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A firearms guide for normal people
If you're not a gunnut but recent events have made you decide that you may want a gun for self-defense, this thread is for you. If you worship guns or think you might be descended from Rambo, this thread is not for you. OK. That's settled. 1/15
If you're not a gunnut but recent events have made you decide that you may want a gun for self-defense, this thread is for you. If you worship guns or think you might be descended from Rambo, this thread is not for you. OK. That's settled. 1/15
Know that if you get a gun the chances of hurting yourself just went up. What you ideally want is a biometric lock between your hands and the gun and to only ever see it 1x a year to cycle a few rounds at the range. Thinking its a toy is how you or your kids get shot. 2/15
Assuming you know nothing about guns, you should buy a 12 gauge pump shotgun. These are cheap and can handle a variety of shells to make sure you are able to shoot it. Buy one with a barrel of 22" or longer, then have a *COMPONENT* gunsmith cut it down to 19" 3/15
Having a short barrel makes it easy to move, improving your chance to hit whatever it in you're aiming at. Once all this is done, buy a box or two of #7 LOW BRASS shells (your ammo dealer knows) and a box of high-brass #0 buckshot and head to the range WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. 4/15
Practice shooting the #7 shot at distances between 5 feet and 10 yards. You don't need to shoot any further unless you live in a mansion. Keep practicing until you can put about half of the shot in the midsection of a man-sized target. You're not trying to kill anyone here. 5/15
Next, use 1 of the #0 size shells and hang on because this is the real shit. This will kill a man. It also kicks about twice as hard so listen to your instructor. If you missed, try again until you can put at least half of the shot in the midsection of a man sized target. 6/15
When your instructor says you've got the hang of it, have him or her go over the safe operation and storage of your new shotgun once again. Transport it home, put 1 of the #0 shells in first, then put 4 #7 shells in after. This way you shoot a few not lethal shots first. 7/15
Now put your gun away, lock everything that will lock, and hope you never need to take it out of the case unless it's time for a yearly trip to the range and a cleaning. 8/15
You're not finished yet. Now is a good time to realize you are not John Wick and really, you only need something that makes a helluva bang to scare off UNARMED intruders. If someone comes in your house with a gun and the intent to use it, you are screwed. 9/15
What you can do is find a room in the middle of your house with no windows. If someone breaks in, grab your gun AND YOUR PHONE and move your family into this room. Call 911. Don't fool around trying to open a biometric-lock on a gun case, bring the case into this safe room. 10/15
Tell 911 someone is in your house and that you have a gun. Then tell the whole world that you have a gun by yelling it as loud as you can. Regardless of what you might have read, killing someone because they are in your house is frowned upon. Even in Florida and Texas. 11/15
Judgment call time - I have been around guns all my life and if I see a psycho come through the door to my safe room I pull a trigger. You probably aren't me and might want to fire the first shot over in the air. Remember it's the BOOM that will drive the average crook off. 12/15
If someone insists on advancing towards you, shoot at them. The #7 shot you have loaded is unlikely to cause any serious harm but will hurt like hell and put tiny pieces of lead in the groin, the stomach lining, and under the skin anywhere it hits. It's hot and it burns. 13/15
If you have to continue to fire, the final shot will be different. Be prepared for the massacre of a shot to the gut with buckshot. It can kill and will almost assuredly stop any human from moving towards you. Aim for the groin. 14/15
My final and best piece of advice? Move to a country where firearms aren't worshiped like giant golden penises and you won't have to worry about it. 15/15
