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From: dkatz@zaphod.UUCP (Dave Katz)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: re: home defense
Message-ID: <268@zaphod.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Jun-85 03:19:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: zaphod.268
Posted: Sat Jun  1 03:19:29 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Jun-85 00:42:03 EDT
References: <1178@hound.UUCP> <27200001@gypsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: dkatz@zaphod.UUCP (Dave Katz)
Organization: Develcon Electronics, Saskatoon, SK
Lines: 66
Summary: 

In article <27200001@gypsy.UUCP> emery@gypsy.UUCP writes:
>
>This brings up the argument of: is one shot sufficient?  Your intruder, 
>having been shot at, hopefully will leave the house.  Well, I for one do
>not want to bet ALL my cookies on this one hope.  Therefore, although I
>hope he leaves after the first shot, I want to be ready in case he isn't
>cooperating.
>
>...
>
> ...  Being rifles, they are easier to
>hold with two hands, also useful as clubs and maybe a bit harder to turn
>on their owners.  There is one more reason.  If I decide to shoot at
>an intruder, then I figure if the first 5 or 6 shots don't get him, the next
>10 will.  In other words, you can shoot (almost) forever.  30 rounds of
>ammunition can last a Long Time.  This is important especially if there is
>more than one bad guy.  
>
>...

Meanwhile, since you are not a person trained to act well under the
stress of a situation like that, you have fire off all thirty rounds,
taken out the television, two of your children, and the family dog.

If you really MUST have any kind of fire power around for "defense",
learn how to use it, learn to use it well under adverse and stressful
conditions, and then invest in some good home security equipment
in place of firearms.

NEVER,  NEVER,  NEVER turn the thing around and use it as a club.
Unless you are positive that there is not a live round in the chamber
(and I don't think you have time to break the weapon down far enough to
check and be sure) you are looking to shoot yourself.  Meanwhile, your
intruder, who is 6' 65" will take the thing and club the last whisper
of life out of you.  At least she couldn't do that with a pistol.

Now my personal feelings ...

Unless you are positive that you are prepared to shoot and kill another
human being, don't keep a weapon around in the hopes of scaring someone
off.  Any offensive weapon (even if it is for "home defense") can
quickly enough become an offensive weapon in the hands of the intruder
unless you are very effective with it.  Remember, he has a higher
motivation than you as soon as you fire that first shot.  If you want to
find out if you have the guts to kill another person, first go out deer
hunting with a borrowed rifle.  After you have shot the deer in the gut
and it is lying on the ground with its innards pouring out, if you can
calmly walk over and put that last bullet in its head (or heart) and
then get a good nights sleep, then you MIGHT have what it takes.

Once you have decided you can face the prospect of killing someone, then
plan to do it.  Get trained, and don't take pot shots in the air.  Aim
for the face and do it right - once.

Personally, as you might have guessed, I do not support having weapons
in the house except for hunting and those should be locked so far away
as to be useless for intruders.  I think your one's defensive money is
better spent in good home security devices -- alarms, window bars, steel
doors with deadbolt locks, etc -- that stop the possibility much sooner.

BTW - if you do want to install deadbolt locks on the doors, there are
some made that have a free moving hardened steel rod in the centre of
the deadbolt.  These are a touch more expensive, but can't be cut
through with a hacksaw.

D. Katz