I am not a gunowner and don't ever expect to be. With that aside, I am wondering why people want to own guns. What is the advantage of guns over other methods of self defense?

Don't let the criminals find out.


Lots of reasons. They enjoy shooting them. They like knowing they can defend themselves, their home and their family from intruders. They are sportsmen. They are collectors. They like to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.


Um....I can safely stand on the other side of the room and shoot the sonuva(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) in the head without allowing him to get close enough to harm me.

I actually prefer a baseball bat. Not that it's a smarter choice than a gun, but because it would be more fun to beat some drug crazed black [or white] intruder to death over a period of a few minutes than to just shoot him.

But you know what they say, 'safety first'.....

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“Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” --Barack Obama

I own guns because I grew up hunting. So I don't own any pistols, just rifles and shotguns.

I was in the Army, and enjoyed learning to use pistols, machine guns, M16s and crew-served weaponry.

But I've never felt the need to be armed for self defense, I've got better things to spend my money on, and with small kids in the house I don't want the headache of securing weaponry. So for now my guns are stored at my parents' house.

But I'd still enjoy a day at the range every now and then.

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Scarred survivor of the April 2008 Mod War.

It goes through walls.


In fact several walls and across the street to the neighbors if you have one powerful enough.

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan

yeh what he said. Nothin like blowing the crap outta inanimate objects to relieve stress.

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan

That's why I prefer a .45 for home defense. Big chunk of lead, low velocity. It ain't going far but it's gonna kill the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of the person I'm aiming at.

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“Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” --Barack Obama

I have guns for hunting, plinking, and self defense. I have guns because when my dad taught me shoot, he told me that this right was the one that secured all others. I have guns so that my children will learn it too.

As far as self-defense goes, I want a weapon that I am comfortable with. One that I know will do the job when I need it to.

When I was growing up, we owned 80 acres of wood and prairie about an hour out of town. We'd go there for the day -- hunting in the morning, then over to the sand pit for target practice. Mostly cans and paper targets (or clay pigeons for the shotguns), but we'd sometimes bring other stuff from home.

Most memorable time was the day we brought my collection of plastic Army men, complete with vehicles -- tanks, motorcycles, trucks, halftracks. We lined them up, convoy fashion, left to right in the sand. Then backed off and started plinking with .22s. When we'd hit a figure, it would go flying high.

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Scarred survivor of the April 2008 Mod War.

Shotgun. Low velocity, wide scatter shot, big enough to be seen in the dark.
Might not even need to fire it.. raaack! that puppy and low level baddies turn tail.

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan

Seriously though shotguns are good for home defense.


Personally I had them for target shooting, for shooting varmints, and for the occasional animal that might be a danger(possibly rabid or just a big aggressive dog).

My dad is a gun collector. So the ones I have are actually "coming of age" type birthday gifts.

I had to leave them at home when I went to college though and for one reason or another it's never been convenient legally for me to have them since. But we'll see what the supreme court has to say about gun ban laws.

And there have been a few times when I would have been a lot more comfortable if I'd had a gun on me. Luckily paying attention to my gut and surroundings has kept me safe thus far.