Subscribe
Previous Post
In light of the problems in our neighborhood, my husband brought up the subject of gun ownership. Guns make me nervous petrified, when I think about them being in our residence. When it comes to owning, operating and storage protocol, I will readily admit that I’m in the dark. I’ve never had to ponder the idea of having a gun in our house. We’ve never felt threatened enough to make it an issue.
After moving to our current neighborhood, we realized the dangers of buying a brand new home. We had no idea who our neighbors would be. Since we purchased a cheaper home, for the sake of saving money, we have had to deal with a lower class of people. I know that sounds prejudiced, but it is fact. There are few exceptions to this rule, of course, but the majority of residents are from the rough parts of Los Angeles and Rialto, California. These are well known areas of widespread gang activity and drug problems. Had I known that this is what our neighborhood would be composed of, I never would have moved here. But until we can get out of here, gun ownership is going to have to be a topic with which we concern ourselves.
How many families, with children, own a gun? According to the National Center For Health Statistics, 34% of homes with children, house a gun. Caucasian families represent the highest percentage of firearm ownership, than any other ethnicity. In fact, it is more than double the percentage of any other race. I was shocked to read this. No matter what purpose the firearms serve, the fact is, that they are still present in many homes in the US. The stories of children being injured or perishing because of gun accidents are ever increasing. This is what scares me most. Statistics show that 2.6 million children, who live in a home that contains a firearm, have access to them. Gun control is obviously an issue that needs to be better executed. Furthermore, the AACAP, claims that guns kept in the home are 22 times more likely to kill a family member or friend, than kill someone in self defense. That is a staggering statistic!
What is your opinion on the subject? Do you think that we are foolishly letting our fear drive our decision regarding purchasing a gun? Would you keep a firearm in your home? Do you think the possible safety a gun can offer, is worth the risk of hurting/killing a child? Sound off in the comments section.
They make special gun safes that are strong but quick to access. You can punch in the combination/number and open the safe quickly. That way, you have it when you need it, but kids or guests don’t have access to it.
If you are smart about the weapon, learn how to store it, learn how to use it, and learn how to maintain it then it can be a great tool for you. However, if you don’t do everything I just listed, then you might think about something less lethal.
Bleh, it ate the HTML and the bracketed non-HTML. That should be to google “[your location] gun safety class”, and to not get a weapon if you think your or your husband could NOT bring yourselves to use it to defend your family.
You may be surprised that the response has been civil, but gun owners are by and far civil people. We just react poorly to someone who insists that the solution to the world’s problems is for us to give up our rights, the same way that a parent would react to forced sterilization or a publisher to having his presses smashed. Asking for answers to questions and opinions is the best way (and we are full of answers and opinions.)
I’m unconcerned about guns around children. Responsible people handle weapons around children in responsible ways, and irresponsible people handle all sorts of things unsafely around children. When I see a story about a child killed in a gun related accident, I am pretty sure that the child lived in so many dangerous situations that it would have been one thing if not another.
The keys are the same as anything else in the house dangerous — rules, precautions, and education. Don’t drink anything you find under the sink or in the garage, don’t put things in the electrical outlets, and don’t touch the guns. Later on, Eddie Eagle type education is absolutely in line, and if they show an interest when they are more mature, some basic firearms safety and some time at the range (to satiate the curiosity.) And this applies whether you get a gun or not — those statistics should make it clear that they are going to end up in a house with a gun eventually, and it is more likely than ending up in a house with drugs (and I bet drug education is already planned.)
The best thing to do would be for you to take a firearms safety course. You will learn how to handle and store a weapon safely, which is good knowledge to have even if you don’t own a gun. Look for a beginner safety or introduction course, and find an NRA Certified instructor. (There are NRA certified courses, but that isn’t as important as a certified instructor.) The course should be a few hours, less than $100, and include range time, a rental weapon, safety gear and ammunition. Just google ” gun safety class.”
I will make one warning — if you really don’t think that you or your husband could bring yourselves use a weapon to protect yourself or your children (which is, in itself, rare) then don’t get one. At that point it is all risk and no benefit.
(BTW, I do keep a handgun, and I do answer the door with it. I’m not slinging it around — in fact, gun safety demand that I don’t point it at anyone or anything until I am ready to fire, and haven’t needed to fire it at anyone and hope that I never do. But when you need a gun, you need it right then.)
I got a pointer from Say Uncle, and just wanted to stop by and offer some encouragement. I’m taking my younger sister (24, I’m 27) to the range to start her off with a .22LR pistol tomorrow, after she expressed interest today. She has been in a similar predicament as you – she understands the utility of firearms training and ownership, but she is made very nervous by guns. Her husband and I go shooting often, and they do have a handgun in their house (no kids yet) as they live in a transitional neighborhood in Milwaukee.
My wife was the same way – she was VERY nervous about having a gun in the house when we got married (I bought my first a few months later when I decided I wanted one for home defense, and some fun shooting). Now, she has her own .22LR pistol, and we’ll be moving her up to a revolver in .38 or .357 soon, as she has shot my .45 several times and wants something with a little more punch now! As everyone else has said – safety is paramount, and it is your decision to make. As a tool, a gun has no inherent will, and if you do not think you have the will to use a gun in defense of yourself or your loved ones, it will do you no good. It is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly, and I applaud your wish to make it an informed one.
“If I owned a gun, and that gun was used to commit a crime, I would not want that on my conscience.”
I just want to point out that the chances of that are infinitesimally small. You stand a greater chance of being a crime victim than having your own gun used in a crime.
For example, let’s use CDC numbers for deaths by firearms (non-suicide). In 2004 there were 12,819 homicide deaths by firearms. This includes justifiable homicides such as self defense, so it’s not all crime related, so the number you’re about to see is actually higher than it is.
There are 270,000,000 firearms in civilian possession in the US. 12,819 used in fatalities.
.00474% of all firearms. Think of how small that number is. It’s a percentage, so if you look at it as a number, it’s .0000474.
I respect your decision to protect yourself in the way you deem the best. I would never ask that you be legislated to do something that you are not comfortable with. All we ask is that you do the same and not call for “more gun control”. You only hear about the crimes committed with guns and think things are bad. Do you read the HUNDREDS of stories a week where people defend themselves? (I, myself, am alive because I defended myself with a firearm).
In fact, if you’d like, please look at this site that compiles as many stories as they can – http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html
We’re not here to put a gun in your hand. We’re here to help you make a good decision and not elect officials that “promise to make you safe by taking away other’s rights to own a gun” when we can prove emphatically that this is not the case.
I have no problem with the right to (legally) bear arms.
I just know myself. Having a gun, as someone said, does not guarantee that you will not be a victim of a crime. Not having a gun does not guarantee that I will be a victim of a crime. If I owned a gun, and that gun was used to commit a crime, I would not want that on my conscience. I take a look at various school shootings, most of which were committed with legally acquired guns, and wonder – if the guns had not been in the house, perhaps the tradgedy would not have occurred. Many guns used in crimes were stolen from the legal owners, despite their best efforts.
I just want to say that there are reasonable reasons NOT to own a gun, and it doesn’t mean that I am viewing the world through rose colored glasses.
BMS, the key difference with firearms and other risk factors is that you can choose whether to have a swimming pool or a bathtub. When you need a firearm, it’s because someone else (person or animal) has imposed that need upon you. You can bet that no one ever will — and in the US, for the average person, this isn’t too bad a bet. But the cost of losing that bet is huge.
It’s better to think about a self-defense gun as insurance. You invest in equipment, training, and practice so that, if someone else threatens your life, or your family’s lives, you have a better chance of surviving.
Obviously, there are risk factors for either decision. I personally believe the risk of owning a gun is minimal and the risk of becoming a victim of crime significant. But I don’t insist that you agree with my value judgments and choices. You have your own evaluation to make for your own life, and since it’s your life, it’s your risk to take — either way.
What gun rights advocates seek to preserve is the right to make the choice to own (and carry, but that’s a different argument) a gun for self-defense. We don’t try to make that choice for everyone, we just try to make sure that everyone HAS a choice.
BMS – Do you fear your house burning down every second of the day?
Do you fear that you are going to get in a vehicular accident each and every time you get behind the wheel?
Are you thinking every person around you is going to start choking?
Do you fear cutting yourself, bleeding everywhere, and getting infected?
Have you memorized 911 because you think something horrible is going to happen?
Do you have a fire extinguisher? Do you always wear your seatbelt? Have you ever learned CPR? Do you buy Band-Aids and antiseptic? If so, wouldn’t you consider that unwarranted paranoia?
Of course not. You do these things because you value your safety. It takes nothing to click a seatbelt shut. It takes a minimal amount space to store a fire extinguisher. People learn CPR not because they think everyone is going to stop breathing, but because if in that very rare instance someone does, you can help.
There is nothing different about owning a firearm. Nothing. Zilch.
It doesn’t mean you think people are going to attack you, it simply means in case of an emergency situation, you can defend yourself.
Let me explain another scenario. I live in Florida. We have lots and lots of hurricanes to worry about. After hurricanes there is not only looting but many crimes happen because the emergency response units of the police are overwhelmed.
I’m not paranoid. I am prepared. Having a gun protects me from crime in the same way a fire extinguisher prevents my house from catching fire – as in it doesn’t. But it is one tool that can help mitigate the outcome in my favor.
My mother just finished her last chemotherapy treatment this week. She is less than 100 pounds and very, very sick. She carries a pistol because she is an easy target and she knows this.
Finally, there is no situation where you can assure yourself that nothing will ever happen. Do you think your that person who was murdered was comforted by the fact they were the only one in years? Just like there is no way to assure you’ll never be in an accident or your house never catch fire.
It’s important that you not consider being prepared the same thing as paranoia.
I would like to respectfully comment on one pro gun argument that I see a lot. “Many more people are injured in (bathtubs, stairs, etc) than with guns.”
Perhaps that is true. But as I cannot choose to live without a bathtub (although my bath resistant kids might not mind), I can choose to live without a gun (or a pool, for that matter). I can decide that that is one risk factor I can eliminate from my life and not have to worry about at all.
I fully concede that there are some situations (a psycho ex-spouse, a completely horrible neighborhood which you cannot escape due to economic reasons) where it might make sense to own a gun. But there I times when I feel that the ‘need’ to own a gun is a manifestation of suburban paranoia. I know someone in my town who feels they need to have a gun in their house for safety. We have had exactly one homicide in this town in 37 years – and that was with a baseball bat, in a situation where having a gun would not have helped. This is the same type of person who won’t let their kids play unsupervised in their own back yard due to various unnamed fears, etc. Unwarrented paranoia is unhealthy, for kids and adults.
My wife and I grew up with firearms in the house. Our children are well-familiar with firearms and we’ve had no issues whatsoever. They’ve been taught that guns are simply tools, no more or less than a bottle of drain cleaner, a kitchen knife or a box of matches and equally dangerous if misused.
What troubles me greatly are the millions of parents who naively assume that if they never expose their children to shooting, they’ll somehow be safer. Ask yourself if you’d rather have your child learn firearms safety from you or a qualified instructor — or aping the atrocious trash portrayed in the movies and on television.
My children were never permitted to play with toy guns. Any interest they showed in firearms was met with forthright explanation and demonstration. By age 4, they understood that if they saw an unattended gun, they were never to touch it, to immediately leave the area and to tell and adult. By age 6, they could recite and explain (in their own way) the 4 Rules of Firearms Safety, namely:
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be certain of your target and what’s beyond.
Ingrain these into your character and that of your children and you’ll never have a problem.
(Still petrified? Consider a campaign to fill in every backyard swimming pool in the country. Per the National Safety Council, far more children and adults die every year in pool drownings than in firearms accidents. Oddly, a loaded firearm secured in a GunVault is still seen as a disaster waiting to happen but a pool fence with a faulty gate latch ends up on someone’s weekend “Honey-do” list.)
Myself, I wouldn’t have less than a 12 gauge and a couple of pistols if I were in your situation, but as other posters have pointed out, the thing that’s going to matter more is training and mindset.
Popular misconception aside, I think you’ll find that most firearms owners and instructors are well-educated, polite, helpful and very thoughtful people.
Start with a smaller caliber of either handgun or shotgun. A .22 handgun will teach you how to shoot and not intimidate you with as much recoil or noise. I’m at the range at least a couple of times a month and every time I’ll see some guy hand his SO his .357 / .45 / whatever and have her pull the trigger. It goes boom, she flinches, and then hands it back obviously scared of it.
I’ve managed to turn a couple of them around by offering my .22 and showing them that if they get used to it they can move up more easily.
The .22 will NOT be your self defense piece (although even a .22 loaded with high velocity hollow points is better than no gun). For that, I recommend a double action revolver (squeezing the trigger cocks and fires it). Revolvers are more reliable, and double action just means point and pull. It should be at least a .38 Special, again loaded with hollow points.
I grew up in a house full of firearms, as my dad was an avid collector. Four years on active duty as a Marine infantryman only increased my appreciation for fine weaponry. Given my background it always amazes me that their are good, decent, thoughful adults in this nation who do not own, and are not proficient with, firearms.
The fact that you have realized your perilous situation (and are taking steps to address it) speaks well of you.
That said, some education and training will quickly get you up to speed. When we married some 17+ years ago my bride had never shot nor even held a gun. A bit of range time and competent instuction turned her into a crack shot who is confident in her ability to protect our family. Our kids have been innoculated since toddlerhood and are familiar with, safe around, and accurate with an assortment of boomsticks.
Wow! Lots of comments and opinions. I will have to take time to read them at a later time.
For us, having a gun in the home was “normal.” Growing up, my parents both hunted. We always had a loaded shotgun in the open cabinet (no key needed). My parents ruled the roost so whatever they said, they meant. So if they said “Don’t touch the gun cabinet.” You didn’t touch the gun cabinet. Safety was never a concern in our house. We knew that we weren’t to touch the guns.
We were also taught gun safety so if we did pick up a gun, we knew what to do with it and what NOT to do with it.
My db is a hunter. He recently just bought his 12 year old daught a gun for hunting as well. He’s teaching her to use it. Teaching her the rules and when it’s appropriate to use it, when it’s ok to have it out and how to handle it properly.
My brother-in-law is a police officer. They have guns in their home, including hand guns. My b-i-l and all three of their kids hunt (ages now are 13-17 but they’ve all been hunting for years). My sister recently got her concealed weapons permit and occasionaly carries a hand gun on her person. My b-i-l’s job creates a few enemies here. My sister also has a public office job and so they carefully considered their options and decided that a concealed weapons permit was their best option.
I did read a comment where someone said that their’s no need for hand gun for protection. A shot gun will do. I don’t see that as the case.
I, myself, am going to get a concealed weapons permit. My exhusband is a deranged psycho who is still stalking me. All attempts to get a Personal Protection Order were turned down because of one commonality that my ex and the judge shared – they were both military. So if you think I feel safe running around with my ex on the loose who also has a Concealed Weapons permit (and several weapons) and who has been trained for battle and knows exactly how to end a person’s life with one twist of the head or by hitting them in the right spot, you are crazy. I feel I deserve the right to protect myself against him. If that means carrying a hand gun, that’s what I will do. The law doesn’t seem to being serving it’s purpose in my case. My ex has already done enough bodily harm to me. I refuse to be a victim a second time.
Everything that needs to be said regarding the decision to have a gun in your home for protection…well, it’s been said by people who’ve been in the game longer than I have. I just wanted to stop by and offer my support. I used to be terrified of guns and what they could do. Through training and support, I’ve learned that they’re a valuable tool, and that a responsible gun owner hopes they never have to fire their gun outside of a range, but are prepared to do so if necessary.
Kids listen when you tell them to leave things alone – but you have to tell them why. That’s my only addition to the “educate your kids” section.
Good luck! :-)
You wrote: “The stories of children being injured or perishing because of gun accidents are ever increasing.”
You may be correct on that – the STORIES are ever increasing. The actual incidents are actually DECREASING – even though there are more guns in private hands each and every year.
Peruse the Centers for Disease Control’s WISQARS tools for fatal and non-fatal injury statistics. (Well, when they get it working again, anyway.)
Injuries due to gun ACCIDENTS are very rare and getting more so each and every year, even though you seem to hear more about them in the media. One of my favorite examples of this was a March, 2000 Salon.com piece by author Jean Hanff Korelitz who stated: “And what about the more than 4,000 children who die in gun-related accidents each year? That’s 11 kids a day. And we’re not talking about crimes, or intentional shootings. We’re talking — or not talking enough — about accidents.” No, what we’re talking about there is hysteria. The Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2001, 72 children 14 years and younger were such victims. In 2002 there were 60. In 2003 there were 56, and the number just keeps DECLINING, again, despite increasing gun ownership.
Much of this decline, I believe, has to do with responsible people purchasing guns, fully aware of the fact that a device designed to hurl small metal objects at high velocities is by its very nature DANGEROUS. If it weren’t dangerous, no one would want one. Therefore firearms are not to be treated lightly.
Some people weigh the odds and decide that a firearm is not for them. Like Thirdpower, I’m fine with that. Every situation is different. But if you do decide to purchase a firearm, I am confident (given your post) that you will do so in a responsible manner. In that case, welcome to the world of responsible, law-abiding gun ownership. You, too can join the millions of us who have been the subjects of a decades-long slow-motion hate crime. ;-)
Kadi,
Glad to be of service. Most of us have no problems w/ people who don’t like guns and/or know little about them but are at least willing to listen/learn. What gets the fur flying are those that immediately call for bans or more restrictions and refer to anyone who opposes said restrictions w/ the traditional derogatory terms.
Even if you decide that a firearm for home defense is not for you, you’ve learned that even the most ardent of us are not trying to force guns into the hands of everyone.
Be safe and good luck.
I posted a lengthy response to your questions on my blog. There’s some good advice in the comments here as well. The short version: Be careful, get training, and you’ll be fine.
Glad to be of help. You are totally correct that ignorance can lead to fear. My wife was mortified when I decided to start increasing my collection of firearms. While she’s not ready to trade her scrapbooking supplies for an AR-15 , she now understands the value to having the will to defend oneself.
Our little community is always willing to help out. I guarantee you, Joe could help you find someone that could instruct you. And we’re all here to answer any questions you might have!
Anytime =) Email any of us with questions, if we don’t know the answer, we probably know someone who does.
Good luck, and be safe!
I want to thank everyone for the awesome advice and information, in regards to this post. My ignorance on the subject of firearms had me scared to death, (Ignorance usually breeds fear, am I right?) I have done some reading on the links that you all so graciously provided and I feel a lot better about the idea. This is a hugely controversial topic and I’m thrilled that all of us have been civil and serving to inform rather than to judge each other. Have a blessed Friday, everyone!