And SUDDENLY, as guns are out of this equation, this thread gets significantly less attention .

I was trained around guns and have been to three wars. Guns (any weapon) are just another tool-- And like tools, they have their place. I've seen so many people, men and women injured in fights, domestic violence, rapes, war, etc. and it's pretty horrible. Despite all that I've seen, as a male I've never been scared to walk alone at night, even in the worst places. Now that I'm transitioning and I see my muscle going down the drain, literally, I've been warned about the realities of being female living in a big city-Los Angeles. I was walking with a female friend on the Venice boardwalk late one night last week and she moved closer to me as we passed street people, teenage boys, and the occasional 51-51. I felt bad that as liberating as transition is to the soul, being female may mean losing some of my independence.

I'm not suggesting carrying a weapon, but I do believe it's a personal decision. In three decades in medicine or working as a helicopter pilot, I don't remember a single violent attack victim being injured after using a defensive weapon for self defense, with the obvious exception of soldiers .

Quote from: A on May 29, 2013, 08:58:16 AM
Seriously, I've never seen or heard of such risks that would require carrying a weapon... This is going to sound stupid, but do you need to do something special to put yourself at risk like that? Like, I dunno, walking alone, almost naked, in the middle of the night, in a scary back alley, and throwing insults at dangerous-looking people? oo' I'm not trying to say everyone is being careless or anything; I just want to illustrate how little danger I feel, and understand where that danger (or at the very least perceived danger) everyone on this forum seems to feel comes from.

It's not a fear that compels someone to CCW, it's not even a desire for self defense, it's a combination of situational awareness and being prepared for anything. When your in a major city where criminals illegally posses firearms, and gangs illegally obtain select fire weapons (full auto) and people don't break into a house or apartment alone but in groups of two or larger it's knowing that you will survive. Scary fact, 9 out of 10 times when police respond to a home invasion in the US, if someone is home at the time, they respond in time to document a home invasion and a homicide ifthe home owners are unarmed.

I don't carry because im scared, i don't have a gun hidden in my couch because im scared, i don't keep my carry gun in my nightstand because im scared, i do it because i know if a situation arises IF i can call 911, i know that with the 5-9 min response time i will.either be dead or badly beaten. My owning a gun takes the decision away from a criminal as to who gets outlined in chalk, but gives it to me, and the law will 9\10 times be on your side if that happens. Also contrary to popular belief, laws in the US do not require a "warning shot" like some countries due to Castle Law and Stand You Ground Laws that allow the use of deadly force if the situation.warrants it. But before people in other countries think all we have to do is pull and fire, self defense laws require you attempt to.find a way to resolve or escape an issue before using deadly force, we aren't gun toting psychopaths, and in order to obtain a CCW the background check is even deeper and more involved then the FBI background checks required to purchase a gun

The subject says hunting and shooting and I don't see where it says why I hate being a girl or whatever, but i'll mix it up a bit. Since I am a pretty androgynous type I'm sure that casual passers by in my neighborhood must think I'm some kind of feminine pushover, maybe gay or some kind of pussy. My spouse and I live alone in a nice home, we're seniors and probably look like real pushovers for a home invasion robbery.

We were watching a movie on the TV in a back room, all the lights in front rooms were off except the porch light. Suddenly I heard a loud banging on my front door so I pulled my 12 gauge pump out of the closet, the magazine is loaded alternately with 00 Buckshot and #4 Buckshot, so without turning on the lights I racked a round in the chamber and moved into the living room. They couldn't see me, but I saw three man standing there framed in the light banging incessantly on my door. I could have called the police and they would have shown up in about ten minutes sirens and lights on and these dorks would have been forewarned and left. I unlocked the door with a loud snapping sound of the solid brass Assa lock and backed into the room and waited for the door to come flying open with a loud bang. I was thinking that I should have written down the phone number of a business that cleans up homes and patches walls after homicides and acts of violence. They got spooked at my coolness and stealth when I said nothing and left in a hurry rather than take a chance of catching a load of buckshot in the chops at point blank range. For a moment I was no longer a potential victim. All the wussies can feel free to hate guns, but I trust myself more than the police in a situation like this. Generally the police do nothing more than take a report over the still steaming corpse of the poor victim.

Shan, the weapons posts have been split out of another thread and moved here as this is a more appropriate location for that discussion.

Quote from: Shantel on May 29, 2013, 05:37:56 PM
The subject says hunting and shooting and I don't see where it says why I hate being a girl or whatever, but i'll mix it up a bit. Since I am a pretty androgynous type I'm sure that casual passers by in my neighborhood must think I'm some kind of feminine pushover, maybe gay or some kind of pussy. My spouse and I live alone in a nice home, we're seniors and probably look like real pushovers for a home invasion robbery.

We were watching a movie on the TV in a back room, all the lights in front rooms were off except the porch light. Suddenly I heard a loud banging on my front door so I pulled my 12 gauge pump out of the closet, the magazine is loaded alternately with 00 Buckshot and #4 Buckshot, so without turning on the lights I racked a round in the chamber and moved into the living room. They couldn't see me, but I saw three man standing there framed in the light banging incessantly on my door. I could have called the police and they would have shown up in about ten minutes sirens and lights on and these dorks would have been forewarned and left. I unlocked the door with a loud snapping sound of the solid brass Assa lock and backed into the room and waited for the door to come flying open with a loud bang. I was thinking that I should have written down the phone number of a business that cleans up homes and patches walls after homicides and acts of violence. They got spooked at my coolness and stealth when I said nothing and left in a hurry rather than take a chance of catching a load of buckshot in the chops at point blank range. For a moment I was no longer a potential victim. All the wussies can feel free to hate guns, but I trust myself more than the police in a situation like this. Generally the police do nothing more than take a report over the still steaming corpse of the poor victim.

And one day you'll kill a loved one.

In Melbourne, Australia, last year there were 16 deaths evolving guns.
Fair enough, hunt for sport, but pulling out a gun when you hear a bang on the door is a shocking way to live.

Quote from: kariann330 on May 29, 2013, 12:33:23 PM
It's not a fear that compels someone to CCW, it's not even a desire for self defense, it's a combination of situational awareness and being prepared for anything. When your in a major city where criminals illegally posses firearms, and gangs illegally obtain select fire weapons (full auto) and people don't break into a house or apartment alone but in groups of two or larger it's knowing that you will survive. Scary fact, 9 out of 10 times when police respond to a home invasion in the US, if someone is home at the time, they respond in time to document a home invasion and a homicide ifthe home owners are unarmed.

I don't carry because im scared, i don't have a gun hidden in my couch because im scared, i don't keep my carry gun in my nightstand because im scared, i do it because i know if a situation arises IF i can call 911, i know that with the 5-9 min response time i will.either be dead or badly beaten. My owning a gun takes the decision away from a criminal as to who gets outlined in chalk, but gives it to me, and the law will 9\10 times be on your side if that happens. Also contrary to popular belief, laws in the US do not require a "warning shot" like some countries due to Castle Law and Stand You Ground Laws that allow the use of deadly force if the situation.warrants it. But before people in other countries think all we have to do is pull and fire, self defense laws require you attempt to.find a way to resolve or escape an issue before using deadly force, we aren't gun toting psychopaths, and in order to obtain a CCW the background check is even deeper and more involved then the FBI background checks required to purchase a gun

The law in every western country states that you are only allowed to use reasonable force.

Ie. someone breaks into your home and has a baseball bat and you kill them with a gun, you will face a host of charges.
If they have a gun, you may be fine, you'll be in trouble if you could get yourself & any members of your family of people in the house safely.
Whatever happens, you'll go broke fighting the charges in court.

Quote from: Nicole on May 29, 2013, 06:03:41 PM
The law in every western country states that you are only allowed to use reasonable force.

Ie. someone breaks into your home and has a baseball bat and you kill them with a gun, you will face a host of charges.
If they have a gun, you may be fine, you'll be in trouble if you could get yourself & any members of your family of people in the house safely.
Whatever happens, you'll go broke fighting the charges in court.

Home invaders usually brutalize their victims, three men in their 20's and thirties are a clear danger to a seventy year old and a sixty six year old woman. Buckshot would create a more level playing field, and at the time there was no way to determine if they were armed. There's not a prosecutor in my state that would attempt to prosecute. I don't want to argue the point, I'm no fool and know my rights here.

Quote from: Shantel on May 29, 2013, 06:14:21 PM
Home invaders usually brutalize their victims, three men in their 20's and thirties are a clear danger to a seventy year old and a sixty six year old woman. Buckshot would create a more level playing field, and at the time there was no way to determine if they were armed. There's not a prosecutor in my state that would attempt to prosecute. I don't want to argue the point, I'm no fool and know my rights here.

I'm not sure, but isn't the law about actually knowing they are armed? I'm not sure, and I'm not even sure if it differs with the Canadian laws, but uhm... I think I remember something about not thinking, but knowing with a reasonable degree of certainty that you would probably die if you didn't kill. Something like that? I'm not arguing for or against what you did; not saying it's wrong. I'm just curious about the strictly legal aspect.

Also those people who tried to attack you are weird, aren't they? Normally home invaders would either enter silently from when you don't see them and steal things or attack you from behind, either gently knock at the door so you're not scared and on guard, and then surprise-attack you, wouldn't they? I wonder what their goal was.

.............Shocking. So someone runs away with your purse (or even a chocolate bar in a convenience store, since the law you cited seems to define theft as a serious crime without distinction of actual seriousness, although I doubt it's interpreted that bad), and it's legal and appropriate to murder them in return? Geez, that sounds scaringly similar to the Arab laws regarding vengeance, where doing something to someone is always okay if they've done you something judged equivalent.

Texas: Added to places never to visit.

Seriously, I can understand killing someone when you think they'll probably kill you or someone else, or even just harm you, in grave cases, but stealing and entering a private property, really? I wonder if some rebellious teenagers have been shot for using a stranger's pool in the middle of the night. :/

Quote from: A on May 30, 2013, 12:19:10 AM
I wonder if some rebellious teenagers have been shot for using a stranger's pool in the middle of the night. :/

Yes it has happened. One guy shot a 10 year old for kicking a soccer ball into his yard. Most people in the USA are for responsible gun regulations though. Most people will not shoot an intruder on their property. But in your house? That is a clear and present danger. What kind of person breaks into someone's house when people are in there? How guns are perceived in the US all depends where you live. It's not black and white.

I finally got to shoot my Mossberg 500 pump action shotgun. It kept dropping shells when I cycled through. And empty shells sometimes stuck instead of ejecting. After stripping it down, cleaning it and bending a couple of parts, its cycling like a champ. But I need to buy a tactical stock now. The shotgun is too long for me to shoot comfortably. Luckily, this is just my home defence gun. My next one will be either a bolt-action Marlin, a Nagant or a Colt M-4.

Quote from: A on May 29, 2013, 10:56:07 PM
I'm not sure, but isn't the law about actually knowing they are armed? I'm not sure, and I'm not even sure if it differs with the Canadian laws, but uhm... I think I remember something about not thinking, but knowing with a reasonable degree of certainty that you would probably die if you didn't kill. Something like that? I'm not arguing for or against what you did; not saying it's wrong. I'm just curious about the strictly legal aspect.

Also those people who tried to attack you are weird, aren't they? Normally home invaders would either enter silently from when you don't see them and steal things or attack you from behind, either gently knock at the door so you're not scared and on guard, and then surprise-attack you, wouldn't they? I wonder what their goal was.

I suppose I should have opened the door and asked them if they were armed before I got my shotgun. BTW - Home invaders love to pick on older retired folks, because they usually have money and a lot of things. They like to bang on the door and when you open it they push it in your face knocking you off your feet and then commence brutalizing the hell out of you. I think it would be pretty stupid to make any assumptions about whether they are armed or what their motives are when it's clear that you don't know them and they don't live in the neighborhood.

I'm currently saving up for a .22LR, possibly going to do a bullpup mod to it. I'm leaning towards a Ruger, but I'm not set on anything yet. Currently have access to a .303 enfield from 1918, but we have no ammo for it, and a Taurus 9mm. Also no ammo for the handgun. We are going to get ammo and kill some paper. I'm more about target shooting, plinking, and general watermelon homicide, but I wouldn't mind doing a little squirrel heard thinning.

I've shot a .22 before, was a rifle. I believe it was a Ruger. It was a lot of fun, and my friend, who owned that rifle, did teach me basics on firearm safety.

I've been running some snaps through the Taurus, giving me a good education on how to clean, load, discharge, safe, disassemble, reassemble, and correct malfunctions in it without using live ammo.

Biggest pro for a .22LR rifle is noise. I can get a nice weapon, silencer, and some subsonic ammo for shooting here, not require hearing protection, and the neighbors/my hosts won't get annoyed at the constant sound of gunfire. Doing research, watching videos on safety and etiquette, and most of all, taking my time.

Just killed two racoons that got into the attic. I hate them things.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on July 16, 2013, 07:07:11 PM
Just killed two racoons that got into the attic. I hate them things.

My grandfather had to keep the trashcans lids at his lake house attached with bungee cords, or the coons would get into them.

But yum, dinner!

And as we know, 'coonskin hats never go out of style!

Nice, I would have made a mess of my attic with that, though! I went up there with the .177 pellet rifle, a flashlight, and a bat, in case things went bad. They didn't, two shots, two kills. I flung the carcasses out the second story window with a snow shovel. That's how Devlyn rolls.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on July 16, 2013, 07:28:03 PM
Nice, I would have made a mess of my attic with that, though! I went up there with the .177 pellet rifle, a flashlight, and a bat, in case things went bad. They didn't, two shots, two kills. I flung the carcasses out the second story window with a snow shovel. That's how Devlyn rolls.

Oh Honey, you are a killer..I tell you hot shot!

Probably head shots.

Quick dispatch.