Sound asleep at 1 am and my dog is crazy barking because

[RJF]

For your thought:

90-95% of people shot with a handgun invading a house will live.

95% of people shot breaking in a home with a 12 ga die.

Im not trying to kill anyone but you wound them and they testify in court not only can (and will) lie saying they know you or something and sue you but YOU go to jail for attempted manslaughter. Dead people cant testify leaving only your word.

I will do what I have to to protect my family and deal with what ever afterwards. Dont ever pull out a gun and second guess yourself or things can go bad for you and your family.

You can get a Remington 870 used for around $200 its what most police forces and military used.

A 44 autoloader would recoil to much and go though walls for home defense and is a Desert Eagle I have a 44 revolver and winchester 44 lever action I have mannnnnnyyyyy guns ARs, revolvers, shotguns, rifles,semi auto pistols and a few law enforcement ones. they are fun and require a lot of responsibility

first off, I don't believe those statistics one bit. I live in Florida, and have heard of many people shooting breaking and entering criminals. Most of the time, they are mortally wounded, but if they are not, I think all of the cases I have read about they were justified in using force. I can't believe that some courts and jury would actually entertain and worst, punish those who are protecting their house. That is so wrong and twisting the justice system.

The line drawn is where you become the aggressor. For example if you shot someone leaving your property, even if you know they are leaving with your stuff. The laws can vary significantly from state to state on what rights you have defending you and your property, and unfortunately the rights of the intruder breaking and entering. Personally, I don't care. If someone comes into my home in the middle of the night and they have a weapon, I'm pulling the trigger.

 

[FourT6and2]

I would like to get a gun for concealed carry and home protection as well. But, I live in GA and I'm a FL resident. So, I need to drive back to FL to get my CCW and to buy a gun. I just don't have the time for that yet.

 

[stephen sawall]

I could care less what the law is ..... I live less than a mile from the ocean. You can put the rest together.

 

[badger71]

Nice doggie My two beagles are my warning system. Glad you also learned the golden police rule....show up after the deadly crimes, and usually the dangerous perps, are over/fled the scene.

Now, for this gun business. Pump shotguns....cool and probably one of the best overall home defense solutions. However, like any firearm, in a fight/flight response, your body will be dumped with adrenaline that will make your fine muscle movements almost nil unless you've trained through repetition or combat experience to work through this. Racking the shotgun slide, while an easy process, can become easily cumbersome for those light in training that have to remember the slide release button, rack the slide, and then unlatch the safety. And if you do fire the first round, you may end up short stroking the next shell and lock the weapon up. If you go with a pump shotgun, train train train until it become second nature. Personally, if going shotgun and unfamiliar, I'd recommend a side by side double barrel on hooks above the closet door on the inside of the closet. Two in the pipes and ready to go quickly.

However, don't overlook the humble revolver. In particular, the .38. Small, relatively inexpensive to buy, loads are cheap, and not much recoil on a medium or large frame so follow up shots in a tight group are fairly easy. Plus, now this is why I use this as my hd weapon of choice for me and my wife.....when the adrenalin dumps, all you have to do is squeeze that trigger....no slides to rack, no safeties to fumble with, and if a round misfires, just squeeze the trigger again for the next cylinder. It's your house, your terrain, so unless someone has put a hit out on you, most bad doers will run for the hills if two or three shots of lead semi jacketed wad cutters are flying down range at them.

Finally, if your better half is a little put off by the idea of gun ownership, take her to a local range and let her hold/rent the gun that best suits her. For all you know, she may end up wanting a Sig Sauer semi automatic pistol with a laser sight...who knows? Mine liked the Smith and Wesson Model 36...guess what we have for her?

 

[EvilBatman]

Glad things worked out for you. It could have been a really bad situation.

As for the firearm, shotgun and pistol will do you well. I like the Remington 870P models that are made for the Police but still available to civilians. (Depending on your locale.) They have better components and workmanship. The 870 Express models though will definitely work and are in the neighborhood of $300 new.

As for pistols, my suggestion is stick with Glock or the Smith & Wesson M&P series. HKs are great also but more expensive. Handle as many of them as you can and pick the model that fits your hand the best. Take your wife too if she's willing. The most popular Glock is the 19 and tends to fit just about everyone unless they have really huge or really tiny hands.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF MY POST!!!

Whatever you pick, the single most important thing you can do is to TRAIN with the gun! That's not taking it to the range and popping off a hundred rounds. It's finding a class with an highly qualified instructor and learning to run the gun hard. Then taking what you learn in that class and practicing it to better your skill. Honestly, taking multiple classes/courses is the best. Learn from many and take what works for you. Leave the rest.

I hope your search turns out well and I hope that if you do purchase a gun, that you never have to use it.

As an aside, have you thought about further securing your house? Perhaps security doors and windows could serve you well.

 

[kasperjensen]

There is only one thing, and one thing only, that I envy the residents of the USA... The right to hold a gun and pull it on anyone entering your property in a threatening manner.

I keep a big knife by the bed, but if I actually used it on a burglar, I would get sent to prison.

The laws protect the criminal if they enter your home ?

I know it sounds pretty crazy, but Spain is a pretty weird country with regards to what you can and what you can't do.
What is right and what is wrong, you can debate till the sun comes up... But the fact is that I would be pretty helpless if a burglar came into my home.
If I knew, lets say, Krav Maga, I would be allowed to use that too defend myself, but only in such a manner as to do nothing more than that. I cold hold the intruder, disabling further attack, but if I actually hurt him, then I would also be an attacker.
The only thing that comforts me, is that the police force and the court take physical violence, and threat thereof, very seriously, and people tend to have a lot of respect for the police. Or more specifically, the Guardia Civil. If I placed a 911 (or 112 as it would be here), they would come swiftly, and rest assured that they beat the intruder to a pulp if he showed any hostility.

We have many weird laws. As a (commercial) landlord there can be quite complications. Say the tenant doesn't pay the rent, our contract is then technically void, and by law the tenant has to vacate the building. However, if the tenant choses not to, then there is not a damn thing I can do about it. I have to go to the police, and file the claim, and then wait for the court hearing. This can take up to 8 months (or more... The courts here are closed in August, due to heat... WTF?!!!!). During this period, the tenant is free to stay in the building, and not paying me. After I get the court hearing, and they agree that the tenant should leave the building, I can then start the whole process again to get my money. Which won't happen... Coz there will be no more money in the company.
I had a case like this a while ago, where the tenant owed 6 months rent... She showed up to the hearing in her sports car, and said that her company was willing to pay, but was unable to. And nothing more happened... She still owns the sport car, and a 4 bedroom house... and owes me a tonne of money, which I will never be able to get.
It's even worse for private landlords...

Sorry... Rant over.

that sux. if its any consolation, landlords get screwed over here too

In a sick and twisted way, I am glad to hear it's not just me getting rammed in the a-hole.

What about employees over there?

Here, companies are having a real tough time at the minute because they can't afford to let employees go.
Over here, an employee of any kind is entitled to 45 days of pay per working year, should they get laid off.
I know the owners of a store here that needed to close because it was really close to going bankrupt... They had a salesman in their shop for over 20 years, which of course they had to let go, but they had to pay him app. 80.000 euros (yeah it's over $100k)... BOOM!

 

[jlbaxe]

In Md if you have any exit in the house including your bedroom window between you and a person breaking in then you dont have the right to shoot. There is a lady in jail for the last few years because she had a restraining order against her ex husband for abuse and he threatened her and went to her house, kicked in the front door and bedroom door , he had a gun and she defended herself shooting and killing him. It caused a big uproar here because there was a history of police reports with him beating her. There have been other ones where the home owner was not charged. We have a screwed up state. I am not running out of my house if someone breaks in.

If you have a Fla lic and live in Ga you dont have to go back to Fla to get a CCP. You can get it in the mail. I think it is $178 I was going to get one from Fla cuase once im out of Md I can wear a gun. I hunt in Va and go to W Va a lot and was planning on doing this. I know others that have done this thats why I know about it. You do have to take a Hand gun class.

The post above about the % I read in a gun magazine. The Numbers might be a little off but it is still a big difference and gets the point across.

If I used non lethal rounds in my shotgun on some bad guy breaking in he could sue and take my house and everything I own in Md. Again our state sucks for guns....not as bad a Ca....yet!

 

[CharFace]

Glad to hear you are ok.

As far as laws go, I liked this one when I lived in Florida:

The Florida law provides that a person, not themselves engaged in an unlawful activity, who is attacked in a place where they have the legal right to be (i.e. a dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle or public place) does not have an obligation to retreat and may meet force with matching comparable force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to him/herself or to another person or to prevent a forcible felony.

So if someone comes into your house with a weapon you pretty much have open license to take them out by law. The way it should be IMO.

Yep, castle laws are fantastic. It is presumed that the homeowner's life/safety has been threatened, and cannot be legally questioned.

 

[shredi knight]

Am I the only one who thought of this movie when they read espquade post (there's even glass panel on the sides of the door)?

 

[RoidRage]

That's why the Founders put in the 2nd amendment... Go get a gun before they take that away from us too.

Roid RAGE

 

[espquade]

Thanks everyone for all the imput , and advice on various guns etc.

I really appreciate it

 

[FourT6and2]

In Md if you have any exit in the house including your bedroom window between you and a person breaking in then you dont have the right to shoot. There is a lady in jail for the last few years because she had a restraining order against her ex husband for abuse and he threatened her and went to her house, kicked in the front door and bedroom door , he had a gun and she defended herself shooting and killing him. It caused a big uproar here because there was a history of police reports with him beating her. There have been other ones where the home owner was not charged. We have a screwed up state. I am not running out of my house if someone breaks in.

If you have a Fla lic and live in Ga you dont have to go back to Fla to get a CCP. You can get it in the mail. I think it is $178 I was going to get one from Fla cuase once im out of Md I can wear a gun. I hunt in Va and go to W Va a lot and was planning on doing this. I know others that have done this thats why I know about it. You do have to take a Hand gun class.

The post above about the % I read in a gun magazine. The Numbers might be a little off but it is still a big difference and gets the point across.

If I used non lethal rounds in my shotgun on some bad guy breaking in he could sue and take my house and everything I own in Md. Again our state sucks for guns....not as bad a Ca....yet!

No, I don't have a FL gun license yet. I need to go to FL to get one - get printed, take one of the courses at a gun show, etc. And I don't own a gun. Can't buy one in GA. I'd have to buy one in FL.

Although, I go to the range all the time here in GA and use range firearms.

 

[tonmazz]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I had something like that happen a year ago. My wife is usually home alone during the day with my youngest while the other kids were in school. I just by luck happened to be home that day working in the basement. A rough looking guy came to the door asking for me saying he did landscaping for me in the past. I never had anyone do landscaping for me so that was the first wierd part. My wife told them that and that they must have the wrong house. She could see another guy waiting in the car. He kept insisting he knew me and needed to talk to me. My wife said ok well he's here so hold on and I'll get him. The guy seemed surprised that I was there and my wife quickly closed the door and called down to me saying there were guys outside that claim they did landscaping for me. I could tell by her voice something was wrong and I immediately asked if I need my gun...she said "I'm not sure". She hates when I touch the gun so I knew something wasn't right. I tucked it in the back of my pants and made sure when I walked out they saw I was hiding something and kept my hand behind me. The guy in the car had started to make his way over to the door and I pretty much told them in no uncertain terms that I didn't know them and they didn't know me or my wife and they needed to leave and not come back.
I always wonder what could have happened had she been alone or I not postured myself like that. Scary stuff but we all need to be prepared to defend our families! Needless to say I own an 870, 40cal glock and a few others and a large dog and security system newly installed.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Get your self a Remington 870 pump shotgun or similar brand. The sound of a pump shotgun cocking is loud and will intimidate just about anyone. Everybody knows that sound and by doing that can end a situation quickly, if not your ready.

This always cracks me up.

Why would you leave your home defense weapon unloaded? It needs to be ready to go with the exception of a safety. The time you spend shucking that shotgun is probably just long enough for the bad guy to be blowing your guts all over your own house with his gun that was ready to go. It can also help him identify your location.

 

[espquade]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I had something like that happen a year ago. My wife is usually home alone during the day with my youngest while the other kids were in school. I just by luck happened to be home that day working in the basement. A rough looking guy came to the door asking for me saying he did landscaping for me in the past. I never had anyone do landscaping for me so that was the first wierd part. My wife told them that and that they must have the wrong house. She could see another guy waiting in the car. He kept insisting he knew me and needed to talk to me. My wife said ok well he's here so hold on and I'll get him. The guy seemed surprised that I was there and my wife quickly closed the door and called down to me saying there were guys outside that claim they did landscaping for me. I could tell by her voice something was wrong and I immediately asked if I need my gun...she said "I'm not sure". She hates when I touch the gun so I knew something wasn't right. I tucked it in the back of my pants and made sure when I walked out they saw I was hiding something and kept my hand behind me. The guy in the car had started to make his way over to the door and I pretty much told them in no uncertain terms that I didn't know them and they didn't know me or my wife and they needed to leave and not come back.
I always wonder what could have happened had she been alone or I not postured myself like that. Scary stuff but we all need to be prepared to defend our families! Needless to say I own an 870, 40cal glock and a few others and a large dog and security system newly installed.

Damn , that does sound really strange !

Yes , I believe you are right ...if you were not at home who knows what could of happened to your wife ? Odd situation for certain and you never know . Glad it turned out alright for you too.

 

[JTyson]

In Md if you have any exit in the house including your bedroom window between you and a person breaking in then you dont have the right to shoot. There is a lady in jail for the last few years because she had a restraining order against her ex husband for abuse and he threatened her and went to her house, kicked in the front door and bedroom door , he had a gun and she defended herself shooting and killing him. It caused a big uproar here because there was a history of police reports with him beating her. There have been other ones where the home owner was not charged. We have a screwed up state. I am not running out of my house if someone breaks in.

If you have a Fla lic and live in Ga you dont have to go back to Fla to get a CCP. You can get it in the mail. I think it is $178 I was going to get one from Fla cuase once im out of Md I can wear a gun. I hunt in Va and go to W Va a lot and was planning on doing this. I know others that have done this thats why I know about it. You do have to take a Hand gun class.

The post above about the % I read in a gun magazine. The Numbers might be a little off but it is still a big difference and gets the point across.

If I used non lethal rounds in my shotgun on some bad guy breaking in he could sue and take my house and everything I own in Md. Again our state sucks for guns....not as bad a Ca....yet!

YIKES!! a CCP is 178.00 in Fla? thats ridiculous. In Alabama they are 60 bucks initially, renewable for 38.00

 

[david simpson]

Seriously....

 

[Rogue]

All I can say is I'm going shopping and I'm going to buy a GUN !!!! because if i had to wait for the police and the situation was different and he broke in how would I have defended my family ?

You would have cut out the chit chat had you answered the door like this....

Glad everything turned out ok, but that sure was fishy and could have turned out bad. It could've been a guy just messing with people, but then it could've been something else as well.

 

[Hartmut]

i just have one thing to say-

remington 887 nitromag tactical.

http://www.remington.com/products/firea ... tical.aspx

Just watched the Video on this page and I must say: THIS SUCKS!!! Shooting animals for fun or as a sport is not fun by far.

 

[jlbaxe]

In Md if you have any exit in the house including your bedroom window between you and a person breaking in then you dont have the right to shoot. There is a lady in jail for the last few years because she had a restraining order against her ex husband for abuse and he threatened her and went to her house, kicked in the front door and bedroom door , he had a gun and she defended herself shooting and killing him. It caused a big uproar here because there was a history of police reports with him beating her. There have been other ones where the home owner was not charged. We have a screwed up state. I am not running out of my house if someone breaks in.

If you have a Fla lic and live in Ga you dont have to go back to Fla to get a CCP. You can get it in the mail. I think it is $178 I was going to get one from Fla cuase once im out of Md I can wear a gun. I hunt in Va and go to W Va a lot and was planning on doing this. I know others that have done this thats why I know about it. You do have to take a Hand gun class.

The post above about the % I read in a gun magazine. The Numbers might be a little off but it is still a big difference and gets the point across.

If I used non lethal rounds in my shotgun on some bad guy breaking in he could sue and take my house and everything I own in Md. Again our state sucks for guns....not as bad a Ca....yet!

YIKES!! a CCP is 178.00 in Fla? thats ridiculous. In Alabama they are 60 bucks initially, renewable for 38.00

Good for 39 states.