Dry Firing

[cOoTeR]

i dont care to "scare" an intruder....if someone breaks into my place, they better be prepared to get shot. why anybody would leave their sd/hd weapon unloaded is beyond me....my shotgun is within arms reach of my bed, and its loaded with one in the chamber ready to go at all times (safety on, though)

sure racking a round sounds scary to an intruder....but id rather stop the intruder all together.

Have you ever killed anything before? Even if you are a stone cold killer billy badass and have no issues with killing a person there's a lot that goes along with it. Not to mention the mess. I'm assuming you don't have children moving around your house too much so a chambered firearm is not an issue. There is no real disadvantage of having an unchambered shotgun that's ready to be racked it only takes a split second. But believe it or not there are people with an aversion towards violence that aren't as eager to bust a cap in someone. For people like that a nice warning is good. Like my wife she is very opposed to shooting someone unless its a last resort.

What happens if you wake up because you hear someone in your house grab your gun then the next thing you know they are coming into your bed room. You fire a shot dropping the person only to find out it was your family member coming back to bed after getting a late night snack. Had you racked a round you would have scared the shit out of them and probably gotten a response along the lines of WTF are you doing.

I currently keep my 870 ready to go chambered and safety off. That sits on my wifes side of the bed furthest from the door and beside her taurus judge also loaded. Then in the drawer of my night stand is my p2000. If something happens I go check it out and the wife grabs the 870. If the bedroom door opens and the person hasn't identified themselves as a friendly my wifes going to shoot for center mass. The judge is there incase somehow the bad guy(s) get close enough to get a hold of the 870 barrel. Now we are soon to have to adjust our plans due to my son learning how to get mobile.

It just boils down to matter of opinion but the kill em all approach could set you up for a rough time in court if they can portray it as you intended to kill the person. This thread would be bad for you if the wrong attorney found it after you shot someone.

Edited January 6, 2013 by cOoTeR

[cOoTeR]

A couple stories to think about. I worked at a prison when I lived in Ohio. Before I got there the guy working the outside of the fence responded to an alarm going off on the fence. When he got there he saw a person dressed in blue (what the inmates wore) on the fence as if they had just climbed out. Hey ordered them to stop and get on the ground. The person jumped down he yelled at them to stop and lay down. The person turned and ran he told them stop or I will shoot as loud as he could. The person kept running. He fired to shots and missed but the person dropped to the ground. When all the dust settled the person turned out to be a 13yr old special needs kid that had wandered away from his assisted living facility. The kid was lost and saw the prison lights and thought it was his assisted living home, he was trying to climb in. The officer followed policy to a t but had he hit the kid he would have to live with shooting a 13yr old special needs kid.

A guy I work with now was getting ready for work (3rd shift) and went out to start his jeep so it would warm up. When he came back there was a young incoherent girl laying in the back in her underwear. He called the police. Turned out she was also a special needs kid that had wandered out of her house and got lost. She was cold so she broke into the first place she could warm up.

The reason I bring this up is there are multiple stories of people that are drunk, schizophrenic, elderly, or "special" that don't mean any harm yet wander into peoples locked houses somehow. Without giving a warning or properly identifying the person as a threat if you shoot you will have to spend the rest of your life knowing you killed someone that probably wasn't going to hurt you.

[Steve Butters]

I see it more simply. I don't give anybody access to my place. No other family or friends have a key. If I wake to a bump in the night, the first thing I would do is look to my right and confirm that the gf is there. If she is, then whoever is making the noise is uninvited. If she isn't, then obviously my first assumption would be that it was her, and I would make a positive ID before doing anything. You said a family member coming back to bed as if you wouldn't have noticed they're not there. If I go to bed with her and wake up and she's gone, I wouldn't start shooting at whoever I see in the house.. That doesn't make sense.

I won't go looking for them, I will hold up in the bedroom and wait for them to leave. If they open the bedroom door I would defend myself. I honestly do not care why an intruder is intruding. Being a drunk asshole isn't an excuse, and if it was a special needs kid, sure that would be awful, but I would put the blame on whoever was supposed to be supervising them... I'm not saying I'm some stone cold badass killer. I'm simply saying if somebody breaks into my place, I will defend myself without hesitation. I don't WANT to kill anybody, but if I feel like my life is in jeopardy, I would do whatever is necessary to protect myself.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Steve Butters

[max power]

Ah, another innocent gun thread degenerating into a complete shit fest.

Nice.

[scottb]

^^ You can play "Call of Duty" or Duke Nukem to see how weapons work in real life

[jbot]

my shotgun sounds like innocence and dolla dolla bills ya'll, so.... it probably wouldn't be a deterrent.

[SWing'R]

Ah, another innocent gun thread degenerating into a complete shit fest.

Nice.

Seems to be the norm around here

[Steve Butters]

I would push the button right before throwing an elbow at a motherfucker.