The more layers of security you have, the more secure you are. That said, I would put more faith in a shotgun or derringer by the bed, or if you don't have what it takes to pull the trigger (not everyone can), then this would be a good second choice: https://www.bushcraftpro.com/best-bear-spray-reviews/
I have a Colt .45 Single-Action Revolver, by Ruger. The gun I keep at arms reach is my S&W Model 13 Military & Police .357 Magnum Revolver. My wife owns a Ruger .22 semi-Automatic pistol. We're well protected, but in our 20 years of retirement living in the High Desert, we've never had to grab for our pieces! Hal & Judy
I won't get into what we have, but they are locked in a glass gun case in a closet. Clips are full, but not inside any firearm. Since living in this complex, we haven't had the need to pull anything out. However, two years ago, the Halloween I fell in my Darth Vader costume at a restaurant (my fault), we were sitting in our living room with our outside Halloween lights on, waiting for any Trick or Treaters. My wife would have to answer the door, because I couldn't walk on the foot and sitting in my recliner. After a few Trick or Treaters, I asked my wife to shut off the outside Halloween lights, pull the shade and close the curtains. She did that and we were enjoying something on tv. Someone knocked at our door, could probably hear our tv on, I turned down the tv volume and my wife said "sorry, no more candy". All of a sudden, we could see that someone was trying to open our door! The door was locked (deadbolt and knob), but we could see the knob turning some. I said kind of loudly, "go away, we have no more candy". The person or person's went away. Unfortunately, that we never did again, our peep hole in the front door was covered by a Halloween decoration. I immediately called our next door neighbor and told her what had happened, but she didn't seem to phased by it. Next day I told the complex manager, but nothing she could do. Should've we got one of our firearms and put the clip in, just don't know. The incident was scary, but at least the person didn't use their body to try and break the door in. The apartments in this building are so close, someone would have hear that noise (door being broke in). Another note, we don't have a Concealed Weapons Permit, so no firearm on us or in a vehicle. We aren't out late at night and, basically, don't get around any "undesirable" people.
@Cody Fousnaugh It isn't as though we can choose who we will run into while "out and about", though. IMO, when extreme danger presents, it almost always comes with little warning, little time to think things out, add those to the reaction time inherent in our abilities, if you reach the conclusion you need your firearm, fumbling for the key to a locked cabinet if you even reach that point, it will already be too late. Frank
Well, we just don’t feel comfortable having a loaded gun anywhere in our apartment. I’m sure there are others that feel the same way. We have never lived anywhere where we’d have to worry.
You are correct in saying that danger appears when you least expect it. We are isolated here, and you cannot see our house from any road. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of Sanford Strong. He was once on the San Diego Police Department, and when he retired, he had a business training law enforcement in de-escalation techniques and non-violent intervention. He once produced a video for civilian use that outlined all the "wives' tales" that people believe make them safe. One was "If you break down, stay with the car." He demonstrated how easy it was for someone to extract you from your vehicle with a crow bar, lug wrench, or baseball bat. If you crack your window, you can be maced. One of the best defenses in a dark room is the sound of racking a round into a 12 gauge.
@Don Alaska I like your post a lot! Agree with the sound, too! Like shotguns for self defense, but would like one the best for in-the-house if it were much shorter and easier to move about, especially in near or total darkness. That option was taken from us by the government via National Firearms act. In fact, the FBI finagled a trumped-up (no pun) charge against Randy Weaver claiming he possessed a shotgun having a barrel 3/8-inch shorter than the law allows. Anyone interested in firearms-self defense, whether first-time entry into the topic, or seasoned gun-owner, really can benefit from reading Massad Ayoob's book "In the Gravest Extreme, the role of the firearm in personal protection". He thoroughly investigates self defense, all aspects, even down to pros and cons of caliber. His background is illustrious: served with a New England police department 1972 - '80, certified weapons instructor with the Advanced Police Training Program of New Hampshire. He is a champion pistol tournament winner and holds many records. He writes in a most informative way. Frank
I don't own a gun and even though I live in Fresno, a city with lots of gang activity it's usually centered around central Fresno. I don't leave my 10 mile radius of safe neighborhoods because there is no reason for me to..everyhing I can possibly need I have...in fact in multiples. In the 10 mile radius I bet I have 5 Targets, 3 Costcos, etc. best hospital, drs, 100 Walgreens lol...just kidding but I think they're on every corner. If they're not then there is a CVS. Only thing I don't have nearby is the courthouse....and I got off jury duty...somewhat. I need another signature. My original date was 12-18-17 and was postponed to June 18 and now I got another few months but I called them yesterday and said I just can't do it...and they said they just need another signature .I'm sure they'll excuse me. I have ADT security and Pickles. I won't be surprised with anyone standing over my bed at night. It's a very loud alarm. Even if I had a gun...don't know if I could use it. Maybe if my grandsons lives were in danger, yes but just me...don't know for sure.
I fear the threat of gun banning because then we would all be at risk, and the criminal element would have nothing to fear. Although I would rather not go into any detail about any firearms that I own, I do own firearms. I don't know that I feel any safer having a firearm in the house or not because, living in Millinocket, I wouldn't feel particularly unsafe without them. I do, however, feel safer living in a place where most people have firearms because that, and the size of the town, are the reasons why there is very little serious crime here. Otherwise, being more than an hour away from the nearest county or state law enforcement headquarters, we'd be pretty vulnerable here with only one cop on duty at any given time. At the time of the only murder that we have had in several years, it is believed that the killers first called in a fake crime report on the other side of town, probably so that our only on-duty cop wouldn't be near enough to hear the gunshots and respond. So, while I would feel pretty safe here without any weapons, I wouldn't feel as safe if the bad guys had reason to believe that I was unarmed. Plus, I like shooting and I feel safer at our isolated cabin if I am armed, although I do forget to bring one more often than not.
Randy Weaver was encouraged to create an illegal weapon by the very same FBI, alleged to infiltrate the Skinhead culture, if I remember correctly. You can cut one off at 18 1/2 inches (I think) and it is still legal. Criminals realize that you don't have to be a skilled marksman to cause damage with a shotgun, and there is less danger of wall penetration beyond your target than with handguns or rifles. I once went hunting with a friend who kept a barely-legal pump shotgun for bear defense. He worked for the CIA, and obtained the shotgun from a policeman friend.