As I have stated previous on this blog, I have two firearms in my home. One is an ancient .16 gauge shotgun that belonged to my grandpa. The other is a .22 rifle. Neither have been fired in over 30 years. So, I have been thinking for a long time to get something for home defense. I am worried about the economic situation in this country. I know what desperate people will do when they do not have food on the table. I've seen it first hand during my life while I was overseas as a young sailor in the U.S. Navy. I decided I better get a weapon that will be greatly feared. There is not much that scares people more than a .12 gauge shotgun. I had considered a handgun. But, I decided a shotgun will strike more fear in the hearts of any would-be criminal. I have thought about someone breaking into my home while I was sleeping. I figured my beagle, Ralph, would alarm me if someone tried to do that. He would bark like the hounds of hell if someone tried to break-in. But, then what? How do I defend myself?
I talked to a number of friends about what I should buy. Some suggested a handgun which I had already decided against. But, others suggested a shotgun. I am not a hunter. So, my knowledge of guns is very limited. I do have a friend that is a hunter. He told me for home defense nothing is better than the Mossberg Maverick .12 gauge shotgun. I decided to check it out on the internet. It is priced less than $200 which is about what I was willing to spend. It is well built and should last me the rest of my life. So, I went to a local gun dealer and found one. Honestly, I held it in my hands and did not know what I was going to do. I bought the Mossberg Maverick and brought it home. I was a bit nervous around it at first. But, after reviewing the manual on loading and unloading, I am more secure around the shotgun. It is a fearsome looking weapon. I can't imagine wanting to break into someone's home knowing this could be awaiting me. I now have warning stickers on certain windows of my house. I want to warn a burglar what could happen to him if he makes the mistake of entering my home. Taking another person's life is not something one should take lightly. But, if it comes down to myself or the burglar, it is the burglar that will be in trouble. I do feel a lot more secure with this shotgun in my home. I hope and pray I never have to use it. But, at least now I don't feel nervous if I hear something at night that doesn't sound right.
4 comments:
FYI: You might also want to check up on the laws. Shooting an unarmed burglar that is after the silver candle sticks, while unfortunate and scary, doesn't give you a defense for blowing their brains out. It would falls under the heading of murder or at the very least manslaughter. 'Make my day' law is not a blanket defense.
My personal rule of thumb is the same as if my house is on fire-get the *&%&^* out as fast as possible. I have a plan for every room. The only way someone is going to get hurt is if they get between me and the door while I'm on my way out. (Or they kill my dog-that changes the rules of engagement)
Anon,
I have to disagree with you on a murder charge. If someone is breaking and entering your home, you have the right to self-defense in Alabama (similar to the stand your ground defense in FL). I would not shoot first and ask questions later with an unarmed burglar. Honestly, do you think someone who without at least a knife would break into a home? I don't. I have a plan also. I would give him or her one chance to spread eagle on the floor. If they walk toward me, I will open fire. I will not run out of my own house. If the burglar is smart, HE will run out. Thanks for your comment.
Every state does have different laws so that might well be the way to do things there if someone breaks in. There are many scenarios that would have to be considered, I think. I live in Colorado. I took a class to get an idea of what to do and the attorney that was giving the lecture suggested only using deadly force if necessary-he passed out his cards right after he was done speaking. The way he explained Colorado law was quite an eye-opener.
P.S. I was a single woman at the time, living alone, the only time I was burgled. I wasn't home so I have no idea if the dude had a weapon. I walked in a few feet, looked around, realized what happened and backed out the way I came in and called the police. After that I figured out better way to secure my house. At that time and 20 years later I didn't have a gun. To put this in perspective I had been a police dispatcher before I moved up to that house. That said, I reacted much differently then I thought I would. I just didn't go all 'mean bad b******' like I thought I would. Hard to say.
Hope you never have any such experience. Not fun.
It's hard to say what you will do when confronted in a certain scenario. I just feel the person illegally entering my home is the one who needs to feel threatened, especially with all my warning signs of being armed with a .12 gauge shotgun. Taking a human life is not something to take lightly, as I stated in my blog post. It would haunt me my entire life. But, I would definitely give the burglar the opportunity to save their life by running out of the house before I called the cops. The decision to use deadly force would not be my decision. It would be the actions of the burglar that would necessitate the use of deadly force.
In some respects this reminds me of the example of the woman who was faced by a robber one Christmas several years ago in my area. She offered to give the robber all her money, credit cards and Christmas purchases (she had parked far away in a department store parking lot one late afternoon). He then ordered her into the car. She refused. He then shot her in the face. She died three days later. Face with the same circumstances, I would have done as the woman. If I am going to be shot, I want it to be in front of security cameras and eye witnesses (which ultimately led to the robber/murderer's capture).
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