Alternative to handgun?

I've not had any interest in owning a gun until lately. My kids are older and I don't have to worry about a little one finding it and getting hurt.
I'm a female who's husband is gone on business very often. I would like some way to protect myself if need be, but I have a problem. I do things in my sleep that I'm not aware of, and if I had a gun in the house, my big fear would be to get it while I'm asleep and do god knows what with it.

What good is a gun if you keep it locked up and hidden? What are some alternatives that I can consider. Would a bb gun be a laughable alternative? Is my sleep problem too risky to have any weapons in the house?

Should I just be content with my three big dogs who sleep through everything?

It would be much better to properly train your dogs rather than risk a weapon which you are not 100% confident in keeping.

I have seen TV shows where "old dogs learn new tricks" and think that it would be a good idea to trust the defense of your home to man's best friend.

There should be some information on the internet on how to train your dog to do this.

Not knowing [what you do in your sleep) is the issue.... do you just go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and not remember or have you performed complex tasks?

Reason I ask, I keep a semi-auto 9mm "close" when I sleep BUT I do not have a round chambered.... will only take a couple of seconds to pull back the slide and chamber one but that is my "safety" to make sure there are no accidents. I had an issue of "vivid" dreaming where I would sometimes kick or punch things (like my lamp and bruised a knuckle) but the semi-auto / have to chamber a round is my solution to MY problem.


If you actually sleepwalk and perform complex tasks then that is probably not right for you though.

You could check into getting a tazer gun for your personel protection they're very effective and usually non lethal, just in case you have one of those sleepwalking episodes. BB guns usually just make the intruder more angry which is no good. If you feel like none of these options are viable then invest in a top notch security system. Between the dogs and a security system you should be pretty safe.

I have often wondered what my dogs would do if someone broke in. I've always wanted to get a friend to walk in my house late at night while everyone is sleeping, just to see what they would do.

The more I think about it, the more I would be afraid to keep a handgun within reach. But, if I could put it somewhere in the house and lock myself in my bedroom, at least my daughter would have some protection. I think I would be more comfortable if she had some kind of training.

Training the dogs is a good idea. I will have to look into that. What about mace, or pepper spray?

reply to post by Avalon22


I'll have to look into that. That might work.

Maybe a taser.

Your doing things you don't know while you sleep is pretty darn concerning.

Maybe an alarm system?

Less than lethal weapons such as tazers and pepper spray work well, but if you do crazy things in your sleep they could be dangerous or at least painful.

I should add that the phrase which comes to mind here reminds me of when I was about 20. I wanted a motorcycle. My father, who'd ridden one much of his life (had a Harley 1100 Sportster around then as I recall), it was kind of funny to watch his face when I told him this. I saw this huge internal war going on. He desperately wanted, it was obvious, to bellow "No, no, a thousand times no!" but he knew if he said no, or even seemed against it, I was most likely to go do exactly that, and he was afraid for me. After about 15 seconds of serious internal struggle, he finally managed to say, sounding almost calm:

"It's very unforgiving."

Many things you can survive. The likelihood of surviving something on a motorcycle (or not having your flesh ripped off your bones) is considerably less.

I think it's the same for weapons. Knives and clubs are useless against someone better with it than you are, or a lot stronger. Guns are nice but if you don't have conscious control of yourself then damn, guns are not for you I think. Tasers will really hurt someone, can put them down, but likely will not kill them. That makes something like that a much better weapon. You could combine it with other things as-needed such as mace.

I put my daughter in karate when she was 7; she'll have a blackbelt by 18 or sooner. I told her I'd get her trained in firearms as soon as I considered her mature enough, which is not yet, but maybe in a year or two. I nearly bought a gun several times but I couldn't find a decent affordable fast access gun safe -- that makes me mad. Safety first.

Best,
PJ

Originally posted by virraszto
I have often wondered what my dogs would do if someone broke in. I've always wanted to get a friend to walk in my house late at night while everyone is sleeping, just to see what they would do."

HAHAHAHHAHA, you like your friends that much!!

Also about the tazer, They will put someone down long enough to run and get help somewhere else, or if you have your cell phone you could hide and call the police (preferably somewhere outside the house).

At first I was thinking about tazers, but people could die from those. I was also thinking about anything that doesn't require bullet, such as bow and arrows, slingshots, bolo, frying pan, etc.

Almost any household object can be used effectively as a weapon. However, in this case, especially if the individual may harm themselves due to an unspecified sleep disorder, I would strongly suggest mace or pepper spray. Tasers are good, but once the current is cut, the effects cut too. Spray, with a good aim, will last for a good 10 to 15 minutes. This will give you time to either follow the attack through or to get help.

Personally, I would stop them with the spray and follow through to lay them out, then call the police and neighbours for support.

It is a very good question to pose and I think that many more people should be thinking about this during these troubled times.

There is a downside to mace in a closed space. Self macing is definitely not in your best interests. Reconsider the Taser, strengthened doors frames, hinges, and locksets on your bedrooms, and a bedside cell phone. The doggies should make some racket on break in [and maybe eat the intruder] waking you or your daughter and giving you time to secure yourselves while calling police via cell phone. Phone wires have been known to be cut to take out alarm systems.
Hold the Taser as a last-ditch defense. Retreat, never threaten or reveal your defense, and only use it when the attacker is close enough to not miss but not so close that he can take it from you. That way it will be a shock for him.