Mother kills intruder with shot gun!!!

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by mkarnold1

Heard and understood, but she would not have the gun loaded. She doesn't know how to shoot so there is no way I would want her discharging a loaded firearm in our home with the kids there. Also, an unloaded firearm is a very good weapon for a person who is at a disadvantage in a fight, because of the unease and uncertainty it may cause in the assailant. The walnut stock of a Winchester 1300 is no "paper tiger", it will do more damage than anything else in the house.

And if the assailant has a loaded weapon, in opposition to a useless (at distance) weapon, the assailant may be quite a bit more likely to shoot first when confronted with that very possible threat. Negation or defusing of the situation before it becomes hand to hand is infinitely favorable to "hoping your wife can use it as a club as a last resort." A baseball bat might be a better choice, I suppose in that case.

I do not mean any disrespect in any way, but as someone who views the presence of a firearm as a responsibility, and when presented in a confrontation, I am mindful that hesitation may cause either escalation, loss of initiative, or an instantly reduced safety zone, an attacker, if armed with a firearm, may shoot at the earliest opportunity if threatened with a firearm themselves.

It's a glass half empty supposition, I suppose, and I am no tactician, but looking at the lowest common denominator is necessary, I think, especially with criminals.