Guns are a touchy subject huh? I have some and I can’t see a time in my life where I wont have any.
Guns are a political topic too.
Here’s how I think about it; If you value ANY freedom, you CANNOT ignore the 2nd amendment.
It is said that the 2nd amendment is there to protect the 1st amendment.
So if you belive that you should be able to speak your mind, have your chosen religion, parent your kids the way you want, travel to another state… sounds like you and I are a lot alike!
I tell you all about My Story and why I write about gun ownership but today, I want to share with you some practical reasons to buy a gun for self and home defense.
Read this in your mom’s voice “Great, listen to THIS guy, who you don’t even know, on the INTERNET.. is it even a guy?”
Grow as a person; challenge your own bias
You are here, wondering if you should head to the gun store and pick up a gun, and you MAY not be bought into the idea.
I can’t tell you how many times I have had my mind changed on something. The big college-level phrase for this is a “Paradigm Shift”.
Whatever the reason is, getting your hands on one would be a great way to educate yourself, at a minimum.
That is what Leah Libresco did. She is a statistician and used to write at FiveThirtyEight, a site that “uses data to advance public knowledge” She wrote:
“Before I started researching gun deaths, gun-control policy used to frustrate me. I wished the National Rifle Association would stop blocking common-sense gun-control reforms such as banning assault weapons, restricting silencers, shrinking magazine sizes and all the other measures that could make guns less deadly.
Then, my colleagues and I at FiveThirtyEight spent three months analyzing all 33,000 lives ended by guns each year in the United States, and I wound up frustrated in a whole new way. We looked at what interventions might have saved those people, and the case for the policies I’d lobbied for crumbled when I examined the evidence.”
Taking the step of going to a range, renting or buying a gun from their gun shop and being taught the basics by a seasoned shooter will teach you more about a gun than just reading and might just change your mind. Even just a little.
You should buy a gun for self defense: To Protect yourself
Having a gun as a self defense weapon HAS to be the most popular reason for anyone to buy a gun. The world has seemingly gotten more violent in the past couple years.
The media shows us Portland and San Fransisco where certain crimes (like theft) have been decriminalized, I know lots of people in those states that are unhappy with the way things are now.
Bad guys break into store, in broad daylight, and get away without punishment!
Former President Ronald Reagan said “The gun has been called the great equalizer, meaning that a small person with a gun is equal to a large person” He didn’t stop there but he is right, a gun can level the playing field!
Imagine yourself in life or death situations, imagine being approached at your home by a group of people trying to force themselves in, being loud, aggressive and threatening. What if you are alone?
I am not a fan of any violence, let alone gun violence but I’d hate to have a situation like that happent o my wife or mom when they are home alone, and I’d hope you could protect yourself too!
I have trained a lot in self defense, and I know this: You vs a “bad guy” even without a weapon is a bad look. If they have ANY weapon and look to you as prey, I fear that no amount of YMCA self defense class will help you. But I do know that gun owners, who take the time to learn, are less of a target for criminals and more able to responsibly provide for their personal safety.
You should buy a gun for self defense: To Protect your family members
Self defense and family defense go hand in hand to me. As a husband and father, I am supposed to protect them however I can.
I have trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for self defense but I have also taken the steps to compete with the guns I own as a way to develop my skils.
I think ALL gun owners should get involved in some amount of competition. I love going to the range but there is another level of confidence I get when I complete a pistol match!
I would not feel confortable with the thought of protecting my family without proper training myself. There are just too many things that I have learned that you need to consider, I’d love to share more with you on that soon too!
Evern since I began shooting competitively, I feel more equipped to protect my wife and kiddos. I have developed skills that allow me to get my gun out and on target fast, shoot accurately while moving and shooting fast. My hope is that if ever something were to happen, that I can avoid an incident…. but just in case, I know I can respond in a way that gets us out of life or death situations.
You should buy a gun for self defense: To protect others
Self defense of course benefits you but you are developing skills that can help others!
I live in Texas and when you take concealed carry training for your license to carry, it is impressed on each person that responsible gun ownership means being safe always. It’s better NOT to pull your gun and shoot and that there are laws to be aware of.
BUT, there are situations when “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy (YOU) with a gun”. If you are the protective type, you already feel responsible to stand up for the “little guy” and as with all the points above, you can leverage your training and wisdom to avoid gun violence.
You should buy a gun for self defense: You are not alone!
I bet you already know someone with a gun. Statistically there are 120.5 guns per 100 U.S. residents 🙂
From self protection to defense, to hunting. Collecting to competition, gun ownership is not a fringe activity; it’s enjoyed by millions!
Here are some highlights from Zippia. “30+ Striking U.S. Firearm Industry Statistics [2023]: How Big Is The US Gun Industry” Zippia.com. Jun. 11, 2023 :
As of 2021, guns per capita in the U.S. reached a staggering 120.5 guns for every 100 residents.
My 2 cents: Did you know that in Switzerland, adult men from age 18-34 are not only requred to serve in the military but are issued a rifle or pistol that is kept at home with them? That’s like EVERY man there. As a former Marine, patriot and gun enthusiast, I love that! I think every home should have a gun and that we should have classes in school and even compete in shooting sports, like in the olympics.
57.8% of U.S. gun owners are male.
My 2 cents: Interesting but not suprising right? Guns are metal, loud, sometimes heavy, minda masculine… but that STILL means that 42.2% of gun owners are women.
“White people are the most likely to own a gun in the U.S., with 47% of White people and households owning at least one.
Broken down by race, gun ownership has the following trends: 37% of Black, 26% of Hispanic, and 20% of Asian people and households own firearms in the U.S.”
“45% of people and households who are 65+ years old own at least one gun.”
My 2 cents: My parents fall into this group, she’s a baby boomer and until 2020 that demographic was the largest in the U.S. Still, super-intere
sting.
Some more data for you on gun ownership
Based on the Department of Justice’s firearms report from April 2022, just about one percent of property crime victims and around two percent of victims injured in nonfatal violent incidents used firearms for self-defense. Each year, defensive gun use is reported in roughly 70,000 criminal incidents.
In these situations, responsible gun owners often deterred or intimidated their attacker without actually firing their weapon. Merely possessing a firearm and signaling to the criminal that they were prepared to defend themselves was enough to keep things form getting out of hand.
So, you should buy a gun for self defense, here’s your plan.
Decide what gun to start with
You are going to get a lot of sites that offer to guide you but ultimately “it’s up to you” is what they’ll say.
Go to your local gun shop, grab each Glock 9mm just so you can say you felt them all and buy a Glock 19 MOS. They are about $600 as of the time of this article.
Don’t forget ammo – grab 100 rounds of 9mm; 50 that are 115 grain (don’t worry about the specs for ammunition for now) and 50 that are hollow point. You might find them labeled as defensive rounds.
Starting here is perfect. You simply cannot go wrong investing in a Glock.
Get trained
Find and hire someone that will train you on the basics. Just google “beginner firearm course near me” and start making contact.
The goal with this is to have direct adult supervision as you learn how to operate your gun.
Listen, even though I had many years of rifle experience and had owned a few handguns I STILL benefitted from taking a class. It was almost by accident but it helped me so much and even got me interested in competition!
Take someone shooting!
Now you are obviously NOT an expert but you are safe and capable of going to the range without incident. Taking someone with you serves a couple purposes:
There is a saying among doctors; “See one, Do one, Teach one.” This is because when you actually teach someone something, it helps you fully know that topic. So you get to lock in the things you learned so far.
Secondly, it’s good to have another person with you to help keep things safe. Having an extra set of eyes to let you know that you are showing good muzzle awareness (fancy gun talk for where you are pointing the gun, preferably in safe manner) never hurts.
Next-level steps
Find and enroll in an in-depth defensive handgun course; google “defensive handgun training”. Ask the person you just took your beginner class from! They might even be the person you want to take this course with.
A course like this will give you more hands on practice on things like:
When to engage
Drawing your gun from concealment
Dealing with malfunctions
Speed Drills
Marksmanship
Get your License to Carry (LTC)
Each state has their own laws. Best of luck to you if you live in California or New York, you are going to need an act of God to have the benefit of self defense there.
Other states have a well-documented process for getting your LTC. A simple googling of ‘LTC courses near me” or asking your past trainers will get you started.
Expect an actual class where you talk about laws, situations and more technical aspects of carrying your gun in public. You will also have to show that you can handle your gun on the range. By now, this will be comfortable for you.
I am so glad you joined our community! You will find some interesting people among our group but I guarantee that you will fit in just fine! As a matter of fact, we are all glad you chose to join us!
