Do you home carry?

[Jim243]

It is always a good idea to look to home security in the context of an overall systemic solution, but I respectfully submit that nothing will ensure that the family is "completely" protected.

Completely???? Hard to say, very well protected, yes. I am more concerned for their safety outside of the home than at home. For that I have a firearm that goes with me all the time.

Let me relate a little story for you. My dad's brother during WWII served in the Air Force and was a Commandant of a US prisoner of war camp in the southwest. Not one time did he ever carry a pistol or rifle during that time inside or outside the camp. Not once was his orders to the prisoners ever questioned. He did carry a 150 lbs very well trained German Shepard that went everywhere with him. We had two German Shepard's but had to get rid of one of them, he was my wife's favorite, but I was the only one that could get near my wife without him attacking. On an occasion her brother went to give her a hug goodby and was promptly bite in the butt without warning. My wife still misses him. But:

When we adopted our daughter (4 years ago), Henry had to go just for safety's sake. I still have my Shepard but my wife has her Pekineses who is an utter terror and sets off our Shepard into attack mode every time someone comes by.

Both are great dogs with the children, but I would hate to be a stranger braking into our house.





Stay safe and shoot straight.
Jim

 

[Sabrewolfe]

Both are great dogs with the children, but I would hate to be a stranger braking into our house.

Okay, let's run a scenario. Home invasion. Three armed attackers. We'll be optimistic and assume no guns, so a just couple big knives and a club (tire iron, baseball bat, whatever). 7pm, everyone is home and the kids are up.

Bad Guys kick in the front door. Your dog immediately jumps in, grabbing one of them by the arm. Unfortunately for the dog, the other two BGs jump him in turn.

The dog is now dead, but he bought you 20 precious seconds. Since your firearms are locked up in a different room, you are now faced with a choice. Herd your (screaming, terrified) children to a safer location and then try to access your weapon before the BGs finish with dog and come after you, or abandon your kids in a mad rush to arm yourself as fast as possible and get back before the invaders kill your family.

This is a lose/lose proposition.


Now, let's run this again, but this time you have a nice subcompact concealed on you (so as not to mentally traumatise your children with the reality that there are bad, evil people in the world).

Bad Guys kick in the front door. Your dog immediately jumps in, grabbing one of them by the arm. As the other two BGs try to go to #1's aid, you clear Kydex and dump 3 rounds center mass into BG #2. He goes down.

At this point, you pretty much own the scenario. BG #1 is busy getting mauled by the dog and is out of the fight. BG #2 is unconscious and bleeding out: he's now longer a threat, either. As for BG #3, if he runs, you win. If he doesn't, you still have 4+ rounds in the mag to put him down.

 

[Skadoosh]

You stand a much greater chance of being car jacked than of having someone break into your home while you are there.
No.

posted by OldMarksman: Check your facts. This has been covered here numerous time over the last few years.

You have a significantly greater chance of being violently attacked somewhere other than in your home, but that includes attacks in parking lots, in parking garages, on sidewalks, and everywhere else. And many attacks do occur in the home.

And what number, based on statistical analysis, constitutes enough of a real and present danger in your mind to warrant being armed 24/7 even while at home? A 50% chance?..a 25% chance?..10%?...1%? Less than 1%??

Because if you're referencing the FBI Uniform Crime Report, we all know that the chances of being a victim of a violent crime are extremely low. I'm in VA, so for the entire southern quadrant of the US in 2009 the chance of property crime (which includes some crimes other than home invasion) was 3.61%, while the chance of violent crime (one in which needing a gun to protect yourself and/or family might be necessary) was less than one half of one percent. If you reside in the other three regions delineated in the report, your chances are significantly lower.

If you look at the 2012 data, you will see that violent crime is trending down.

I find it rather sad that there are so many on this thread who are paranoid enough to feel compelled to be armed all the time...including always carrying while at home, doing so under the guise of constant preparedness against imminent catastrophic harm being done to them in their home despite the data about crime doesn't really support the perceived requirement to do so.

I find it further disturbing that some people seemingly feel it necessary to attempt to convince others that choosing not to carry while at home is borderline irresponsible.

 

[Theohazard]

Skadoosh, I don't understand why you still won't answer the question that I've asked you several times in this thread: How is your 5-year-old going to gain "uncontrolled access" to a handgun that you're carrying on your body?

 

[Skadoosh]

I have answered your question already. I do not home carry. Nor do I stash loaded firearms around the house.

This is not avoiding the question. You are avoiding understanding my point.

 

[Spats McGee]

I think it's time to put this one to rest.