How foolish would I be to keep a realistic-looking toy BB gun at home to deter intruders?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m pretty sure this idea has significant downside, but wanted the Dopers to give the harsh feedback anyway. Blast away at me (no pun intended…..okay, maybe it was.)

First off, a real handgun costs $400-900, and I don’t want to spend that much money. An ultra-realistic looking toy gun that is a virtual replica of the real thing costs just $20-40.

Secondly, I don’t want to jump through the legal hoops of gun ownership.

Thirdly, real bullets have toxic lead, and I don’t want that.

Fourthly, the most common form of gun injury in America is self-harm or harm to someone in the house (whether intentionally or by accident,) and having a fake gun eliminates the dangers of a real gun.

Fifthly, shooting with gas-powered BBs is a fun airsoft activity in its own right. Buying pepper spray or a Taser wouldn’t have the recreational fun of an airsoft pistol.

Sixthly, the chances of an intruder breaking into my apartment are so statistically low that it’s not worth it to spend $700 on a real gun.

Seventhly, I live in Texas, and the rate of real-gun ownership is so high among folks here that an intruder who saw me pull out a realistic-looking black gun would have to believe it’s the real thing, since so many people here in Texas do in fact have real guns at home.

The downside of this, of course, is that if an intruder did break into my home and I had to use lethal force, a BB gun isn’t lethal and he could call my bluff. But it at least has a chance to make him flee. And if it’s gotten to that point, that the guy is in my living room, then, frankly, I probably stood a high chance of being harmed or killed by him (or a group of intruders) anyway, no big difference in odds.

I wouldn’t be carrying the gun around in public, so I wouldn’t run afoul of concealed-carry laws or cops thinking I’m packing real heat.

Anyhow, I’m sure there are many reasons this is a bad idea. Have at it.

2

I don’t see any major disadvantages other than the one you’ve already mentioned, that if the intruder calls your bluff you’re screwed. But like you said, if you flash a gun and the guy doesn’t run away, you’re probably not more screwed than you would have been without the gun.

3

The only thing toxic about bullet lead is if you get it inside of you at high speed.

No gun is better than a fake gun. You’ll look silly in the newspaper articles dead with a toy gun.

Get.a baseball bat, billy club, pepper spray, really large knife, something that give you a chance.

4

That’s really the analysis. It’s not between two choices, but three: No gun, BB gun, real gun. Just considering an intruder situation, setting aside all the ancillary issues, real better than BB better than nothing.

Brandishing a gun is a huge increment in violence potential from the other party’s POV. Whatever thoughts the bad guy may have had about doing you violence as opposed to just stealing your shit & scaring you a lot will change completely when he sees your gun, real or fake. He will either flee, or attack the shit outta you. ANd you have no way to predict which or what the odds of each reaction is. You with a BB gun may well have just caused you own death when absent the gun he’d have been happy to wave his knife, have you retreat, and he goes to get your TV.

In defense shooting courses it’s commonly taught to never pull a gun in a situation you’re not willing to kill. IOW, threats backfire more than they work. Having a BB gun is all threat and no really works.

Sounds to me like a recipe for abject failure if it’s ever used.

5

To your forth point, you’ll shoot your eye out kid!

6

So much this. IMHO, you’re escalating the fight (very bad) or flight (your goal) consequences of a confrontation. Equally IMHO, if you confront someone breaking into your home and they were inclined to flee, they would do so. If you are instead being perceived as a threat, you’ve added to the chance that they panic and shoot to make sure they can run away. That’s part and parcel of the same assumptions you make as your seventh point: if they’re breaking into your home in Texas, they’re prepared for consequences - which may mean shooting first if threatened.

Making a credible threat of violence is really the sort of thing where the line “Do or do not, there is no try” comes into play. You’re escalating things - don’t do it as a bluff. You have perfectly good points as to not wanting to have a gun. Depending on where you live, spend a bit more on secure locks or windows (if you own), or setting up a more secure room in your home and call the cops. Not worth it to you to create a confrontation.

And on a purely worst case scenario, you could end up pulling a visually accurate “weapon” on LEO with the wrong address (their own, or a bad warrant) and get shot because HE felt threatened and have little to no recourse. Yeah, extremely low probability scenario, but…

7

The first thing my father taught me about guns was “don’t show it if you aren’t prepared to shoot, and don’t shoot if you aren’t prepared to kill.”

Once you show a gun, real or fake, you’re escalating the situation. And if the bad guy doesn’t instantly retreat, what will you do then?

8

I would never pull any gun on any person unless I was in fear of my life.

Don’t pull a fake gun. You’ll lose.

Ever heard, don’t carry a knife to gun fight. Same with fake guns. Or a “banana” (good lord).

Pepper spray or mace can work if your intruder is down wind. Otherwise you’ll get the pepper spray.

9

Using a fake gun in a situation gives you all of the disadvantages of having a real gun without any of the advantages.

10

Sounds a lot to me like you want to buy an AirSoft gun but are trying to justify it with something other than just wanting to play with an AirSoft gun. My advice is to just buy the toy you want to play with without deluding yourself that it’s for self-defense. If you really felt threatened, you’d buy something useful for self-defense.

11

What about a point-ed stick?

12

It’s not crazy but also not realistic, like carrying a decoy phone and wallet on you all the time, in case you get mugged. I’d sooner light a strip of firecrackers or simulate the sound of a shotgun slide from another room (eyes folding ironing board) than wait to brandish a pistol that’s phony anyhow.

13

Very, very bad idea. In an emergency situation even the cops will shoot you. Self defense is not a game played with rules, but with a few seconds only. A fake gun is just as likely to get you shot as a real one.

Since 2014, at least 320 people have been shot and killed by police while holding replica guns, according to a [Washington Post]

How replica guns are getting Americans killed - CBS News(https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/)

14

If you pull a gun, it means you’re in Condition Red. Shit just got real. Your life is in danger, and you’re thinking about using a BB gun? That’s a very bad plan.

15

Not just foolish. It’s stupid. If you want to shoot your friends with airsoft or paintball guns, go for it. Do not, under any conditions, however, think that your toy gun will protect you. It will not, and could get you killed. That’s reason enough to drop the idea. It not just a bad idea. It’s a ridiculously stupid idea.

16

There are reliable pistols and shotguns available for under $200.

And what would those be?

You live in Texas. What concealed carry law are you concerned with?

Then get proper training and heed the safety rules regarding firearm ownership and the dangers you speak of will be minute’.

It’s a bad idea. You seem ignorant of quite a few things. Either get a real gun and proper training with it, or get no gun.

If you want to get a BB gun for fun, by all means. I have them. They’re a blast. But don’t have it for home defense. BTW, you can hurt someone with a BB gun as well. Didn’t you see A Christmas Story? :joy:

17

No, I haven’t seen that movie. But yes, I know how much BBs can hurt.

Everyone else, thanks for the advice/input, too.

18

Lock your doors and windows, install an alarm system and maybe get a dog.

19

All you have to do really is release the tiger…

20

I’ll admit, of all the reasons against gun ownership that I’ve ever heard, that’s a new one. The lead in the bullets will do exactly zero harm to you or the environment while they’re just sitting in a box (or gun).

I don’t know what your home situation is, but that’s more of a concern when you have children that might play with it or live with anyone that’s suicidal or homicidal. If you live alone or with people that you aren’t worried about shooting you and you yourself aren’t going to shoot yourself or them, it’s not a concern. The gun isn’t going to randomly fire on it’s own.

That’s going to be the real issue. I think it would be an awful idea to flash a fake gun at an intruder and risk them calling your bluff. In general, if you’re going to brandish a weapon, you should be prepared to use it.

The tough thing about this is that you really don’t know how you’ll react in the heat of the moment, in a situation you’ve never been in and will likely never be in. I’d always heard that you shouldn’t own a gun (for protection) unless you’d be able to kill someone. If you point a gun at someone and can’t pull the trigger it’s not likely to end well for you. Not saying that you have to do it, but you have to be able to. When my store got held up, I happened to have a gun within arm’s reach and was loading it while on the phone with 911. I remember being in my office hearing/seeing what was going on and very consciously going from “I wonder if I could…” to “If he comes back here, I’m gonna shoot him”.

Something I always like to remind people when they mention keeping a baseball bat under their bed is that you can’t swing a bat in a hallway. You have to use stabbing/poking motions. IIRC, I’ve heard the same thing about keeping a long gun in a bedroom (hard to use in a narrow hallway).