break ins.

I have thought about this, but then no. If someone does break in he would most likely overpower me and use the gun to kill myself.

I have a personal alarm instead.

I have owned a gun, for many years and DO know how to use it. Between the two large, protective dogs and the weapon, I have no qualms, about living alone.

People who own guns for the purpose of personal protection (what you're talking about) are statistically more likely to be shot by it, or have a fatal accident among family members in the home, than use it defending themselves. Having a gun is, then, more dangerous than not having one. So, no, I will not ever have one in my home.

People who own guns for other reasons (and thus, are more likely to know how to use them properly, keep them stored safely-- not in the nightstand) and are comfortable handling them are a different story.

For the rest of us, alarm systems, pepper spray, locks, and above all common sense are the best and safest precautions.

We have a gun in the house. My fiance used to collect them, and he knows very well how to use them.... I on the other hand, am going shopping for a personal alarm. I like the idea of having one. It's funny you mention this actually, because I was just reading a story on the local news of a break in not far from here. The woman was returning from walking her dogs, during the day!

I will never own or even touch a gun. I don't believe in them.

I'll stick to 911 and an alarm system and hiding LOL.

I know how to use a gun, and if I didn't have kids I would own one. But since I have kids I would only feel comfortable keeping it in lock box. "Can you hold on one second burgler I need to pick my lock!"

Naw, my wrenches, knives, bats etc. do me just fine.

I wouldn't own a gun, so no. If I had to defend myself, I would use a kitchen knife or whatever else I could find and go after them like a mad woman. That would probably freak them out

Actually, I've known someone who did that with people who were causing trouble in front of his house... he knew they wouldn't care if he yelled at them to leave or tell them he'd call the cops... so he ran outside with a baseball bat and started acting like he was a mad man. It didn't take long for the guys to run off.

First off- no gun will EVER compensate for common sense. The more calm a person remains during an attack or break in, the more likely they are to rationalize what steps they should take, and the more likely they are to come out alive. I highly recommend that everyone take a self defense class and learn the proper tactics to break away from an attackers grasp. Remember, a gun can always be knocked out of your hands, the same goes for a knife, keys, mace......And even though i have one very heroic german shepherd/wolf mix at my house , and a large collie/ australian shepherd mix at my boyfriends....remember, that Dogs, including guard dogs (and in a side note, my wolf mix did safe my life a few years back when my father broke in and tried to attack my mother and i)...please remember that dogs are living breathing creatures- and while many guard dogs do successfully protect their owners, a dog can be shot just like human can. So never, never let your guard down- common sense and proper training is your best form of defense against any type of attacker. (sorry for the hijack....and without further adieu, here is the answer to your question below)

Now I'm no member of the NRA or anything- but heck yeah, I can shoot a gun!!!
i feel sorry for any idiot that trys to break in on me -I have great aim. And Colin has an "arsanal" of guns lol- he taught me to shoot ( he was in the military 8 yrs and he's a cop.) It's scarry the first time you shoot- just knowing that you shot off something that could kill someone. But once you recieve professional training, attend classes, and get a permit...I see nothing wrong with owning a gun. Remember- educated gun owners are the ones who will use it in self defense when the time's right.....It's the ones who turn 21 and buy them because they think they will be able to use it if "someone breaks in" that are going to wind up hurting themselves or others. Honestly, had i not been taught and gone to classes- i would have had no idea how to properly load and unlock a semi automatic or even a manual for that matter- most people wouldn't without training- and no, it's not as easy as it looks on tv. So if someone wants to responsibly obtain a gun- (and for goodness sakes, the proper locking gun safe as well!!! )I have no problem with it as long as they have a permit, they've been trained, and they are responsible. Personally, i feel safer knowing that I can shoot one if i ever needed to. Also, if someone owns multiple guns, it isn't a bad idea to have gun lockers in multiple rooms- Colin and I don't have any children yet, but we are still very carefull to make sure that all guns are safely locked away out of reach and access to children, especially since I am at his house a lot as well as my niece and nephews. You can never be too careful, but you can teach children how to recognize a gun and alert an adult if they come in contact with them. When a child (of an appropriate age) is taught that a gun is a weapon, not a toy- and it is to be respected...they are less likely to play with them and as a result, cause traumatic consequences. Even then, an educated child is still a child- and a gun should NEVER be left out around one. It should be locked away in a gun safe that is inaccessable to children! One can never be too careful. I am even against giving children "play guns" .....simply because as they get older and if they aren't taught the difference, a child could easily mistake a gun that an adult left out on a table for a toy...and tradgey could happen.

Also, in a side note- I highly recommend "safety closets" ....many times when intruders break into a house, the residents will seek shelter in a closet- i think it's a good idea to keep a cell phone charger in the closet so you can get to your phone in an emergency...a "push light", pepper spray,knife, and if you own a gun- your gun safe in there....but be sure you try out your closet in the dark so that you memorize where everything is, so in an emergency you don't panic. Just a suggestion .

I agree with you and I would do the same thing! People are really scared of people who act completely crazy!

I own a gun, and I know how to use it safely. Unfortunately, I had to use one to save my life during a break in many years ago, and even though I feel no guilt over it, I wish it had not had to happen. It was, and if the situation were to arise again, strictly a last resort to save my life, or the life of a loved one.
Statistically, most break in gun fights are in the dark or low light, at a distance of 7 yards. I go to the range and shoot in low light, at different distances, and a moving targets. It may be a little dated now, but if you are wondering about gun safety from a female perspective, I highly recommend a book " Armed and Female" by Paxton Quigley, one of America's top female firearms and security experts. It is very eye opening, and does not recommend that anyone that is not comfortable have a gun. It offers a lot of good information on non firearm security, too.
I am very comfortable with my handgun, it was bought and customized especially for me, and I also have a rifle that I am very comfortable with. If you are considering learning to shoot or buying a gun for home protection, I recommend Ruger revolvers.

I probably would if the British laws allowed it, but my house is alarmed anyway, so as soon as they enter any room downstairs the sirens go off, then it's me dialing 999 to the police.

I am so glad to see all of the truly sensible replies to this thread. The worst thing a person can do is buy a handgun for "protection" and not be 100% comfortable using it, and know exactly how it works. THAT is when accidents happen. That and when those same people who don't respect what a firearm of any size is capable of don't take the proper precautions in storage...

My dad taught me how to shoot a rifle when I was a young woman, but I personally would never own a gun. (I'm Canadian - what else need I say.)

Also, if I were to shoot an intruder, I would be brought up on charges and possibly go to jail in this country so I would opt for an alarm instead. I've also studied the martial arts so could probably fight enough to at least get away.

We do down guns. No I don't know how to use them or would I ever try. I would rather hide and let Lee, who knows how to use them very well, take care of things. Unfortunately about 10 years ago his father rhad to use one of them to shoot and kill a crazy man. At first he was taken in on murder charges but after they reviewed the video the crazy mans wife had shot he was aqquited. Thank God!

Thankfully where I live this isn't a issue. No break ins or home robberies happen here ever. But if they did I still wouldn't own a gun. The only time I have thought about owning a gun is when we had rabies right in my area and thought I might have to use it on a rabied raccoon! But I knew I'd miss anyways. Guns scare me I don't want one in my house.I do have a baseball bat in the closet though ...LOL

Same here. We had a gun when we were living in the U.S., and I know how to use one (competitive shooting in jr. and sr. high school), but now we depend on alarms (recently installed), and keep a crowbar within reach, but hidden.

I don't like guns, so I would never personally own one. I really don't like the idea of anyone owning guns, but unfortunately its in the constitution so I don't see that changing. I have shot a gun before, but I am by no means trained so I wouldn't feel safe having one in my home. I agree with Shengmei, the robber would probably take it from me and shoot me with it

I took a couple classes of self-defense and I was told to try and avoid any contact (ie. coming at them with a bat or knife) with the person(s) breaking in because the person(s) breaking in have built up all this adrenaline (sp??) and would probably easily overpower the weapon away from you and then possibly use it to injure or kill you. EEP!

Basically they said hide and phone 911 and block off the room your in by barricading the door with like dessers or whatever you have so it would take the intruder longer to reach you (if possible). I personally think that the noise from blocking the door would bring attention to the room, so I opt for locking my bedroom door and hiding in the closet.

Unfortunately, I believe you're right. I personally know 3 people who are dead because they owned a gun. I do not know anyone PERSONALLY who is alive because they owned a gun, except maybe for someone in the military while they are at war.

My fiancé is in the Army and is planning on taking me to ranges to learn how to shoot. I'm excited because it's something new. He talks about getting a gun, but I don't think I want one in my house. We're still in discussion on that one.

I agree with you. The gun can not hurt anyone- it is an object...It is only when that gun is placed in the hands of someone that it has the potential to kill or harm. This is why ONLY people who are trained, lisenced, and comfortable using a gun should have one- And the proper locking gun safes to store them in. A gun has never killed anyone- a gun will not jump up and bite you, a gun will not give you a black eye, and a gun will not kill you. It's the people behind the gun that set off the trigger and cause the bullet to fire-they are the threat! Now that kills people! So when people are around guns, they really have to develop a sense of respect and knowledge of their weapon and its potential uses. It can protect and yes, it can result in killing someone depending on who holds the gun. Common sense and training are keys to success with gun use. A gun should not scare anyone- it is an object...it doesn't move , it doesn't jump up an attack you, and it doesn't rob you----it's the person behind the gun that intends to harm you that you should be scared of. The person's intentions are the real weapons. Their gun is just the means in which they use to carry out their intentions. A person could do as much damage with a knife, an ice pick, a beer bottle or a baseball bat...

I don't know if I agree with this. Guns provide you with a way to fatally harm someone with great accuracy from a great distance away. Sure, you can throw a beer bottle at someone's head from 10 ft away but its not likely to be fatal.
You can fire a gun from a moving car with a bullet designed to ricochet around their insides until they are a gurgling bloody mass on the street.

I don't shoot a gun so if anyone has another argument for this, please let me know..But I still can't see how other weapons are as efficient as guns are.
Otherwise, I can't see how they would be the number one choice of gangsters for protection/murder.

Although, I live in the number one murder capital in Canada, I am not really all that afraid of break-ins, random killings... Its just not that likely for me to spend too much time worrying about it happening other than taking regular safety precautions. The number one deterrent is a dog and an alarm.

They are only highly accurate with someone who actually knows and has been trained how to use them. I shoot competitively with rifles - open sights, at 200, 300, and 600 yards. In my discipline of rifle shooting, we do shoot out to 1000 yards. I do know how to shoot with a great degree of accuracy at long ranges, and I'm telling you for sure - it's not easy! It's not like how the movies portray it, that anyone can pick up a firearm of any make (handgun, rifle, POS spray and pray machine gun) and pick off the bad guys with ease.

Also, a bullet will only ricochet around the inside of a person if it hits bone (i.e. a soft bullet with low velocity inside of a skull). It will go out of soft tissue, taking the path of least resistance. I know enough about ballistics and physics to be able to say that with certainty as well.

As far as the gangs, they have absolutely zero skill with a firearm, which is why they use the spray and pray method and take out a heck of a lot of innocent bystanders.

I also have to say that someone who is not trained and proficient with a handgun would probably do less damage with that than most people could do with mace or a knife. Firing a handgun with accuracy is also a skill, and the movies are so very very wrong with how they portray the ease of accurate firing!

I agree with this 100%, Heidi! I went to the gun range with my fiance because I wanted to learn how to shoot. He was shooting a 45... I shot it twice. Both times the bullet didn't hit anywhere near where I was aiming I know I would have better luck with my bottle of mace!

I second that 100% Hedi! You made some very good points. I definitely back them up from training and range experience- you are right on!

I am a 48 y/o out-of-shape woman, with spinal arthritis, as well as arthritis in several other joints. Physically, I am no match for your average intruder. Therefore, this hypothetical intruder will be met by a po'd middle-aged woman, with a phone in one hand, a weapon in the other and two large protective dogs. If he cooperates, he lives to go to jail.

I agree that a firearm, in the hands of an untrained person, is a liability.

Being raised by a career Marine, I am VERY well trained in handling firearms.