Heaven forbid! A poster went beyond the scope of the original question. I thought one of the purposes of this board was to share our knowledge and/or opinions. Sharing should not be limited to just the original question. Further, over posts, the topic evolves beyond the original question. I was not responding to Henry's post, but to Joe's. My post never mentions Henry's post. I don't always read all the posts in a thread. Somewhere in this line of posts, the issues may have mutated from some to most. Yes, the subject line says "some." However, are posters limited to the original posters definition of the issue? Perhaps we need a referee on this board to ensure that posters fastidiously stick to the original subject line. However, I stick with my assertion "The idea that > the shotgun is superior for home defense for most people is complete B.S." Note the word "most." I do not use the word "some." Yes, for some, a very small percentage I would bet, the shotgun is preferable. Additionally, I don't know if anyone mentioned that handgun ammunition can be loaded with various amounts of powder and slugs of different size, shape and composition to attempt to deal with the problem of penetration of walls, ceilings, etc. There are even a few slugs that are designed to disintegrate quickly, but I'm not sure well they work. There is even handgun ammunition that contains shot. (Not as much as a shotgun shell, but shot nonetheless). I doubt, however, that anyone would use handgun shot for self-defense. However, some semi-automatic pistols may be sensitive to some powder and slug loads. Anyway, I've droned on long enough. In summary, yes, the shotgun may be superior for some homeowners, but the handgun is superior for most.
Ray Kessler Prof. of Criminal Justice Sul Ross State Univ. -----Original Message----- From: firearmsregprof-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto:firearmsregprof-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Henry E Schaffer Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 8:20 PM To: firearmsregprof@lists.ucla.edu Subject: Re: Shotguns as recommended for self-defense for some people overhandguns Raymond Kessler writes: > I'm with Joe. I don't know any police officers, firearms trainers, people > who keep firearms for home defense, or fellow shooters who would recommend > a shotgun over a handgun for most persons interested in home defense > firearms. I own (and have shot both at non-human targets) both home > defense shotguns and handguns. I also teach courses on use of force. No way > I'd choose the shotgun. If someone has some preexisting skill level with > shotguns, it might be worth considering for them, but for them only. The question was about "self-defense for some people". > The recoil from 12 and16 ga. shotguns is uncomfortable for most people. Yes. > They will thus be resistant to training/firing this weapon. The 20 ga. Is > better, but the length is still a problem. The .410 would be the best > choice as the recoil is small. However, the length and weight are problems. > There are a few .410 pistols, but they seem to be mostly for snake and > close-varmint hunting. It's the handgun-hands-down. A tremendous variety > of choice for caliber, action, size, weight, capacity, etc. (You can even > get some in colors like pink if desired). There was at least one brief > submitted in Heller before the S.Ct. on the point that the handgun is, > overall, the best choice for most people for home defense. Yes. > The idea that > the shotgun is superior for home defense for most people is complete B.S. Who said this? This certainly wasn't the question. My previous posts brought up recommendations that for some people and some self or home defense situations, the shotgun could be preferred because it would be superior to a handgun. You (and Joe and others) give many reasons, with which I agree, why the handgun is generally preferable. But I don't think that's responsive to the question. > ... -- --henry schaffer _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Firearmsregprof@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others. _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Firearmsregprof@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
