CTPistol, I see you are in the NY metro area. Is there something special about your neighborhood? I live in rural PA, an area where most people own and use guns. Several of my neighbors still have their outdoor ranges on their own property. It is one of those areas where for years people did not lock doors, cars, etc. It still has that rural flavor, but we are seeing more and more of our neighbors experiencing a break in, sometimes when they are home, sometimes when they are not.
You are certainly free to make whatever lifestyle decision you like, but saying your neighborhood is so safe it can't happen to you is like saying you will never be in a car wreck, or your house will never catch fire, etc. You will never know until it happens, and when it happens, it is too late to prepare for it.
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Pennys..you are right, its a lifestyle decision...and maybe if any homes in my town started to get broken into I might change my plan a bit?
We keep guns close by in safes and occasionally talk about emergency plans, but I will never carry a gun around my house waiting for something to go down...guns are just another hobby, and happen to be a way of defending ourselves and our home..I just dont want one on me 24/7, I dont stockpile food, I dont fear the next Taliban attack, I dont anticipate the next home invasion, I dont cruise survivalist websites..I would feel very odd and a bit on the fringe if I sat on my couch with my family and had a pistol on my lap and an AR leaning against the wall.
I respect your choice, its your home and castle.....Im just not that paranoid.