home defense

**Michele** · July 14th, 2010, 09:26 PM

When time and finances allow, I am going to take another firearm class. I did take TonyF's handgun class with my son which was super and very informative but now that I've got long guns in the house and consider them to be my HD weapons, its time for a long gun class.

What concerns me about taking a long gun class are the men. Most men that take long gun classes take them for the macho thing and some kind of para military training. Most want to be Rambo and their guns reflect that. My shotty and AR are not tacticool weapons darned with unnecessary expensive furniture and bling. They are both simple guns with simple uses modified to fit me.

When my son lived here, we used to run drills, not only for fire safety but also for HD/SHTF safety. It is very important that everyone in the home be on the same page especially when a firearm is involved. You want to know where all family members are at all times. You definitely want to make sure that everyone is okay and accounted for when the bad situation is over.

Now that its just me and the doggie, I don't worry about anyone else in the house. Though, being that its only me and me alone to handle any and all situations, I only get one chance, I really need to make it count and stick.

The two times I had to get ready, I was surprisingly relaxed, no adrenaline pumping and no sweating or increased heart rate. You kind of get into that mode of "I've got a job to do" though I'm quite sure had I pulled a trigger, things would have been much different after.

**Carnes** · July 14th, 2010, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Michele

When time and finances allow, I am going to take another firearm class. I did take TonyF's handgun class with my son which was super and very informative but now that I've got long guns in the house and consider them to be my HD weapons, its time for a long gun class.

Awesome. If you already took a F.I.R.E. class, then you should have access to a range of other classes that will be beneficial to your situation.

As far as the finances go, keep in mind that you have to make it a priority. If you wait till you hit the lottery, it will never happen. Sometimes it is hard to justify the expense, but I am sure, as you gathered from your last class, it is money well spent.

What concerns me about taking a long gun class are the men. Most men that take long gun classes take them for the macho thing and some kind of para military training. Most want to be Rambo and their guns reflect that. My shotty and AR are not tacticool weapons darned with unnecessary expensive furniture and bling. They are both simple guns with simple uses modified to fit me.

I am really surprised to hear this kind of sexist drivel from you. Not cool.

I'm going to choke down my irritation for the moment and say this: I think that you will find, particularly with the F.I.R.E. classes, that the participants are just regular people that want to learn how to more effectively use certain weapons.

And for the record, my go-to rifle is not tacti-cool... It is tacti-fucking-kick-ass! Although it might seem like I have 'unnecessary expensive furniture' on my rifle, I assure you that I carefully considered each purchase and the practical value for which each purchase was intended. (The fact that the colors match is, admittedly, a bit of bling-bling

... If you're going to drive a nice car, you may as well polish it.)

If you don't want to take a firearms class with me because my rifle has too many bells and whistles, then I'm not sure what to say to you. I mean, if you were going to go take a class at XE (formerly Blackwater USA) maybe you would be dealing with more Rambo types... but that is possibly because those guys are preparing for something other than home defense.

I hope my response in this regard is not too harsh, but your statement definitely left me feeling the taste of some kind of 'ism' or 'ist' type disposition.

When my son lived here, we used to run drills, not only for fire safety but also for HD/SHTF safety. It is very important that everyone in the home be on the same page especially when a firearm is involved. You want to know where all family members are at all times. You definitely want to make sure that everyone is okay and accounted for when the bad situation is over.

That's good stuff. It's a shame that more people don't take personal security as seriously as you do.

Now that its just me and the doggie, I don't worry about anyone else in the house. Though, being that its only me and me alone to handle any and all situations, I only get one chance, I really need to make it count and stick.

Yep, and you don't want the first time you engage a threat under stress to be an actual life or death situation. If the first time you engage a threat under stress is in training or practice, then you will be better prepared for a more critical situation.

**Michele** · July 15th, 2010, 01:29 AM

Being I will soon be in the last year of my 40's taking a male dominated class kind of scares me a bit.

The shotgun class offered by FIRE might be a bit too rough for me.

I can't roll around on the ground like I used to, and I'm definitely not as fast as I once was. Its tough being "the old lady".

I wouldn't want anyone in the class rolling their eyes because they paid good money and have to wait for the old lady to catch up.

If I can find a class like "shotgun for seniors", I would be much more comfortable.

**jcabin** · July 15th, 2010, 01:44 AM

Originally Posted by Michele

Being I will soon be in the last year of my 40's taking a male dominated class kind of scares me a bit.

The shotgun class offered by FIRE might be a bit too rough for me.

I can't roll around on the ground like I used to, and I'm definitely not as fast as I once was. Its tough being "the old lady".

I wouldn't want anyone in the class rolling their eyes because they paid good money and have to wait for the old lady to catch up.

If I can find a class like "shotgun for seniors", I would be much more comfortable.

You will probably move faster than some of the fatso's that take these classes. Just get knee pads and you're good to go.

**Carnes** · July 15th, 2010, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Michele

Being I will soon be in the last year of my 40's taking a male dominated class kind of scares me a bit.

The shotgun class offered by FIRE might be a bit too rough for me.

I can't roll around on the ground like I used to, and I'm definitely not as fast as I once was. Its tough being "the old lady".

I wouldn't want anyone in the class rolling their eyes because they paid good money and have to wait for the old lady to catch up.

If I can find a class like "shotgun for seniors", I would be much more comfortable.

I certainly uderstand your concern, and the good news is that you are likely to encounter a group of well behaved, disciplined individuals that will treat you with plenty of respect. I have yet to see any oafish Rambo-type bone-heads in any class I've been a part of.

I recommend you PM TonyF or PeteG regarding your concerns. I can't speak for them, but I am confident they will be able to put your mind at ease.

**ungawa** · July 17th, 2010, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Michele

Being I will soon be in the last year of my 40's taking a male dominated class kind of scares me a bit.

The shotgun class offered by FIRE might be a bit too rough for me.

I can't roll around on the ground like I used to, and I'm definitely not as fast as I once was. Its tough being "the old lady".

I wouldn't want anyone in the class rolling their eyes because they paid good money and have to wait for the old lady to catch up.

If I can find a class like "shotgun for seniors", I would be much more comfortable.

Do your thing the best you can and ask every stupid question that the men are afraid to ask so everybody can learn something. Get what you paid for. Nobody cares how much crap you have attached to your AR or shotgun. You are not going there to impress people.

If you can't roll around on the ground, then don't. Maybe try. Either way, you just learned something. I am a man with limitations. I've overcome many of them and surprised myself quite a bit. I've overcome others, but only marginally, and made a mental note of "Don't do that unless there's no other choice."

**Edg** · July 17th, 2010, 03:57 PM

Personally my go to gun for bumps in the night is a p229 in .40.

I will say Ive known 2 people in my life who Im pretty sure were professional killers. One was in the intelligence community, the other special forces. When this conversation came up they both had the same answer. They keep a Beretta Tomcat .22lr in their nightstands. Not my first choice but I wouldnt argue with these guys.