Crusader103
Member
This is an excerpt from my January training newsletter but I thought it was also appropriate for S&T's here.
Just this afternoon, as has occurred countless times before, I found myself meandering through the local gun shop. The clerk was handing over a nice, shiny, 20” barreled, Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun to the plump gentleman standing on the other side of the counter. Flanking his sides were his wife and three young children, the oldest of whom couldn’t be over five years of age. As the father took a hold of this shotgun, the clerk stated, “This is the perfect home defense weapon. Just point it in the general direction and fire.” While there are so many things wrong with that statement I had to fight the urge to jump into the conversation. The family obviously hadn’t the first clue about firearms, and they were ignorant of the fact that the local gun shop isn’t always the best place for advice. While it is my job as an instructor to provide the best guidance that I can, it is simply unreasonable that I interact with every transaction where a clerk gives ill advice.
Let’s suppose that the family takes that 12 gauge shotgun home and then God forbid, a home invasion is imminent. Dad, who is busy at work, has dutifully left his wife well protected with a powerful weapon. How can we expect that mom is going to be able to retrieve a 12 gauge shotgun, navigate the house while corralling young children to a safe room, perhaps having to carry at least one of them, and then maintain control of the shotgun in a ready position while calling 911?
Despite the fact that a 12 gauge is a formidable weapon, is it even controllable for a basically trained mother of three? Is she going to be able to maintain control of such a weapon while going room to room looking for children? Is she going to be able to keep that weapon trained on the bedroom door while on the phone with 911?
In any event, circumstances beyond the size of the weapon, caliber, or gauge must be assessed before choosing a particular weapon over all others. This may mean a sacrifice in caliber, but if that means having the realistic ability to mount a defense, I would assert that it is worth it. In my home we keep a small arm readily accessible on each floor, with a long arm maintained in the safe room near the phone that will be used to call 911. While my wife, who is much smaller in stature and would be caring for young ones alone in my absence, would wisely not choose to transition to the long arm, it is there for the times in which I am home and can mount an even greater defense. There must be a balance between having “enough gun,” as I will continue to recommend, and having “too much gun.” Even more importantly, you must have a defined plan on how to put that firearm into action to best defend your loved ones.
Just this afternoon, as has occurred countless times before, I found myself meandering through the local gun shop. The clerk was handing over a nice, shiny, 20” barreled, Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun to the plump gentleman standing on the other side of the counter. Flanking his sides were his wife and three young children, the oldest of whom couldn’t be over five years of age. As the father took a hold of this shotgun, the clerk stated, “This is the perfect home defense weapon. Just point it in the general direction and fire.” While there are so many things wrong with that statement I had to fight the urge to jump into the conversation. The family obviously hadn’t the first clue about firearms, and they were ignorant of the fact that the local gun shop isn’t always the best place for advice. While it is my job as an instructor to provide the best guidance that I can, it is simply unreasonable that I interact with every transaction where a clerk gives ill advice.
Let’s suppose that the family takes that 12 gauge shotgun home and then God forbid, a home invasion is imminent. Dad, who is busy at work, has dutifully left his wife well protected with a powerful weapon. How can we expect that mom is going to be able to retrieve a 12 gauge shotgun, navigate the house while corralling young children to a safe room, perhaps having to carry at least one of them, and then maintain control of the shotgun in a ready position while calling 911?
Despite the fact that a 12 gauge is a formidable weapon, is it even controllable for a basically trained mother of three? Is she going to be able to maintain control of such a weapon while going room to room looking for children? Is she going to be able to keep that weapon trained on the bedroom door while on the phone with 911?
In any event, circumstances beyond the size of the weapon, caliber, or gauge must be assessed before choosing a particular weapon over all others. This may mean a sacrifice in caliber, but if that means having the realistic ability to mount a defense, I would assert that it is worth it. In my home we keep a small arm readily accessible on each floor, with a long arm maintained in the safe room near the phone that will be used to call 911. While my wife, who is much smaller in stature and would be caring for young ones alone in my absence, would wisely not choose to transition to the long arm, it is there for the times in which I am home and can mount an even greater defense. There must be a balance between having “enough gun,” as I will continue to recommend, and having “too much gun.” Even more importantly, you must have a defined plan on how to put that firearm into action to best defend your loved ones.
