"Offensive Weapons" in the UK

[Chas]

There is no such need. To respond, from an avowed "gun nut" if somebody broke into my house I'd probably just put both hands in the air and say "help yourself asshole" - and I have alot of guns. I'm not about to go firing off rounds in a house full of kids...my walls aren't that thick. I do keep a baseball bat handy though, and I suppose I might take a few swings with that. I sometimes think that the folks for whom the "self protection" thing has real traction haven't thought the scenario through. Either you have a loaded gun in your house (very likely to be shot by your own loaded gun - check the stats) or-as a responsible gun owner- you'd have to fuck with getting the ammo out of the lockbox, taking the trigger locks off your pistol....like I said...you can swing a bat a hell of alot with that amount of time on your hand...and the bat probably wont hit your neighbors toddler.

Now, I've never been robbed, and I leave my door unlocked...so people from some other neighborhood might feel this -need- to protect themselves more than I might....but It's difficult to imagine a situation in which you'd really want to get into a firefight in your home, let alone -need- to.

(I might point a little 20guage at somebody outside on my property...done that a few times..but I rarely load it..lol)

I suggest you read up on ammunition choices, i.e. frangible bullets.