More on House Guns
What follows are a few things on my discussion of house guns. First, is that both my weapon choice and general attitude are specific to my situation. Tam, who is as gun nut as gun nut can be, says, for example:
I’m gonna fort up in my bedroom on one end of the house with the SureFire-equipped carbine and wait for the cavalry to arrive
She has much more. I concur with her situation. If I were single or it was just the Mrs. and I, I would have the same plan. I’d grab a weapon, call the cops and wait. However, I have a toddler whose bedroom is on the opposite side of the house. Her safety would be my number one priority. I am not willing to sit in my bedroom awaiting the arrival of the police. As such, I would become the aggressor. There’s simply no other viable option.
Some one emailed me a link to this post over at Crooked Timber about the great gun divide written from a leftist perspective. The post is worth reading. Seriously, go read it and come back. This shit will be here when you get back. But in the comments section there, I’ve had a little back and forth with some insightful folks and an idiot. As if to prove the point of the post about the gun divide, said idiot pulls out all the typical gun owner stereotypes including what I’d consider an accusation of racism; the implication that gun owners would be happy to pop a cap in someone and are eager to; and (my personal favorite) the small penis. And in the comments to my original post Tom says:
You sound eager to do it, is all I’m sayin’
There’s no eagerness just willingness. I concluded long ago what my reactions would be in such a situation. It’s something I need to be willing to do because it has to be done and not because I’m huge fan of it. It’s the same way I view exercise and taking out the garbage. And how my wife views sex, apparently. As reader RonW said:
When someone breaks in your house isn’t the time to begin the philosophical thought process of whether or not you will use deadly force.
I also, apparently, creeped out said idiot when I stated that if officers investigating such a scene were to attempt to confiscate my weapons (other than the one used for evidence, of course), they’d need to be prepared to deal with two shootings. I stand by that. The reason is simple: I have lines in the sand. Actually, I have several. I call it my cold dead hands list. I firmly believe that there comes a time when we all must draw a line in the sand on issues that are important. One of those is gun ownership. Another is my politically incorrect dog. Another is this blog. Another is my lawfully owned property. And there are probably more. I don’t expect this person to understand that because either there aren’t things that are that important to him or he’s British. But enough of that. On to more house gun stuff:
South Park Pundit, sporting new blog digs, has more thoughts on (and pics of his) house guns:
Uncle breaks the three camps of defensive weaponry up into Handgun, Shotgun and Carbine.
I have one of each dedicated to the task.
Porta’s Cat has a two parter on home defense firearms. Here’s part one and here’s part two.
And one other thing from Tam’s post:
Shotgun spread at in-home ranges is not enough to endanger the Rembrandt over the fireplace. Similarly, it is also not enough to overcome sloppy marksmanship.
I’m not much of a shotgun guy (I don’t even own one) so I’ll take her word for it.
More: Jay talks about them too:
What matters is that no matter what you choose to have as a home defense weapon, you train with it. Often.
Werd! And he has pics as well.
And T3rrible adds a new twist:
After reading a comment thread at uncles I have a few comments/thought of my own. I did not see anyone mention the fact that they can’t be home at all times and what does the wife/family do then? I cannot picture my small wife handling my 20 inch Mossberg 500.
Well, I also have a 75 pound bull dog. But excellent point. When I leave The Mrs., I usually leave her the Glock and I take the Sig with me. I leave to Glock because it’s a 45ACP and has better stopping power and, also, because the Glock has a lighter trigger pull. The Mrs. cannot comfortably pull the heavy double action trigger on the Sig.
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:40 am
I don’t want to feel left out: http://blog.rjwest.com/?p=2682
Heh.
Seriously, though, Unc, you’re missing out on a world of fun with the shotguns. Birdshot is cheap and plentiful and ventilates pumpkins and beer cans with aplomp for about the same price as cheap .40S&W.
And besides, when you can pick up a GORGEOUS used 12 gauge for a shade over $200, well… 😉
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:48 am
glad you liked the post! and I don’t think you’re crazy, or at least no crazier than me. wait, that’s not saying much 😉 at the moment I live in singapore, where private possession of guns is totally banned, and where if you are an acessory to a criminal conspiracy (say, running numbers) and another member of the conspiracy (perhaps one not known to you) merely has a gun (even if he never uses it), you, John Q. Numbers Runner will get the DEATH PENALTY! that’s some gun control. it’s nuts, but it does work for them…there is basically zero crime. I could go for a run in the park at 3am if I wanted. weird. not an option for the us for a million reasons, including that it would be utterly unconstitutional.
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:59 am
Great post…but I couldn’t help but chuckle at this typo:
I call it my cold dead hands list. I firmly believe that there comes a time when we all must draw a line in the sand on issues that are important. One of those is gun ownership. Another is my politically incorrect dog. Another is his blog.
Hehe =)
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:10 am
Tom, didn’t catch that. heh.
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:45 am
There is a time and a place for it all (pistola, carbine, shotgun, Ma Duece).
I think the key to it is more about prep and willingness. The guy who has those two down and a Ruger .22 revolver is going to come out ahead of the guy with a Glock in every room, 4 shotguns, and an AR with snail mags, who can’t pull his head out of his ass long enough to comb his hair.
Good article, Uncle.
February 22nd, 2006 at 1:06 pm
BTW…I don’t remember what type of .45 you’re using as a house gun, but if you’re using 230 grn JHPs, I hope it’s got a 5″ barrel.
For 4″ and shorter, I’d recomend 185 grn, for better expansion. I read some accounts of 230 grn JHPs not expanding reliably out of short barrels due to the lower velocity.
Me, I’ve got a Sig 220 in my nightstand safe, plus my Sig 229 (.40), my carry gun, somewhere also close. My wife’s got her Kimber Ultra Carry in her nightstand.
In the closet, there’s the 870 w/Surefire, with an AR-15 way in the back.
I have to clear and secure from by bedroom about 2/3 of the way down the hall in order to get both my boys (age 2 yrs and 2 mos) to safety. I’ve got my wife for backup.
For grabbing the boys, either of the Sigs is the primary, because I need a free hand, something the shotgun doesn’t allow.
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Say Uncle, was that a typo, “230 grain hollow point”? Must be the . 45ACP, is that a handload or what?
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:39 pm
not a typo. 230 gr golden sabers for the G30.
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:29 pm
I’m a huge fan of shotguns and don’t like a handgun for home defense.
But Hearless Libertarian makes a great point I hadn’t considered (as I don’t have small kids): The free hand to scoop a young one out of bed would be an issue with a shotgun.
Uncle, for political safety, I strongly recommend changing “aggressor” to “patroller”. Just because. If (Diety Forbid) something were to happen at your home, a Prosecuting Attorney could use that to your detriment.
As for the “eager” versus “willing”, and the quote of “philosophical”, there is an important point. In order to be good at something, one should practice. Practice consists of a physical and mental aspect. Let me illustrate:
I once reviewed the results of a “mental practice study”. Three groups of college men were created – 20 in each. All played basketball. The first group spent 30 minutes per day for two weeks shooting free throws in a gym. The second spent 30 minutes per day in a classroom “visuallizing” shooting free throws. The third did nothing (they were a control group). The before and after results for group A and B were nearly the same (e.g. both improved their free throw shooting by nearly the same percentage). The conclusion we drew from this was that “mental practice” or “mental preparedness” was nearly as good as physical practice in some activities. (Specifically this non-endurance action.)
As a person responsible for ensuring the safety of those in my home, I feel it is my obligation to be prepared for a home invasion and be clear as to what actions will be taken. Just as one prepares for a fire or an tornado. We all hope none of the training is necessary, but it can save lives when it is needed.
Being mentally prepared to shoot and kill a home invader can mean the difference between the life or death of yourself and your family.
—
heh. A later post of yours discusses rhetoric. How ’bout this:
Being prepared (including practice) for a home invasion is as wise being prepared for a fire or natural disaster. No one would question a person’s “sanity” for a fire drill. Yet home invasions and fires both happen.
If you wanted to wrankle someone’s nose, you could follow up with:
Not being prepared for a fire, natural disaster, or home invasion is to be negligent as a parent, home owner, or provider.
heh.
February 22nd, 2006 at 8:34 pm
Heh. could change it to patroller but I think I’ve made my case 😉
February 22nd, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Not to put too fine of a point on it, but I just wanna relate how ingrained this is into my being.
I recall this conversation in the kitchen of my home when I was not yet a teenager. I was probably 10 or 12. My older sister was taking cooking classes in high school. She pointed out to our mom that one of the knives in the block that held all of the knives didn’t match the others. It had a black handle and the others were wood.
My mom’s reply was thus:
“That is there in case someone breaks into the house. After you kill him, put that knife into his hand. It doesn’t match ours and the police will believe that he brought it with him.”
I have an awesome mom.
February 24th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Carnival of Cordite #49
Hello and welcome once again to the Carnival of Cordite! Just a few quick announcements before we begin: Next week, the Carnival of Cordite will be hosted by AnarchAngel. The following week, check out the Carnival of Cordite at The