Answering Questions About Firearms
Wherever you stand on the gun control controversy (I myself am a proponent of gun ownership), in terms of home security there are actually several factors that will be tough to ignore. Firstly, you'll need to do your homework to be able to understand the local and state laws governing the use of firearms for home protection. Secondly, you need to secure it in a safe location to stop children or any other undesired element from handling them. Lastly, if you try to own a gun for home protection, you need to be at least proficient in its use.
Thinking about the local laws, you need to be able to understand and be ready to suffer both the emotional and physical consequences of your actions were you to employ a firearm in defending your house, family and property. I imagine that the only way to understand the emotional ramifications is to experience it. In contrast, you can look at your personality and demeanor. If you are prepared to use what ever means essential to defend the security of your house, then you probably won't have a problem using a firearm in its defense. The legal facets of firearms use for home protection is the one other matter altogether. The physical results may be devastating. If the firearm is employed incorrectly, or at the wrong time you may wind up in a local pre-trial confinement facility (jail). Obviously, space will not permit me to go through all of the scenarios that are possible. When is it appropriate to use the firearm in defense of your house, when the intruder is at the door or once they are in reality within the house? What if the lights are out and also you cannot see the intruder? Does the intruder appear to possess a weapon? What should the intruder is on his way out of your house, can you employ the firearm then? One last question; what should the intruder(s) is(are) loading an escape vehicle with your property, can you shoot them then? Investigators or prosecutors from most law enforcement establishments will attempt to assess if you were in immediate, terminal danger at the time you used your firearm.
Taking into consideration the storage of the firearm, allow me to state the obvious. Don't keep a loaded firearm where young children or irresponsible adults can usually get to them. You may need to possess a trigger lock or possibly a safe to store the gun in. If it is a shotgun, it must be in a locked gun cabinet. Within the wake of recent and not too recent events when it comes to adolescent children obtaining a parent's firearm and wreaking havoc on educational property, more stringent measures should be employed to be sure the firearms are not accessible. That goes without saying, I know. However the gun control proponents usually have an area day when these catastrophic events take place. And then for good reason; the gun ownership crowd is made to look like barbarians to the rest of society whenever we can not even manage the alternative of the firearms in our own homes!
If you have never fired a gun, forget about what you've seen on television. Firing a loaded pistol will be extremely violent. A shotgun is much more so. Before attempting to purchase a firearm, I recommend going to the local indoor firing range, renting a pistol, use the regular ear and eye protection and try to hit a bull's eye from close range, quality handgun then farther out. You will realize that there are certain steps you must take within the integrated act of shooting (a military term). You must utilize trigger squeeze, breath control, sight alignment and also have an excellent sight picture. In the controlled confines of an indoor range, these steps might not be too challenging to master. Sure, you certainly will have a little nervousness in the beginning, but it shall soon dissipate.
Now take all that excitement and double it, no, triple it with the adrenaline you feel under the weight of an intruder alert! The reason you will need to train is, on an excellent day when everything is going appropriate for you, it's challenging to hit a stationary target, let alone one that's moving. You're training so your fine motor skills have some memory. They're the first to go south under the stress of having your home invaded. A case in point; when I get upset, it's hard for me to form coherent words, so I stay quiet, lest I sound like an idiot! And so it is when you're experiencing loss of motor nerve functions, because your heart is pounding on your chest wall trying to get out! Proper training dispels some of the anxiety related to pulling the trigger of a loaded gun. This proper training includes care after use, storage tips and where to aim (forget about aiming at and trying to hit a leg or perhaps an arm).
Some may say that I must be a violent individual to be a proponent of gun ownership and also to even try to write an article on this subject. Quite the contrary. I believe the right to possess a firearm is a serious matter and not to be trivialized. Countries which have imposed a ban on personal ownership of firearms, Great Britain and Australia to name a few, have experienced an increase in violent crime. Not all of these crimes are with the usage of firearms, but it's violent crime nonetheless. The possibility that the homeowner may have a firearm carries with it a disincentive for potential could be home invaders. Conversely, the decision to protect our homes with firearms must be born out of a desire to lawfully protect what is yours, not to take precious life.
