Is it Safe to have a Gun in your Home?
Written by Rich Wyatt, May 18, 2008
Rich Wyatt is owner of Gunsmoke Inc., 9690 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge,
Colorado 80033. Phone 303.456.4545. This article, from the the 630 KHOW Magazine, Summer 2008, page 56, is displayed
here with permission of the author.
Is it Safe to have a Gun in your Home?
The real question is . . . is it safe not to have a gun in your home? People have a perception of guns that is
patently false. Guns cause crime or injury no more than spoons cause Rosie O'Donnell to be fat.
You see, bad things happen to defenseless people every day: home invasions, robberies, rape, assault, and murder.
The only person responsible to protect yourself and your family is YOU. The police can't prevent these things
from happening to you, only you can, because you are always there.
If you are a one hundred pound woman and you are being attacked by your typical two hundred pound bad guy,
without a gun you are virtually defenseless. But add a gun and some training and or skill with that gun, and
the playing field just got leveled. The reality is that bad guys really don't fear the police, but they sure
do fear a private citizen with a gun.
Guns are used 2.45 million times a year for self-defense. Most of the time, just the presence of the firearm
stops the threat. No one gets shot. The bad guy threatens you, you go for your gun, and the bad guy runs away.
No shots fired. Possibly, that action causes the bad guy to go straight, out of real fear. Wouldn't that be
great?
Guns are inherently dangerous, but far less than cars, prescription drugs, Drano, knives, and anti-freeze. All things
found in the average American home. And all things for which, when used properly, the benefit outweighs the risk. Guns
are the same.
Guns are just tools used to defend yourself and your family, in addition to being great fun as a family sport. Teaching
children responsibility and safe gun handling presents an opportunity for family bonding. Guns have a strong tradition
in this country, used for hunting, target practice, collecting, and teaching history as well as defense. It is
important to note that without guns the United States of America would not exist. Remember when the British were
coming? It was Americans with Guns who were able to send them away.
Keep yourself and your family safe. Bad guys may not have attacked you yet, but no one knows what the future holds.
Statistics show that you will encounter violent crime at some point in your lifetime. Do the responsible thing: get a
gun and training. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. As a retired police chief,
I have seen many people who could have saved a lot of heartache by being responsible and defending themselves. They
just never knew. Now you know. Do the right thing. Don't let politicians or media-types like Rosie (who all have paid
armed guards) tell you that your are not worthy of defending yourself because you can not afford to hire guns. Just get
one for yourself.