# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/141 "2016-02-04T18:41:39Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > To me, the idea that I need a weapon for defense against people (home or otherwise) is completely absurd. Yes, if you live out in the boonies you want something for bears and critters, but otherwise there is no point. No one is going to invade your home while you’re actually home. Google "Home Invasion Robberies’ sometime, you will see how totally wrong this is. They break in, then threaten or torture you until you tell them where the money, etc is. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/142 "2016-02-04T18:50:47Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Lock the bedroom door before you go to bed each night. Gets too stuffy and hot in there during the winter. In summer, we can open the window. Also, the cat comes and goes: don’t get me started. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/143 "2016-02-04T18:54:19Z")
I voted the last option, though it’s not precise. I already own guns, but not merely for home defense. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/144 "2016-02-04T18:56:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Nah, those things don’t ping my radar like they do yours; just strangers carrying guns in public. Besides, police probably won’t even respond for OSHA violations and the like; but they will for a man with a gun. Too many bad outcomes to risk blowing it off. Sorry if that fries your bacon, but that is the downside of living in a society awash in guns where you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys until it is too late. Better to be safe than sorry, see something say something and let John Law sort it out. Is there any significant number of a "stranger’ carrying a holstered gun- then turning out to be a robber or the like? Bad guys dont carry their guns openly in holsters when they are about to commit a crime. Either the gun is concealed or they have it open in their hands. Now yes, I’d call the police if i saw a dude carrying a gun ready for use openly in his hand. But holstered? Naw. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/145 "2016-02-04T18:58:43Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > My Dad bought me a .410 shotgun for Christmas when I was eleven. We had various other rifles and shotguns. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so we’d go out back and shoot things (objects, not animals) for fun. I’m also an Army veteran. I have put plenty of rounds down-range. This is just to say I know my way around guns and I kind of like them. > > To me, the idea that I need a weapon for defense against people (home or otherwise) is completely absurd. Yes, if you live out in the boonies you want something for bears and critters, but otherwise there is no point. No one is going to invade your home while you’re actually home. That’s absolutely false. Some people break in with the intent to rape, kill, or kidnap. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/146 "2016-02-04T19:05:30Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Parts of your plan deleted by me. Though in general it seems to me like a perfectly reasonable and well thought out plan. > > But to me one part looks a bit off. > > To me, you probably shouldn’t announce loudly you are calling 911 until AFTER you have the gun ready. > > Though I admit there could well be a piece of logic I am not seeing (or more likely, weighed calculation of risk of X vs Y where X and Y may not be well defined/knowable). Well you are letting the person(s) know the following: 1: you are aware that they are there 2: there are more than 1 of you 3: police are on the way That may be sufficient for the invaders to search for less awake prey. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/147 "2016-02-04T19:05:42Z")
> [@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. Before i was 35, I nevrr needed an insulin shot, or morphine, or the services of an attorney. It was not safe to assume I’d never need those. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/148 "2016-02-04T19:12:09Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Nope. I’ve had a home break-in before and still never considered buying a gun so I can’t think of anything else that would cause me to buy one. If that break in resulted in a rape of your spouse or child in front of you might. Might not. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/149 "2016-02-04T20:41:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The order of action in my house is (assuming there is time): > > \*Close and lock the bedroom door. > \*Wife starts calling 911 and I announce said fact loudly. > \*While she’s doing that, I get my handgun from the closet and load the mag. > \*We both hunker down on the side of the bed furthest from the door and wait to see how the situation will resolve. If someone tries the bedroom door, I announce that I have a weapon and that cops are on the way. This scenario comes up a lot in gun threads and I think it demonstrates how someone could put too much reliance on depending on the gun for protection. Because someone has a gun, they take time to get it and then treat it as offering a protective shield. However, there are many ways for the intruder to still take you out. If you didn’t have a gun, you might think of other ways to handle the situation which result in you being safer. Rather than hunkering down, flee the house all together. In the vast majority of cases, the intruder is just looking for quick cash and isn’t going to chase you around the neighborhood trying to kill you. If you aren’t in the house, he won’t harm you. In addition, using a gun for defense depends on you having the gun in your possession and being able to operate it. If you’re asleep, a gun won’t do you any good. If the intruder overpowers you when you open the front door, the gun in the bedroom won’t do you any good. If you don’t have a gun, you may think of ways which provide active and passive protection even if you’re not there, such as dogs, alarms, motion lights, etc. And if you’re worried about intruders, you can instead install panic buttons throughout the house which activate loud alarms the moment they are pressed. In most of the situations where someone used a gun as protection, another method would have probably worked just as well or better. There are situations where a gun is the best choice–such as a crazed killer hell-bent on killing you–but that is an extremely rare case. So for most people, there are better home defense solutions that have fewer downsides than getting a gun. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/150 "2016-02-04T21:03:03Z")
> [@Collaborator](#): > > I have several, and have had to use them twice. People that don’t defend themselves are just victims in waiting. I would be interested in hearing about these two cases if you are willing to share. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Bad guys dont carry their guns openly in holsters when they are about to commit a crime. Either the gun is concealed or they have it open in their hands. Do bad guys learn this in bad guy training, or do they just instinctively know that this is a bad guy rule? > [@Chefguy](#): > > I have a small caliber auto, mainly for intimidation, as I really don’t ever want to kill anybody. IMHO if you have a gun and you point it at someone you better be willing to kill them. I thought the whole idea behind guns as a home defense strategy was that if someone is in your house, you are expecting to be killed so kill them first. > [@kayT](#): > > If someone breaks into my home, he is a threat. I don’t have to wait for anything more. There was a very sad story in my area very recently about a 14-year-old boy who left for school one morning, then unexpectedly returned home coming in the back door. His father shot and killed him thinking he was an intruder. He didn’t wait for anything more. My answer is that I do not own a gun and would have to feel that the threat level is much higher than what it currently is to want to own one for home defense. A gun grossly magnifies the impact of a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/151 "2016-02-04T21:07:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Bad guys dont carry their guns openly in holsters when they are about to commit a crime. Why not? If that is the way most of the good guys carry their guns, it would be the perfect way to blend in. Better to call it in and let the cops sort it out. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/152 "2016-02-04T21:36:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Why not? If that is the way most of the good guys carry their guns, it would be the perfect way to blend in. Better to call it in and let the cops sort it out. Because they are not allowed to own a gun, being a convicted criminal. And cops know "the usual suspects’ and will arrest them if they see it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/153 "2016-02-04T21:45:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Because they are not allowed to own a gun, being a convicted criminal. And cops know "the usual suspects’ and will arrest them if they see it. Man that takes a lot of things for granted that are not in evidence, such as first offenses and criminals from other jurisdictions. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/154 "2016-02-04T21:52:49Z")
The only thing on my Bucket List is to acquire a pump shotgun and become proficient in its use. Even more so now that I’ve discovered Demolition Ranch. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/155 "2016-02-04T22:41:42Z")
I bought a revolver for bear and mountain lion protection. Now I don’t go up hiking and fishing in remote areas so it stays home. The gun is loaded but it is not easily accessible but I voted I already have one. I don’t think I’d ever buy a gun for home protection I’d buy guns for other reasons that might get used for home protection. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/156 "2016-02-04T22:49:09Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Man that takes a lot of things for granted that are not in evidence, such as first offenses and criminals from other jurisdictions. Try going to a open carry state, and dressing up in gang colors, etc. See how fast you get stopped with a gun on your hip. [http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-people-be-allowed-to-carry-guns-openly/open-carry-deters-crime](http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-people-be-allowed-to-carry-guns-openly/open-carry-deters-crime) _As San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Sargent, Dave Phelps said, “Gang members aren’t known to open carry.”_ Do you have any evidence that perps commonly rob places after open carry? In fact, violent crime is lower is states that have open carry. (this does not mean that open carry necessarily _causes_ lower crime rates), and armed robbery is quite a bit lower. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/157 "2016-02-04T22:57:12Z")
I come down more on the anti-gun than pro-gun side, but I wouldn’t mind if I and everybody else had a shotgun in the attic in case of temporary social collapse (Hurricane Katrina for example). No poser-ass pistol grips though. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/158 "2016-02-05T00:40:08Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > But since this thread is about home defense, let’s look at a cite from a recent thread that talked about [household burglary.](http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf) Of the 3.7M burglaries, someone was present during approximately 1M of those. In approximately 266K, a household member became a victim of a violent crime. If you refer to table 18, of those 266K violent crime victims, a weapon was present in approximately 30.1% of those incidents. > [@Pantastic](#): > > According to the FBI, “strong-arm tactics were used in 42.5 percent, firearms in 41.0 percent, and knives or cutting instruments in 7.8 percent. Other dangerous weapons were used in 8.8 percent of robberies in 2012.” [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/violent-crime/robbery](https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/violent-crime/robbery) Thank you for those. I think 30-40% likelihood is high enough that it’s better to assume they would be armed. I recommend you reassess. Though I also continue to think your having a gun isn’t going to solve anything. > [@Pantastic](#): > > You can look at the Wiki page on defensive gun use, since it’s obvious you’re going to ignore any specific cite I list: [Defensive gun use - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_gun_use) How rude. I asked for stats, I got them. Why would I ignore them? I still think underestimating criminals is taking too big a risk. But I also think America’s gun culture is fucking up your objectivity. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/159 "2016-02-05T01:32:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Try going to a open carry state, and dressing up in gang colors, etc. See how fast you get stopped with a gun on your hip. > > … > > As San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Sargent, Dave Phelps said, “Gang members aren’t known to open carry.” These two statements seem to contradict each other somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923/160 "2016-02-05T01:56:49Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > These two statements seem to contradict each other somewhat. Not in the slightest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-get-a-gun-for-home-defense-only/744923.md?page=9)