# Okay to ask guest to leave their guns at home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 20, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226 "2009-11-20T00:08:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/501 "2009-11-28T18:13:20Z")
> [@independentminded](#): > > All too often, one reads/hears about a person who comes home, finds his/her spouse or lover in bed with the milkman or even their best friend, and shoots both miscreants in a fit of anger. To be honest, I’ve _never_ heard of an actual case like this, only seen the premise dramatized for various TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/502 "2009-11-28T18:48:30Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > To be honest, I’ve _never_ heard of an actual case like this, only seen the premise dramatized for various TV shows. I’ve read about stuff like that happening in the newspapers. I’ve never seen it on TV shows, however, at least in part because I watch relatively little TV. ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/503 "2009-11-28T18:53:13Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > And who is the judge of a rational discussion? You? > > Well then I want a rational discussion on > > 1. Who you expect to attack you in my home > 2. Why I need you to defend me in my home > 3. Why you get to be the arbiter of what is “rational and logical” when it comes to my beliefs > 4. Why your right to carry a gun supercedes my right to say what is allowed in my house in that I need to convince you that my reasons are rational and logical > 5. The reasonable man test on what is a rational and logical reason > 6. How to prevent gun accidents in residential homes > 7. What happened to the handguns that were stolen out of residential homes > > In other words - my house, my rules is a perfectly logical reason and you don’t get to draw me into an unpleasant debate on my doorstep about logical and rational Right on, bengangmo!! ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/504 "2009-11-28T18:57:17Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I agree 100% > > Please let me be clear about this. I would never bring a gun into another persons house if it was against their wishes. I don’t carry so that’s not likely to be an issue in any case. > > And yes, I do live in bear country. I keep a firearm loaded in the fall. That’s when they are likely to break in. Food and hibernation an all that tends to send them a bit over the edge. I’ve never had to shoot a bear, and hope I never do. I have kept a gun close when I scare them off by banging pots and pans together. Sometimes, that doesn’t work, and a round into a stump near the bear will shoo him off. > > I understand that I share my home with them. I know that I impact their environment, and try as much as I can to live and let live. Shooting bears who break into your house is one thing, maybe. However, I know a guy my own age who owns a gun so he can shoot the beavers in his back yard. It’s sickening, especially because beavers are harmless animals who do lots of good. It’s probably never occurred to this particular guy that the fact that beavers tend to build dams might well prevent his yard and possibly his house from being flooded out in the event of a super-fierce tropical storm or hurricane. One doesn’t have to live near a lake, a river, a stream or near the ocean for that to be a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/505 "2009-11-28T19:20:27Z")
> [@independentminded](#): > > Shooting bears who break into your house is one thing, maybe. However, I know a guy my own age who owns a gun so he can shoot the beavers in his back yard. It’s sickening, especially because beavers are harmless animals who do lots of good. It’s probably never occurred to this particular guy that the fact that beavers tend to build dams might well prevent his yard and possibly his house from being flooded out in the event of a super-fierce tropical storm or hurricane. One doesn’t have to live near a lake, a river, a stream or near the ocean for that to be a possibility. Anyone I’ve ever known to have beavers on their property have found them to be problematic. They don’t stop flooding they cause it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/506 "2009-11-28T21:14:46Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Considering how earlier in the thread you were stressing the importance of guns in protecting the safety of a home, I’m surprised you think it’s a good idea to post a sign announcing to any criminals who might be passing by that this house is weapon-free. Most other pro-gun folks are at least consistent in their beliefs. > \*No, it isn’t. It both less convenient and less polite than just having a quiet word with the guest. It’s also unlikely to be as effective as speaking directly to the guest – many people simply do not pay much attention to signs, or decide that posted notices somehow do not apply to them. Keep in mind, we’re talking to someone who uses [Aileen Wuornos](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2749186&postcount=31) as an example of using a gun for self-defense. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/507 "2009-11-28T22:19:27Z")
> [@independentminded](#): > > Moreover, the NRA slogan “Guns don’t kill, people do”, is baloney. Guns are a weapon of war, designed to kill another human being, and a person with a gun is… Do you not see the contradiction in your own words? ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/508 "2009-11-28T22:28:18Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > And now the thread goes back to page 5. > > How did this thread go for 10 pages when it was all but done in the first 2? I haven’t looked at this thread in awhile but did anyone actually answer the OP saying that they would **not** go to someone’s house if asked to not carry their gun? ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/509 "2009-11-28T22:30:33Z")
Couple of folks made that implication, don’t think anyone said it was a certainty. ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/510 "2009-11-28T23:28:37Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > You simply state that you “do not want guns in [your] home”. That doesn’t give any kind of rational reason for it. What will your friend’s concealed gun do to upset your holiday? I disagree with you, jtgain. A homeowner has every right to insist that a guest not bring his or her firearm into their home. The guest(s) have to respect that and comply, or leave. That’s what I’d do and say if faced with that situation. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/511 "2009-11-29T04:25:11Z")
Y’know, independent, we kinda covered all this ground about eight pages ago. Y’know, just so you know. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/512 "2009-11-29T06:01:00Z")
> [@independentminded](#): > > Very few guns, if any, end up being used in self-defense. They’re more likely to be used in a homicide, and, all too often, a gun owner who hears a noise in the middle of the night ends up shooting a family member who’d merely wandered down to the kitchen for a drink of water or a midnight snack… I read this same line of thought in your manifesto that was posted and subsequently locked a few days ago. In all actuality, Guns are more likely to be not used in either self defense or a crime. The overwhelming number of guns owned by private hands, (95%+) will never ever be used in any sort of elicit or defensive situation. You can keep on making contrary statements, but you know that they are not true. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/513 "2009-11-29T17:03:08Z")
> [@Rack-a-Bones](#): > > I haven’t looked at this thread in awhile but did anyone actually answer the OP saying that they would **not** go to someone’s house if asked to not carry their gun? Some people said they would either go, and not tell the host they were carrying, or just not go. I don’t think anyone explicitly stated that they would not go. > [@](#): > > It’s probably never occurred to this particular guy that the fact that beavers tend to build dams might well prevent his yard and possibly his house from being flooded out in the event of a super-fierce tropical storm or hurricane. One doesn’t have to live near a lake, a river, a stream or near the ocean for that to be a possibility. I suspect a beaver dam would do little in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane beyond increase the number of twigs floating in the water covering your yard. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/514 "2009-11-29T17:38:21Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Y’know, independent, we kinda covered all this ground about eight pages ago. Y’know, just so you know. Yeah, and the same ground was covered eight _threads_ ago. Frankly, short of some new technological advance, I don’t see gun threads changing anytime soon. They’ll just be retreads. Abortion and death-penalty threads, too. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/515 "2009-11-29T17:45:15Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Yeah, and the same ground was covered eight _threads_ ago. Frankly, short of some new technological advance, I don’t see gun threads changing anytime soon. They’ll just be retreads. > > Abortion and death-penalty threads, too. _ponders what new technological advance might change the course of future gun threads_ _googles home metal detector_ ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/516 "2009-11-29T17:48:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > _ponders what new technological advance might change the course of future gun threads_ > > _googles home metal detector_ Nah. Go look up Van Vogt’s Weapons Shops of Isher. (Might be a while before we get to that level of technology.) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/517 "2009-11-29T17:49:37Z")
Actually, I was thinking guns that could only be triggered if the person holding them had the right fingerprints or DNA, but okay. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/518 "2009-11-29T18:32:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Actually, I was thinking guns that could only be triggered if the person holding them had the right fingerprints or DNA, but okay. I imagine this isn’t too far away. Considering we have locks now that only open with a retinal or fingerprint scan, it wouldn’t be that hard, albeit, probably expensive, to add that technology to a handgun. I’m sure the gun lobby would oppose it but that is another thread. I feel sorry for people that feel they need to be armed to go to a friend’s dinner party. I for one support gun rights and support your right to carry guns. I have guns, but I don’t want you taking your gun to my house. Call me a hypocrite, I don’t care, but if you are coming to my house I want you leave your gun in your car. Unless of course I’m having a gathering to specifically look over guns. Then I’d expect it to be unloaded and trigger locked. Expecting responsibility isn’t denying your second amendment rights. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/519 "2009-11-29T18:53:33Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Actually, I was thinking guns that could only be triggered if the person holding them had the right fingerprints or DNA, but okay. People, people. Did we learn _nothing_ from Judge Dredd? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226/520 "2009-11-29T20:58:42Z")
Any CCW holders here carry their weapon into work? Assuming you’re not a LEO or armed guard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-to-ask-guest-to-leave-their-guns-at-home/518226.md?page=27)