The need for a defensive weapon.... AKA Gun

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old medic

Senior Member
Location
Western NC
I know its a toxic subject around here, But the immediate availability of a destructive device of war came in handy yesterday. Napping on the couch I awake to several screaming voices... My DW, Sister and her 2 youngins Are in the yard with a Copperhead snake aggressively striking at them.
I surly hope no video of me, running outside in my boxers shows up on facebook.
 

When I went to school, almost every family owned some kind of a rifle, usually for hunting, as well as for family protection when needed. This was especially true for the people who lived out in the country.
In the fall, the high school boys who drove the family pickup to school usually had their hunting rifle in the back window, and it was never a problem back in those days.

I took the hunter safety course when I was in Jr. High,, and we had WW2 vets who ran the course, and though us kids gun safety, and how to shoot and hit a target. Now, people get a weapon and have never had any kind of safety course in how to care for it or teach their kids any kind of gun safety.

A copperhead in the backyard definitely calls for having some kind of weapon !
 
old medic said:
I know its a toxic subject around here, But the immediate availability of a destructive device of war came in handy yesterday. Napping on the couch I awake to several screaming voices... My DW, Sister and her 2 youngins Are in the yard with a Copperhead snake aggressively striking at them.
I surly hope no video of me, running outside in my boxers shows up on facebook.
Click to expand...
We have lots of snakes in Australia, many venomous and at least one, the tiger snake, can be quite aggressive to the point of chasing you if disturbed. Still, we don't immediately reach for a gun to deal with them. We call in a snake handler to catch and remove them safely.

If your only tool is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.

​

 
I really hate guns and never thought I'd want one, but the more powerless, ignored, and unheard I feel in society as a Senior, the more I want some kind of efficient means of self-protection. Pepper spray? IDK.

What can I get in lieu of a gun? Some Seniors have massive incomes/savings so they can move to gated communities and hide from the evil.
Others have lawyers and doctors in the family so those insiders can tell them all the best doctors to go to. Kind of too late for that.

Me, I read a lot. I try to keep up with the latest scams. I avoid driving at night. I avoid going to the most evil parts of my area. Like, when I go to the theatre, I won't even bother with downtown anymore. The city does not feel safe and hasn't felt safe for two decades, IMO.

What would I do if I had a snake in the yard? Get a spade shovel, I guess. Or run back inside and call an exterminator company.

The older I get, the more I understand why Seniors want to own guns.
 
Warrigal said:
We have lots of snakes in Australia, many venomous and at least one, the tiger snake, can be quite aggressive to the point of chasing you if disturbed. Still, we don't immediately reach for a gun to deal with them. We call in a snake handler to catch and remove them safely.

If your only tool is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.

​

Click to expand...
If your only tool is a snake handler, then you're in trouble.
 
gruntlabor said:
If your only tool is a snake handler, then you're in trouble.
Click to expand...
Gun Control Network The more guns there are in society the more gun violence there is. International studies of high-income countries typically find that firearm availability is positively correlated with firearm homicide and usually overall homicide (Grinshteyn & Hemenway, 2016 American Journal of Medicine, in press.) Comparisons between the United States and the UK make this abundantly clear.

The rate of gun ownership is 3.3 per 100 people in the population in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) compared with the US rate of 101, thirty times higher. The annual rate of gun homicide per 100,000 of the population is currently 0.03 in Great Britain. This compares with 3.6 in the USA, a rate that is 120-fold greater. The total firearms death rate is 51 times higher in the US than in the UK.

That snake handler looks to be a far safer option.
 
but they love their guns?? after the sat matinee in UK we used to chase each other along the streets using invisible guns and still managed to "kill" each other??
 
You would have to have amazing gun control to kill a snake with a rifle or a handgun, a shotgun might be a better firearm for the job.
Alternative measures such as snake catchers are better if circumstances permit. I once caught a baby Dugite in a vacuum cleaner šŸ˜
An old country method was a double twist of No 8 fencing wire a metre or more long, a good whack with this was supposed to crush the snake's spine. Rinse and repeat until the spine is crushed near to the snake's head.
I've often wondered how effective a CO2 fire extinguisher would, frozen snake anyone?
 
VintageBetter said:
What would I do if I had a snake in the yard? Get a spade shovel, I guess. Or run back inside and call an exterminator company
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if you got a spade shovel and went to attack the snake you would be putting yourself at risk.

and worse thing to do is to run, that agitates the snake - what you do is walk calmly and slowly inside and call the snake catcher

Australia has a huge number of venomous snakes - I've never seen anyone use that as their argument for increasing gun ownership.
 
gruntlabor said:
If your only tool is a snake handler, then you're in trouble.
Click to expand...
Leave the snake alone and it won't trouble you. Relocate the snake if it is on your property, but don't try to do it yourself. If you come across one while walking in the bush, just walk on by. No need for a hammer, or a gun.

Most snakes cannot eat humans so they have no interest in biting one and wasting precious venom unless they feel threatened.
 
The older I get, the more I understand why Seniors want to own guns.

Don't agree with that at all. I'm over 70, and don't feel like I need a gun at all. I have never owned one in my entire life. At least not the type with bullets. As I kid, I did have the type shot caps. I have never shot a real gun in my life. I'm pretty sure I never will. I know members of my political party are usually against guns. I sure was when I was living in New York City. But when I moved back to upstate New York, I realized that there were a lot of people who had guns, mainly for hunting legally in season. I've never even shot an animal either.
 
I can speak only of the poisonous snakes in America, which have no interest in striking unless they are disturbed. I understand that some species in Australia, the far East, and Africa can be much more aggressive.

The thing is, many species here in the US can often be "invisible" in their surroundings. Its just uncanny how some can blend in to the grass, leaves, or whatever. So if you are going to be walking about, at least wear sensible boots and jeans.

I'm no stranger to firearms, but a rifle or handgun wouldn't be my top choice for snake control. A shotgun or perhaps a handgun that can handle special shot shells would be much better. That said, if you have one in your yard or near the house, I find a hoe or rake does a great job.
 
Well I guess it's a good thing you had that gun then! You'd better make sure none of your peeps (or neighbors perhaps) put any pictures that may have been taken on Facebook. Or worse yet...a video that goes viral on FB and TikTok. :LOL:
 
I liked all posts because everyone has a right to their opinion.
What I'm against is that any post that has gun in the text becomes a political argument.

In NC we have Copperheads. If you are reaching in places to weed you might get bit. Also, be very wary around wood piles.
We leave snakes alone unless it were a copperhead. If we ran across one we'd do whatever at hand to kill it.

@old medic , you'll likely go viral running around in your boxers. I'll keep my eye out. šŸ˜Š
 
When we lived in New Hampshire we had guns, belonged to a very social gun club, and I enjoyed it immensely. When I first moved there, the local paper had an article where the writer asked who was carrying in a very popular restaurant. Every single person was. I thought, "what kind of crazy place have we moved to?" NH averaged 4 murders a year then. I'm sure the crime rate is still pretty low. @Tommy?
 
What I would worry about is the whereabouts of Mr. Copperhead's wife and children? Check your linen closets and fireplace.

My father (West Virginia) had baby black snakes coming out of his chimney for years. One day my sister-in-law was visiting and doing a little knitting. At one point she was walking through the living room and bent over to pick up what she thought was a piece of yarn she'd dropped. We still laugh at the dance she did for us.
 
old medic said:
I know its a toxic subject around here, But the immediate availability of a destructive device of war came in handy yesterday. Napping on the couch I awake to several screaming voices... My DW, Sister and her 2 youngins Are in the yard with a Copperhead snake aggressively striking at them.
I surly hope no video of me, running outside in my boxers shows up on facebook.
Click to expand...
No doubt about, copperheads are aggressive and don't issue a warning before striking. Good that you were close by to assist.
 
Nathan said:
It's good to have a ranch rifle here in the desert, most people around here do, for protection and varmint control.
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After my father passed away my mother told me she was considering getting a gun for self defense since she lived alone. Heard a similar statement from a sister-in-law. My response in general, NO. An untrained and good natured person when confronted with imminent danger is likely to pause and think about the harm they might do. In that brief moment a criminal type won't flinch and your weapon may be turned on you. If you're going to have a gun be well trained, otherwise find some other self-defense. Before you jump on me, please know I am trained and do have a gun for defense.
 

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