# Best handgun for home defense? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402 "2003-09-03T21:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/61 "2003-09-04T18:50:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by potato\_masher \* > \*\*Why stop at handguns? Why not use something a little more heavy duty to protect your home? With all these new bills and laws I’m sure it’d be perfectly legitimate to use an assault rifle for home defense becau…, wait a second, an **assault** rifle for home **defense**? But then why do all those other people seem to need a weapon with a high rate of fire? Perhaps they plan to suprise attack the thief with a pre-emptive assault before their VCR is stolen. \*\* Nah, Assualt Rifles are too much of a hassle for self defense. $200 tax, have to keep them locked in a safe, etc. Now, an assualt weapon(or one of the lookalikes), OTOH, I could see possibly, in case the shit hit the fan. I’ve also heard that an AR-15 might possibly be conductive to home defesnive(reliable, large ammo capacity, accurate, and you are basically shooting glorfied .22’s so the risk of over penetration isn’t bad). I’d personally go with the shotgun, but I could see some people going the above route. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/62 "2003-09-04T18:52:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\*I am inclined to think that guns are largely ineffective at preventing anything. It seems like in most situations, the criminal will have the element of suprise on their side and you won’t even have time to get your gun, let alone aim and fire it. I’d spend the money on making sure nobody gets in my house in the first place. \*\* Just like there’s no point at having a fire extigusher in your house because if there’s a fire, you might not be able to get to it in time. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/63 "2003-09-04T18:56:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > \*\*I’ve also heard that an AR-15 might possibly be conductive to home defesnive(reliable, large ammo capacity, accurate, and you are basically shooting glorfied .22’s so the risk of over penetration isn’t bad). \*\* You should probably get a better source of information. Calling the round that goes into an AR-15 a “glorified” .22 is just silly. While it is not a “high-powered” rifle, like a .30-06 would be, it will still go through a house, out the other side, and keep going. The only reason to have a gun like that for home defense is if your home has a 500 yard long hallway, in which case the law will probably require you to run rather than use lethal force. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/64 "2003-09-04T19:05:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragline \* > \*\*With a gun in the house, aren’t you more likely to shoot yourself, the wife, she shoots you, herself, the kids shoot themselves, each other, etc., etc, ? I can’t recall where I saw it, but I think those deaths outnumber burglars shot. > > \*\* Actually, accident shooting are very low on the list. The study you refered to was done by a guy named Kellerman, and he made a lot of mistakes in his research. Apparently he has since revised his studies and the “risk” has fallen immensly. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/65 "2003-09-04T19:11:29Z")
- - - Ummm, actually you can get hollow-point .223 ammo, that the police use specifically in .223’s because it fragments badly going through a single piece of sheetrock. It might still go through lots of other things, but then, so would anything else. I canno remember the exact name or loading, but I remember it’s a light (50-55 gr) wide-mouth hollowpoint. …_however_… - The MAIN problem with firing rifles indoors is that the report is TREMENDOUS!!! Without hearing protection (that you won’t have time to use), it is virtually guaranteed that you’ll be temporarily totally deafened after the first shot in a typical 15’ x 20’ room. The general consensus is that you don’t need to endanger your ears in such a way. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/66 "2003-09-04T19:42:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > \*\*Just like there’s no point at having a fire extigusher in your house because if there’s a fire, you might not be able to get to it in time. :rolleyes: \*\* That is a very good point. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/67 "2003-09-04T19:49:39Z")
I’d wager the boom from a 12ga is worse than most rifles, which are bad idea anyway for home defense. And my ears are not what I would be concerned about at that moment, the general consensus would be to **prevent death or serious bodily harm to myself, my family, or another human being**. Firing a weapon at a person outside of combat should be for those reasons and those reasons only. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/68 "2003-09-04T20:39:42Z")
Jeez, fire a rifle indoors and the sound alone would kill em. Though my choice would be a blackpowder elephant gun. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/69 "2003-09-04T21:11:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > **Now, an assualt weapon(or one of the lookalikes), OTOH, I could see possibly, in case the shit hit the fan. I’ve also heard that an AR-15 might possibly be conductive to home defesnive(reliable, large ammo capacity, accurate, and you are basically shooting glorfied .22’s so the risk of over penetration isn’t bad).** [slightly OT] An AR-15? Fergetit. An assault carbine (which is what the AR-15 is) excels at _nothing_ IMO. Well, I take that back. I guess it’s the ideal rifle for “assault rifle shooting competitions,” but that’s about it. Other than that, it’s an $800 Mattel toy. If you want a _real_ assault rifle I would suggest getting a **main battle rifle** such as an M1A, FAL, AR-10, or H&K 91. [/slightly OT] ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/70 "2003-09-04T21:15:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by js\_africanus \* > \*\*You should probably get a better source of information. Calling the round that goes into an AR-15 a “glorified” .22 is just silly. While it is not a “high-powered” rifle, like a .30-06 would be, it will still go through a house, out the other side, and keep going. The only reason to have a gun like that for home defense is if your home has a 500 yard long hallway, in which case the law will probably require you to run rather than use lethal force. \*\* I’ve actually been privy to gun buffs arguing over this issue. Some have stated that an .223 round has LESS chance of overpentration then a 12 gauge shotgun. I don’t personally believe it, but it was interesting to listen. I’d personally only try it if I lived out in the boonies, and had several hundred yards of clearance on between my house and the next. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/71 "2003-09-04T22:40:35Z")
somebody from texas just said something they shouldn’t have. don’t be so damn indiscreet. there are penalties for that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/72 "2003-09-04T23:26:22Z")
Are Glock 17’s legal in the house? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/73 "2003-09-04T23:54:46Z")
Um, people? You don’t necessarily want an expensive gun for this purpose. Because, gods forbid, you should have to use it, the Police are very probably going to take it. And then there are legal issues over the weapon. Shooting 15 rounds from an AR-15 into the bad guy’s chest doesn’t quite look like self-defense. You might very well have the same issues if you put some 00 shot through his chest. If you use #4 through #8 shot, it looks a lot better, PR wise. And then there are the lawsuits from the badguy’s survivors, who will no doubt wail and gnash their teeth in horror at your killing their dear husband/son/brother in cold blood with such an evil weapon. Of course they require mucho dinero from you in compensation for their anguish. Besides your own trauma induced problems… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/74 "2003-09-04T23:59:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > \*\*Just like there’s no point at having a fire extigusher in your house because if there’s a fire, you might not be able to get to it in time. :rolleyes: \*\* Well, no, that’s not it at all. I think there’s no point in having something AS DANGEROUS AS A GUN (I have small children) in your house if the effectiveness doesn’t exceed the possible negative consequences. My kids might get out the fire extinguisher and shoot it, but that’s not gonna make us end up on the 11 O’Clock news. Besides, I’m not paranoid, so people’s perceived “need” for guns is simply laughable to me, albeit sometimes scarily so. If you don’t have small children, fine, be an arsenal, doesn’t bother me a bit. Sorry for the hijack, just wanted to clear that up. For me, it’s about safety and effectiveness, which for me, a gun provides neither. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/75 "2003-09-05T02:48:31Z")
By **An Arky** : “Besides, I’m not paranoid, so people’s perceived “need” for guns is simply laughable to me, albeit sometimes scarily so.” Yet…IIRC, at least three posters in this thread alone have stated that they’ve “needed” to use their home defense wepon. Sometimes by just showing it or racking the action, but it was still used. I’m glad I’ve got mine. Don’t keep one if you don’t want to, but IMHO it’s better to have a gun and not need it than to need it and not have it. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/76 "2003-09-05T03:05:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\* Well, no, that’s not it at all. I think there’s no point in having something AS DANGEROUS AS A GUN (I have small children) in your house if the effectiveness doesn’t exceed the possible negative consequences. If you don’t have small children, fine, \*\* Concern for the safety of children is a valid concern. Obviously, people who have children either have to remove all dangerous items from the home, or else teach the children respect for them and to not use them except under supervision. If you can not/or will not, control/teach your own children, then you must take extra special precautions. An irresponsible/disobeying child should never have any access to guns or knives, etc. Period!!! Obviously, if you have no control over your children and they will/could get into anything, then you should NOT leave loaded unlocked guns in the house, your butcher knives in the kitchen should NEVER be left unlocked, and your car keys should NEVER be placed anywhere a child could get them if left unattended. Better to be safe than sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/77 "2003-09-05T03:09:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Susanann \* > \*\*Any gun is better than no gun. > > Dont underestimate the lowly .22. I dont recommend it, but I dont underestimate it either. > \*\* Ummm… Didja miss where I said that the .22lr was fairly dangerous? Yes, it can kill, and is NOT to be taken lightly. It’s _also_ absolutely NOT a reliable ‘stopper.’ Period. Sure, it can be quite lethal, but the instances where a .22lr stopped someone quickly are by _far_ outnumbered by the cases where it failed utterly. For every person you can show me that was actually stopped cold by a .22lr, I’ll find you three that walked away. In fact, I’ll bet you a beer on that. _ **If** _ you’re a good marksman, and _know_ that you’re ready, willing, and _able_ to shoot without flinch or tremble, then a .22lr-chambered firearm _may_ be a good choice for you. Damned few people meet those qualifications. That said, you are entirely _correct_ that if you’re in need, then any firearm is better than none. The main advantage to .22lr is that it’s cheap to shoot, and easy on the shooter, so you can practice much, much more with one. The .22WMR is reasonably powerful, but I’d still reserve that for desperation, or for the real marksmen. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/78 "2003-09-05T04:43:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*somebody from texas just said something they shouldn’t have. > > don’t be so damn indiscreet. > > there are penalties for that. \*\* Did I miss something? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/79 "2003-09-05T05:31:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chimera \* > \*\*Um, people? > > You don’t necessarily want an expensive gun for this purpose. Because, gods forbid, you should have to use it, the Police are very probably going to take it. > > And then there are legal issues over the weapon. Shooting 15 rounds from an AR-15 into the bad guy’s chest doesn’t quite look like self-defense. You might very well have the same issues if you put some 00 shot through his chest. If you use #4 through #8 shot, it looks a lot better, PR wise. > > And then there are the lawsuits from the badguy’s survivors, who will no doubt wail and gnash their teeth in horror at your killing their dear husband/son/brother in cold blood with such an evil weapon. Of course they require mucho dinero from you in compensation for their anguish. > > Besides your own trauma induced problems… \*\* You’re right, but I was looking more at the practical side(and I shouldn’t have called the .223 a glorfied .22). Though, one could say that it’s better to be judged by 12 then carried by 6. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402/80 "2003-09-05T05:39:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\* Besides, I’m not paranoid, so people’s perceived “need” for guns is simply laughable to me, albeit sometimes scarily so. > \*\* So, if you are worried about crime and just rely on locks(and the chance the cops will make it in time to save you), you are a normal person, but if you are worried about crime and have a gun in case they get past the locks, you are obviously paranoid. Nice double standred there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-handgun-for-home-defense/199402.md?page=5)