How about a 22 for home defense?

[ChavaK]

imho, if you suffer from depression and are specifically picking the caliber of gun because you think you would be less likely to use it on yourself, you shouldn't own a gun period. There are other methods of self defense that would be better suited to you.

I agree. Besides a .22 can do terrible damage....instead of going straight through they bounce all over and can tear you up terribly.

 

[bhsmte]

Depression and guns, are not a good combo.

 

[ChavaK]

When a person is considering suicide, the last thing you want is to wake up crippled or brain damaged in a hospital. The risk of that seems higher with a .22LR, so it seems less tempting.

I'm not a high risk at all, but there are times that I fantasize. I have never attempted, and I am 50 years old now. Very low risk IMO.

When a person is considering suicide, they don't consider anything other than ending the suffering.

 

[ChavaK]

When a person is considering suicide, the last thing you want is to wake up crippled or brain damaged in a hospital. The risk of that seems higher with a .22LR, so it seems less tempting.

I'm not a high risk at all, but there are times that I fantasize. I have never attempted, and I am 50 years old now. Very low risk IMO.

Please take care of your self.

 

[ChavaK]

I've been watching a few videos on .22 handguns and rifles, and several have mentioned that .22 guns tend to jam. Apparently .22 bullets are rim-fire and tend to be dirty?

Keep the gun clean and use high quality ammo. For competitions I only use Mini mags. They never cause problems. However, I prefer 147 gr 9mm. Recoil is easy to handle and it's easy to get rapid shots off. It's a matter of training and practice. Anyone who owns a gun should make sure to train and practice with it routinely.

 

[cloudyday2]

Please take care of your self.

I've been considering suicide at least once a week for the last 30 years without an attempt, so my risk is not high. It's just that I don't like having a gun convenient to make me consider it more. It's not healthy or productive to be always thinking about that too much. Also I discovered that it is possible to get into a peaceful state where the natural fear of death is not there to inhibit an attempt. That is why I don't like to underestimate the risk - even though normally I am too sensible to do anything. Having a gun handy might make me think about it more than I like. IDK

 

[Darkhorse]

It's just that I don't like having a gun convenient to make me consider it more.

I know other people here on CF who don't own guns for that reason.

Risk assessment is vital in all aspects of life.

 

[GeorgeJ]

Having a gun handy might make me think about it more than I like. IDK

...then you shouldn't have a gun........

 

[Sketcher]

I've been considering suicide at least once a week for the last 30 years without an attempt, so my risk is not high. It's just that I don't like having a gun convenient to make me consider it more. It's not healthy or productive to be always thinking about that too much. Also I discovered that it is possible to get into a peaceful state where the natural fear of death is not there to inhibit an attempt. That is why I don't like to underestimate the risk - even though normally I am too sensible to do anything. Having a gun handy might make me think about it more than I like. IDK

Still, don't get a gun. You shouldn't be thinking about suicide at all. If seeing one or knowing you have one has the tiniest iota of a chance of making you consider it more, then it does not belong in your home. Period.

People that have guns need to practice with them regularly. If they do not, and a situation occurs when they need to use the gun, they are at a high risk of being disarmed and having their own weapon (or the criminal's weapon) used against them. They are also at a greater risk of missing their target and hitting someone else. So having a gun and not ever getting it out is self-defeating, and if getting it out for practice or maintenance could make your suicidal thoughts worse, that's even more self-defeating.

Finally, .22LR for a home defense situation is not what I would recommend anyway. The criminals will be ready, you will not be. They will have the adrenaline rush, and possibly be high on one drug or another. Hence, a chemical advantage over you, whose fight-or-flight reflex is just kicking in, which is assuming you're awake and alert to begin with. If you're waking up or very tired, that's even more of an advantage they have. So they're up, they're moving, you're trying to get your head together and trying to aim your weapon assuming it's ready. I have heard about .22LR bouncing off of people's bones - which is great if you hit someone in the temple or the eye, but that's a difficult shot to land for a moving enemy in poor visibility.

 

[PRESIDIO]

So a couple of things I want to point out here. IMHO the best home defense gun is the one you are most familiar and have some trigger time with. Yes it's true a shotgun is ballistically one the best choices for home defense because it offers a lot of power at close range and loaded with proper ammunition you can mitigate over penetration. However, a shotgun that sits in the closet collecting dust bunnies that never gets use may not be the best gun. All gun manipulation requires building skill sets around manual of arms and controls manipulations, etc. You should be so familiar with your defensive weapon that you don't need to think about the manual of arms/manipulations because you have done them so many times that it is singed in your psyche. Having to think about what this control does or what that control does when it's game time is not the best time to be relearning how your shotgun works. Whatever gun you choose as your "home defense" gun should be one that you shoot regularly and proficiently. Having said all of that I use a defensive shotgun as my home defense gun but I shoot it regularly and practice the manual of arms. On a side note, racking a shotgun doesn't scare people and pointing in a general direction to pray and spray with a shotgun may not have the intended outcome. A properly choked defensive shotgun will probably only spread about 9-12 inches at 7 yards.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Part of my reason is that I tend to be depressed, and a 22LR is not as tempting for use on myself due to its small caliber.

Whoa...I think there's some other things you need to be looking into other than "which gun to get" if you're really in that state of mind on a regular basis.


As far as the actual question of efficacy, ...I'm not sure why .22lr always gets the stigma of "not being enough for defense". If anything would prevent a 22lr from being an effective defense weapon, it'd be the fact that it's a rimfire (which can be less reliable than center fire in some cases). In terms of ballistics, the right 22lr round can still definitely get the job done.

I think people just assume that if a gun isn't loud or doesn't have a lot of "kick", that it can't be a valid defense weapon.

I won't link the other video since some viewers might not care for it, but it'll be in the related videos for the second one, there's a guy who drops a 200lb hog with a .22lr...if it can drop a 200lb hog in one well placed shot, it can do the same to a 200lb burglar.

 

[cloudyday2]

Whoa...I think there's some other things you need to be looking into other than "which gun to get" if you're really in that state of mind on a regular basis.

Yeah, I don't think I am at a high risk, but better safe than sorry.

As far as the actual question of efficacy, ...I'm not sure why .22lr always gets the stigma of "not being enough for defense". If anything would prevent a 22lr from being an effective defense weapon, it'd be the fact that it's a rimfire (which can be less reliable than center fire in some cases). In terms of ballistics, the right 22lr round can still definitely get the job done.

It seems to me that using a revolver instead of semiautomatic would solve the problem with the rimfire cartridge? I would just pull the trigger again when a bullet misfires?

Maybe something like this?
The Rossi Circuit Judge

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Part of my reason is that I tend to be depressed, and a 22LR is not as tempting for use on myself due to its small caliber.

There have been thousands of people killed with a 22.
16 gauge shotgun works for protecting the home -- not much kick.
I prefer 357 mixed up with some 12 gauge.
M-Bob

 

[cloudyday2]

There have been thousands of people killed with a 22.
16 gauge shotgun works for protecting the home -- not much kick.
I prefer 357 mixed up with some 12 gauge.
M-Bob

I enjoy reading articles about the pros and cons of different types of guns. There are a lot of possibilities.

Lately, I'm thinking that I shouldn't have a gun at all. IDK.

BTW, a couple of guys were trying to break into the warehouse where I live again yesterday. I guess I need something, but I'm not sure that I would be able to shoot somebody. If I don't pull the trigger then my gun becomes the bad guy's gun.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

I'm not sure that I would be able to shoot somebody.

I don't think that you should have a gun because, once we pull a gun on someone (if needed) there should Never be a delay with pulling the trigger.

If the bad guy has a gun and you pull yours -- get ready to eat some bullets.
Or
If you pull a gun and can't pull the trigger when needed, the bad guy will probably take your gun from you and show you Exactly how it works!

Buy a large can of super strong mace.

M-Bob

 

[cloudyday2]

^ I just don't know what to do. I need security cameras and an alarm system, but this building has so many entry points that it isn't quick or simple to secure. Also we have employees coming and going 24x7.

I don't really want to have a gun around as a temptation when I am depressed. Even thinking about those things too much is not psychologically healthy IMO.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

I've been thinking about getting a semiautomatic 22LR handgun as my sole weapon for home defense. Part of my reason is that I tend to be depressed, and a 22LR is not as tempting for use on myself due to its small caliber. I was reading an article that referenced a study claiming that the 22LR is adequate for home defense, because it can be fired several times rapidly to accomplish the same thing as a larger caliber. Also, I prefer a gun that is quieter and has less recoil for practice.

Any thoughts?

Gun wise, I like a 12 Gage.

You may want to get an cross bow.

I wonder if having a camera is a determent, since they can be wireless and images sent over the internet.

 

[cloudyday2]

Gun wise, I like a 12 Gage.

You may want to get an cross bow.

I wonder if having a camera is a determent, since they can be wireless and images sent over the internet.

I am working on the cameras. I have one camera and a DVR that can handle 16. I need to buy the other 15 cameras and mount them. It is a weird shaped building with a lot of garage doors on all sides.

So how come a crossbow????

 

[ESK]

"A .22 on your person is better than a .45 at home..."


Is the saying.


It's not ideal for home defense - heck, even a .38 isn't necessarily ideal for home defense as there was an example of a woman with a .38 revolver who hit her assailant like 5 times in relatively close range and he still survived - but my thing is...would anyone here want to get HIT by a .22???




I can guarantee you NOT. In fact I've heard a .22 is one of the worst caliber to get hit bit (not sure how truthful that is).


Like I said, you SHOULD have a firearm, and there are benefits to having a .22. The biggest most blatantly obvious is the price of .22lr ammo is literally THE cheapest - nothing else even comes close to it.


Furthermore, if you can get a .22 with a large magazine (20 or more rounds) that is also a plus.


In short, a .22 isn't the most ideal weapon, and I don't even know what it would do to a big 6'6" psychopath all hopped up on Angle Dust but I wouldn't shy away from having one.


I have family members who have only a .22 as home protection and just knowing that I sleep better knowing they at least have that.

 

[Faith.Man]

I've been thinking about getting a semiautomatic 22LR handgun as my sole weapon for home defense. Part of my reason is that I tend to be depressed, and a 22LR is not as tempting for use on myself due to its small caliber. I was reading an article that referenced a study claiming that the 22LR is adequate for home defense, because it can be fired several times rapidly to accomplish the same thing as a larger caliber. Also, I prefer a gun that is quieter and has less recoil for practice.

Any thoughts?

Don't buy a gun of any caliber. Your depression needs to be treated first. Then when you're body chemistry is leveled out, then you can consider your handgun choices. There are medicines that will help you maintain a more even temperament. One thing about anti-depressants, the right dosage is key. And don't let anyone talk you into ECT. See a health care professional.