Gun & Intruder in Moto Grappa Today (GC)

[Lannis]

Nice dog!

In terms of intruders, does he:

1) Drown them in jowls and slobber?

2) Scare them to death with a giant deep "WOOF"!

3) or actually square off and back down and chase bad guys?

Some of those dogs are real pussycats, some still have the instinct ....


Lannis

[Stormtruck2]

Bill, you'v been to my humble hovel. I don't remember if I showed you our arsenal, or not.  For those that I have not had the honor of hosting her, think of the movie Tremors.   You may not have been aware at the time, but at no time were you more than 10 feet/3 paces away from a weapon.  We have a weapon within arms reach at each door.  Hidden/concealed, and secured. An intruder in my home a few years ago, (a recently released inmate) and my former line of work I think dictates prior preparation.  It's only paranoia until the fecal matter hits the rotating ventilation device, then it becomes PPPPPP.  Something not mentioned, and something that urban residents don't think/deal with is local wild life.  More than once I have been confronted by coons, possums, and skunks in my yard over the past years. We also have coyotes around here.  Any coon/skunk/possum  sighted in the yard during daylight hours  is dispatched with extreme prejudice.   The risk of them being rabid is high.  I'm not risking my grandkids or dog.  A coyote  sighted at ANY time is similarly dealt with.  So having a weapon when needed, is always preferable to to not having it.  Plus they are just plain fun to master.  I miss shooting IDPA competitively.  Weapons are used daily properly much more often than they are misused.  BTW, the gun is not the weapon, I AM THE WEAPON.   The gun is merely a tool. 

[sib]

You carry fire insurance on the place you live?   You're THAT afraid of fire?   Dam that DOES sound pretty sad when you put it that way .....

Nah, around here, we don't carry fire insurance, we just move to another cave.

[redrider]

I had my Commando for a week. Riding in the country before a second shift job, I had a flat and coasted to a dirt driveway. A frail voice from the woods asked, "Are you alright?" I said yes and this old, old guy shuffled from the trees and I asked if he had a phone. Nope. Can I leave my bike here and walk back to Pontiac to call a friend? Yep. 10 feet down the driveway he says "Aw hell, I got a phone. (I spied the overhead line walking up)I just wanted to see if you were OK." So we walk towards the sharecropper's home and Maw was sittin' on the porch in a chair that many years prior had been the inside furniture. Paw says "you can put the pistol away now, he's OK" I spent 3 hours there waiting for Gary and heard the story of the Shehorn clan. After 25 years, I still think of them and smile. Guzzi was much later.

[Stormtruck2]

RR, that sounds like my mommas side of the family.  Redneck hillbiliies every one, and good honest hard workin folk.  Proud to have their DNA in me.

[Fangit]

You carry fire insurance on the place you live?   You're THAT afraid of fire?   Dam that DOES sound pretty sad when you put it that way .....

Look my comment was not mean't to spark a gun debate. It was just a comment. I lived in Boulder/Denver CO for 10 years so I'm somewhat familiar with the gun culture/issue in the US and I know Americans are fiercely defensive of their "right" to bear arms. However I will respond to Lannis's post and I will not respond any further to this thread.

The fire analogy is a good one. A life threatening fire in my home is a rare event, never likely to happen in my lifetime. I have fire and theft insurance but I'm not afraid of a fire happening. Never even think about it really. I don't, however, carry a fire extinguisher on me around the house or go to sleep with one next to the bed. Anyone who did, could understandably described as overly paranoid.

Bill, your gun carrying is more understandable given the experience with the intruder you described and yes, it is sad that in some places these things happen enough that some people feel they have to go to these sort of measures to feel safe.

[DucatiSSsp]

Bill..  A Beretta..?


Your Peninsular-Bias is doing you a disservice, IMHO.

Shoulda gone for a BHP.

Or, more attuned to your Vandal ancestry, perhaps a Walther PPQ or a G19..?



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Like this?   ......bit of a early B-day gift to myself to keep my CZ in good company!

[lucydad]

Just read OP and ignored other responses.

Well done on everyone's part:  chilly and reasonable.

I could tell you about my home invasion in Tunis, Tunisia.  But that gets really, really ugly and did not end well for the four intruders.
Shook me up big time though, very traumatic.

Nobody should ever try an invasion at my house.  I pack a 12 gauge Remington auto in the closet, and know how to use it.  TEXAS is very clear on self defense.

[beetle]

Bill,  glad it was a good outcome for all.

Those little diamond things have white question marks on them (reading this with iPhone). Weird. Some sort of fancy font you're using?



Nick, sorry mate, but that is not a handsome dog. 

[MotoG5]

Look my comment was not mean't to spark a gun debate. It was just a comment. I lived in Boulder/Denver CO for 10 years so I'm somewhat familiar with the gun culture/issue in the US and I know Americans are fiercely defensive of their "right" to bear arms. However I will respond to Lannis's post and I will not respond any further to this thread.

The fire analogy is a good one. A life threatening fire in my home is a rare event, never likely to happen in my lifetime. I have fire and theft insurance but I'm not afraid of a fire happening. Never even think about it really. I don't, however, carry a fire extinguisher on me around the house or go to sleep with one next to the bed. Anyone who did, could understandably described as overly paranoid.

Bill, your gun carrying is more understandable given the experience with the intruder you described and yes, it is sad that in some places these things happen enough that some people feel they have to go to these sort of measures to feel safe.

Don't pay much attention to world news do you. I hope chance and good fortune continue to smile on you and your comfortable world is never invaded by the reality that is only one step outside your door.

[Lannis]

Look my comment was not mean't to spark a gun debate. It was just a comment. I lived in Boulder/Denver CO for 10 years so I'm somewhat familiar with the gun culture/issue in the US and I know Americans are fiercely defensive of their "right" to bear arms. However I will respond to Lannis's post and I will not respond any further to this thread.

The fire analogy is a good one. A life threatening fire in my home is a rare event, never likely to happen in my lifetime. I have fire and theft insurance but I'm not afraid of a fire happening. Never even think about it really. I don't, however, carry a fire extinguisher on me around the house or go to sleep with one next to the bed. Anyone who did, could understandably described as overly paranoid.

That's a reasonable response (well, except for the "quotes" around "right".  It IS in fact a right in the USA).   

I DO, however, carry a fire extinguisher in my car, have one on my tractor, one in my garage, and one in my kitchen.   Have I ever had to use one?  No.   Do I worry about fires all the time?  No.   Would the fire marshal, the police, any safety expert, or any reasonable person call me "paranoid" for having them around?

No.   

Lannis

[Muzz]

Good to see it turned out well for both of you Bill.

Out here it is quite a rigmarole to even get a gun licence (I have one) and a real nightmare to get a licence for a pistol. Also very tough to get an endorsement to own an MSSA (military style semi automatic). The Ruger 10/22 is ok with the small mag, and I think ok with the 50 shot box.  The 25 shot banana mag is not, along with a pistol grip o0n a rifle.  The whole gun culture is quite different out here.

[Lannis]

Good to see it turned out well for both of you Bill.

Out here it is quite a rigmarole to even get a gun licence (I have one) and a real nightmare to get a licence for a pistol. Also very tough to get an endorsement to own an MSSA (military style semi automatic).

Well, thank goodness someone's got some sense at LEAST in naming the things.    "Military style semi automatic" is an accurate description of what the anti-gunners and their punks (the media) call "Assault Rifles" here.   

Lannis

[Lannis]

Easy there Lannis , you might show folks how you really think . See , I also have a good memory 

  Dusty

Ummm ... yeah, thanks, I think.   Apparently my memory is not so good, though ....

[Lannis]

Oh just something from a while back , you will remember , or not 

  Dusty

It's late, we're starting to babble, go to bed.

[guzzimike]

Like this?   ......bit of a early B-day gift to myself to keep my CZ in good company!

Yup, exactly like that...

BTW, I have similar grips on my own BHP ... 





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[Vasco DG]

That's great. "Come near me and I'll drown you in spit!"

Pete

Sorry, just realised there was a page of ranting I'd missed. The reply was to the slobbery dog post by Lannis,  :D

[Nick]

Nice dog!

In terms of intruders, does he:

1) Drown them in jowls and slobber?

2) Scare them to death with a giant deep "WOOF"!

3) or actually square off and back down and chase bad guys?

Some of those dogs are real pussycats, some still have the instinct ....


Lannis

That's just a stock photo that I like, of a Neapolitan Mastiff. They can be very territorial, if trained properly.
This is my boy, Tuono, a Cane Corso Italiano, a very good guard dog.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yup, exactly like that...

BTW, I have similar grips on my own BHP ... 





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You might know, a Guzzi guy with one of those weird Dan Wessons.. 



I have two. 

[Lannis]

That's just a stock photo that I like, of a Neapolitan Mastiff. They can be very territorial, if trained properly.
This is my boy, Tuono, a Cane Corso Italiano, a very good guard dog.

That's a big boy there.

If I'm in a hotel room with cable, sometimes I'll turn on one of those "Real Cop" shows to see if they feature any police dogs.   It's fascinating to see some fugitive who's been surrounded by the cops in the middle of the street, or backed into an alley, out of his mind on speed, shirtless, barefooted, with a long knife in his hand shouting for the cops to "come and get me", ready to die in the attempt .... and they send in a dog.   

The second the guys sees it coming, he drops his knife, squeals like a little girl, and turns and runs until the dog knocks him down and holds him. 

My son came to the house late one evening, after dark, had parked his car over at the shop.   He walked toward the house, and our Jack let loose a couple of "Who are you?" barks from the porch.   My son said it was a fearsome sound, he imagined the Hound of the Baskervilles, and if this wasn't his old home and he belonged there, he would have turned and run like a rabbit.   And this is just a friendly Border Collie.

Dogs are good friends and watchers, well, most of them.

Lannis

[Dean Rose]

OK, I'm not big on having guns in the home but I am considering purchasing a handgun and a shotgun since we live in a rural area with no permanent yearlong residents. Our neighbors are summer weekends or vacation owners.

Do any of you have any recommendations for a reasonably priced 9mm auto that the wife could use or have one for sale? Thinking about going to one of the local gun stores around here and buying a used auto 12 gage shotgun.


Dean 

[Stormtruck2]

Revolvers are great when the user has little to no experience in the use of a weapon. Literally point and shoot. No safeties to fumble with, no slide to rack, or malfunction clearing drills to learn.  And a properly timed revolver is a joy to shoot.

[Lannis]

OK, I'm not big on having guns in the home but I am considering purchasing a handgun and a shotgun since we live in a rural area with no permanent yearlong residents. Our neighbors are summer weekends or vacation owners.

Do any of you have any recommendations for a reasonably priced 9mm auto that the wife could use or have one for sale? Thinking about going to one of the local gun stores around here and buying a used auto 12 gage shotgun.


Dean

Dean -

She really needs to go to a gun store (or come to my house) and try the different types of guns.

Depending on the size and strength of her hands, some guns may be too "intimidating" for her to want to use it even if she needs to.

She should try firing some .38 revolvers, and some .380 and 9mm automatics, single and double-action.   They also come with lasers so you can put the spot on what you want to hit and pull the trigger.

Also matters if she wants to carry it or not, or just have it around the place where she can get to it.

Fay and I did all that, tried 'em all, and she chose a S&W Model 442 .38 cal five-shot revolver, to which I've added a Crimson Trace laser ....

Lannis

[Chuck in Indiana]

I like wheel guns, too.. especially for someone that needs retrained every time she takes a break. <looking over shoulder> 
Dean, there's something about the sound of a pump shotgun being cycled that would probably send an intruder on the run. It's a good home defense gun.
For those that make light of having a gun in the house.. We never even locked our doors out here in the country when I was growing up. There was no need. A couple of years ago, some dirtbag murdered Dorcia's 89 year old cousin and stole his TV and safe. Another old codger was murdered about 20 miles from here for the same reason. Need I say they only get caught on TV? 
If someone breaks into our house, they may well have made the last in a life filled with bad decisions.

[rodekyll]

I agree with the comments about trying different guns to see what fits her.  The best weapon is the one you can use. 

Also, many people become victims of their own firearm when they display it to the perp but then let the bad guy relieve them of it.  If she's going to carry, she needs to be resolved to use it, accepting all the consequences of pulling the trigger.  Unless she is prepared to use deadly force and live with herself afterward, she should not be carrying.

[Lannis]

For those that make light of having a gun in the house.. We never even locked our doors out here in the country when I was growing up. There was no need. A couple of years ago, some dirtbag murdered Dorcia's 89 year old cousin and stole his TV and safe. Another old codger was murdered about 20 miles from here for the same reason. Need I say they only get caught on TV? 
If someone breaks into our house, they may well have made the last in a life filled with bad decisions.

We grew up out in the country, a mile from the next nearest house.  Easy pickings IF no one is home, certainly.

About 1968 (shortly after my Dad died), some local redneck deer hunters shot a deer about 50 feet from our house (from their truck window, as is the traditional habit of many of our local "hunters" from time immemorial).

As they piled out their truck to come get it, my Mom came out of the house with a shotgun leveled at them (a .410 loaded with a slug, but they didn't know how likely it was they might be the lucky one) and dared them to take one more step.  They got back in their truck and left; Mom called the game warden to come pick up the deer and hear the story.

Forty-three years later, to the day she died, word was around the local drug users (they're the one's who break into houses and kill people and steal TVs to feed their habit) that "That lady in that house has a gun and isn't afraid to use it".   We never had anything messed with.  That may be part luck, and may change as bad guys get bolder, but it's a factor in why things are sometimes safer in the country.    Criminals are stupid, but (like crows) they're cunning.   They won't break in somewhere where they know there's an even chance they'll be killed and the sheriff will be shaking the homeowner's hand.   They'll pick a "gun-free" zone, and do the killing themselves.   Just makes sense.

Lannis

[Dean Rose]

Cindy is good with a shotgun as we used to do some trap shooting at clay pigeons. In fact she was better than me. We'll get her some pistol range time after purchase.


Dean

[guzzimike]

Dean -

She really needs to go to a gun store (or come to my house) and try the different types of guns. < snip >

Agreed..

About 10 years ago, when my wife decided that she wanted her own firearm, we applied a similar methodology ( she also took a Firearms Safety Course ) After sampling varied  firearm choices, she chose a Glock 19 for herself; which is a wise choice, IMHO.

 It features a fairly small frame, yet offers a large capacity of 9mm ctgs. It is definitely accurate, notably reliable and is as close to the intrinsic "point and shoot" interface typical of a Revolver as you can get in an autoloader.


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[jackson]

Dean, I own a bunch of pistols (varied calibers & sizes) but my overall favorite that is easy to rack is my Walther PPS.  I use it as my carry gun, 99% of the time.  It conceals well for a 9mm in a quality "in the pants" holster, has minimal recoil and is easy to shoot accurately at any distance where you would have to ever use it.  There are plenty of other good pistols in the 9mm/40mm size from Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson and HK.  I almost bought an HK after shooting one that is owned by a good friend because it was a very good pistol but went with the Walther PPS due to the size and ease of handling. 

[Stormtruck2]

Agreed..

About 10 years ago, when my wife decided that she wanted her own firearm, we applied a similar methodology ( she also took a Firearms Safety Course ) After sampling varied  firearm choices, she chose a Glock 19 for herself; which is a wise choice, IMHO.

 It features a fairly small frame, yet offers a large capacity of 9mm ctgs. It is definitely accurate, notably reliable and is as close to the intrinsic "point and shoot" interface typical of a Revolver as you can get in an autoloader.


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When Lorraine and I worked for the Feds, she carried a G19.  Very good weapon.   Now her EDC is a Sig 938 9mm.  Slim profile, anvil like reliability, and a smaller package to carry.  It does have lesser capacity than the G19. We carry Hornady Critical Duty ammo in it.