By: Scott, Ashley, Luke, and Kevin

This is not a debate for or against firearms, nor is this a debate on the constitutionality of the 2nd amendment.
This is an ethical exploration of defending ones home, family and property with a firearm.

Altruism: Taking others interests into account while being concerned for ones own interests as well.
Consider your safety while taking into account how your

actions will effect the safety of others.

Self: without proper training and familiarity with the weapon, the defender will be more likely to hurt him or herself family and neighbors. Bullets travel great distances and some can penetrate walls, inadvertently wounding or killing an innocent on the other side. Children particularly are inquisitive and may find/play with an improperly stored weapon. Assailant: although a .22 caliber can kill a .50 caliber would be highly excessive for a home. The ideal is to stop the assailant with as little harm as possible while preserving the lives of all.

1. Location / Necessity
2. Weapons / Ammo 3. Training

4. Mindset

Gun ownership is not appropriate in certain situations. The ideal gun owner lives alone, or with people he or she trusts completely to act responsibly while there is a weapon in the house. As the number of roommates, family members and/or visitors increases, so does the risk of injury to others from misuse or unintentional misfire

Living With Others (Family Or Roommates)

Living Alone

Always Have Visitors

Highest risk of unintentional injury to others or risk of misuse by an individual who is not the owner of the weapon DONT BUY A GUN!

Elevated risk of unintentional injury to others or risk of misuse by an individual who is not the owner of the weapon

Seldom Have Visitors

Elevated risk of unintentional injury to others or risk of misuse by an individual who is not the owner of the weapon

Low risk of Accidental or unintentional injury to others or risk of misuse by an individual who is not the owner of the weapon

If you live in an apartment complex:

The risk of injury to another is high, as you have people living above, below,

If you live in your own house: Crime Rate

left and right of your apartment. The risk of having someone burglarize your home is very low, especially in situations where security is provided by the building owners. are less people concentrated in the area around your home.

The most appropriate place to own a weapon is in your own home, as there

There may be a higher crime rate in your area, suggesting that owning a gun is

You need to use your own judgment (or ask for a second opinion if you feel uncomfortable) to determine whether owning a weapon is appropriate in your specific living situation. Remember that you are held accountable for your bullet if you miss your target.

necessary, though you need to assess the risk of injury to an innocent person who may be in the next room or building. If there is typically a low rate of crime in your area, the need to own a firearm is diminished.

High Concentration of Population Around home

Low Concentration of population around home

Low Crime Rate

Somewhat Necessary, though dangerous to people living around you

Somewhat Necessary, less dangerous to people living around you

High Crime Rate

Necessary, though dangerous to people living around you

Very Necessary, less dangerous to people living around you, the Ideal situation to justify gun ownership

Guns are used 2.5 million times a year in self-defense Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals

as many as 2.5 million times every yearor about 6,850 times a day
Of the 2.5 million times citizens use their guns to defend themselves

every year, the overwhelming majority merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to scare off their attackers.

Handgun
Taurus 45 ACP

Rifle
Colt AR-15 Factory 9mm

Shotgun

Mossberg 500 Special Purpose

Handguns Classified as revolvers and pistols Revolvers single action and double action Single Action Cocked by pulling back the hammer, then fired by pulling the trigger Double Action Fired by a long pull on the trigger Causes hammer to rise, rotating the cylinder, and releases the hammer to fire Pistols Extended cartridge capacity Reload simplicity Flat shape Less reliable

REVOLVER

PISTOL

Colt Anaconda ;Double action

Beretta 92semiautomatic pistol

LONG BARRELED NEGATIVES

POSITIVES TO RIFLES

Not a weapon of choice for self defense situations Too long and too bulky to quickly deploy and maneuver in confined environments Designed to produce long, accurate shots
May pose a threat to innocent

Better stopping power Strong visual deterrent Greater accuracy than a handgun Recoil will be tolerable and manageable with preferred urban defense rounds

.223 Remington .357 Magnum .44 Magnum

people from over penetration or excessive range

Pump action shotguns vs. autoloaders

Pump action operation tends to be mechanically reliable even under

the worst adverse conditions

Best choice for home defense

Can be stored or carried in safe condition Magazine loaded, chamber empty, safety on, hammer down Pump can be brought to bear on an assailant very quickly

No sound in the world is identifiable or as intimidating as the rhythmic click-click of a pump action shotgun being racked

 Mental preparation for a bad situation

Role Playing
Learning the function and maintenance of

the gun Target practice practice practice! Target acquisition Situational awareness

Using a firearm in self defense requires that the bad guy gets hurt or dead in the worst case scenario. Can you take a life? Can you take away someone's child, someone's parent, someone's chance for redemption and forgiveness, the chance to change the course of ones life? This is the requirement for effective defense with a firearm. This requires physical and mental training.

http://gunowners.org/fs0404.htm http://internetarmory.com/index.htm