22 in Home for Self Defense

[Peace]

Ran across the video on the .22.... for your entertainment.

 

http://youtu.be/OUM1r_444CY

 

"... but a 22 will kill the crap out of you."   :bowrofl:

 

-there were a couple of other epic one liners, but I'll leave them for someone else.

 

... in all fairness, I highly doubt I could hit the broad side of a mountain with 22LR from 450 yds.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Peace

[Guest ashleyhawkins38134]

Again, thanks for the help. OI am a little clueless. Just getting into guns. I also just purchased a Bear compound bow. I am getting to be a decent shot with it. Guess I will be looking for a shotgun now :)

[peejman]

It's good that you're thinking about such things.  Seek out some professional training.  If we knew your general vicinity, I'm the fine folks here can recommend a few options.

[Peace]

to the OP, peejman is right, ask questions, and then ask some more.  It is great that you are seeking answers.

 

Stay safe. 

[bersaguy]

"... but a 22 will kill the crap out of you."   :bowrofl:

 

-there were a couple of other epic one liners, but I'll leave them for someone else.

 

... in all fairness, I highly doubt I could hit the broad side of a mountain with 22LR from 450 yds.

I had to laugh when I read this. I had that same issue with the 450 yards with a  22lr so I made few upgrades and went to the 22 Mag WMR and a good 3.12x40 scope and have not done the 450 yet but I am about to perfect the 350 range with it......... :up: :up: :up:

[East_TN_Patriot]

Think on a grander scale (in case you travel). Would a reasonable person (that means a jury; not you) believe they were in immediate danger of death or great bodily harm? That is pretty much the test in all of the states I am aware of.
 
If the word immediate or the seriousness of the threat becomes an issue; you may find yourself in criminal court.
 
Somewhere along the line some folks got the idea that some laws created free fire zones. They decided to start using the words Castle Doctrine. Guess how long that term has been around. It doesn’t give you a free pass to kill someone in your home; it is a principal that removes the duty to retreat and assumes you are acting in self-defense. If a Prosecutor has evidence that can show you were not acting in self-defense he can use that to remove that assumption.
 
Bottom line is if you are protecting yourself from a real threat you will probably be okay. If the person is running away or you are protecting property; you may have a problem. There are not (legally) any free fire zones.
 
Of course every case Is different, and people will see them differently.

The only thing I would add to this is that some states do indicate that a burglary to an occupied dwelling is prima facie evidence that they intend to do you harm and deadly force is justified. I recall case law that said a homeowner did not even have to wait until the threshold of the home was crossed. In Kentucky, deadly force was authorized for any arson, including to an unoccupied structure. The logic for that was the possibility that someone could be inside and nobody realize it, and/or the fire could spread and jeopardize others.

[A.J. Holst]

Before you BUY a shotgun, find someone who owns one and can show you how to properly shoot one.

 

After you do that, imagine inside your bedroom at Bad Guy Prime Time or 3am in the morning and discharging that shotgun.

 

It is a GREAT home defense platform, but if you are so startled and disoriented when you pull the trigger the first time, how quickly will you be willing and able to rack the action and shoot again?

 

The only advice I can offer is based on what worked for my wife.

 

she became comfortable and proficient with a Walther P22 and .22s poke holes in people just like every other handgun bullet.

 

When she was comfortable and confident, she upgraded to a 9mm.

 

We went shopping and narrowed down to 3 options for a full size 9mm; she picked out the one that felt "right" in her hand (Glock 17)

 

Welcome to TGO!!!

[monkeylizard]

Welcome to TGO. Good advice upthread. I'd like to add something about being in your home vs. not in your home:

 

As I understand it, TN law allows use of deadly force when a reasonable person would fear they or others are in imminent danger of losing their life or sustaining serious bodily injury*. Location is irrelevant. This applies in your living room, your front lawn, or the produce section at Wal-Mart. If you're involved in a self-defense shooting, the question will be whether or not a reasonable person in the same situation would have that fear.

 

The burden of proof about whether or not that fear reasonably existed will change depending on location. If the encounter occurs in your home, you have a presumption of fear for your life. The prosecution would have to prove you were not in fear of your life or serious bodily injury rather than you proving that you were**. If you use deadly force while not in your home, the burden is on you to prove that at the time, you did indeed reasonably have that fear. That's what makes a home invasion different than being on the street or in your yard.

 

As dolomite said, TN law does NOT allow use of deadly force to protect property.

 

 

*serious bodily injury is defined in another section of TN law as:

A substantial risk of death; Protracted unconsciousness; Extreme physical pain; Protracted or obvious disfigurement; Protracted loss or substantial impairment of a function of a bodily member, organ or mental faculty; or A broken bone of a child who is eight ( 8 ) years of age or less

 

**This doesn't make a home invasion into a license to kill. If the evidence shows you bound and executed the intruders, then the prosecution can use that to show that you did not have a reasonable fear for your life when you pulled the trigger because the perps were tied up and on their knees, for example.

Edited October 17, 2013 by monkeylizard

[Guest Lowbuster]

There was a man in talbott tn I think, his home was being broken in to. He met them at door and unloaded a 22 and killed two of them a few years ago. Problem is it took two days for them to die. I wonder if they could have continued to fight instead of run.

[JAB]

"... but a 22 will kill the crap out of you."   :bowrofl:

 

-there were a couple of other epic one liners, but I'll leave them for someone else.

 

... in all fairness, I highly doubt I could hit the broad side of a mountain with 22LR from 450 yds.

 

They lost a little cred with me when they started extolling the virtues of a .22 Short out of a tiny, pocket pistol but still wanted to bad mouth the .25acp.  Instead of testing a .25 pistol alongside comparable .22 pistols, they simply stated that the energy of a .25 would be 'barely adequate' to penetrate their board even  at the muzzle.  My response would have to be, "Prove it."  After all, that would be valuable information if I am ever attacked by lumber!

 

(That last statement was a little tongue in cheek - I recognize that the board is simply a 'test medium' just like water jugs, etc.  By not seeing them test a .25acp against .22 firearms on those, specific boards, however, I find their claims that a .25 would be 'barely adequate' to be unproven and, likely, unfounded.)