BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Crime Do you have a gun?

Ever since the school shootings have been raised in the media, the mention of gun control has come up quite frequently.

Let's talk and open up this forum.....

Personally, I do not have a gun and probably never will. I am afraid one day it could be used against me if I ever tried to use it to protect myself.

I grew up around a father who did trap shooting and had many rifles. Guns were for recreation, and killing animals for meat in the winter. The guns were in a storeroom, not in the house. They were also locked up in a cabinet in that storeroom.

Dad taught us how to use a gun, but it was never to be pointed at anyone. In fact, even when we were using our hands as a play gun, we couldn't point our finger at anyone.

I have found out in the last year what made my father so adamant about that. When he and my aunt were young, their neighbor in Washington, DC had a gun. His kids were playing and one of the boys shot his sister to death. That was back in the 40's.

Remember the myth about the movie, "Three Men and a Baby"? If you watch when the camera pans across the room in a scene with Ted Danson and his mother, you see a boy in the corner. It is a standup cutout of a person that someone forgot to remove from the scene.

Rumor had it that it was the ghost of a child that died in the house they were renting as the movie set. It was an urban legend, but what a statement it made about accidental shootings!!!

Guns can definitely get into the wrong hands. Columbine, Kent State, The Amish shootings, NIU, Virginia Tech, the sniper attacks,......and unfortunately the list goes on.........

Do you have a gun? How do you use it? How do you keep it out of the wrong hands?

I do own a gun, I was on a target shooting team for many years. It is kept in a locked safe.

Anything you used to defend yourself could be used against you. This is true for a Taser, a kitchen knife, or anything else. The real question is, if a burglar came into your home how *would* you defend yourself? Or would you just hope you could call the cops and they'd arrive in time?

I had someone try to break into my house about 10 years ago and if they had gotten in, there is no way the cops could have made it there in time to save me or my son. Luckily I did have a gun - called out to them that I was prepared to use it - and they ran off. But if I hadn't had a gun, if I had picked up a knife or the phone or anything else, I would have been doomed.

A gun can be used from a distance. If they are close enough for you to attempt to use a knife against them, you're pretty much going to be overpowered.

Yes, I have a gun. We also have a farm - the gun is used for putting down livestock when necessary. We also use it to scare off or kill predators. And I was very glad to have it the night I walked out the back door at 1:00 am and came face to face with a 2 legged varment high on meth. No, I didn't have to shoot but, had it come to more than a verbal confrontation, at least I would have had a chance.

Wow Llyn that must have been VERY scary!! At least in my case the burglars were on the other side of a door. If I had been face to face with them, I would have been petrified ...

Scary, yeah. But the trick is to not show any fear. Plenty of time to be scared silly after everything is over with.

Yes, we have them. We're way out in the boonies on several acres. "Animal Control" is non-existent. They're needed and kept locked up. The children know guns are not toys; and we don't permit "toy" guns in the house (no mixed messages).

Llyn - I suppose that's very true - when I had the burglars at my house, my first thought was of my son. I was not going to let anybody into the house to get to my son, no matter what it took. So I was determined. But yes afterwards I was quite shaky.

Lynn - we have coyotes and deer around, but there haven't been any bear reports really in our area. That being said, I'm sure there *are* bears in our town and in neighboring towns too. So there is definitely the chance that one could try to get in for whatever reason. So far they haven't.

The house right next to ours had an attempted break-in during the middle of the day - I in fact saw the car with the men who did it!! I thought they were friends of the house. They just looked like they were going in for a casual visit. It was only later when the neighbor talked to us that I realized they were burglars. Right in the middle of the day!! In a way I'm SO happy they didn't decide to come to our house instead. There were four of them and I don't like those odds ...

We have coyotes, cougar, bear, and foxes - all of which are predators of sheep and lambs. So I always carry when I need to go out to the barn at night. You just never know what may be lurking out there when you live in the sticks.

I also keep my gun handy during the day - didn't always do that but then there came the day when a dog pack went after the sheep and all I had at hand to fight them off with was a double pointed knitting needle (size 6). Fortunately a Size 6 double pointed knitting needle makes a very handy weapon.

Ok, you all have the guns for rational reasons. Owning a gun and keeping it properly locked is much different than carrying a gun. Living on a farm using it to protect yourself is different that carrying it with you to the grocery store to protect yourself.

I grew up in a residential quiet neighborhood. No wild animals, not a high crime rate. I have had two break ins, but not when anyone was home. To this day, I have never even seen a gun unless it was on a uniformed person. I am totally afraid of guns.

I live near NY. Gangs are moving closer and closer. I am a little concerned about "the other person" that may have a gun. Road rage getting out of control... As it is, the police are having trouble telling the good guys from the bad guys.

I am a strong believer in gun control. I don't mind people owning licensed guns as long as they can be accountable for their actions. It is the unlicensed ones that scare me.

Llyn - yikes a KNITTING NEEDLE??? That must have been quite an adventure! But I can completely understand what you mean - if an animal under your protection is being hurt, you leap in to help them! I know if one of my cats was being attacked by a coyote or raccoon I would dive in headfirst without thinking about it to save them.

I just read that Massachusetts has 3,000 bears here, and we're a small state, so they're out there!

Carol - I agree with you completely, and I am all for harsh penalties for criminals with guns. Unfortunately with the reality we live in right now, many criminals own guns and they actively break into homes.

Stats I found say:
* In the USA, a burglar occurs every 8 seconds.
* On average, 1 out of every 6 homes will be burglarized this year.

In some ideal world where there weren't criminals with guns or knives, I perhaps would not have a gun myself. But I have to live in the world we have

Actually the stats I see say that residential neighborhoods are *far* more likely to have break-ins than, say, cities. It actually makes sense if you think about it. In a city people live in apartment buildings with nearby neighbors and locks on the main doors. People would hear a break-in. In residential areas everybody goes away during the day - a thief has free reign. All it takes is for you to be home sick - or to get home early - to intersect the thief's path.

I'm not saying that anyone who is afraid of guns should get one!! But I definitely feel very strongly about all women being able to defend themselves. The rates of women being raped or hurt are HUGE. Can you get a taser where you live? Would that be OK with you since it's non-lethal and push-button?