In AZ, no. 10 minute background check then out the door.

AFIK no one is required to take a safety class but any gun store, shooting club, or firearms advocacy group will line you up for free or cheap classes if you ask.

I'm interested in getting my first handgun. The websites I found (googled first handgun or something) recommended starting with a .38LR and getting out and firing a ton. Advantages: Cheap, accurate, low kick, flat trajectory, cheap rimfire bullets, and safer in that it'll put a smaller hole in someone if you accidentally shoot them.

Whatdaya guys think?

Not quite true. In the People's Republic of California you need a "handgun safety certificate" to get a license to buy a gun. This requires fingerprinting, proof of residency, and the passing of a written and hands-on safety test. I'm sure all the gang members in Oakland and South-Central passed with flying colors. The aforementioned Massachusetts has similar gestapo like rules.

Nice Mini14, Taso.

Top to bottom: .410 shotgun, .270 Winchester, Mosin Nagant M-38 7.62x54r


Ruger 10/22


Letting my mom borrow this right now, Taurus PT111 9mm millennium


SKS carbine Type56


AK-47 (WASR-10). Best $300 I ever spent


Wynton,

I don't think classes are required in any state to buy a gun.
Edit: except myabe cali i guess lol

I'm jealous of you guys. My fiancee isn't crazy about having a gun in our condo, and Chicago's gun laws are ridiculous. I think a shotgun is pretty much the only thing I could really get.

I'd really like to be able to carry a CCW when I get back from the casino. I normally have to walk through a pretty much deserted parking structure and walk around my building at 3-4am.

For now, I got an aluminum bat, which should be good enough to stop most of any bull**** in the condo.

I just found my favorite Illinois gun law:
I can obviously understand the other restrictions, but I really don't like that if I go to the cops for protection from a credible murder threat I can't buy my own protection.

Really? What's the logic of permitting a shotgun over other guns?

You're asking for logic in chicago's government? FWIW, short barreled shotguns are banned as well.

ikes,

"is the subject of an order of protection" means dudes who have a restraining order out against them.

doh, well that would be more than ok.

I also live in Atlanta and have thought about buying a gun due to crime.

Multiple armed robberies on my street + friend's car getting stolen + friend's landlord's car's broken into + other friend's apartment getting completely cleaned out, all within about half a mile of where I live (in a semi-nice neighborhood) = consider buying a gun imo.

I still probably won't buy one, in part because of my girlfriend. If I owned a house I would be more inclined to buy one.

i'm fairly confident that shorter barrel = wider spray = way more dangerous for the people that AREN'T the target of your buckshot

I don't agree at all. Restraining orders can be ridiculously easy to get against someone. A friend of mine is going through something right now with his wife's family. She's alright, but there is mega drama with her siblings and parents who hate his guts. Long story short, he made serious threats of bodily harm to my friend, my friend called the cops (his biggest mistake) and requested a restraining order against his bro in law. Bro in law proceeds to request restraining order against my friend in a tit-for-tat. Since there is no evidence to prove who is/isn't lying, at the restraining order hearing the judge slaps one on both just to cover his ass. Friend now cannot legally own a gun.

Also, domestic violence situations are often skewed in favor of the female. Say your old lady starts sh** with you, and you defend yourself. Cops get called, woman whips up a batch of tears, your ass goes to jail. No gun for you. These provisions of the law are clearly ridiculous, as a homicidal maniac will (easily) procure a gun illegally if necessary. It's just more big brother nonsense.

I got a twelve-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about a hundred and nine, ninety five. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

I got a golf club.

Yeah, the problem of you defending yourself against your woman is hardly a big concern in the real world. A girl slapping you doesn't make it alright for you to chris brown her bitch ass.

Glad to see this thread....it will be useful for inventory purposes once we finally repeal the 2nd Amendment.

any comments on this gun?

That is pretty awesome yo. You know WASR 10 AKs are going for upwards of 500, 600, even 700 now? Pretty ****ing sick. I paid a little over 800 for my mini, which 5 years ago would have been maybe 3-400.

whats the "LR" designation after .38 mean?


I think 9mm is fine for this. A lot of the stopping power debates are just ******ed. Most people feel 9mm will get the job done, some feel even .38 will get the job done, others .40, and others won't use anything but .45. There was a story I read about a cop shooting a bad guy 17 times center mass, and 4 other hits, and only then did the guy go down, and I think that was with a. 40, but I could be wrong on that. So, what does that tell you, I don't know, some people just won't go down quickly, and if thats the case, good luck, and know what you're doing.

Yeah, ranges will let you do that.

Yes, hollow points are good. Basically, for practice, you should get cheap cheap ammo, like Winchester White Box. I intend to get about 200-300 rounds of that , which is about .20 a round, for practice and for emergency use. When carrying/when keeping the gun for defensive purposes I intend to put good rounds in it, hornady for example, which are more like .75 a round, and so I'll keep about 2 mags worth of those, around 25 rounds, on hand, and that's what I'll have in my gun while carrying/while its sitting next to my bed etc.

wynton, efffffff uuuuu. :P


For people saying "well, if it wasn't for my family/girlfriend"...I mean, if you feel you need a gun for protection, you should probably look into that a little more - its your life, and if you need one, and don't have it, you'll be pretttty mad at yourself before you die If my family knew I had a rifle zomg **** would hit the fan. If they find out, which hopefully won't be for a while, I'll say "hey, this is my life, and my liberty we're talking about, so I made this decision" and that will hopefully be the end of it. I love my folks, and they've done a lot for me, but I'm not going to let my sense of duty to them leave me defenseless against teh evil doers.

Oh, my bad. It should say 22LR. The LR mean "long rifle" but is a common caliber for handguns as well. It's mostly for sport shooting not home defense.

Women come pre-programmed like this -- my wife was the same way back when we first met -- but if you actually show them how to shoot, they come around quickly and tend to like the experience of learning something new. It's mainly one of those "fear of the unknown" things.

I don't really like this very much to be honest. It is cheaper, that is definitely true. For the other points:

Why would you want to get accurate and familiar with the recoil and feel of .22 when you're not going to be using that as your defensive weapon? If you're interested in match shooting and competition it makes sense, I'd say, but if you're interested in getting a gun to save your life, I don't like the idea of becoming familiar with a .22 just to have to adapt that to 9mm or .45

As for it being safer...eh. If you accidentally shoot someone with a .22, at close range, you may as well have shot them with a military grade caliber like .223/5.56. From close range, that is, before the bullet is at the right speed to fragment, you're making basically the same size hole with the US army round as you are with the .22.


Anyways, the .22 recommendation is made a lot, though. I know one poster who was considering doing that but ended up getting a 9mm instead, maybe he'll stop by itt.

Taso -- I own the Taurus PT111 and like it. It's not the best gun but it's a really good value IMO.

i agree with you if he is looking to use a handgun for self defense but if he just wants to mess around and plink targets .22s are very fun and obviously much cheaper

my first gun was a Marlin Model 60 in .22 and i still enjoy taking it out into a field and shooting random **** with it, fun little gun. my dad has a .22 Browning Buckmark with a cheap Sightmark red dot sight that is a blast to shoot