Colorado has very sensible laws with respect to home defense. As a result, we have a very low rate of property crime.
18-1-704.5 – Use of deadly physical force against an intruder.
(1) The general assembly hereby recognizes that the citizens of Colorado have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 18-1-704, any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant.
(3) Any occupant of a dwelling using physical force, including deadly physical force, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall be immune from criminal prosecution for the use of such force.
(4) Any occupant of a dwelling using physical force, including deadly physical force, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall be immune from any civil liability for injuries or death resulting from the use of such force.
That being said, people need to choose their weapons in sensible fashion. The homeowner on Long Island with an AK-47 was a little over the top. The problem with using a rifle in a neighborhood, is that the bullet will travel right through the criminal into the neighbors house.
A much better choice is a 12-gauge shotgun. You can’t miss, they won’t be getting back up again, shells are cheap, and the shot won’t go through the neighbors wall. The downside of a 12-gauge is the long barrel. You can’t move around the house very easily.
So it is also important to have a handgun. Some people prefer large caliber guns, but I think that the best concealed carry weapon is something small and light. A particular favourite of mine is the North American Arms .22 mag mini-revolver (pictured above.) It holds five rounds which I alternate chambers between bird shot and high velocity hollow point rounds. No one is going to keep coming after you, after taking bird shot to the face from close range. It might not kill them, but they will probably wish they were dead.
If you have a concealed carry permit, I definitely recommend a single action gun – because they can’t fire accidentally. Another favourite of mine is the Colt Beretta .32 auto. It is single action for the first round, but double action for the remaining rounds, so you can pop them off quickly in an emergency.
The best crime deterrent is a law like Colorado has. Only a complete idiot would commit a property crime in Colorado, except for maybe in the Boulder Democratic Republic – where the right to self-defense has been revoked.
If no one is attempting to commit crime, then there is no need for other people to use deadly force to stop them.
yup, where i live there is no crime…you can leave your purse in the car with the keys in it, and no one locks their doors ….because everyone is armed. out here it’s mostly rednecks but even us hippies are armed.
and i’ll second your recommendations.
saiga12…for indoors: water balloon LTL, 00, slugs. up close even a target load will do the trick, without collateral damage. outdoors: rifled slugs, then 00
cz82 in 9×18
and to round it out a bolt action 338RUM zeroed at 300m…point and shoot out to almost 1k.
I am so liberal I believe in even the 2nd amendment 😉
The downside of a 12-gauge is the long barrel. You can’t move around the house very easily. Nothing a hacksaw can’t remedy. I’m aware there may be some legal ramifications, but………I’d rather have it and not need than need it and not have it. For concealment, a nice semi-auto .25 fits nicely in a back pocket. Kansas allows us to transport firearms in our vehicle in any manner we choose.(Warning!!! Like Colo. some cities have their own set of laws.) I’ve got a 9mm with one in the chamber at all times in my truck. Again, rather to have it and not need it…….
My next home defense weapon will be a shotgun. but from my online research, I understand that I will still have to aim, and still have be sure of my backstop. There is, apparently, almost no spread over the distances of most home interiors, and if a 12-ga round goes through only, say, a layer of drywall, some fiberglass insulation, and some wooden or plastic siding, it’s still going to do severe damage to anyone it hits.
See Box ‘O Truth: At least 4 layers of sheetrock with #4 buck, 3″ pattern at 12 feet. To me, it looks as if the debris from each sheet was blown through the next sheet; if the sheets had been further apart, giving the debris a chance to scatter, the penetration would have been much greater.
A slug went through 12 sheets.
For that reason, I’m considering a 16 ga rather than a 12. (Recoil easier to manage, as well.)
You need stopping power but not at the cost of sending the perp through the front door. It is important the criminal stay in the house upon impact from the projectile(s)or you open up a can of worms. And you can’t leave to chance his crawling over the threashold.
In many ways the Deadly Force law in Colorado is appropriate, but if the criminal gets back over the threashold with his dying breath, you are inviting a lawsuit. Our law makers need to re-examine the law and tighten it up a bit to make it lawyer proof.
They could also find a root cause for all the crime and either build more prisons, get rid of the drugs, spank the parents, bring back more draconian punishments, ship the offenders to Australia (the coasts are taken so they’ll have to live in the Outback), quick freeze them until they find a cure for bad behavior etc.
Or you could tell them is isn’t their fault. We are sorry they shot the innocent homeowner and should just go back to what they were doing before.
A long time ago, while attending a class at CU in economics, I read where “for every person executed, seven peoples lives were saved”. (I have not idea how they could test this statement.) It was an article on the economics of crime. When you make the punishment harsh enough, people have second thoughts about committing the crime. (Think Saudia Arabia)
And I believe that is the point of the “Make My Day” law in Colorado. Works for me.
I like .40 caliber, and prefer Sig Sauer for reliability and accuracy with first and quick second shot (.45, for me anyway, is too hot and the 2nd quick shot goes high). .25 has no stopping power, and just infuriates a determined attacker who is likely armed. Using hollow points prevents stray bullets and insures the crook cannot get up and sue. A semi-auto is perfectly safe, especially with a powerful slide spring, like the Sig has, so it takes a whole lot of force to chamber. Leave the rounds unchambered, and you are OK.
I recommend a concealed carry permit. A handgun course is a prerequisite, IMHO. One needs to learn respect and safety for these bad boys.
Here in NH, the Live Free or Die State, we have zero crime, and no home invasions, like neighboring ME, MA, and VT that have egregious gun laws.
FL, where I also live, has just passed a very gun-friendly law, and gun crimes are way way down.
For my twenty year+ daughters, living in different states, they carry and have at home .38 specials (Taurus revolvers), and they and their hubbies , can shoot.
I was raised around firearms.
My father collected them and
did a lot of competitive target shooting.
He liked them all and we had everything in the house from tiny Brownings and Barettas
to every caliber revolver and handgun to giant hunting rifles with scopes hanging on the walls.
My brother and I made reloads ( wadcutters) in the basement from shell casings dad would scoop up at the police range and then trade them back the target rounds for
range time.
It is good to know how to handle a weapon.
Never had to shoot anybody. But if I did a .357 would make a good hole, and “jersey rules” dictate dragging them back over the threshold into the house.
I’ve been thinking about this also.
This looks intimidating: http://www.g-man-weaponry.com/images/Shotguns/10.jpg
20 gage would do. Many years ago, a co-worker of mine was murdered with a mere 410.
I read that in Texas, you can shoot them in the driveway for trying to steal your car. Don’t mess with Texas.
Colorado has it right. Laws should be absolutely crystal clear like the one concerned in this blog post. No BS. This is the way every state should operate. Pretty simple: don’t come in our house, unless we invite you in. Or you will be shot. Thank you and good night.
Here in the UK, we are not allowed to have firearms in the home (or anywhere else). This law does not apply to criminals.
We have to make do with “Minefield” warning signs posted to property boundries.
Here in France, if ever you harm an intruder, in whatever manner – be in your house at night when you were sleeping – he will sue you, you will lose and pay liabilities …
You are supposed to defend yourself only when about to die. Death is, of course, a safe shelter against beind sued.
“No one is going to keep coming after you, after taking bird shot to the face from close range. It might not kill them, but they will probably wish they were dead.”
This only true if the perp is a calm, average person. And unarmed. If the perp is armed and determined or hyped-up on drugs you are going to have a problem. Have you ever read any articles about how many rounds a PCP user takes to the chest before their body realizes it is dead? Quite a few. Plenty of time to get off a shot or two at you.
Your handgun recommendation is correct, but you need to select a larger caliber; at least .38 Special. Of course over-penetration or missing your target needs to be considered, so I would recommend Mag-Safe SWAT ammunition.
http://www.magsafeonline.com/
The bullets are essentially copper hollow-point bullet jackets that are filled with lead shot with a cap soldered over the end. They penetrate and explode into many fragments. Very destructive. The bullets will break up in a single sheet of dry-wall.
(Not to mention I have one of those .22 mag revolvers that you have. I keep it my tackle box and use it on snapping turtles when fishing. They are loud as heck outdoors. I don’t know if I would want to fire one indoors.)