Should You Get a Gun for Home Defense?

Imagine that on a dark night a strange noise awakens you. Going down the stairs you find a band of thugs looting your valuables. “What would you do?” “I would reach for my trusty pistol, and make them regret their career choice” reply around 2 million homeowners, because that’s the estimated number of defensive gun users in the U.S. Relying on a firearm during a robbery is a very attractive thought in most people’s heads, thanks to some false myths such as “firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives”. But is a gun really a good choice in protecting your family’s lives and belongings?

Without knowing the exact lengths of the law, don’t even think about purchasing a gun. Also, effectively using a firearm demands practice. You can’t just grab it and expect to hit the mark instantly, and in a crisis situation your aim is even worse. A badly placed shot will cause extra harm in your expensive electronics, but it’s also possible that your “warning shot” ends up hurting a family member. And again, if you kill a defenseless person, even if they are in middle of robbing you, you’ll be the one sent behind bars. But it can be even worse: the criminals entering your home are probably armed themselves, and seeing a gun in your hand either prompts them to fire first, or to take one of your beloved ones hostage. And we didn’t even touch on the subject of kids irresponsibly playing with the gun they found in their parent’s drawer…