Hello and welcome once again to the Carnival of Cordite! Just a few quick announcements before we begin: Next week, the Carnival of Cordite will be hosted by AnarchAngel. The following week, check out the Carnival of Cordite at The

I recall this conversation in the kitchen of my home when I was not yet a teenager. I was probably 10 or 12. My older sister was taking cooking classes in high school. She pointed out to our mom that one of the knives in the block that held all of the knives didn’t match the others. It had a black handle and the others were wood.

My mom’s reply was thus:
“That is there in case someone breaks into the house. After you kill him, put that knife into his hand. It doesn’t match ours and the police will believe that he brought it with him.”

I have an awesome mom.

Uncle, for political safety, I strongly recommend changing “aggressor” to “patroller”. Just because. If (Diety Forbid) something were to happen at your home, a Prosecuting Attorney could use that to your detriment.

As for the “eager” versus “willing”, and the quote of “philosophical”, there is an important point. In order to be good at something, one should practice. Practice consists of a physical and mental aspect. Let me illustrate:

I once reviewed the results of a “mental practice study”. Three groups of college men were created – 20 in each. All played basketball. The first group spent 30 minutes per day for two weeks shooting free throws in a gym. The second spent 30 minutes per day in a classroom “visuallizing” shooting free throws. The third did nothing (they were a control group). The before and after results for group A and B were nearly the same (e.g. both improved their free throw shooting by nearly the same percentage). The conclusion we drew from this was that “mental practice” or “mental preparedness” was nearly as good as physical practice in some activities. (Specifically this non-endurance action.)

As a person responsible for ensuring the safety of those in my home, I feel it is my obligation to be prepared for a home invasion and be clear as to what actions will be taken. Just as one prepares for a fire or an tornado. We all hope none of the training is necessary, but it can save lives when it is needed.

Being mentally prepared to shoot and kill a home invader can mean the difference between the life or death of yourself and your family.

—
heh. A later post of yours discusses rhetoric. How ’bout this:
Being prepared (including practice) for a home invasion is as wise being prepared for a fire or natural disaster. No one would question a person’s “sanity” for a fire drill. Yet home invasions and fires both happen.

If you wanted to wrankle someone’s nose, you could follow up with:
Not being prepared for a fire, natural disaster, or home invasion is to be negligent as a parent, home owner, or provider.

heh.

For 4″ and shorter, I’d recomend 185 grn, for better expansion. I read some accounts of 230 grn JHPs not expanding reliably out of short barrels due to the lower velocity.

Me, I’ve got a Sig 220 in my nightstand safe, plus my Sig 229 (.40), my carry gun, somewhere also close. My wife’s got her Kimber Ultra Carry in her nightstand.

In the closet, there’s the 870 w/Surefire, with an AR-15 way in the back.

I have to clear and secure from by bedroom about 2/3 of the way down the hall in order to get both my boys (age 2 yrs and 2 mos) to safety. I’ve got my wife for backup.

For grabbing the boys, either of the Sigs is the primary, because I need a free hand, something the shotgun doesn’t allow.

I think the key to it is more about prep and willingness. The guy who has those two down and a Ruger .22 revolver is going to come out ahead of the guy with a Glock in every room, 4 shotguns, and an AR with snail mags, who can’t pull his head out of his ass long enough to comb his hair.

Good article, Uncle.

I call it my cold dead hands list. I firmly believe that there comes a time when we all must draw a line in the sand on issues that are important. One of those is gun ownership. Another is my politically incorrect dog. Another is his blog.

Hehe =)

Heh.

Seriously, though, Unc, you’re missing out on a world of fun with the shotguns. Birdshot is cheap and plentiful and ventilates pumpkins and beer cans with aplomp for about the same price as cheap .40S&W.

And besides, when you can pick up a GORGEOUS used 12 gauge for a shade over $200, well…