…day, many middle-aged men remember hunting or target shooting at informal ranges with their dads and brothers. They remember being encouraged to shoot shotguns, rifles, and handguns. As youngsters, they received Red Ryder BB guns and cap guns in “quick draw” cowboy holsters for Christmases and birthdays. They argued with friends over the relative merits of military calibers and they often had a rifle to call their own before they even reached… Continue reading →

…en socialized into gun use by peers. For the children whose families had taught them about lawful gun use, the children were at no greater risk of becoming involved in crime, gangs, or drugs than children with no exposure to guns. But the children who were taught about guns by their peers were at high risk of all types of crime and improper behavior, including gun crime. — Alan J. Lizotte & James M. Tesoriero, “Patterns of… Continue reading →

…you are able to secure a long gun in such a way that you are confident you could get to it in a hurry, then a shotgun or carbine may indeed be the best choice for your home defense. Reasons to Avoid a Long Gun Rifles and shotguns do have a lot going for them: power, ease of aim, and the intimidation factor. Shotguns offer another important benefit, which is the huge versatility of ammunition choices. But long guns are also bulky, do not lend… Continue reading →

…ore (I’ll probably get kicked out of the Women’s Club for saying this so baldly), I’m of the opinion that my own life would be worth defending, even if I had never had children. You don’t need to have kids in order to justify your right to save your own life and protect your body. So even though I pulled the for-the-kids card in the conversation that started this article, it’s not really the line of thought that… Continue reading →