You live alone ? Do you keep a gun in your residence ?

Me!!

This will surprise you but yes I have 2 in my residence. In this country you have to be vetted by the police to have a licence to own guns to use either for shooting game or to use for sport at the shooting range , and they have to be kept locked in the gun safe when not in use .. and I have guns here . Shooting has long been a hobby of mine , but I don't mention it here or in public for obvious reasons
 
We don't have a gun.
I really don't understand the concept of having a gun in the home for protection.
Both of my kids have a gun which is unloaded, and in a safe in some obscure area of the house.
So when the burglar comes into your home do you kindly ask him to wait while you go to the safe, fiddle with the combination ,load the gun and then find the guy and shoot him?
I'm pretty sure I would have better results with a baseball bat or frying pan.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
We don't have a gun.
I really don't understand the concept of having a gun in the home for protection.
Both of my kids have a gun which is unloaded, and in a safe in some obscure area of the house.
So when the burglar comes into your home do you kindly ask him to wait while you go to the safe, fiddle with the combination ,load the gun and then find the guy and shoot him?
I'm pretty sure I would have better results with a baseball bat or frying pan.
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My home has security bars on the outside of the doors, and the ground floor windows have been replaced with 2 inch thick lexan panels. It is the same see though plastic used in hockey arenas, above the boards. It would take at least 5 minutes to break through the doors, or the windows, so by that time Toronto Police would have 3 units at my house, in response to my 911 phone call. Jimb.
 
Pepper said:
That reminds me @Ruth n Jersey I have a loaded baseball bat behind a table next to the door. Glad I never had to use it, as until you just mentioned it, I forgot it was there! Bet it's really dusty!
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well you can just be happy it's been allowed to gather dust, that means you've never had a need to look for it to protect yourself, and may you never have to... 🙏
 
I own several firearms...mostly just locked up in a safe in the basement. I used to like to hunt, but now the only time I do any shooting is perhaps once a year I put a couple of rounds through each, clean them, and put them back in the safe. When we lived in the city, I kept a couple in the house, just in case, but now, living in this rural, crime free area, I no longer feel the "need". I do keep a nice .22 rifle in the closet, and in the Summertime, I often "eliminate" a couple of Armadillo's if/when they appear in the yard.
 
Don M. said:
I own several firearms...mostly just locked up in a safe in the basement. I used to like to hunt, but now the only time I do any shooting is perhaps once a year I put a couple of rounds through each, clean them, and put them back in the safe. When we lived in the city, I kept a couple in the house, just in case, but now, living in this rural, crime free area, I no longer feel the "need". I do keep a nice .22 rifle in the closet, and in the Summertime, I often "eliminate" a couple of Armadillo's if/when they appear in the yard.
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Do Armadillo's attack? I have only seen them on nature programs and thought they were shy creatures who would run away?
 
I have been around and owned guns my entire life but never worried about keeping a gun easily accessible until a few years ago.

I now live alone and my house is secluded and we'll back off the road. One day while working in the pasture an unfimilar pick up came down my drive and two young guys get out, walk over to me trying to sell me left over asphalt "from another job", an obvious scam. A week later another truck pulls in while I'm out mowing inside a fenced pasture, another two guys get out and start to crawl thru my fence. I yelled to stay there, I shut off the mower and asked what they wanted. They claimed to be looking for a dog and wanted to show me a picture in case I see it, I told them to get out and they got very pissy. I couldn't help but think these guys were all working ttogether looking for places to rob and it worried me.

Both times I was well away from the house and defenseless. Sense then anytime I am outside I carry a gun, and I also keep a gun handy while in the house.
 
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jimintoronto said:
How many people ( on this forum ) who live alone, have a gun ? JimB.
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I don't live alone, but have lots of guns, not sure how many.

I have a deer rifle and shotgun I used for hunting, and a handgun that was my father's from his service years. Otherwise all were inherited or given to us. I keep the guns locked in a couple of safes in the basement, and no ammunition in the house. Pretty safe I think.
Ruth n Jersey said:
I really don't understand the concept of having a gun in the home for protection.
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I think you are right, statistically having a gun in the house is more dangerous to the occupants than any "protection" it provides. That is why mine are under lock and key, and not only unloaded but with ammo in the house. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M13-1301
Trish said:
Do Armadillo's attack?
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Only the garden!
 
Trish said:
Do Armadillo's attack? I have only seen them on nature programs and thought they were shy creatures who would run away?
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Armadillo's are covered with a virus which causes Leprosy. Picking one up can be a "death sentence". A few years ago, a neighbors dog was "playing" with one, and after the neighbor "petted" his dog, he got infected with Leprosy. He had to have the dog "put down" and spent months recovering, and still has to take a bunch of drugs to combat the damage it did.

If I kill one, I pick it up with a big pair of pliers, toss it into my burn pit, cover it with dead branches and diesel fuel, and Cremate it....then sanitize the pliers with bleach.
 
Don M. said:
Armadillo's are covered with a virus which causes Leprosy
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First I heard this, so I did some research and it appears you are right, however the risk is low. From the CDC's website, note Hansen's disease is leprosy:

In the southern United States, some armadillos are naturally infected with the bacteria that cause Hansen’s disease in people and it may be possible that they can spread it to people. However, the risk is very low and most people who come into contact with armadillos are unlikely to get Hansen’s disease. https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/transmi...nited States,unlikely to get Hansen's disease.

When I was a kid we used to catch and play with armadillos, even more often picked up the road kill, they make great crawfish bait. Never knew anyone to get leprosy as the result. But I may be a bit more careful handling them in the future.
 
Since I don't hunt anymore, I sold all my long guns but I keep a loaded .22 revolver for home defense. Once in a while I unload it and dry fire it just to keep some familiarity with the gun since it just sits idle all the time. I found that with arthritis in my hands, I can only operate it with my right hand since the trigger pull is too much for my left anymore.
 
Alligatorob said:
First I heard this, so I did some research and it appears you are right, however the risk is low. From the CDC's website, note Hansen's disease is leprosy:

In the southern United States, some armadillos are naturally infected with the bacteria that cause Hansen’s disease in people and it may be possible that they can spread it to people. However, the risk is very low and most people who come into contact with armadillos are unlikely to get Hansen’s disease. https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/transmission/index.html#:~:text=In the southern United States,unlikely to get Hansen's disease.

When I was a kid we used to catch and play with armadillos, even more often picked up the road kill, they make great crawfish bait. Never knew anyone to get leprosy as the result. But I may be a bit more careful handling them in the future.
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Yes, the odds of getting ill are fairly low...probably less than a hundred people a year get this disease....but then, very few people would think of picking up one of these critters. Years ago, armadillos were only seen in the far Southern States, but with the climate warming, they migrate further North each year. All I can say is....Stay Away from these animals!!
 

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