I have been called, e-mailed and stopped on the street, questioned in my office, at a couple of places where I shop, and at the post office. I do radio ads for Steele's Gun Shop and I'm known to be familiar with firearms to some degree. I have been asked about what kind of gun or ammo to purchase for home defense and about concealed carry of guns and knives. Some of these questions were from people who have never owned guns before and some from those who "hate" guns and even hate gun owners as well to some degree.

One of my friends has interest in a business near the World Trade Center site. One close friend was the one who first reported the plane that hit the Pentagon, about three windows from his office window. Another friend of mine lives on Long Island and works in the building industry and at a huge lumber store there; so she is in constant contact with workers and contractors connected to the New York City area. Several of my friends are military, National Guard, and police. I am no authority, in my mind, nor compared to some that I know, but I am very open in my communications on anything. So, I am asked about a lot of things. I have been around guns, gun shops, police, military, and worked as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer, as a Security Policeman in the U. S. Coast Guard, and as a Security and Public Relations person at FEMA for a while in disaster preparedness and as an on-site disaster center worker.

I do have some opinions and some are quite strong. They are based on knowledge and experience and information from those who know better than I. So here is some data in the form of;

Frequently Asked Questions and My Answers.

Q: WHY HAVE A GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE?

For the same reasons we have smoke detectors, first aid kits, fire extinguishers; life, health, dental and home insurance. Because planning, preparation and investment in proper tools and devices -- give us more control over ourselves and our destiny and well being in any arena. And, having better control of our lives and future is a native concern and need for most of us.

I think, and most of us think, that any life worth living is worth defending. We have dedicated 40, 50, 60, or 100 hours a week to providing for our families so that they may live life without major interruptions or inconveniences and death or injury at the hand of a "Bad Person". Disaster is certainly not part of our plan for optimum survival for us and our family.

Because people are neither natively brave nor courageous and because people are natively more comfortable, less fearful, having something to hand for self and family defense; having a weapon to hand or a method of defense and protection is an internal instinct that is intrinsic and native. That can include decisions to lock the doors, live in safer areas and staying alert to news and current events. Even those who hate guns and want all of them gone, always seem to have a kitchen knife, a baseball bat or a sword (Ha) to defend themselves with. The Bad Person, BP laughs as such implements in the hands of someone not used to fighting for their lives and it is in fact laughable if you've ever seen a street thug fight or attack someone.

Those who decry guns are the first to call 911 and beg someone, a policeman, with a gun to come and defend them - the police can not and WILL NOT ARRIVE IN TIME. In fact the police are not even expected to arrive to defend you. They are expected only, by law, to come and mark chalk lines around your dead body and that of your family - and to write up the reports, take pictures of the blood splattered walls and floor, and file them away along with a report on what they find at the scene of your murder. Check it out; even the Supreme Court of the United States had made a written decision to that extent.

Q: FOR A NON SHOOTER, WHAT GUNS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR DEFENSE?

None. A non shooter should not have any gun. Having a gun without taking the time and effort to learn how to USE it correctly and safely hit what is aimed at is not only silly but it's dangerous. Here, I agree with the anti-gun people. THEY shouldn't have a gun because they wouldn't use the gun and would likely shoot someone for nothing, or miss and hit someone else. Non-Shooters should not own guns, period. Anti-gunners are more likely to become murderers or accidental killers with a gun than without. It is a cinch that if they don't trust others with a gun, they certainly are not worthy of trust with one themselves, and that's certain.

Q: FOR AN INEXPERIENCED, NEW SHOOTER, WHAT DO I RECOMMEND?

First of all, don't buy a gun if you are not going to become proficient with it and that takes some time, repetition and training. My first suggestion is the .38 caliber/.357 caliber revolvers. These are inexpensive and easy to find new or used. The .357 revolver and can be used with low power .38 caliber ammunition for practice and for defense the same gun will allow the use of extremely powerful .357 ammunition. They are made to hold 5 or 6 cartridges and that should be fine for home defense. They are quite accurate and fairly easy to learn. They have no "safety" lever so under tension and in the terror of having to use one for self defense, there is no safety to remember about changing to the fire position from the safe position. Many, many people have died as a result of trying to defend themselves with a gun that was still on safe when they needed to fire it to stop someone from killing them. The Bad Person won't wait for you to remember the safety. I'm not in favor of safeties at all. Every person in the home that has access to the gun MUST be trained in safe handling. No safety switch, lock or chain will make a gun safe in the hands of an idiot or an unsafe gun handler - same thing.

A revolver is the gun that cowboys used. The cylinder holds six shots, and revolves as it's shot, hence it's called a six shooter or revolver, and after each shot the cylinder revolves to put another cartridge in back of the barrel ready to fire when the trigger is pulled to slam the hammer down and fire the bullet out the barrel to what is aimed or pointed at.

Once a person has fired several revolvers or several handguns, many of them choose a pistol. A pistol is a semi-automatic handgun that does not have a cylinder but has a magazine to hold several cartridges instead. It is called a semi-automatic because it moves a new cartridge in place to befired each time the trigger is pulled, just like a revolver. Some pistols hold 15 or 20 shots or rounds as we call it. Modern pistols are only allowed to have 10 rounds in America as a result of some idiotic laws passed by people who should not be allowed to have guns themselves. I prefer pistols to revolvers myself but advise revolvers for first timers to learn on.

By the way, an "automatic" is a gun that fires all of the shots, in machine gun rapid fire fashion with ONE pull of the trigger. Few people own and even fewer can effectively use an automatic weapon. They are better for noise than for hitting something. The real best choice for home defense is a shotgun. But most people want a pistol as it's easier to have next to the bed and to get ready. The shotgun however is easier to aim under stress and is more likely to stop an attacker faster. Shotguns come in many configurations and sizes. They come in several cartridge sizes too. The two most common sizes are 12 gauge and 20 gauge, there are many other sizes but for home defense we'll stick to the more common 12 or 20. Ordinarily the shotgun is less expensive, easier to use, and better for defense than a pistol by far.

Many people think that shotguns have shot that spreads, to send out a wall of lead, and that you can't miss with a shotgun. That is BULL.. The longest distance most of us will be able to shoot in defense, inside our homes, is about 20 feet. At that distance the size of the circle of shot from a shotgun is about two and a half inches in diameter or less. It's easy to miss with a shotgun, but not as easy as it is to miss with a pistol. Some people want to get all sorts of specialty ammo for a shotgun to use in home defense. That is not needed. The cheapest "bird shot" is the best for home defense and the least likely to go through wall after wall after wall through your house and into the sleeping rooms of the rest of your family and the neighbors up and down the street.

By the way, most pistol ammo will go through three or four walls, perhaps more, before it stops if you miss the person you are shooting at in self defense. Where are the kids? Think about it before you get a gun. In fact thinking is far superior to shooting, regarding self defense. In modern homes, made of foam insulation, wall board and vinyl siding; a pistol bullet can easily penetrate both sides of five or six homes before stopping.

Guns are expensive and good guns are very expensive. There are some ways to beat the system however. There are lots of used guns on the market, especially police guns, because everyone, especially the police, want to have the coolest and most awesome and most new gun that is being advertised. So they trade in the old guns and often the older guns are the better guns although less cool. Silly aren't they? There are lots of good used pistols, revolvers and shotguns in the gun shops of America and many of them are superior to the new stuff in reliability and accuracy. Go figure! J Or you can purchase a new gun.

No matter what you get, make certain that you learn how to use the gun correctly and get some training from someone who really knows guns and safe handling. Most men think they are genetically endowed with gun smarts and they are not. In fact most men who are first time or infrequent users of guns are far more stupid and far more dangerous than women and no more likely to hit what they aim for either. As a matter of fact, women are usually better shots than men at

first, according to my experience. I have taught several hundred people how to shoot for the first time and have helped a few dozen others shoot better. By the way I'm not a professional firearms instructor, just a willing friend and neighbor who has shot a lot and owned a lot of guns over a lot of years.

IF you do get a gun, and I'm not at all certain that you should; keep your defensive firearm handy but secure and practice, practice, practice. Practice often enough to be dangerous to the Bad Persons and often enough to NOT be dangerous to yourself and your family. At a minimum that will be weekly for a few months and then monthly for several months and then at least every two or three months thereafter. Even those who hunted all the time 30 or 40 years ago but not much in the last 10 years, are not to be trusted to be safe and accurate with a firearm now.

Q: WHAT IS THE BEST KIND OF AMMO FOR MY GUN AND FOR SELF DEFENSE? IS IT BEST TO USE THE BULLETS THAT COST 2 OR 3 OR 4 OR EVEN UP TO 12 DOLLARS PER SHOT?

The silly news shows, the major media evening news is fond of showing off all sorts of buzz saw bullets and bullets that will penetrate bullet proof vests and all manner of other nonsense. Almost anything on the evening news about guns, ammo, self defense, etc. is a lie or at best BULL. Now, regarding ammunition; you don't need a lot of ammo for self defense. In a defensive situation if you need more than ten or twenty shots, you are likely going to die anyway as there are either too many people for you to defend against or you are too bad a shot to defend yourself. However, under the stress of self defense, it is not unusual for police to miss every single shot from a 15 shot

pistol when shooting at a Bad Person that is only 15 or 20 feet away. In shoot outs where trained police are shooting at BPs who also have guns, it is not unusual for several hundred shots to be fired for each person that is killed. Think about it. They need to practice a LOT more don't they. Luckily BPs don't practice much, if any, either. What you need lots of ammo for is practice.

How about all these wonderful and special self defense bullets? There are bullets that cost $6 each or more that are supposed to work better and faster for self defense. The real truth is that it doesn't matter a HOOT how expensive the bullet is, if you miss a vital spot in the attacker. What you need is practice, practice, practice, so that you can certainly hit what you are aiming at and STOP an attacker. REAL experts say: It is better to shoot the attacker 6 times quickly and accurately when you need to stop the attack than it is to hit them with one super-duper-Cowabunga-pooper bullet. So practice. It is bullet placement that will save the life of you and your family; bullet placement that STOPS the Bad Person fast enough to stop that BP from hurting you or a loved one.

Q: GUNS ARE NO HELP AGAINST AN AIRPLANE AIMED AT YOU, OR SOME ANTHRAX SPORES. WHY ARE YOU SO SET ON HAVING GUNS?

Some folks are concerned about potential social turmoil, rogue bands of harmful burglars, perhaps dangerous riots, and there is a certainty that, for the first time, this war is happening here and there are no safe zones, at least no certain safe zones. As members of a community, we seek to support our community with personal and community commitment -- a price others are and have been willing to pay. Now it MAY be our turn. I'm not saying this is correct or right or even necessary; I'm just saying that is what some people feel and think.

Owning a weapon is a personal decision. Some people have swords, canes, baseball bats, pepper spray, potato mashers and even hornet spray or a water pistol full of vinegar for self defense. Years ago almost all women carried a few long hat pins for defense and almost all men carried a stout umbrella or a walking stick. In many countries, even today, it is considered sensible to carry a dagger, a dirk, or even a pistol (such as in Israel) or a rifle all the time for self defense. I don't take a position either way for whether or not YOU have a weapon or decide to defend yourself against those who would rob or harm you and those near you.

I do take one position however. I think that those who say guns are bad and no one should have a gun and no one should protect themselves with a gun should have signs on their clothing, their cars and around their homes and businesses. That sign should say "I do not believe in guns or other weapons, and I do not have any weapons, and I will not defend myself, and I do not believe in anyone protecting themselves against an assailant." If you are really against self defense and against guns - prove it and post the signs!

Otherwise, for those of intelligence; Take care, prepare, practice and be safe.

By www.JodyHudson.com Copyright 2001

Source: http://www.theruralspecialist.com/essays/gundefensequestions.html