# Would you ever get a gun for home defense (only)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923 "2016-02-02T05:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/1 "2016-02-02T05:01:03Z")
Not I, because in 36 years, I’ve found I haven’t ever really needed one. so it’s safe to assume I probably won’t ever have to. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/2 "2016-02-02T05:12:00Z")
I personally wouldn’t, but I moved in with my father and he has one. I’ve never used it and I don’t know if I would in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/3 "2016-02-02T05:18:22Z")
I don’t need to buy one, I already have a bunch. Though a new one sounds pretty good, come to think of it. Too bad I don’t have the money for it. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/4 "2016-02-02T05:22:52Z")
I’m too scatterbrained and cluttered to keep one safely. I’d forget and leave it on the back of the toilet, or I’d let papers pile up on it on my desk, and when it would start to fall to the ground, I’d spastically try to grab it and wind up pulling the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/5 "2016-02-02T05:35:55Z")
Not now. I live in a safe neighborhood. But their are others where I would. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/6 "2016-02-02T05:41:16Z")
Nope. I live in about as safe a suburb as exists in America outside a gated community. And I have a child on the autism spectrum, and the only way I can 100% guarantee that there will not be a gun accident in my home is to never have a firearm in my home. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/7 "2016-02-02T05:53:31Z")
I already own a bunch of guns. Most were inherited, but the ones I’ve purchased myself were purchased with marksmanship in mind, more so than home defense. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/8 "2016-02-02T06:17:40Z")
I have one. I keep it locked in a file cabinet in my closet. It is loaded and ready to go (as are two extra magazines) if the need arises. The key to the cabinet is easily accessible, and only I know where it is. I live in a really safe area. I don’t foresee having to use it for home defense, but I wouldn’t hesitate if I had to. I went out with my some colleagues about a year ago to a safe, and legal for shooting area in the middle of nowhere. They are both big collectors; I shot about 10 different types of guns that day multiple times. I loved it. Target shooting is a blast (no pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/9 "2016-02-02T06:18:25Z")
Maybe. If I lived in a dangerous area, but I don’t. If they were legal in Japan I’d certainly get one for plinking targets though. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/10 "2016-02-02T06:29:06Z")
I’ve never felt the need to own a gun. I’m not anti-gun. They’re just not for me. ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/11 "2016-02-02T06:47:26Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Not I, because in 36 years, I’ve found I haven’t ever really needed one. so it’s safe to assume I probably won’t ever have to. :giggles: ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/12 "2016-02-02T07:34:12Z")
Voted, but wanted to post that: a gun is not a magic talisman that makes the bad guys go away. You actually need to practice handling the firearm, becoming proficient with it, not being scared of it, in order for it to be a useful tool for you. Simply buying an: AR-15, Glock, Pump-action Shotgun; loading it, and stashing it in your closet, drawer, or gun vault, isn’t going to be beneficial for you. So, if you’re going to buy a firearm, go shoot it. Find a range or public land. They’re **fun** to shoot. (And they’re also intimidating, which is OK. I was scared, getting back into the shooting sports, going to a gun range. Firearms are dangerous. Like a table saw. But you’re smart. You can figure them out and be safe with them!) If you don’t know how, ask an enthusiast. Most are eager, if not fanatical, to share their hobby. There are plenty of ways one can learn basic firearms safety and marksmanship with a pistol, rifle, or shotgun, that don’t involve buying one from a store, loading it, and forgetting about it, which is what I think\*\* Idle Thoughts \*\*was implying with the way s/he phrased the poll. But don’t think that buying one means that you’ll be safe from now on. Far from it. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/13 "2016-02-02T07:47:04Z")
Yes. Well stated, **Gray Ghost**. My son has taught me a lot. He is 19 and quite the enthusiast. Upon graduation from high school he got a Mosin-Nagant. Since then he’s bought himself a couple of others. His 9mm Makarov (another Russian gun) is a lot of fun. He goes every chance he gets on public land. He is, as you say…eager, if not fanatical, to share his hobby. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/14 "2016-02-02T08:45:29Z")
A good friend of mine never really needed a gun either. About a year after he retired, a crackhead broke into his house, looking for anything he could steal to sell for crack. My friend surprised him by being home, and the crackhead stabbed my friend to death. Those who think that thieves are only there to steal and will leave if you don’t try to stop them, are wrong. Some might leave. Others won’t. Some are more than happy to kill you. Anyone who thinks that the police will protect them from something like a home invasion, are wrong. Whatever is going to happen will happen very quickly. Whoever invades your home will be long gone before the police get there, and in fact will probably be gone before the police even know that they need to respond. The police did catch the crackhead who killed my friend, and he’ll be spending the rest of his miserable life in jail. My friend is still dead, though. Most gun owners will never need to use their guns for protection. If you are one of the unlucky ones though, you can’t change your mind about gun ownership when someone is charging at you with a knife or pointing a gun at you. I own quite a few guns, mostly muskets and collectible type guns. A musket is a very poor weapon for home defense though. Sure, a six foot long, .75 caliber gun is impressive just in size alone, but “excuse me, could you stand still for 30 seconds while I reload?” doesn’t tend to get too much cooperation from the bad guys. So I do own a gun just for home defense. It’s a .44 magnum pistol, basically, Dirty Harry’s gun. It’s not one of my fun guns to shoot. Its only purpose is to kill someone. I hope I never have to use it, and I know that the chances are pretty good that I never will have to use it. But if I am one of the unlucky few that ends up in that situation, I am ready for it. ---
**Author:** ![Collaborator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Collaborator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Collaborator)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/15 "2016-02-02T08:59:40Z")
I have several, and have had to use them twice. People that don’t defend themselves are just victims in waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/16 "2016-02-02T09:12:03Z")
I don’t live in the USA or a war zone, so the chances of me ever _needing_ a gun are close enough to zero to not be worth worrying about. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/17 "2016-02-02T09:51:19Z")
If guns were to become legal over here, then I’d definitely get one. But I’d get a shotgun for home defence, not a pistol. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/18 "2016-02-02T09:57:33Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I don’t live in the USA or a war zone, so the chances of me ever _needing_ a gun are close enough to zero to not be worth worrying about. +1 ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/19 "2016-02-02T09:59:59Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I don’t live in the USA or a war zone, so the chances of me ever _needing_ a gun are close enough to zero to not be worth worrying about. I hate it when people use redundancies, but anyway, I’m most unlikely to need a gun. I’m certainly not in prime crackhead territory and the risks would far outweigh the benefits, even if the gun laws in England were different. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/20 "2016-02-02T10:01:07Z")
Guns aren’t legal here, but even if they were I wouldn’t get one. The chance of needing one seems so small. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923.md?page=2)