Preppers View - Defensive Firearm

Last week there were some comments and e-mails asking about defensive weapons, more specifically firearms. I know there are many people who absolutely hate guns. They believe guns are designed only to hurt people therefore be regulated. Some even believe that guns should be outlawed altogether regardless of the 2nd amendment to the constitution...blah, blah, blah. Without firearms we would all be sipping tea as royal subjects. But never mind that. Consider this actual incident.

At approximately 3:00 a.m. on July 23, 2007, two scum bags broke into a Cheshire, Connecticut home belonging to Dr. William Petit, his wife, and two daughters with the intent to rob it. When they found the family to be home, they beat the husband and, during an ordeal that lasted several hours, they raped, beat, and burned his wife and daughters. The Dr. survived to live in anguish for the rest of his life over the fact that he was unable to protect his family. Hmm.

Now let's change the scenario up a bit. Let's plug in a parallel scenario where the Doctor is a Prepper. The scum bags break in but this time the Doctor hears them make entry. He reaches over to his nightstand and grabs his Glock 21 and his flashlight. The weapon feels familiar in his hand since he goes to the range frequently and is familiar with it's recoil, it's weight, it's night sights, and it's capabilities as it relates to accuracy. He goes to his bedroom door and hears the "burglars" making their way through the house. He makes the decision to take the fight to them. Often times the best defense is a good offense. He quickly and quietly moves into the living room where he finds both of them trying to quietly rummage through drawers as they look for things of value. The Doctor illuminates the bad guys and sees the baseball bat (which was used to beat him in the head during the actual event) in the hands of the closest bad guy. The Doctor knows that if he doesn't neutralize the threat posed by these fine upstanding citizens, his family is in grave danger. Two quick shots to the center mass of the closest subject drops him like a stone. The Doctors attention is quckly focused on the second subject who moves away from him but toward his daughters bedroom. Assessing the situation in milliseconds, the Doctor knows that he cannot let him get to his daughter or the entire dynamic of this situation changes for the worse and his daughter's life will likely hang in the balance. The Doctor shoots the remaining subject between the shoulder blades and facilitates the meeting with his maker. In the highly unlikely event that some misguided prosecutor were to prosecute the Doctor for murder, his wife and daughters would still be alive. I think he would rather be living with that. I would. Wouldn't you?

The mindset of the Doctor in the latter, fictitious scenario is that of the survivor. Unfortunatly, the mindset of the Doctor in the former, true scenario is that of the unprepared individual, programmed to believe that these things happen to other people and that the police will protect us from the evil in the world. Um....not.

Scenarios like this are those for which Preppers, um, prepare. We prepare for the survival for ourselves and our families. It should be painfully obvious to everyone that firearms are a necessary tool of survival. A tool of defense - an inalienable right endowed upon us by our creator and protected by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution.

But what is the best firearm for the Prepper? Good question. Much like the question relating to the need for a generator. Each of us needs to decide for ourselves based upon several different criteria. Some of these are:

1) Our own physical ability;
2) Do you live alone and if you do, do you live in a house or an apartment?
3) Do you intend to only defend your life while inside your home, or do you anticipate defending against multiple people trying to break into your house during an emergency?
4) Do you live next to others or far from other such as on a farm?

All of these are factors when deciding upon which type of defensive firearm is best for you. There may be more.

The three basic types of firearms are handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

In my opinion a handgun or a shotgun are likely the best choice for in-home self defense because of limited range and penetration. A rifle may have a range of more than a mile. If you have a disability, such as a missing or disabled arm or hand, a shotgum may be too much to handle effectively in a high stress situation. A handgun would likely be a better choice. If you choose a handgun, choose one with a high capacity magazine - one that holds as many rounds as possible. Trying to reload in the dark without practicing repeatedly will likely leave you in a bad situation. If you choose a handgun and you live with others in your home, live in an apartment, or live close to other houses, look into safety slug or shotshell cartridges. Safety slugs are designed to break up upon striking solid objects such as doors, drywall, etc., minimizing potential unintended injury to people in other rooms, etc.. yet will still deliver an effective blow to the bad guy when hit in the center mass.

If you choose a shotgun, which is an excellent all around defensive weapon provided you can handle mild recoil, use field loads in no. 6 or 7 1/2 shot. It's devastating at about 20 feet but slows down considerably after hitting interior building components such as drywall, studs, doors, etc. Most firearm combat takes place within 7 yards. A shotgun with no. 6 field loads directed at center mass will readily incapacitate an invader. It should be noted that most will find a long shotgun difficult to handle inside of a home or building - often referred to as CGB (close quarter battle). A short barreled shotgun, or tactical shotgun, is most often a better choice. First it is shorter (shortest legal barrel length is 18 inches). Second it has an extended tube magazine that permits loading extra rounds. Third, the pump action seldom jamb. The three most popular "sizes" or shotgun are 12 guage, 20 guage, and .410 (which is refered to as "bore" but is actually a caliber}. a 12 guage has the most recoil and the .410 the least. Adain, you have to make the decision on whats best for you.

I have both...but keep my handgun by my side. Always. Always. Think about how many people have been sitting in the living room watching TV and have had people carry out home invasions. Think about it. Will they just want your money? Will they let you live? I dunno. Ask the Doctor.

Rifles....again I have them. I have some for hunting and some for target shooting. I have semi-auto's with high capacity magazines and I have bolt actions that hold 5 rounds. If I were to turn to my semi auto, hi-capacity rifles, it would be for a scenario very, very different than the one above.

These are simply my opinions. We could talk about the best handgun caliber or the best rifle caliber forever and to be sure, entire books have been written on the pro's and cons of the various choices. This article was designed to start the thinking and planning process. I suggest that everyone who isn't familiar with firearms but wishes to get one for defensive purposes go to friends who know. Go to reputable gun shops. Take a safety course. And afterward - practice. A lot. Shoot during the day and in low light situations. Practice reloading. Practice shoot - don't shoot scenarios. You owe it to yourself and your family to be able to protect them. No survival plan is complete without a defensive firearm and being proficient in its use.

I know there are many preppers out there. We would all like to hear your preferences and ideas.