A friend of mine just had a baby and is concerned about someone breaking into his house and causing harm to his family. He’s now considering purchasing a weapon for his home to defend himself.
I told him that having a baby in and of itself doesn’t increase the chance of someone breaking into your home. Is that actually true?
I told him that the odds of someone invading his house (he lives in a nice neighborhood in the SF Bay Area) are still extremely small. How unlikely is it?
I also told him that while buying a gun, which he would have to leave loaded somewhere, would theoretically provide him security it’s more likely to hurt someone innocently than actually be used to protect himself or his family. Is that really true?
As far as what weapon to get he was thinking about a taser or a handgun of some kind. I suggested that if he was going to get a gun that a shotgun was probably the best choice since you don’t have to worry as much about accuracy and a taser might just make somebody mad enough to shoot you.
My sense is that unless you live in a crime infested neighborhood the odds of someone breaking into your house while you are home is slim, and the chances of you (or someone else) accidentally hurting someone you know with your gun is greater than actually stopping a bad guy. Is my premise correct?
He can get stats on break-ins from the local police department. He might also be able to get crime stats from the insurance company that provides his homeowner’s policy.
Most police departments have a safety officer on staff whose job it is to visit residents’ homes and advise them on measures they can take to make their houses more burglar-proof. Typical suggestions include bars on the windows, better exterior lighting, and alarm systems. Your friend should call his PD to make an appointment. There are also private security consultants who will provide the same service for a fee.
Doubtful. Also doubtful is whether you’ll be able find a definitive answer. I can say that the two most common citations for a statement similar to this given by gun control groups are based on studies for which the methodology is questionable.
In the first, it is claimed that a gun in the home is “43 times more likely to kill a family member than a crimimal.” This comes from a 1986 study by Arthur Kellerman published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The deaths in the study include suicides. In fact, the suicides comprise a whopping 86% of the total deaths (36 of 43) included here. There are many, many studies over many regions worldwide which show that suicide rates show no positive correlation with the availability of guns.
In the other widely distributed claim, it is said that "58% of murder victims are killed by either relatives or acquaintances. This claim comes out of the same flawed Kellerman study. In this instance “relatives and acquaintances” can mean: participants in a drug deal; a prostitute & her/his customer; cab drivers & their fares. The claim also glosses over the fact that over 70% of the deceased among those murdered have prior convictions for criminal activity.
I’d be curious as to any statistics that show home break-ins when no one is home vs. when someone is home.
I’d think cases of home invasions while the residents are home are very rare and occur more in high-crime areas.
I wouldn’t have thought it sensible to keep a loaded firearm - presumably a shotgun - around. Surely unloaded with the cartridges close to hand would be better?
Is there any reason your friend is suddenly more worried about a home invasion other than as a new parent he’s just feeling more protective?
There’s plently of good reasons to own a gun that don’t necessarily include as a means of home defense since there are plenty of ways to protect against a home invasion, including stronger doors and frames, a peephole, intercom, using a little sensible caution, etc.
I keep a gun in the house for home protection but to be honest the one time someone tried a home invasion I was so busy struggling with him to keep him out that I didn’t have time to get my gun. It was of no use to me whatsoever. It’s not like you’ll usually get much of a warning that such an encounter is imminient.
Now, if other things safety wise are bothering him, buying a gun may be a good choice. But simple parental protection might not warrant what is no trivial acquisition.
I presume your friend does not sell or buys drugs, has had a roommate who has sold or bought drugs, lives in a neighborhood where drugs is sold or bought. :o
If it’s kept in a legal manner, a gun makes a fine blunt object to hurl at an intruder. If you’re lucky, you’ll knock the bad guy unconscious.
Your friend has a new baby. Soon, the baby will be like all other babies and be very inquisitive and want to touch everything they see. Sooner or later, they’ll see the gun.
Is it loaded? If so, it’s got a trigger lock, right? If not, that’s a felony just waiting to happen.
OK, so it is locked in an approved case, or it has a trigger lock. Someone’s trying to break in. What are the chances that your friend, the gun and the key will all be in the same spot? Unless they carry the gun in one pocket and the key in the other at all times, the chances are pretty low.
IMO, the money to buy a gun would be better spent on reinforcing the door jambs, outside lighting, trimming back bushes, and even signing up for alarm service (eg: ADT, Bay Alarm, Brinks or Protection One).
My husband works in a prison. I can’t provide formal statistics, but I can tell you that most of the guys who are in there for breaking and entering did so while no one was home, or thought no one was home.
Most of the time, when confronted by a homeowner, a buglar will turn and flee. Just because you’re a thief doesn’t mean you’re willing to do murder.
Most thieves are looking for an easy score. They want to dash in, grab something they can sell for a few bucks and dash out. The best way to burglar-proof your home is to make it a pain in the butt to enter. Get a barking dog (size or breed doesn’t necessarily matter-- it’s the noise and potential for a bite which makes them think twice about going inside.) Plant prickly thorn bushes beneath your windows. Get motion sensing lights. Keep your doors and windows locked (many thieves won’t break a window beacuse of the noise and they might get cut.)
Your friend’s chances of a stranger busting the door down with the intent of killing his family is virtually nil. If he pisses someone off, that’s another story, but home invasion by a stranger is extremely rare. If, by some remote chance, someone does, the chances that the gun will be readily available are slim. (What if he’s watching TV and the gun is in the bedroom?)
Your friend has to weigh that against the potential risks of gun ownership. Many a child has figured out how to unlock daddy’s guncase. Just recently, a boy in my area was killed when a friend pointed a not-loaded shotgun at his chest.
My husband works in a prison. I can’t provide formal statistics, but I can tell you that most of the guys who are in there for breaking and entering did so while no one was home, or thought no one was home.
Most of the time, when confronted by a homeowner, a buglar will turn and flee. Just because you’re a thief doesn’t mean you’re willing to do murder.
Most thieves are looking for an easy score. They want to dash in, grab something they can sell for a few bucks and dash out. The best way to burglar-proof your home is to make it a pain in the butt to enter. Get a barking dog (size or breed doesn’t necessarily matter-- it’s the noise and potential for a bite which makes them think twice about going inside.) Plant prickly thorn bushes beneath your windows. Get motion sensing lights. Keep your doors and windows locked (many thieves won’t break a window beacuse of the noise and they might get cut.)
Your friend’s chances of a stranger busting the door down with the intent of killing his family is virtually nil. If he pisses someone off, that’s another story, but home invasion by a stranger is extremely rare. If, by some remote chance, someone does, the chances that the gun will be readily available are slim. (What if he’s watching TV and the gun is in the bedroom?)
Your friend has to weigh that against the potential risks of gun ownership. Many a child has figured out how to unlock daddy’s guncase. Just recently, a boy in my area was killed when a friend pointed a not-loaded shotgun at his chest.
Most of the other replies seem on the mark, but I still want to add my bit…
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Even if Joburg’s reputation for crime is exaggerated there is no doubt that this city is quite dangerous. I’m not sure whether to laugh or sigh when I hear about the fear of crime in my home country, the USA.
A homeowner’s having a gun won’t deter a thief from attempting to gain entry to the home. A weapon may convince an otherwise bellicose robber to run and it may also cue an intruder to resort to their own weapon. Robbers don’t want to hurt the people they rob - they want their stuff. As others have said, the price of a gun (and training, etc.) will certainly be better spent on physical security precautions (including alarms).
For my own part, I thought about it but decided not to keep a gun in Joburg. I have owned a gun before for home protection - a shotgun - but that was when I lived in a place where people were hostile because we were Americans (and not because they wanted our things).
Far better to worry about road safety. Crime? Pshhht. The most dangerous thing this fellow can do with his new family is to get behind the wheel of his car and venture out onto the road (and that would be true even here in Joburg).
I believe your premise is correct. There may or may not be stats on the number of people who have actually fired on an intruder, but my guess is the numbers are extremely low. The numbers of a “protection” gun hurting a loved one are much higher. And I’d imagine the number of “protection” guns actually STOPPING an intruder are low as well (if it’s locked up safely, you probably won’t get to it in time to protect yourself). I’m sure someone who is a gun proponent will have some numbers (and I’d guess their numbers will be pretty much in line with my guess).
He can find out the number and type of crimes in his neighborhood. (I tried a search and there was no response from the server. Maybe he’ll have better luck.)
I hope you can talk him out of it. Babies grow into inquisitive kids. I’ve heard more stories about children finding the “securely locked up gun” and hurting themselves or others than I have of people protecting their families. Not to mention the suicide factor or the burglary where your “protection” gun is stolen and used in crimes against others. YMMV.
I presume home invasion in the USA is much like home invasion in Australia. It is extremely uncommon, the victims are generally a deliberate target and it is most common among ethnic groups who don’t like involving the police. The Vietnamese gangs victimize both criminal and affluent Vietnamese families, the Chinese gangs target the Chinese etc.
I would be surprised if there are 2 “random” home invasions a year in Australia. Most that appear to be random are some kind of mistake.