I went to buy a gun yesterday.

[GulfCoast66]

14. Wow. Can't believe I'm typing this on DU. But understand

I’m a lifelong hunter and gun owner.

Owning a firearm is a huge responsibility. Or should be. Where to start...

If you have a child in the house you absolutely must have a totally secure place to lock it up. And I don’t mean a locked drawer. But some kind of safe.

But my main concern is if you purchased a handgun. Real shooting is not the movies. If you have never shot I guarantee you could not hit a target 10 feet away. Even on a range with no pressure. In a panicky defense situation you are just not going to hit what you are shooting at. Unless you are prepared to spend hours practicing ditch the handgun. With my deer rifle I can humanly kill a deer at 250 yard with one shot. With a hand gun I can’t quickly hit something at 10 feet.

Just sell the damn gun. Or if you must buy a 3 shot shotgun like my grandfather used. It’s much easier to learn to use and you aren’t likely to shoot yourself.

But really, buying a gun out of fear is just a bad idea all the way around.

Invest in a security system. Or something.

I’ve shot and hunted my entire life. You can’t learn it in one 2 hour class. No way in hell am I using a handgun to defend my life. I have my dad’s auto loader shotgun loaded under my bed. It holds 3 shots. But here is the deal. We don’t have kids. Anytime a child is coming over; anytime, it sets put in the safe. Even if they only here for a quick visit.

I think you need to rethink your decision. Those made out of fear never work out.