Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda person....do you really want to be responsible for snuffing out someone's life??? How would that weigh on you for the rest of your years?

Just because some poor fool maybe tried to break into your house? You wanna kill a burglar? What are the changes that burglar is breaking in to kill you?

People like you who want to have a killing machine in their house are the reason that innocent people (not talking about the burglar anymore) get killed all the time.

You know Switzerland has the highest murder rate in Europe? You know why? Because the Swiss are required to have a gun in their home. It's part of their military plan. And just having a gun significantly increases the risk of all kinds of killing.

Life is precious. Why do you want to play God?

You're an idiot. If someone breaks into your house, they could be a rapist, or a murderer, and a burglar. A criminal is aa criminal. Are youyou really going to ask the burglar, "excuse me, are you here to rape me, or just to take a few thing? If you want to steal myTV, fine. But if you mean to rape me, well then I'd rather you didn't do that, thank you."

Google William Petite to read about a home invasion/burglary that turned into a nightmare of rape and murder. You'll want to geg a gun after that!

you do not sound very smart either. if you really goggled william petit, and understood what you read, you would know that a gun would not have helped him (but a dog probably would - and, BTW, how do you know that william petit did not have a gun?). he was attacked while sleeping, woke up bleeding with injuries to his head. his family was also surprised in their sleep. a gun would not have helped his family, while a good alarm, or even a good dog would have alert him that somebody was trying to break into his home.

I am very supportive of gun control measures. My husband owns several shotguns for duck hunting. They are stored in the guest room closet and they each have a lock on them. The shot (ammunition) is stored separately, not near the guns. I don't think he'd use them if he heard a burglar. We have a dog and we'd call the police. I don't like the possibility of having the gun turned on us or frankly seriously injuring or killing someone else.
My point is not everyone who owns a gun uses it for protection. Some use it for hunting. Some people collect antique guns.

Anonymous wrote:I imagine they would remove all when putting a house on the market. I certainly would for liability reasons. Our pistols are secured in a heavy boring big metal box by the nightstand. Only we know the code. Another is in my husband's office. Again, locked up. Just a metal box. Not an attractive nuisance. You couldn't open it unless you knew the code. The shotgun is on the wall in our bedroom, also in a wall lock that only we can open. The only time we have ever gotten them out of the locks was during the storms when we lost electricity and it was just two of us and candles in the basement (no air conditioning) of a big house.

So when the power went out, you (presumably) were afraid of looters, so you unlocked your weapons and huddled in the basement by candlelight, waiting for the hordes to come for you?

Urk.

You are not depicting yourself as the picture of mental health.

Anonymous wrote:Here is some data on gun-related deaths all over the world. The categories are sortable along the top: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Switzerland leads Europe in most categories, contrary to a lot of gun-enthusiast propaganda on the web. Looks like central and South America are pretty dangerous, and the US and Switzerland are right up there with them in rank order.

I looked up the statistics on homicide, which is still reasonably low in Switzerland. The suicide rate is MUCH higher though. I think the interesting comparison is to the UK which used to have a gun ownership rate very similar to the US. Gun deaths are practically non existent there.

Here is some data on gun-related deaths all over the world. The categories are sortable along the top: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Switzerland leads Europe in most categories, contrary to a lot of gun-enthusiast propaganda on the web. Looks like central and South America are pretty dangerous, and the US and Switzerland are right up there with them in rank order.

OK PP so you don't have kids in the house? I was sitting here wondering what that would look like to kids. I wouldn't want kids to think they are *that* unsafe.

I imagine they would remove all when putting a house on the market. I certainly would for liability reasons. Our pistols are secured in a heavy boring big metal box by the nightstand. Only we know the code. Another is in my husband's office. Again, locked up. Just a metal box. Not an attractive nuisance. You couldn't open it unless you knew the code. The shotgun is on the wall in our bedroom, also in a wall lock that only we can open. The only time we have ever gotten them out of the locks was during the storms when we lost electricity and it was just two of us and candles in the basement (no air conditioning) of a big house.

Where do people keep guns in case of attack? In their bedrooms? I have never seen a gun case in any house I've looked at when house hunting.

Yes, the 2nd amendment is in our constitution. I hope the law abiding gun owners here at least feel there should be some restrictions (background checks, large magazines). Even Scalia said the right is not unlimited.

Had a self-proclaimed law abiding gun owner show up to my son's sport practice, start ranting about the hispanics in the neighboring field and noting that he had 15 bullets (then displaying his gun) but that wasn't enough for both teams so he wouldn't confront them. Or my uncle in-law who wasn't mentally all there who was a gun owner and then lost it when he wife found out he was cheating and was leaving him. Luckily he didn't shoot her but had her at gun point for a while. Maybe a background check would separate the gun owners from the crazies who can just show up at a gun show and buy whatever they want from an unlicensed seller. Legal gun owner doesn't mean much right now.

If you feel the need to defend yourself, I am sure you would pass the background check and a gun with a limited magazine will do the trick.

Oh goodness. The Swiss has no requirement for a gun in the home. Without a standing army they have a citizens militia service requirement but not a gun in the home requirement.

Back to the question at hand. You will be fine OP.

I a Liberal Democrat and I own a gun.

2nd Amendment. Read it. Learn it. Live it.

Oh the crazies are coming out. Are the Swiss really required to have a gun in their homes? I've never heard of that.

Of course life is precious. The idea is not to kill the burglar, the idea is to scare the burglar away. That's also why you get a DOG. And house security alarms. And motion activated light sensors. If you are properly trained in gun use then you know what to do. You make noise. You yell "I'm armed, get out!" and you lock and load (noise) on your pump action shotgun and pray that you never have to use it. My glock even has a red laser sight on it to further scare the burglar out of my home. Yes, I have been burgled, while I was asleep. That burglar didn't give a fig about my life. I would rather 20:20 wring his/her hands over my life, while sleeping in my home, than giving the burglar in my home a free pass at it. Our burglars turned out to be Oxycontin addicts from MD, by the way.

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda person....do you really want to be responsible for snuffing out someone's life??? How would that weigh on you for the rest of your years?

Just because some poor fool maybe tried to break into your house? You wanna kill a burglar? What are the changes that burglar is breaking in to kill you?

People like you who want to have a killing machine in their house are the reason that innocent people (not talking about the burglar anymore) get killed all the time.

You know Switzerland has the highest murder rate in Europe? You know why? Because the Swiss are required to have a gun in their home. It's part of their military plan. And just having a gun significantly increases the risk of all kinds of killing.

Life is precious. Why do you want to play God?

You're an idiot. If someone breaks into your house, they could be a rapist, or a murderer, and a burglar. A criminal is aa criminal. Are youyou really going to ask the burglar, "excuse me, are you here to rape me, or just to take a few thing? If you want to steal myTV, fine. But if you mean to rape me, well then I'd rather you didn't do that, thank you."

Google William Petite to read about a home invasion/burglary that turned into a nightmare of rape and murder. You'll want to geg a gun after that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda person....do you really want to be responsible for snuffing out someone's life??? How would that weigh on you for the rest of your years?

Just because some poor fool maybe tried to break into your house? You wanna kill a burglar? What are the changes that burglar is breaking in to kill you?

People like you who want to have a killing machine in their house are the reason that innocent people (not talking about the burglar anymore) get killed all the time.

You know Switzerland has the highest murder rate in Europe? You know why? Because the Swiss are required to have a gun in their home. It's part of their military plan. And just having a gun significantly increases the risk of all kinds of killing.

Life is precious. Why do you want to play God?

Switzerlands murder rate is on par with the rest of western Europe.

It is also a fraction of our own, despite having gun ownership rates comparable to our own.