My dad who spent his senior year as an assistant track and field (and wrestling) coach had an old starter's pistol - an air gun type - with a few blanks that had rusted up by the time my younger brother was 7 and got up into my parent's closet to take it down and start "playing" with it.
That pistol ended up getting cut up with a welding torch soon after.
Growing up, I lived in all sorts of "dangerous lower class" or struggling neighborhoods until my parents had a steady job and moved into a "gentrifying" neighborhood. I still have lived in mostly lower or working class neighborhoods, much to my step-daughter's in-laws chagrin, and my neighbors have always known we had good quality "stuff" - just not a lot of it.
It's only been twice that my parents or I were ever burgled - each time, we were living in a "better" neighborhood, and it was the middle class neighbor's kids or their friends who went to the local "upscale" public schools who waited until we weren't at home to break in - mostly on a lark. My mom lost some jewelry, but my place ended up trashed because all they could find was about $20 in a change jar; they couldn't find anything else that could be quickly pawned off or sold to their buddies.
Most people I know who had guns and were burgled lost their guns - because despite what the TV shows and media claim, unless it's an intimidation-based "someone in your family was a member of a gang" type home invasion, most burglars - even the druggies - will wait until no one's in the house before they break in. I've lived in SoCal "Gang Central" for years - members of MS-13, Asian-Boys, and the Bloods lived in my neighborhood - and this is the way it is...
If you're known to have guns or bling items, they'll wait until you're gone and rob your house.
If you're an opposing gang member, or if your kid(s) willingly or were intimidated into joining a gang, they'll use your home as an initiation rite location and barge in to rob and kill you or your gang-member child.
As for protection from drive-byes or "hits", a gun in the home, or even a gun on your person is little to no protection, and is typically more danger to the rest of the neighborhood caught in any sort of crossfire.
Guns at home are not really protection from the human "animals". Maybe protection from critters like coyotes and foxes, or to intimidate the neighbor kids or transients from cutting across your property while you're there, but not much more.
Most of the time, people who want to take your stuff or do you "harm" will just wait until you're gone, break in, and take your guns. Or they'll rush in to get the drop on you to shoot you and anyone else at your home, and get your guns.
As was taught to me in the military, the reason why they call it "getting the drop on you" - you don't get the time needed to react to protect yourself or your cohorts with your own weapon - the only time you have is to drop to the ground or run to the nearest hiding place. When someone has a drop on you, you've got a 95% chance of being killed or otherwise have your ability to act from you.
Haele
= new reply since forum marked as read
