Nelie what about if someone was about to take the life of one of your loved ones?

But anyways I am a card carrying NRA member and own lots of guns and have had my concealed carry permit over 15 years I have to say that the LAST thing I would ever want to do is take someone's life.... BUT

... if someone was trying to take my life or a member of my family's life I would take theirs without hesitation. My life and my family's life is too precious to me to let someone take it because they wanted something of mine.

And to those who say to just give the criminal what they want I say so you give them what they want then you just "hope" they spare your life? It's too big a gamble for me.

I have never had to pull a gun on anyone but my Dad had a saying he used to say all the time. "I would rather have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it"

I don't normally carry one with me but I like the idea IF I wanted to I could if I wanted. I am glad I live in a gun friendly state.

The mistake that many people make is that they think because the neighborhood they live in is quiet and safe that a violent crime is not possible.
Violent crime can (and does) happen anywhere and anytime.

Luckily I have never had any trouble but if it happens I am prepared.

I will say this if you are afraid of guns or have no training then owning a gun is NOT a good idea untill you get training or some experience handling.

I grew up around guns and was taught to respect them. My Dad didn't even lock them up. I just KNEW if I touched his deer hunting rifle or shotgun I was DEAD MEAT! LOL!

If a .38 has too much kick maybe you were using a +P load (extra gunpowder). You can get different powered charges for bullets. The lower the grain the less kick.

You could also move down one the scale a little and get a 9mm or a .32 caliber

You have to decide if you want a semiautomatci or a revolver. A revorver is easier to use and maintain and will NEVER jam like a semiauto will from time to time. If you are going to carry for protection then you should get a revolver. You can get the super light weight ones like the Scantium or Airweights and they are so light you can carry them easily in a purse.

I don't know about women are better shots or not but my little sister is a gun nut and has a whole closet full of them and she is a deadeye shot buther and her BF go to the range a lot!

I don't go that much it costs a LOT to go shooting. Costs me $20.00 for a box of .45's (thats what I use) and you only get 50 shots in a box and I can go through those in 15 minutes! Gets expensive when you count the range fee.

The cheapest is if you know someone with a lot of land then you can shoot for free.

If you are going to get a gun or a permit you better do it quick because the anti gunners are in control now. Also guns sales are through the roof right now and guns COSt more too because people are in a rush to buy because of the suspected gun bans that will be coming down soon!.

If someone was going to take the life of myself or a loved one, I don't think having a gun would prevent that. I would think that brandishing a gun in a dangerous situation would probably elevate that situation and the other party would probably be more likely to hurt myself or loved one.

Of course, I would want to protect my family as best as possible but I don't think that means a gun.

And gun accidents do happen, even with those that are trained. If there was a .00001% chance of someone 'innocent' unintentionally getting hurt by a gun I owned, that to me is too much risk.

My husband and I at the moment have only one handgun - a .357 Magnum, which is nice because that gives you the option to also use .38 Special shells in it. We are going to add a Glock 9mm to our collection and eventually some other more heavy duty guns. We don't by any means live in a "bad" area, we just feel that it's better to be safe than sorry.

I know this gun was mentioned in this thread several times as having some kick to it, but honestly, I'm pretty petite and I had no problem with it. If you're thinking of getting a gun for protection the .357 Magnum/.38 Special is universally known as being a "manstopper."

As long as you educate yourself (and your loved ones) about it and respect the firearm you (and your loved ones) should be quite safe.

AMEN!!!

it sounds like we had the same father...LOL my dads guns always hung on the wall with a gun rack. they were most likely loaded, we knew no to go near them without him. Any time we wanted to target practice he got them out, its always lots of fun.

This is why, I would flat out SHOOT THEM. not show and threaten and hope the run away. I truly pray you are never in a situation were you have to find out what you should've done that could have protected your self or your family.

Just a reminder: Gun ownership is a personal decision, and we need to be respectful in this thread of the fact that there are different opinions on this matter. No one of us can know for certain whether or not owning a gun might make a difference in a personal defense situation, or even whether such a situation will ever come up.

Please be respectful of the choices others make, even if you personally believe that they should make a different one.

Well my point was that if they saw a gun (not you threatening with a gun), then that would elevate the situation. Basically, you are then in a shootout with someone. Not a situation I'd want to be in.

Of course, what if they don't have a gun and are an intruder? What if it is the 16 year old kid down the street who is being stupid? What if it is your own child in someone elses house for some stupid reason?

There are tons of hypotheticals and I feel safer without a gun based on all of them. Also, as I said previously, if you have a gun, you have to be willing to accept the fact that it could be used to kill someone some day and that isn't something I could accept.

After having a childhood friend shot and killed when he and his friend were "just messing around" with his parent's guns (again, a kid who had been "taught to respect them") at the age of 12 and then having a family member shot and killed over a trivial argument, I believe one should know how to hold one, but they are not allowed in my home.

Nope, too much pain.

OMG I would be in heaven! LOL! I'd have one of EVERYTHING! LOL!

Yes it is definitely a personal choice. And pro/anti gun talk can get pretty heated pretty fast just like all the hot button issues like abortion, religion and politics. I don't like to get into in most of the time because people just believe what they want and no one hardly ever convinces anyone to change their minds. LOL!

I don't have a problem if someone wants to be a pacifist and turn the other cheek and I also don't have a problem with anyone who wants nothing to do with a gun. If someone is afraid of a gun I don't want them messing with one either especially if they are near me.

Where I DO have a problem is when someone doesn't want a gun and they don't want me to have one either. THEN we gotta problem!

Nelie you are assuming the criminal is going to have a streak of humanity and let you live if you are passive enough. But unfortunately in many cases this is not the case. If you kill the victim there is no witness.

But I respect your decision. If you don't feel safe with a gun then you don't need one. And I too sincerely hope you never are in a situation that would be life threatening.

Beside I have read many times the NUMBER ONE deterrent for a mugger, burglar or home invasion is a barking dog. Dogs are a heck of a lot more fun than a gun!

I'm more assuming that if I suspect an intruder, a phone would be more effective. And I have been in a life threatening situation (or at least one where someone meant me bodily harm) before and it is scary. I've also had a burglar enter our house when I was young. And I've also lived in 'dangerous' neighborhoods. So its not that I view the world as peachy and entirely safe.

I also do have a dog that loves people but is very protective of her house and even people she knows. It is strange, she'd kiss someone to death but if they come near her house, beware, she is going to make a lot of noise. Our other dog though will bark at anyone who comes to play with him.

What IF they cut your phone line on the outside?

<added 5 minutes later!>

DUHHHHH I forgot about cell phones! LOL!

Yeah we keep a cell phone with us when we sleep.