Emergency Service

Will Guns Really PROTECT You?

In the wake of the tragic and senseless massacre in Las Vegas there is the usual call for limiting guns, large ammunition magazines, automatic weapons, and crazy people.

These high profile shootings invariably prompt citizens to arm themselves for “protection.” There are no doubt legal gun toting folks who justify (rationalize) frequently carrying a weapon. The weapon provides REVENGE, or arguably, prevention for quick draw shooters. True PREVENTION would be to wear a bullet proof Kevlar vest…and there are a lot more people packing heat than wearing Kevlar.

Which brings us to having a weapon at home to “protect the family.” Ever consider how many people have guns, but they don’t have a fire extinguisher ready for a quick draw? We were unable to get accurate figures on the number of deaths caused by intruders, but in 2015 there were 13,286 deaths by fire in the USA and 26,869 injuries.

Suffice it to say there were no accidental juvenile deaths or suicides caused by fire extinguishers, but a well aimed blast to the eyes from a dry powder fire extinguisher would certainly disable a home intruder. Most intruders (not all) are burglars unaware anyone is home at the time of the crime.

Comments & Discussion

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  1. Clancy Anderson
    Oct 9, 2017, 4:21 pm

    Good self defense idea! Got one for cars since there were 40,000 deaths in 2016. Half of head injuries happen in a vehicle, maybe we should require helmets for all passengers.

    EDITOR NOTE–Hope you and your kids wear helmets on your bikes…just common sense.

  2. gun owner for 47 years
    Oct 9, 2017, 4:28 pm

    I conceal carry. I have many fire extinguishers too.
    Look at places where guns are banned and you have the highest gun murder rates.
    The bad guys call “gun free” zones a Target Rich Environment.
    Guns are for hunting and sport, they are also to give us some chance when our own government inevitably turns openly hostile toward us.
    We are already a police state, but things haven’t got quite bad enough for the gun owners to terminate our totally corrupt and treasonous government.
    False Flag attacks are used to initiate fear and enables the gun grabbers to make another play at defanging the honest citizen, don’t fall for it, ever.
    When the time comes for the Tree of Liberty to be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants, let’s give the patriots a fighting chance.

  3. If only the title character in one of the “Dirty Harry” or “Rambo” installments had been wielding a fire extinguisher, things might be different!

    But seriously… the fire extinguisher idea is a good one, and would be statistically safer for household bystanders and innocents.

    If the bad guy still resisted after getting a face-full of powder or CO2, you could konk him over the head with the tank… or pull out your Glock and finish the job.

    EDITOR NOTE–Mrs. GUARDIAN is an advocate of wasp spray that squirts about 12 feet and Easy Off Oven Cleaner for the close in battles.

  4. Nobody is getting the drop on an intruder with a fire extinguisher, and as a response to having a gun drawn on you, very likely a deadly mistake. Let Mrs, Guardian know that poisoning is the #1 cause of deaths for 18 to 25 year olds in this country. Just as important to keep those pesticides out of the wrong hands as well.

  5. I have several of both. 🙂

  6. Not sure that will work on our intruder bears up here in Boise County. Your welcome to give it a try…..

  7. It is the threat of being shot that reduces the most crime. I’ve seen multiple instances of someone immediately backing down when they see a firearm. Not from brandishing or being threatened but simply a second thought that there will be consequences if they follow through with their action.

    I avoid trouble whenever possible. I also carry pepper spray, have multiple fire extinguishers, a vest, and many other tools – including firearms. Use the correct tool that fits the situation. Someone that confronts an armed criminal with wasp spray isn’t long for this world.

    There are approximately 5k homicides per year and 25% of them occur in 4 cities with the strictest firearm laws. Cause and Effect.

  8. chicago sam
    Oct 9, 2017, 9:28 pm

    My wife who won’t touch a gun keeps a golf club by the headboard and I have one in my office. A head shot or a shinbone whack would have to suffice. Never trusted my judgement on the road with a firearm but I carry a 12 inch knife in each vehicle under the floor mat–makes me feel better anyway

  9. Really!

  10. I always conceal carry my Obama approved Red Pen. If anyone is stupid enough to break into my home I’ll draw a line faster than anyone else. It may not of worked by stopping Russia from taking over Crimea, Lil’ Kim from developing nukes, or Iran Nuclear research but I’m certain we just need to keep drawing lines. Eventually these bad guys will give up.

  11. Chuck Thomas
    Oct 10, 2017, 10:11 am

    Prior to retiring my occupation required traveling coast to coast for 35 years in several cities with very strict gun control laws & high crime rates..
    During those years I survived three attempted robberies by multiple perps because I made the choice to violate the laws of those cities & states by carrying concealed.
    Fortunately a warning shot on one occasion has been enough to end the encounters.
    National statistics clearly reflect that the biggest criminal threat to americans are treasonous democrat politicians who are trying to disarm & convert our country into a third world socialist dictatorship & haven for illegal alien terrorists.

  12. Right tool for the job?
    Oct 10, 2017, 11:40 am

    Try to use right tool for the job. The wrong hammer will be so much more work, bent nails, sore fingers, etc. Also Attempts to avoid and deescalate will be rewarded by the judge.

    That said:

    Minimum age for a carry permit should be about age 25. A stupid people test should be administered. Those showing signs of incapacity of good judgment should be denied (Hot Heads). Perhaps show them an episode of Jerry Springer, if they seem to be entertained and excited by the show then no permit. Certified alcoholic? No permit. Also Rx and illegal drug use screening because a yuge number of people pop pills and are in a haze 24/7. Controlled substance or black label drug use disqualifies, even if legit.

    Carry-a-gun permit needs a lot more training on the law and consequences for errors. A lot more stupid people screening too. As was recently demonstrated by a Boise roadrage shooting and resulting murder trial. Untrained and/or unstable and/or stupid people with a gun and a carry permit think it gives them special powers. They become more brazen. They do not try to avoid or minimize a conflict because they think they are special with their permit and gun. They don’t know the law. They escalate problems. They go to jail. They lose large civil judgments. Here’s your sign!

    I am pro gun, NRA, etc. but I try to go to the range when very few of the typical fools with a permit are there because way too many are careless reckless incompetent fools. I absolutely can’t stand reading the NRA magazines because they are so full of huff-n-puff marketing BS directed to these fools.

    Careful with the oven cleaner, the nozzle is easy to point at self. Wasp spray is a safer design.

    EDITOR NOTE–If memory serves, permits are no longer required in Idaho for concealed carry. The ENHANCED permit will allow concealed carry in places like college campuses.

  13. There are those who object to civilian ownership of kevlar vests too. Makes it tougher for LE to subdue them.

  14. Editor, please refrain from baiting crazzies! Responses lessen my faith in our educational system.

    I might buy stock in aluminum since some of these folks undoubtedly line their interior walls with aluminum foil

  15. Oh and Mr. Guardian.. fire extinguishers have caused some accidental deaths/ and murders. Especially the older type. Choose your weapon carefully.
    http://www.wapt.com/article/the-legend-of-rehmeyer-s-hollow/12813859

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laciana-tinsley-douglas-tinsley-murder-fire-extinguisher/

    Just saying

  16. I am not a proponent of semi-automatic handguns in the hands of untrained people. That said, I never knew how bad a shot I was until I had to qualify on a Sheriff’s qualification course. I never felt so clumsy and I have been a avid bird hunter for many years. When your adrenalin is pumping your ability to be accurate with a handgun at more than a few feet from the target falls off dramatically. Don’t believe it? Just go back to all the times law enforcement gets into it with a bad guy with handguns. Lot’s of bullets flying that don’t hit the bad guy.
    If you feel the need for a handgun and aren’t trained on semi-automatic pistols then go for a revolver. Much safer in the hands of the inexperienced person. Better yet, just keep a shotgun handy with 00 buckshot.

    I don’t think a fire extinguisher is going to be all that handy when you have to fiddle around with the pin, the hose and trying to aim for the face of an intruder. Calling 911 is going to summon help that is at best minutes away when you need immediate help.

    Inviting an intruder to go face down on the floor at the business end of a shotgun can be a pretty convincing tool for any homeowner.

  17. Yossarian_22
    Oct 11, 2017, 8:19 am

    Yeah, I’ve got 2 industry class fire extinguishers in my workshop and kitchen. I carry concealed. There is scholarship on Defensive Gun Use. Here is an excerpt I found from a article discussing DGU in the USA……

    “Defensive uses of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence, although the exact number remains disputed (Cook and Ludwig, 1996; Kleck, 2001a). Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year (Kleck, 2001a), in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008 (BJS, 2010). On the other hand, some scholars point to radically lower estimate of only 108,000 annual defensive uses based on the National Crime Victimization Survey (Cook et al., 1997). The variation in these numbers remains a controversy in the field. The estimate of 3 million defensive uses per year is based on an extrapolation from a small number of responses taken from more than 19 national surveys. The former estimate of 108,000 is difficult to interpret because respondents were not asked specifically about defensive gun use.

    So, the number lies somewhere between 100,000 and 3,000,000. Even if one were to take the low-end estimate of 108,000, that’s three times the number of fatalities that result from homicides or suicides, and it’s nearly ten times the number of firearm-related homicides. If 100,000 is such an immense number for Costello when used to sum up “gun violence” why is it a negligible number when used to describe defensive use of firearms (as with this defensive use at a South Carolina night club in June)?”

    Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Gun-Related Violence

    BTW, Scientific American magazine reported that over 250,000 people die every year from botched medical practices, go Google and check it out.

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