Firearm for personal protection

[kkott]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Take a class and get as much ongoing training and practice as you can. Shooting, pistols or jumpers, is a frangible skill. You need to continue to practice to remain proficient. It wouldn't hurt to take a class about your legal obligations in NC too.

What to buy is a personal preference and should probably be a decision based on comfort, the intended use (home and/or carry) and how proficient you are with the type of pistol. If you could find a range that rents pistols or a gun shop that has an indoor range and will let you try several, that would be the best option. If you can't hit the broadside of a barn with your pistol, you can't miss a bunch fast enough to win a "gunfight" anyway.

Here's hoping you never find yourself in a situation where you need the pistol.

Between this post and the coyote advice, my country boy/hick/redneck roots are starting to show.

 

[ce36ei]

I don’t own a gun. I have no plans to ever own a gun. I have no “personal protection.” I’m just an odds guy and figure the .0001% I get murdered in a home invasion won’t happen.

 

[kkott]

I don’t own a gun. I have no plans to ever own a gun. I have no “personal protection.” I’m just an odds guy and figure the .0001% I get murdered in a home invasion won’t happen.

Thanks? I have no problem with expressing your opinion I guess, other than I made a specific request for information from those with experience, and if you'd read my post, you'd know that I stated it's more about my safety entering/leaving work after hours, than safety at home. It's pretty isolated and there have been robberies and crime in the area. I've resisted getting a gun for 30+ years as an adult. I'm still in the "decision" stage and may ultimately decide like you and Sheriff Andy Taylor that I'm better off without a handgun.

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

are you coming to Indiana? Get ahold of me and we will figure this shit out. Lol.

 

[sdhoosier]

I have had a shotgun and a couple of boxes of shells in my closet for 40 plus years...whenever I move I just move it to the next closet.

I never was a hunter growing up but figured after moving to the mean streets of San Diego I needed something for personal protection. I got a shot gun because I figured you could just aim in the general direction of an intruder and have a good chance of connecting.

Thank goodness I have never had to use it.

Funny, I was just wondering the other day if the shells go 'bad' after a certain number of years. I would hate to draw down on some scumbag and have a bad shell.

 

[ce36ei]

Thanks? I have no problem with expressing your opinion I guess, other than I made a specific request for information from those with experience, and if you'd read my post, you'd know that I stated it's more about my safety entering/leaving work after hours, than safety at home. It's pretty isolated and there have been robberies and crime in the area. I've resisted getting a gun for 30+ years as an adult. I'm still in the "decision" stage and may ultimately decide like you and Sheriff Andy Taylor that I'm better off without a handgun.

I just answered what I use for personal protection. That was the question, right? I know this is NOT the cooler. That’s a whole other can of worms.

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Cav, you might want to temper this post. f you've bought from an FFL, you have answered a particular question on the 4473 incorrectly given the other things you enjoy.

Lol good call I’ll edit.

 

[Hank Reardon]

I took some personal protection classes, handgun specific. Quite eye opening. It certainly reinforced that I don't want to ever attempt to shoot anyone. I took four classes, 8 hours each, each one building on the one before it. They were a combination of classroom safety (reinforcing how much you don't want to shoot anyone) and range work. The range work was a lot of shoot/don't shoot scenarios, still target, moving target, all that stuff. If you went in thinking you were going to be Jason Bourne, you came out realizing you were NOT Jason Bourne.

The guy who ran it is retired, I think. This was a few years ago. He was an NRA instructor and was assisted by both local local LEOs and a retired SWAT dude from Chicago. What I liked about him was that he was all about NOT engaging anyone. "Don't shoot, run," was his priority.

I own three pistols. They rarely leave the safe, unless I'm going to the range. Odds are overwhelming they'll never be used for anything else. But, there's nothing wrong with knowing how to use them.

 

[kkott]

I just answered what I use for personal protection. That was the question, right? I know this is NOT the cooler. That’s a whole other can of worms.

Yes, if you want to be literal (or a douche), it was what the first sentence said, but the body of the post makes it clear I was looking for advice from those who have some knowledge and experience with handguns. I posted it here specifcally because I'm trying to gather relevant experience and information and I didn't want the grandstanding I'd get on the cooler. But, thanks for sharing.

 

[kkott]

I have had a shotgun and a couple of boxes of shells in my closet for 40 plus years...whenever I move I just move it to the next closet.

I never was a hunter growing up but figured after moving to the mean streets of San Diego I needed something for personal protection. I got a shot gun because I figured you could just aim in the general direction of an intruder and have a good chance of connecting.

Thank goodness I have never had to use it.

Funny, I was just wondering the other day if the shells go 'bad' after a certain number of years. I would hate to draw down on some scumbag and have a bad shell.

If it was just home protection, I'd probably get a shotgun, and may yet; I had a blast shooting sporting clays and would like to have a gun to do that some more. But, my office is pretty isolated and it makes me a bit nervous coming and going in the dark in the early morning or winter evenings when you walk out and you're by yourself with no one around.

Plus, a couple months ago there was a shooting that killed someone at the gas station down the street and one time at night, I swung by to pick something up and it looked like Fast and Furious as dozens of street racers were swarming around all the businesses and racing down a backstreet because it is so isolated at night.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

My youngest daughter owns a handgun. She practices it but hasn't taken a class. If we have trouble I will just yell, "Honey, handle it".

 

[anon_6hv78pr714xta]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

I don't own a gun and am not an expert at all about them but have researched the issue for nearly the same reasons you are. In doing so, I've talked to people experienced with this. The general conclusion I came to: if you want something to protect your home, a shotgun is usually recommended. It has low penetration (so you won't shoot through a wall and hit someone you weren't aiming for), larger shooting radius so its easier to hit your intended target, and enough stopping power to get the job done. Plus, people say the sound of pumping the thing scares off a lot of people (meaning you won't have to shoot).

If you want a handgun (which is what I wanted), I narrowed it down to a Glock 17 or 19. They are reputedly very reliable, ammo is easy to find and pretty cheap. The 19 is shorter and some people use it as a concealed weapon, too. I believed the extended clip for a 17 might allow you two more bullets, though, and depending on your size, it might feel more comfortable in your hand.

Again, I didn't buy. One reason was that gun prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic started and they are difficult to even find. The other is that I still don't know if it's safer to have one or not.

 

[Schnitzelbonkers]

Some great advice above about receiving training, a gun is more dangerous to its owner than any criminal if not properly trained. Whether or not you get to fire the weapon, I would strongly recommend you at LEAST put several in your hand before buying. Places like Whitaker’s in Owensboro give you an opportunity to do so. Handguns are not all created equal & feel is important. If you are not planning to become a marksman, I’d recommend going with a large caliber, then it’s not as important where you hit someone.😉 .45 is my preference for pp.

 

[kkott]

are you coming to Indiana? Get ahold of me and we will figure this shit out. Lol.

I'm planning to, but haven't really even thought about dates for a trip yet. My son came with me last year so I'm waiting to see if we're doing a repeat.

 

[Hank Reardon]

If you want a handgun (which is what I wanted), I narrowed it down to a Glock 17 or 19. They are reputedly very reliable, ammo is easy to find and pretty cheap.

Lol. Have you priced ammo recently? JHP, Jacketed Hollow Points, or "killin' ammo," is almost 2 bucks a round for 9 mm for your Glock 17. So it'll cost you $34 to load one magazine.

True, you don't need that much JHP unless yo're planning a violent night out, but even FMJ range ammo is nearly $1 per round right now, unless you're buying 1000 round containers and then you can get it for $0.80 per round. So even your cheap ass range ammo is going to cost $15 to $17 per magazine to shoot at the range. It doesn't take that long to go through $200 of "cheap" ammo.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

Remington 1187 .12 gauge semi-auto - 5 shells without bird plug

Enders side-by-side barrel .20 gauge

Glock 9mm handgun - standard

Hunting/skinning knife

Pepper spray

Mizuno 2 thru wedge steel shaft - stiff

 

[76-1]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

Operating under the premise that you may actually have to use it... : Personally..., I'd go with either a .357 caliber revolver or a .45 caliber semi-automatic...

I like the tried and true history of the .45 in that even if you miss center mass and wound a guy in the extremities there's a good chance you'll knock him down and stun him temporarily... Either caliber should take down all but the most drug addled criminal...

A revolver, when utilitized correctly is technically somewhat safer and more reliable than the semi-auto..., although I've only experienced one misfire (and no jams) over thousands of rounds put thru a .45 Auto( and I blame that on a shitty primer)...

So..., all that said..., I guess your choice is the .357 revolver (the plus with that is that it shoots .38's too [although the smart move is to train with what you may have to shoot]).The big problem these days isn't finding a firearm to buy..., its finding the ammunition for it... People are clearly hoarding and it's become tough to come up with the top of the line stuff (such as Hornady or Federal)...

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Lol. Have you priced ammo recently? JHP, Jacketed Hollow Points, or "killin' ammo," is almost 2 bucks a round for 9 mm for your Glock 17. So it'll cost you $34 to load one magazine.

True, you don't need that much JHP unless yo're planning a violent night out, but even FMJ range ammo is nearly $1 per round right now, unless you're buying 1000 round containers and then you can get it for $0.80 per round. So even your cheap ass range ammo is going to cost $15 to $17 per magazine to shoot at the range. It doesn't take that long to go through $200 of "cheap" ammo.

How much can I get for a box of 50 9mm tulammo steel casings you think??. Might or might not have went slap happy on cheap ammo a few years back.

 

[anon_6hv78pr714xta]

Lol. Have you priced ammo recently? JHP, Jacketed Hollow Points, or "killin' ammo," is almost 2 bucks a round for 9 mm for your Glock 17. So it'll cost you $34 to load one magazine.

True, you don't need that much JHP unless yo're planning a violent night out, but even FMJ range ammo is nearly $1 per round right now, unless you're buying 1000 round containers and then you can get it for $0.80 per round. So even your cheap ass range ammo is going to cost $15 to $17 per magazine to shoot at the range. It doesn't take that long to go through $200 of "cheap" ammo.

No I have not. I guess I meant relative to most others since 9mm is one of (the?) most popular caliber for handguns. The stuff I looked at was all pre Covid. I know the prices they were quoting for what a good, used Glock would cost were about 1/2 what I was finding online during Covid. I didn’t realize ammo prices were that expensive.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I don’t own a gun. I have no plans to ever own a gun. I have no “personal protection.” I’m just an odds guy and figure the .0001% I get murdered in a home invasion won’t happen.

It won’t be a home invasion. You will be driving along. A mob will block the street and pull you from your vehicle. It will be a mostly peaceful event.

 

[Chant4Noort]

What to carry and why is one of those questions for which you're gonna get a variety of answers. I've owned various types of firearms since my teenage years and still do. I have a 100 yd range and shooting bench on my property. I also carried a one as a LE officer for over 30yrs. So I'll toss out some things for you to consider, some of which you are probably already aware.

First, be sure you are willing to use a pistol if and when the time comes (this means to take a life). If not, find another answer for your needs. When you bring a gun to an incident it belongs to the person who gets access to it first and is willing to use it - be it you or the bad guy. Be kind of ironic (in a bad way) to be killed by your own gun.

If you buy a pistol, don't carry it until you've received training on its operation and safety procedures. Then go to a range and shoot at least a few hundred rounds and are comfortable with it. If you change your mind, you'll have no problem getting nearly what you paid for it back. Obviously you'll need to get a permit to carry it regularly away from home or business or to / from the range.

At the same time, get a gun safe that can be bolted down, is secure around kids, and can be accessed relatively quickly at night in a dark room. I have a Fort Knox FTK-PB. Simple, safe, won't break the bank and can be opened in total darkness. The most likely person to be killed by a gun is the owner or family member, especially children - so keep it locked up.

As far as the gun, I would suggest a Glock mdl 43. It's small enough to carry w/o advertising you're packing. The newer 9mm rounds are very effective and are among the most cost effective. While some like larger calibers for the extra knockdown power, on the practice range you will find with less recoil you can concentrate on form and accuracy. rather than muzzle flip. As far as accuracy, most gun battles will occur within a few feet, so practice in close, moving away from the threat toward cover while firing. When the sh!t hits the fan, you'll get tunnel vision, will hesitate, and when you do fire, will do so instinctively and not even use the sights.

I carried a revolver for a number of years. Give me a semi-auto any day of the week. In my house against an intruder, hard to argue against a 12ga shotgun with buckshot - aim by pointing in the general direction with less worry about killing your neighbor by a stray round.

YMMV

 

[Hank Reardon]

How much can I get for a box of 50 9mm tulammo steel casings you think??. Might or might not have went slap happy on cheap ammo a few years back.

Lol. Now THAT is cheap ammo. I haven't seen any of that in awhile, and never bought any. I've never bought steel case ammo, only brass. And Russian ammo at that!

I'm not seeing it in stock anywhere, but out of stock pricing looks like about $0.60 a round. But I don't want to blow my face off. Lol.

 

[Joe_Hoopsier]

Remington 1187 .12 gauge semi-auto - 5 shells without bird plug

Enders side-by-side barrel .20 gauge

Glock 9mm handgun - standard

Hunting/skinning knife

Pepper spray

Mizuno 2 thru wedge steel shaft - stiff

Just add

Backhoe

Alibi

and you are complete.

 

[larsIU]

Remington 1187 .12 gauge semi-auto - 5 shells without bird plug

Enders side-by-side barrel .20 gauge

Glock 9mm handgun - standard

Hunting/skinning knife

Pepper spray

Mizuno 2 thru wedge steel shaft - stiff

What, no Louisville Slugger?

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Lol. Now THAT is cheap ammo. I haven't seen any of that in awhile, and never bought any. I've never bought steel case ammo, only brass. And Russian ammo at that!

I'm not seeing it in stock anywhere, but out of stock pricing looks like about $0.60 a round. But I don't want to blow my face off. Lol.

cheaperthandirt.com and me had some wild nights after midnight. Looks like I got 900 rounds for .18 cents a pop 3 years ago.

 

[hookyIU1990]

How much can I get for a box of 50 9mm tulammo steel casings you think??. Might or might not have went slap happy on cheap ammo a few years back.

Looks like you could get $30/box

9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo

In-stock best prices for 9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo | Cheap 9mm Luger Ammunition handgun TulAmmo - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Looks like you could get $30/box

9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo

In-stock best prices for 9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo | Cheap 9mm Luger Ammunition handgun TulAmmo - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

Triple your money in three years. Good investment.

 

[Hank Reardon]

Looks like you could get $30/box

9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo

In-stock best prices for 9mm Luger Ammo handgun TulAmmo | Cheap 9mm Luger Ammunition handgun TulAmmo - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

Russian steel case for $0.60 a round. It's the end of the world.

THANKS OBAMA!

 

[All4You]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

It truly is a matter of personal preference, and your EDC choice may change several times over your life...or never for that matter. I watch a few guys online on the topic, but this is one of the guys that makes the most sense to me.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QH13V2o68zynSa0hZy9uQ

 

[iubud]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

The firearms I own aren't good for self protection in my home. I have often considered getting the shortest legal shotgun I can buy for the unlikely home intrusion. Since it is just my wife and I, something with a wide pattern wouldn't hit anyone else in the dark. I would have different options to consider on the shot used.

For now, I have a wood club that I put a leather strap on to keep it from slipping out of my hand. I keep it under our bed. I keep short heavy clubs in the pocket behind the passenger seat in our cars. I have a metal pipe with a good hand grip I keep in a concealed spot just outside the door to our garage. In the backpack I carry to work I carry a knife my dad had made for me.

I don't know if any of these could be deployed in a given situation, but I like knowing where they are and the bad guy doesn't.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Curious what others do for personal protection. I grew up in a hunting family and have been around guns, at least hunting ones, all my life. I hate the proliferation of guns, but accept that's how it is and there's no going back, so I've been weighing getting a handgun for personal protection. I would keep it in the bedroom at home, but where I feel like I need it is entering/exiting my office at odd hours. It's in an industrial area, and while not a bad area, it's pretty isolated and occassionally I see folks cruising by that sometimes look a little sketchy.

I'd originally thought I'd just get a revolver because I felt it's the simplest operation and more reliable with fewer moving parts. I watch a guy on youtube that does self-protection videos though and he suggests carrying as many rounds in your weapon as you can, and says in civilian gunfights, you generally won't have the chance to reload. Just curious to get some feedback on weapons, classes and other tips experienced folks my have for self-protection.

If you have a gun, you dramatically increase the likelihood that you die by gunshot, and by far the most likely perpetrator of that gunshot is yourself. This isn't a small decision. Take some classes, get proper training, and figure out what's right for you. This is one issue where you should not simply troll for advice on the interwebz. It's too dangerous and too important. Do your homework, and I'm sure you'll find the right choice for your situation.

 

[The Vid]

It won’t be a home invasion. You will be driving along. A mob will block the street and pull you from your vehicle. It will be a mostly peaceful event.

Don’t eat the orange acid.

 

[IUINSB]

Don’t eat the orange acid.

Way, way, way too late.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Don’t eat the orange acid.

It’s all fun and games until the Manson’s carve the turkey.

And it was the brown, man. So like the Revisionist pop culture must stop! We’re gonna rally against it! We’re gonna levitate the Pentagon man. History must stay, like, history, man. Woodstock matters man. You can’t be like misremembering the trip, dude. Peace and love with the hippie chicks need like, honesty.

Don’t bogart the colors man. You gotta fly the Orange Man trip with fruit or something.

 

[kkott]

If you have a gun, you dramatically increase the likelihood that you die by gunshot, and by far the most likely perpetrator of that gunshot is yourself. This isn't a small decision. Take some classes, get proper training, and figure out what's right for you. This is one issue where you should not simply troll for advice on the interwebz. It's too dangerous and too important. Do your homework, and I'm sure you'll find the right choice for your situation.

Yeah, I'm aware of that and have been watching lots of videos and plan on taking more than 1 safety course, in addition to a CCW course that's required. I may never opt to, but am in the fact-finding stage. I don't take it lightly. Frankly, my preference would be to not get a gun... if I could snap my fingers and make handguns and non-hunting weapons disappear. But, at this point, knowing that every yahoo in the world out there can carry, I feel like as a (semi) responsible person, who does take gun ownership seriously, I may need to get a gun just for protection and to level the odds.

 

[Hank Reardon]

Yeah, I'm aware of that and have been watching lots of videos and plan on taking more than 1 safety course, in addition to a CCW course that's required. I may never opt to, but am in the fact-finding stage. I don't take it lightly. Frankly, my preference would be to not get a gun... if I could snap my fingers and make handguns and non-hunting weapons disappear. But, at this point, knowing that every yahoo in the world out there can carry, I feel like as a (semi) responsible person, who does that gun ownership seriously, I may need to get a gun just for protection and to level the odds.

I'd suggest more than one class, and more than simply a beginner class. And try to take them somewhere other than one put on a place like a gun shop with a vested interest in selling you guns.

I'll just say this, the more classes I took the more convinced I was that I didn't want to carry a gun around. I have an Indiana license (which if nothing else makes it much easier to transport firearms around from place to place without worrying about arcane regulations about where they can be) but I don't think carrying one around would make me feel safer. I know I couldn't make any sort of split second decision if it ever came to that. I couldn't do it in a class setting when I knew it was coming. (Is that a length of pipe? A bottle? Can I shoot a guy with a length of pipe?) How the hell could I do it in real life?

Maybe you have those instincts. Find out before you strap a pistol on your hip.

 

[kkott]

I'd suggest more than one class, and more than simply a beginner class. And try to take them somewhere other than one put on a place like a gun shop with a vested interest in selling you guns.

I'll just say this, the more classes I took the more convinced I was that I didn't want to carry a gun around. I have an Indiana license (which if nothing else makes it much easier to transport firearms around from place to place without worrying about arcane regulations about where they can be) but I don't think carrying one around would make me feel safer. I know I couldn't make any sort of split second decision if it ever came to that. I couldn't do it in a class setting when I knew it was coming. (Is that a length of pipe? A bottle? Can I shoot a guy with a length of pipe?) How the hell could I do it in real life?

Maybe you have those instincts. Find out before you strap a pistol on your hip.

...plan on taking more than 1 safety course

maybe you misread what I said? It's hard for anyone else to understand without knowing the building where I work, but it's private property and there's really no reason for anyone to be there. Anyone approaching me there probably has malicious intent, and is already trespassing. That's where I feel really vulnerable and where most of my concern lies.

 

[Chant4Noort]

As you sound like you're still on the fence, seriously consider OC (pepper) spray. It's cheap, more portable than a handgun and non-lethal. Get the type that sprays a stream, not a fog. The key will be to spray it then get the hell outta dodge or it might be the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Get a name brand to test out and have the neighbor whose lawn your dog craps on to spray you so you can see how it feels. Have a garden hose handy and don't scratch your nutz until you are 100% certain you have it washed off your hands.

Best I can describe the initial hit to the eyes is that someone lifted the eyelids and threw sand in there. The eyes water profusely and snot pours out the nose. The burn will follow shortly and it will reactivate hours later if you get your skin wet again.

If that's your weapon of choice, buy two more bottles. A new one to carry on your person, a new one for the glove box in case you forget to bring the carry bottle, and the previously tested bottle to keep at home for the neighbor dog that's crapping on your lawn.

 

[kkott]

As you sound like you're still on the fence, seriously consider OC (pepper) spray. It's cheap, more portable than a handgun and non-lethal. Get the type that sprays a stream, not a fog. The key will be to spray it then get the hell outta dodge or it might be the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Get a name brand to test out and have the neighbor whose lawn your dog craps on to spray you so you can see how it feels. Have a garden hose handy and don't scratch your nutz until you are 100% certain you have it washed off your hands.

Best I can describe the initial hit to the eyes is that someone lifted the eyelids and threw sand in there. The eyes water profusely and snot pours out the nose. The burn will follow shortly and it will reactivate hours later if you get your skin wet again.

If that's your weapon of choice, buy two more bottles. A new one to carry on your person, a new one for the glove box in case you forget to bring the carry bottle, and the previously tested bottle to keep at home for the neighbor dog that's crapping on your lawn.

I already have some and bought 2 bottles. But, I live in the Carolinas... meaning many people assume (often correctly) that everyone has a gun. I don't see the situation I'm concerned about unfolding if the attacker doesn't have a gun, or the threat of one. I'm not real excited about spraying someone with OC spray that has a gun on me and is within short range.