Yes I own firearms, all that fall into what the media inevitably categorize as "assault weapons", a knee jerk and intellectually vapid phrase which annoys me intensely but not enough to shoot at the press....

All my firearms, bar the Remington shotgun, are "different", Robinson Arms XCR rifle, CZ 75 SP01 pistols, Kel-Tec RFB bullpup etc., I was never one to follow the herd.

I was brought up fom age 13 handling firearms upto and including squad automatic weapons at my cadet force at my boarding school and spent a thoroughly enjoyable time converting tax payer money into noise in the Army with everything upto and including 105mm.

Now as alluded to already and as I regularly ram down the throat of Birthers, the Constitution and the laws which fall from it are NOT a pick'n mix. The Second Amendment is an incorporated right, part of the Constitution and that's the end of it. If an Amendment wended it weary way through the necessay hoops that superceded the 2nd then all well and good.

I enjoy shooting, it is one of the few sports out there were age and increasing stoutness don't necessarily make you a worse practitioner and can actually take you down an enjoyment of the technicalities of firearms use, handloading your own ammunition to wring out accuracy, range, consistency etc.

Unfortunately, just as with healthcare, contraception and abortion (to name but 3) the whole issue has become so emotive and polarizing that is almost impossible to have a dispassionate and analytical approach to the whole issue of any element of responsible firearms ownership.

MO...YMMV

Upside of gun in house possible self protection -
downside - killing one of your kids that wanted to surprise you coming home from the Stan in one piece. Having one of the little grand kids play Cowboys and Indians.
With a gun, even one minor little slip up results in the 3 year old killing himself with mommy's boyfriends gun etc. Children are killed day in and day out cause the adult were either incompetent, careless, or just this once I don't feel like locking it - it will be OK.

If a burglar is unarmed you might lose your house and retirement. Shooting an unarmed person is generally frowned upon.

Linkie Linkie

http://www.realworldselfdefense.com/Non ... eapons.php

This site offers a multitude of NON lethal self defense weapons from Tasers to pepper spray to batons.

These offer an alternative to common situations without getting yourself into a manslaughter charge.

And if you shoot yourself with the Taser (while cleaning it - swear is wasn't loaded) you don't need an ambulance or clean up crew. You're just kinda messed up for a bit.

Gonna git me one of them pens ...

They're pretty kewl.

There are a whole lot more sites listing all kinds of stuff from blinding light to highly amplified sound and everything in between. It is not only the police who have access to non lethal devices.

I lurves me some Google

I don't own a gun and I don't lock my doors when i'm at home. Living in fear sounds lame.

I grew up with lots of guns in the house. Shotguns, rifles, pistols, BB-guns and except for the pistols, they were used a lot for hunting game that was brought home and eaten. I did my share of target practice with them. I am not pro-gun or anti-gun. I would like to see a lot more effort made to keep them out of the hands of the criminals and the mentally unstable. I think it should be a priority.

I do not own a gun but I collect edged weaponry. I have Claymores taller than I am standing in the corners, machetes, bolos, kris, dirks, and double-headed axes here and there and in unlikely spots.

I carry pepper spray on my key chain. It's like the first one on the link above:

http://www.bushipower.com/page/BS/PROD/PepperShot/PS-1

A Tire Buddy is a very cheap defensive tool to keep close at hand.

http://www.12volt-travel.com/16-wooden- ... -7398.html

Most people do not recognize it or how useful it can be. About as low-tech as you can get.

I do not own any weapons (well unless you count knives, and big ones at that) other than Cueball. Anyone who looks at him standing at the front window ready to eat anyone who walks through the front door is, to be honest, entitled to the damn TV if he (or she) can get passed him.

Old story, when I was a kid we had a magnificent ex-show boxer named Danny, he had been shown, and then bred and then retired and we got him from the breeder as a retirement dog. One night a burglar broke into the house. Danny shot down the stairs and tore the shit out of the burglar. We called the police and when they arrived my Mum apologized for the big pool of pee at the bottom of the stairs. Danny was so scared that he peed himself as he attacked the burglar. The young Police Constable looked at Danny, looked at the pee and said "are you sure it was the Dog? Cause if that thing had come down the stairs at me I would have done more than pee myself". They caught the burglar, he showed up at the Emergency Room that night with his arm almost ripped off. Keep your weapons, I'll stick with my boxer.

The most low tech gadget you can get is a set of keys. When I was in the Navy I was taught self-defense. The best weapon for a woman is a set of keys in her hand, each individual key placed in between each finger. It can do a lot of damage to a potential attackers face when smashed in with enough force.

That's how I walk when I go to the PO or some other place that's unattended at night.

It's enough to let one stride with confidence (which in itself tends to discourage anyone messing with one), while at the same time, not tempting to one to do anything other than run unless it's just not possible.

If you own a gun, DO NOT dial 911 for police "assistance". They do NOT know you're the one that called and they WILL abuse you if you have the gun in sight when they show up.

Heh, I should have put this into this thread rather than the other one

Along a similar line is the "armed citizen" who may get in the crossfire between police and the bad guy. Also, if the person doesn't know how to use it properly, no point in carrying it.
There was a guy armed when Ms. Gifford was shot. In fact there were several guns near that some store owners kept. None of them were a help to any of the dozen or more folks shot and killed. The police remarked that someone standing with a gun at a shooting scene ---- Cops are nervous especially since the Sov Cit pretty much delared war on the cops (Memphis etc) --- they tend to shoot first and ask questions later.

Carrying and using a gun just may get you killed by the cops.

Then again - just because you carry a gun doesn't mean you have to intervene in any altercation, rape, robbery etc. In that case carrying a gun makes not one whit of difference.

I tend to think there is some merit to the general concept of an armed citizenry, with any reasonably large crowd having at least a couple well-trained shooters.

Unfortunately, the most activism in this area is done by groups that have no concern for the safety and security of Americans, like the NRA, which is not an activist group, but an industry lobby the main interest of which is selling as many guns as possible. They even, when they can get away with it, openly support the mass distribution of garbage weapons like the TEC-9, a semi-automatic basically marketed to criminals.

Also unfortunately, most gun control laws appear to be written by people who have never even seen a gun. The idiotic definitions of what constitutes an "assault weapon" are a prime example.

I think American gun policy is stupid to the point of being retarded. I am entirely for the Second Amendment, as it is part of the Constitution. However, no right is unlimited. The Amendment itself includes the language "well-regulated," which cannot mean nothing.

I know many people who own guns and have concealed-carry permits. I am not frightened in the least by this.

I am, frankly, weirded out by people who live in dense urban areas where every criminal who wants a gun can buy one at will from a car trunk without walking more than a couple blocks, but where no law-abiding citizen can have one for protection. That makes no sense at all to me.

I am not feeling warm & fuzzy about guns at the moment. Easter Sunday, mr shtupp & I having made our monthy
Sojourn to the mainland, ie florida, were traveling down 95 south and heard a terrible racket eminating from the driver's side door just after a lone car driven by a single lone male had Almost side swiped us . We thought the other car
Had stirred up road trash only after we arrived at our destinAtion did we discover a large 9mm bullet hole in the
Front drivers side door . The window motor stopped entry of the bullet into us, interior etc. Though not religious
Person I prayed for the shooter that he would find a different path . insurance company told me, this isnt a first .

Sorry for typos, how do you get this silly iPad to stop correcting for you?

This was not in dade county.

Wow, talk about scary!! I'm glad you and the Mr. weren't injured -- or worse. It's ironic in one way. I've always said that there are a lot of idiots that I don't think should be allowed to drive. And these are the same folks who I definitely feel should not have access to guns. I should have added -- and heaven forbid these idiots drive AND have a gun in the car.

I hate tailgaters with a passion. The first thing I do if someone is following too close is tap the brakes so hopefully they'll back off. I stopped doing this when I lived in Texas because there were more than a few cases where road rage led to gun play.

Again, so glad your both safe!

Thanks. What is far more concerning is this isn't a first .

So glad you're OK and the only damage was to your nerves and vehicle.

My husband was driving down the interstate several years ago and thought a rock had been thrown up and hit his windshield. When he got to work he checked the damage and it was a bullet that broke it. It went in the front windshield and then hit and broke the rear passenger window. He still doesn't like to drive on that part of the interstate.

So glad the industry lobby called the NRA wants every insane asshole and criminal to be able to buy a huge arsenal to drive up their profits.

It's too bad responsible gun rights advocates do not realize that this ultimately endangers their own rights. These corporations are only interested in their own short-term profits.

That means freely available trash weapons of the kinds that idiots use to shoot at random motorists for no reason.

wow. Sugar, so sorry it happened to you to. I agree with Legal. the NRA is only interested in profits and the old RWNJ's dont give a chit who has guns. even if they are criminals.
it happened again... today in south florida.

Lived in San Antonio in the 80's when you couldn't have a concealed weapon. There as at least one running gunfight on the roads around there where there's a gun in car. Instead of a glove box Texas car dealers call it a 'gun box'. If you wanted the automatic (as in MAC9 etc) gun box, you had to purchase a custom dash on the south-side.