Cuda, it varies from state to state and in some cases town to town. Here in Oregon, you need to be very careful.
Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year -- or about 6,850 times a day.
I have a really hard time buying that. I could be wrong, but it seems way over inflated.
Bottom line for me is that I'm not so afraid that I feel the need to keep a gun near to defend myself. The dangers,in my opinion, out way the benefits. I have a rifle and I have a cable lock strung through the chamber and trigger; while the bolt is oiled, wrapped and stored in an entirely different place. That's a bit over kill admittedly, but i don't have a locking gun case. If someone was to break in and find it, it would be useless to them. I'm thinking more along the lines of stealing it, not using it against me.
Also, here in Portland, people get shot in the street, or in bars while getting into it with each other. It's seldom you hear about someone getting shot in their own homes. But like i said: that's HERE. ...not in Canada, not NY, LA, poe-dunk-nowhere.
And yeah. It didn't click when I read over that before. And I looked hard at it too. oh well. The instructor btw, was an Ex-regional Pres of the NRA. or chairman or whatever the main dude for the state is. The state used to contract him for lessons and stuff.
and Woody, the guy on the street and doesn't have a drill sargent to worry about.
Also, a jogger nearly killed my daughter with pepper mace when she was about 4. The jogger thought she was a dog (it was dark in the early morning) and sprayed here. The best I can tell the jogger had the spray in her hand. My daughter's throat swelled shut and she passed out. The paramedic said the cold weather probably saved her. They inserted an airway and took her to the ER.
The jogger ran off when my wife ran in to call 911.