Originally Posted by
country1
There are so many incorrect statements in this post.
Fist of all, she needs to take a personal protection course that does not involve firearms. Look into taking some type of martial arts. Doing some strength training is also a good idea. Second, if she is going to handle a firearm, she should take a safety course first and work with a certified instructor. Once the fundamentals are down, take advanced courses. Proper instruction, training and practice are very important. You don't want to get shot because she was afraid of the intruder coming into the apartment.
A snubby is made for experienced shooters, not novices or the occasional shooter. Inexperienced shooter with a snubby equals a frustrated shooter (hard time hitting a 10 inch circle at 10 to 15 feet). The key is to hit your target every single shot, not fire hoping to hit your target. Where will the bullets that missed the target end up? Scary thought, especially in an apartment environment. A revolver with a 3" to 5" barrel can make a good house gun. You lose velocity and sight radius with the subby and gain muzzle flash and muzzle blast.
I personally would not own a firearm that had a magazine disconnect for personal protection at home or a carry gun. You have have the semi-auto shotgun, I will take a pump action.
Either you misunderstood the FBI agent, or they do not know much about firearms and their proper use for personal protection. I have witnessed many LEO and military who are not fundamentally sound in shooting a handgun. When they are taught the proper fundamentals, they are amazed at how much their accuracy and target acquisition improve.
Ive been teaching defensive pistol rifle and shotgun for a good long time, and while I do somewhat agree with some of the things ya've said, to say that snubbies are not good for beginners is just not correct.
Anyway, snubbies are good carry guns, and easy to wield, but can be a PITA for people that don't spend a bunch of time with them. If you are looking for an everyday carry gun then cool, but not so much for a home defense gun, and Ill explain later on.
For basic home defense a shotgun works well, specially for a woman that isn't going to be clearing rooms. If she hears someone in the house she needs to just hold up and let em come to her. The shotgun works fine for this. If she is expected to investigate this then a good DA/SA revolver with a 4 or 6" barrel will suffice. Train train train. I don't like to advise autoloaders for new shooters, specially women, not because of most of the normal reasons, but because most of the women Ive trained lack the hand strength to clear a miss feed. Yes a shotgun will make it even easier to get lead on target when moving through the house, but for an untrained, or poorly trained person they can cause real problems. It is all a give and take. So try all the options.
The longer the distance from front to rear sight the more room for error when sighting. When your heart is pumping and you are scared for your life a two inch difference in barrel length can be the difference between a miss and a hit.
Take her to the range, one that has range guns you can rent. Have her pick out three or four to try out, show her how to operate them safely, and let her have at it. Do not train her yourself. Yes some women are able to listen to their man well enough that they can become proficient having their BF or husband teaching them. But Ive always found that if you have someone else train her she tends to learn better and faster. Ive trained thousands of Marines, and hundreds of civilians over the years, but I would never attempt to train someone Ive been intimate with. It just doesn't work out all that well most of the time. Once she found one she can shoot comfortably set her up for a few classes and work it from there.
Now all that done, sit her down and ask her, really ask her, if she thinks she has it in her to take a life. If she doesn't think she will be able to, then explore other alternatives for her home defense. Because drawing that firearm and not being willing to use it is likely going to be worse for her than simply hiding out and waiting.
No, no one can honestly say yes they will be able to pull the trigger, or no they won't until they are presented with that situation, but if there is doubt at asking the question, odds are there will be doubt when the time comes.