Question about buying and shooting home defense guns

[FrankNmac]

My discussions at gun and pawn shops, added to talking with folks I know who have home defense guns and finding some pristine ones for sale, make me wonder how frequently non-gun hobby folks shoot their guns they purchase for home defense.

Seems like many are bought, but relatively few shot with any frequency or quantity. Gun and pawn shop guys say it isn't unusual for someone to bring in a gun that was purchased for self-defense by that person or a family member and finding that the gun hasn't been shot or even loaded, or at most fired during one trip to a range and put away after that.

I can only guess that someone bought the gun for someone and that someone didn't have any interest in finding out how to shoot it, or that folks think just having the gun in the house somehow makes them safer if they would ever need it without really knowing the time and steps it would take to use the gun should that ever be necessary.

Any thoughts from my fellow OSA folks?

 

[DavidMcmillan]

I had a similar conversation with a well educated friend recently. I was asking him about a Glock he bought at Academy last year. His response was: "you know, I really ought to see if it will shoot". He bought it after a robbery incident near his business, and it seems he promptly forgot about it.

 

[chuter]

I think that's true for a lot of folks that actually carry a gun.

 

[druryj]

From awhile back, but still relevant. https://www.okshooters.com/threads/is-your-gun-a-weapon-or-a-talisman.511/

 

[FrankNmac]

From awhile back, but still relevant. https://www.okshooters.com/threads/is-your-gun-a-weapon-or-a-talisman.511/

Thanks, very interesting posting and discussion.

 

[dennishoddy]

Shotguns bought for home defense are rarely shot. I'd bet a high round count for them would be well under 25 rounds.
It's not the fault of the buyer sometimes, but there is just not many places to shoot a shotgun if you live in a metro area.

 

[druryj]

Shotguns bought for home defense are rarely shot. I'd bet a high round count for them would be well under 25 rounds.
It's not the fault of the buyer sometimes, but there is just not many places to shoot a shotgun if you live in a metro area.

Big Boys and I think H&H both allow shotguns. Of course, about all you can do is make sure it works and see what the pattern looks like. Still, you can shoot 'em anyway.

 

[dennishoddy]

Big Boys and I think H&H both allow shotguns. Of course, about all you can do is make sure it works and see what the pattern looks like. Still, you can shoot 'em anyway.

Yeah, but what fun is shooting a piece of paper with a shotgun. It's boring, and when it's boring folks put them away and don't get them out.
Take em to a sporting clay or trap range even one of the little $30 trap trowers, it becomes a fun thing to shoot, and gets shot often.
If I had a mandate that I could only shoot one platform, requiring getting rid of all other platforms, it would be the shotgun on sporting clays. The level of expertise and just the fun of shooting at moving targets in different angles and speeds is pure fun.