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Old 11-13-2018, 09:36 PM   #21
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Can't tell you what to do.

I like to walk outside and there's things out there that will eat me. I carry out there. A couple of weapons are available for home defense and in our vehicles. If you have a weapon you must train with it, otherwise it's a liability.

Many years ago, future DW and I were all of 17, and a group of 6-8 guys held us captive, theatened to rape her and slit my throat. That didn't happen, but I still remember it. Today I'd act according to the training we've since had.

Good luck.
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Old 11-13-2018, 09:36 PM   #22
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Interesting comments on NextDoor. I use it but now that you mention it, it is indeed full of paranoid sounding posts.

Where we live there is a bit of property crime - car break-ins and breaking into houses when nobody is home. Neither of which a gun will do anything for. We have never had our house broken in to, but we had dogs for years, and now we have a gate across the driveway.
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Old 11-13-2018, 09:55 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by DeborahB View Post
. I just ordered mace and a little thing that blasts 130 decibels of noise when triggered. I don’t think I need them but figured it wouldn’t hurt.
There is a continuum of items designed for self defense ranging from trained use of your bare hands to sprays (such as you mentioned) to mechanical devices to firearms. Where you place yourself along that continuum is up to you and the law in your area. It sounds like you've made an attempt to educate yourself on the pros and cons of various approaches and are utilizing some. It's your decision.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:12 PM   #24
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Interesting discussion but I live in a country where you would not even be contemplating this discussion as guns are not an option.

Funny how no guns allowed = low crime rate.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:20 PM   #25
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Statistically, the best defense is to live in a good area and stay away from areas of high crime. This strategy has worked for me for 66 years. You can get all spun up and paranoid, but realistically you are in more danger from something like an auto accident or a medical emergency.
I agree that personal behaviours + the locations and circumstances you place yourself in are absolutely key and control your odds of trouble. For example, while I've owned guns all my life and am skilled using and maintaining them, I don't keep anything "handy" at home nor do I carry here in the neighborhood. It's too unlikely that I'll have trouble here in suburbia to justify the risk caused by having grandkids and firearms (or similar deadly weapons) handy. My choice. However, when we're camping I do feel better not being defenseless (geezer couple in a flimsy camper that like to get off the beaten track and frequently out of cell phone coverage). Also my choice.

Regarding your
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all spun up and paranoid,
comment, I agree that if being someplace at some time makes you feel that way, don't go to that place at that time. But sometimes your concerns fall far short of "spun up and paranoid" but you'd feel better abut some circumstance with some self-defense enhancements along.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:24 PM   #26
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I moved from the suburbs to the city. My suburban friends stop visiting. When I asked why, they were worried about crime. So, my volunteer project became to learn about crime in general and mostly in my neighborhood.

I reached out to the local police data that is provided to the FBI. I segmented 5 years of data from my 1x2 miles neighborhood and analyzed the reported crime. I also reached out to the local university, police department, and secondary research.

I learned that crime was different by area and time of day/night was very important. There were few crimes for example where a gun would have been useful, unless you want to shot a home invader who did not expect you at home. There is nothing in the literature or local stories from my old neighborhood that suggested a firearm would have been useful or worth the possible risk of even hurting a person. Not that I was looking to make that conclusion, but the OP question made me think about it.

Some interesting learning is corner houses are burgled more than other homes. Students/others who come home from bars late at night are robbed more than others. Drug sales on your block are encouraged by easy in/out, so creating a cul-de-dac or difficult 'escape' has been a positive approach used in many neighborhoods. Police can tell you the popular types of cars being stolen in your area. If you own one, you can take more care. I concluded that neighborhood watch is not effective as a crime prevention program. Police simply need a tool to make citizens feel they are doing something. Crime is different by area even in a 1x2 mile area.

If you really want the data, look to see if the FBI data submitted by your police department is available. That will tell you a lot.

The bottom line for me is my neighbors felt pretty safe. They did take more precautions but that in my opinion was based on density, more people/more crime. We did not have a problem for the few years we ended up living there. We did know people who were affected by crime. But typically a single incident. I can think of a couple of things that have happen to me over the years as well in the 'safe' neighborhoods.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:35 PM   #27
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Interesting discussion but I live in a country where you would not even be contemplating this discussion as guns are not an option.

Funny how no guns allowed = low crime rate.
Probably it's the culture more than than the gun/no gun aspect, as most break-in criminals and car vandals don't carry guns.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:38 PM   #28
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I'm not sure how guns stop cars from getting broken into. Locking your car makes a lot more sense to me.
Well, locking your car is a given but doesn't generally stop break-ins and never stops vandalism. That's what insurance is for.

In regard to guns and their relationship to car break-ins or unoccupied home break-ins, a person who would, while armed, confront a burglar looking to steal secretly is exactly the kind of person who should not have a gun or other deadly device IMO. Guns are only for unavoidable, likely life threatening confrontations.
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I always wanted to know which of my neighbors owned guns so that I could make sure my kids never went there.
Hopefully, you wouldn't know. None, and I mean zero, nada, not a one of my neighbors know I have guns. I don't talk about it, not even a casual mention. I don't show off the collection. It's something to be kept completely and absolutely to yourself without exception.
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:43 PM   #29
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We have a monitored alarm system.
Use timers on lights if going away on a trip, and tell neighbor who can see the house.
We keep the doors locked when at home, so nobody can simply walk in.
When at home, I also have a gun by the bed (no kids here).

If you are not comfortable with a gun, get a can of bear spray, those things will stop a grizzly bear attack, watch videos so you can decide how you would use it.

Frankly, it's always a worry, most criminals can kick in your front door in 3 seconds even when locked, unless you have reinforced it very very well.

Police will take about 10 minutes to show up, it will be a very long.... 10 minutes.
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Old 11-14-2018, 12:50 AM   #30
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Unfortunately, crime is a fact of life. Everywhere! Some areas worse than others.

Car alarms, external motion detectors and a big dog are great (and in place here) but to me a gun is like an American Express card. I never leave home without it. And when at home, a loaded gun is never more than ~50 feet away. However, I hope like hell that I never have to shoot anyone. I think that outlines my POV.
I agree with you, but when I am at home a gun is always within reach. So far I have never had to use it, and I hope I never do.
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Old 11-14-2018, 12:52 AM   #31
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Statistically, the best defense is to live in a good area and stay away from areas of high crime. This strategy has worked for me for 66 years. You can get all spun up and paranoid, but realistically you are in more danger from something like an auto accident or a medical emergency.
But now days criminals travel, so good areas with low crime aren't necessarily that way anymore. I know areas that used to be safe that have had a large increase in crime because the light rail went through it, and it's easy for the criminals to get there now.
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Old 11-14-2018, 01:00 AM   #32
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I own guns for protection and for sporting uses. I like to carry outside because there are cougars around, seldom seen but present. One recently killed a woman about an hour from my house. I am older and female and live alone in the country. If I had an alarm, or called the police, it will take them long enough to get to my property that by that time it will be too late. Unless I am lucky and the Sheriff just happens to be in the area.
I won't be able to fight off anyone should it come to that, the size and strength disparity is too much to over come. I train constantly with firearms, compete with them, and am comfortable in their use. I will use one if it is necessary, but I hope that time never comes. Anyone not comfortable with them and not willing to continually train with them should probably seek other options.
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Old 11-14-2018, 04:50 AM   #33
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A friend has the Ring Floodlight Camera, $249. The floodlight and camera are motion activated. It also sends video to your phone using wifi. So, you can monitor your property even when you are away. Plus if the floodlight is activated, you can check your phone to see if it is the neighbor dog or a prowler. His unit is routinely activated by bears!
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Old 11-14-2018, 07:39 AM   #34
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I have guns for sporting purposes and they are locked away in a gun safe. I also have a concealed carry permit although it's more for convenience as I really don't concealed carry. Crime hasn't been an issue in our town so I haven't considered having a gun available for protection a priority.

I think you'd be surprised at how many folks have guns for self defense and how many actually carry in practice. Many of my relatives and some of my friends have carry permits. They would almost never bring this up for public discussion as there are plenty of folks who would be aghast.

I've never had a situation that would call for such measures so I've not trained for it (behind CPL training) and am not sure how I'd react.
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Old 11-14-2018, 07:57 AM   #35
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I cannot stress how much I disagree with "Average" people having guns for self defense. I do not want to live in an area where I would need one. I would be against the OP getting one for Self Defense. Thank goodness we have choices about where we live. If I had to worry about such things I would move. Living in an area where every day folk feel the need to carry a gun when out of their home or shooting range/club is not my idea of a nice place to retire. I have shot competition pistol (IPSC etc.) when I was a little younger, so I am not against guns. I also have a CCP. I have sold my guns now though, but do maintain my CCP, just because I can. When I had them they were locked up, and it would probably take me too long to get them in a break in if I ever needed to actually use one for self defense. Keeping a loaded gun close as some have mentioned is a recipe for disaster, and has been proven so many times.
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Old 11-14-2018, 08:47 AM   #36
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I support people who want to own guns as long as they are responsible with them. A responsible owner would have the gun and ammo locked up when not in use, not in a nightstand drawer for "protection". Those protection weapons often end up killing curious kids or family members who come home unexpectedly during the night. Or someone grabs the gun during a heated argument and it turns deadly.

My parents had a break-in back in the 70's. The thieves stole the guns my step dad had hidden away for protection. He was a trained sharp shooter and was always responsible with his guns, but he overlooked the obvious by not locking them up.

CCP's seem to be on the rise but just a couple months ago there was a local guy who was shot and killed by security guards when his weapon fell out as he was trying to break up a fight. His protection ended up getting him killed.

I don't hunt or shoot for pleasure, and nothing I own is worth taking another persons life, so I have no interest in owning a gun.

We also don't have any kind of security or alarm system, since we live in a rural area and the response time would be too late anyway.

Basically, we use common sense deterrents. We always lock all doors and windows even when we are home. We don't own anything of any real value so there's little incentive for someone to go to the trouble of breaking in.

Yeah, someone could break in while we're gone. We actually had that happen many years ago when I left a small window open. We felt violated but they really didn't take anything of value because we don't own anything worth stealing.

A home invasion while we're home is possible but extremely unlikely. They're more likely to knock on the door and force their way in when I open the door (when my protection weapon is safely locked away somewhere). So far a team of female invaders have not busted in to have their way with me, but I keep hoping.

We have home insurance if someone ever steals our stuff. The damage to our home (broken doors or windows) would bother me more than having our stuff stolen. If someone breaks in while we're home there are plenty of things that can be used to defend ourselves other than a gun. Statistically we are more likely to lose everything to a forest fire or earthquake, and I don't think shooting will help in those situations.
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Old 11-14-2018, 09:38 AM   #37
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Interesting discussion but I live in a country where you would not even be contemplating this discussion as guns are not an option.

Funny how no guns allowed = low crime rate.
I know most of my neighbors in a ~2 to ~3 mile radius around me. (open country) All have guns and hunt/target shoot regularly. It's actually pretty rare not to hear someone shooting in the distance, at least weekly and all year around. Almost daily during prime hunting seasons. In the 10+ years I've lived here, I haven't even heard of a break-in, theft or anyone being attacked in the area. Maybe the bad guys hear all the gun shots too!

I'm sure there have been some "incidents" in the area that I haven't heard about in the last 10 yrs but they seem to be few and far between.
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Old 11-14-2018, 09:40 AM   #38
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Probably it's the culture more than than the gun/no gun aspect, as most break-in criminals and car vandals don't carry guns.
That is my assumption and also what my research showed. The most vicious animals here are coyotes (in the city). They are not the problem. If someone wants to break into my 2004 car, I guess it’ll speed up my replacement plan. The house has an alarm. I have lived in worse neighborhoods when I was younger and I pay attention.

Also since my jewelry is misplaced, maybe they’ll find it? I carried it on the plane when I moved (1400 miles) and it went walkabout and I can’t find it here or at my brother’s house. I stayed with him while my house was getting fixed up. 18 months and I know absolutely it’s not stolen. Neither of us remembers anything. It was a very stressful time.
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Old 11-14-2018, 09:50 AM   #39
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Funny how no guns allowed = low crime rate.
You mean like in Chicago?
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Old 11-14-2018, 10:01 AM   #40
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I know most of my neighbors in a ~2 to ~3 mile radius around me. (open country) All have guns and hunt/target shoot regularly. It's actually pretty rare not to hear someone shooting in the distance, at least weekly and all year around. Almost daily during prime hunting seasons. In the 10+ years I've lived here, I haven't even heard of a break-in, theft or anyone being attacked in the area. Maybe the bad guys hear all the gun shots too!
I lived in a rural area for several years but for whatever reason rarely heard gun shots, except hunting season. We never locked our doors even when we were gone for the day and not at night. Left the keys in the cars parked in the front. Never had a problem. We lived on 5 acres and shared an access road with neighbors, and the road had a gate on it. I think that more than anything kept the riff-raff away.
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