The gun laws here in Maryland are ...interesting. Yes, there's my Stoeger Wildfowler o/u and 870, 1911 clone, and snubnose 32 for varying degrees of S hitting TF. And neither me nor Mrs. Rookie are afraid of using them. But with various children sleeping in various rooms, overpenetration is something in the back of my mind.
I've always been in the camp of nothing quite like the sound of a shotty being pumped to say you're in the wrong place. And my little snubnose is so easy to keep on target as I **** and aim again.
Honestly, what's under my bed and pillow for things that have gone bump in the night in the past has been a Louisville Slugger, masonry hammer (picture a hammer on one side and hatchet on the other), and machete hanging upside down by my bedroom door.
Where I live now, the threats have changed. And that lead me from the first paragraph to the third. The more I think about it, right now I think the most likely threat to myself and family in my neighborhood would be a rabid raccoon, fox, skunk, or opposum. Hmm, I should probably be in the market for a good .22 rifle with 8x scope.
One more thought bouncing around my head to share with the group. Both in the military and everyday life in Baltimore, Maryland, I've had those "bumps in the night". I've had to "take care of business". Not many times (thank whichever diety is appropriate), and each time was to protect life (either mine, my family's, or comrades in arms). Let me tell you, it's something to live with. I can't say I regret doing it, but many days still years (in some cases a decade or more), I regret that I had to. For me, anyways. So as we thump our chests and possibly fantasize about it, please don't forget what exactly it is we're talking about. Ok, I'll stop being a downer now.
Good post @RookieGuy and thank you for your service. I have been a part of this forum for a decade.
Never once, have I witnessed a member of it, “thump their chest” or “fantasize” about the possibilities of having to defend themselves or someone they love.
The fact is, the exact opposite of your suggestion is truer. Most here, at one time or another have probably stated, “Hope I never have too.”
If you have hung out here long enough, you’d see it too. I would still suggest to most here that own a firearm and who go to investigate that “bump in the night”, to take said firearm and not a baseball bat from under the bed.
While we should always “hope for the best”, we should always be “prepared for the worst.” And a bump in the middle of the night qualifies for said wisdom.
Don’t know about you sir, but having experienced the worst, gives me no desire to investigate, armed with the least.
Last edited: