Best Home Defense Rifle?

[Sigarms]

"The WHO report follows a United Nations report last week which said Scotland was the most violent country in the developed world:"

Ok, a U.S gun owner quoting a report from the U.N to prove his point? Please tell me you haven't hit rock bottom.

I could pick three countries in central/south America that are more violent that Scotland. I'd consider them "developed" as well.

Honestly, I can see Iron Horse's point of view if he knows nothing about our country and how his opinion can be shaped by reading our posts. Fact is, I've never had a home "invasion", and the fact is that as a civilian I've never had to draw or point a weapon in self defense. How about the rest of you?

Heck, I know police officers in the U.S who, during their entire career, have never had to draw their weapon.

Statistics, depending on who's interpretting them, can be interesting to say the least. Sort of like a salesman telling you he's selling you a a product that is crap. Usually no one brings a statistic "to the table" to disprove their point.

I for one would like Iron Horse to come to America so he can see what a great country it actually is, and although we may have some people who feel pretty strongly about their right to bear arms (which we love to discuss), our country is actually pretty safe, assuming he stay's out of Camden and Newark

 

[riptides]

Sensationalism and news media.

You never hear about Joe average.

 

[MossRoad]

.... Fact is, I've never had a home "invasion", and the fact is that as a civilian I've never had to draw or point a weapon in self defense. How about the rest of you?

When I was 7 or 8 we had a power outage after a bout of tornadoes. While eating dinner by candle light, some guy tried getting in our living room door. My dad made our whole family duck into the kitchen. He then got his 45 and chased the guy down the block. We had 17 picture windows. I still remember seeing that guy take off around the house as my dad chased him out the driveway and away. Didn't catch him. My dad never fired, but would have had the guy turned around and come at him.

When I was 10 or 11 someone in a car harassed the heck out of us out on a lonely rural highway. My dad again used his gun to defend us.

When I was 16 I borrowed my 14 year old best friend's parent's car and drove us to Dairy Queen for ice cream. When we came back to the car in the parking lot we were confronted by a man with a shotgun claiming we bumped his car with our door and he threatened to kill us. Obviously, he didn't, as I am typing this.

When I was 25 someone broke into our garage. It set the alarm off, but I had our gun out pretty quick as I did not know which door or window had gotten broken and if it was the house, I was prepared to shoot to defend.

When we sold that house in 1995, after 10 years of ownership, there were three bullet holes in it... one in the roof, one in the side and another in the garage wall... all of different caliber.

In our current house, I have had to call the police a few times for gunshots in the neighborhood as well as my sometimes drunken neighbor firing off rounds into her woodshed on mother's day morning.

I work in down town South Bend, Indiana. My employer just last year replaced quite a few windows because there were 7 bullet holes in them... six came from outside...

They plow our snowy parking lot and pile it all up at the end. In the spring, you can go and look in the dirt piles where the snow was and always find a few slugs from .25s and 9mms, apparently the choice of thugs everywhere.

Probably a half dozen people have been shot and killed within one block of my employer in the last three years. Many more have been shot. There is no way to get from my house to my job without going through really bad neighborhoods. The shootings are 50/50 drug related and random robbery. If I could carry a gun at work and not worry about losing my job, I would in a heart beat.

 

[Eagleview]

I have learned that you are not a man of your word - I thought you were out of this discussion:

You Sir , are way low . I felt bad about missing and not answering your question about what i new about the US , so i then did . All i said then was what we had decided to do , the wife always wanted to go to Scotland to see the Castles and i wanted to go to the States . We are now going to Scotland because of all frightening talk on these gun threads . I did'nt say i was out of the discussion , i said i would not talk of your gun rights again (and hav'nt). I can and will if i feel like it give my opinions on the Best Home Defense Rifle as i have already said a Shotgun , i may think of another . So please point out for the potential 6.5 billion veiwers where i broke my word .

 

[Eagleview]

By chance, if you change your mind, my door is always open, and I'd be more than happy to give you suggestions on where to travel in the U.S (which has some AMAZING places and views to visit).

That is a lovely gesture , thank you for that . I did'nt see it until just then .

 

[Soundguy]

I think the mistake being made is in assuming that if one exercises their rights to carry a gun that means they must have an immediate need... The first statement doe not entail the 2nd statement.

I may be in no direct danger minute to minute, but i still choose to exercise my right and carry a gun.. when and /IF/ that time of danger arises.. i will be prepaired to defend myself, and have the proper tools at hand to do so. kind of like carrying an ink pen if you think you will need to write something down 'sometime' later.. hard to do with no writing tool!

soundguy

Although I don't know for sure, in our population here in the US, I would imagine the number of guns carried verses the number of people on the street is probably pretty low. It depends on where you go. I have had my CCW permit for more than 15 years, but don't carry all that much. I am selective as to when and where.

I think we are giving Iron Horse a representation that's not really true for the US. To Iron Horse...Many, many people do not have guns. I feel our country is one of the safest nations to visit. As with any country, there are safe streets and dangerous streets. As a people, we are probably much like you. We are the most charitable nation there is. Guns aren't dripping off the trees and we are used to them much like you are used to cars. I think we have made too much of an issue about it with this thread, (shooting people and all that macho stuff), and in reality it's not that big of a deal to have just a simple gun or two. Me and my friends hunt a LOT. So guns are really just a tool that we use all the time.

 

[Soundguy]

fact is that as a civilian I've never had to draw or point a weapon in self defense. How about the rest of you?

I used to live in a 'seedy' section of town .. I rented an apartment there when i had first got married... On 2 occasions we had a home breakin. On the first one, I met a guy at my window.. he had a screwdriver and was prying it open.. when i cocked the hammer back on my colt anaconda 44 magnum he took off like carl lewis.. ( kinda looked like carl lewis too! )
My guess is he's had a gun aimed at him and heard that sound before.

Next time.. ( same apartment! ) I noticed a car in my driveway and 2 big guys were toteing my stuff out to the car! I walked out to stop them, then one guy charged me.. he was easilly a foot taller than me, and probably had me by 125#. I will give him this though.. as fast as he was running.. he did one of those cartoon stops with his heels planted when I threw open my jacket and put my hand on my Tarus 38 tucked into my belt!

Shortly thereafter .. I MOVED.

That last occurence.. I'm quite sure if I had not had a gun, I'd have been beaten to a pulp or worse.. long before the cops could get there..

soundguy

 

[MossRoad]

I used to live in a 'seedy' section of town .. I rented an apartment there when i had first got married... On 2 occasions we had a home breakin. On the first one, I met a guy at my window.. he had a screwdriver and was prying it open.. when i cocked the hammer back on my colt anaconda 44 magnum he took off like carl lewis.. ( kinda looked like carl lewis too! )
My guess is he's had a gun aimed at him and heard that sound before.

Next time.. ( same apartment! ) I noticed a car in my driveway and 2 big guys were toteing my stuff out to the car! I walked out to stop them, then one guy charged me.. he was easilly a foot taller than me, and probably had me by 125#. I will give him this though.. as fast as he was running.. he did one of those cartoon stops with his heels planted when I threw open my jacket and put my hand on my Tarus 38 tucked into my belt!

Shortly thereafter .. I MOVED.

That last occurence.. I'm quite sure if I had not had a gun, I'd have been beaten to a pulp or worse.. long before the cops could get there..

soundguy

You saw them with your stuff and got out of the car without your weapon drawn? Bad choice, in my opinion. Glad you got out of it O.K.

However, I will admit that in my younger days, the same situation probably would have gotten the best of me. If I did not carry, I probably would have rammed their car a few times and then when they dropped the stuff and came running over, I probably would have tried to run them over and/or chased them around the yard with the car. I drove a lot of $500 beaters back then, so no big deal banging it up. But, if they had a gun, I would be outa there! No point in defending objects with my life. Just people.

But that is all easy for me to say having not been in that situation before. I know when that guy had the shotgun pointed at me, I immediately, calmly moved back and out of the way so that the guy could not point it at me easily over his shoulder (he was the passenger in the car next to us). I moved back and behind the car. Had the passenger door started to open, I would have ran like a rabbit.

Had I had a gun, I probably would have backed away in the same direction only drawn my weapon and made a bead on the guy outside the car. He probably would have talked the guy with the gun out of things. Had the gunman come out of the car, I would have shot him.

Now think about it. I could have choosen to run away with or without a gun and probably been safe. But had I had a gun, I would have stayed in danger. Why? Because a gun makes you feel like a bad a** when you are young and/or stupid. So does a car that you know how to use as a weapon. Instead of running away and living a fine life, you take a chance that was not needed to satisfy some urge to get the better of some rival.

Kinda interesting how our psyche works.

 

[Egon]

Doggone it fellas, if you live in a neighbourhood where you gotta pack to go out maybe you should consider moving!

 

[Redbug]

I may be in no direct danger minute to minute, but i still choose to exercise my right and carry a gun.. when and /IF/ that time of danger arises.. i will be prepaired to defend myself, and have the proper tools at hand to do so. kind of like carrying an ink pen if you think you will need to write something down 'sometime' later.. hard to do with no writing tool!

soundguy

Good point Soundguy...Having/carrying a gun is just no big deal here in America. Like putting your watch on in the morning. Just another tool, (if you want it).