Planning to buy my first handgun

Back in 2011, on a whim I bought a Henry Mare's Leg 22 for fun. It is fun, but not good for much of anything practical in my opinion. Functions well.
 
You can also sock it away for buying a nicer version of what you intend to buy, ammo, accessories, range time etc...!
 






13 Year Old Armed With Ruger 10/22 Saves His Mother From Trespasser Thought to be on Drugs
JULY 18 2014
BY GSL STAFF

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Incident at a Glance
Gun(s) Used: .22, 10/22, Long Gun, Rifle, Ruger Location: Home
# of Suspects: 1 Shots Fired: None
Suspect Killed: No State: TX
Source: Archive: None

13y.jpg


This one is a GunSaveLives.net exclusive, you read it here first. I received an email from a reader, Jordan, who asked that we use only her first name to protect her privacy, along with the above photo about a harrowing incident in Gainesville, Texas last night. I reached out to her and spoke with her about the incident. The following is the account of events she conveyed to me during an interview I conducted.

Last night we had a man on drugs wander into our yard. I was telling him to leave when he turned on me, threw his hat on the ground, and came at me.

Luckily, my 13 year old grabbed his Ruger 10/22. He did not have to fire. The [sight of the] gun stopped the man in his tracks and he turned and ran. During all of this my 15 year old daughter had called 911. The cops didn’t show until almost 8 minutes AFTER the man took off.

If my son had not done what he did, I have no doubt I would have been injured or killed along with my three kids. Proud of my boy. We are proud gun owners and always will be.

…Had we not had the gun, there would have been no way to protect ourselves and the cops didn’t seem too concerned about our situation. It shouldn’t have taken so long to get to us, we live six blocks from the police department!

[Our] family will always have guns. No matter what. The pics are of my son, my hero.

No one was hurt during the incident and we are currently working on getting a copy of the police report. As far as we can tell, no local media sources (which are far and few between in Gainesville) have picked this story up yet. We’ll update the story when we have more information. The boy’s father was working at his night shift job when the incident happened. The family did not know the suspect.

This is the 160th defensive gun use we’ve documented in the state of Texas and the 1,228th defensive gun use we’ve documented overall.

This incident is the most common type of defensive gun use. That is, one in which no shots were fired and no one was hurt. Despite this being the most common type of defensive gun use, these incidents are often not included in statistics about defensive gun uses. Many of these statistics and studies focus solely on justifiable homicides.




Disqus Comments
 
Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Old Man + Old .22 = Dead Career Criminal
BY DEAN WEINGARTEN |

NOV 08, 2016 |

44 COMMENTS



Franklin Schrout, pictured above, chose to invade one too many homes in his criminal career. It happend about 1:30 a.m. on Friday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Schrout broke into the home of an 81-year-old man and his disabled sister, wearing all black and a skull mask.

Once inside, Schrout demanded money. The homeowner said he didn’t have any in the house. That was when Schrout and the 81-year-old started fighting.

On or in the man’s nightstand was a .22 caliber handgun, one the homeowner had never fired. It had been there for over 30 years. You have to assume the ammo was just as superannuated.

From wpxi.com:

The 81-year-old was able to grab a .22-caliber gun during a struggle with Schrout and fired one shot, police said.

Schrout ran out of the house and the 81-year-old’s bedridden sister called 911, police said.

When police arrived at the home, they found Schrout dead outside.

The 81-year-old told police that he had never fired the gun before and that it had been sitting in his nightstand for 30 years. He also said he wished he had been stronger so that he could have fought off Schrout without having to shoot him.

A few more details from cbslocal.com:

The homeowner picked up a .22 caliber gun, which he had nearby and fired one round. It hit Schrout in the abdomen.

Lt. Kolencik told KDKA-TV’s Ralph Iannotti, “The [unidentified] homeowner advised [us] that he had the gun for over 30 years sitting on his nightstand and has never fired the weapon… and uses it today and it saved his life.”

So Schrout was struck once in the gut with a .22 round. It was probably a 40 grain bullet traveling about 800 feet per second.

The .22 caliber is consistently underrated by the un-informed. A great many people and large animals have been killed with the caliber. It wouldn’t be myfirst choice as a defensive handgun, but it’s far better than not having a gun at all.

Under the kind firearm storage laws in places such as San Francisco, the victim’s firearm in this case would have been stored illegally. If laws like that had been on the books in Pennsylvania, the homeowner either wouldn’t have had quick access to his gun or would now be facing criminal charges. Instead, he and his sister are safe and a career criminal has been retired. And so it goes.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Gun Watch
 
GA Woman Kills Would Be Rapist With .22 Pistol
MAY 11 2012
BY GSL STAFF

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Incident at a Glance
Gun(s) Used: .22, Handgun Location: Home
# of Suspects: 1 Shots Fired: Unknown
Suspect Killed: Yes State: GA
Source: wsbtv.com Archive: WebCite.org


An PhD educator in her 50’s shoots and kills (using a .22 pistol) a man in his 20’s who broke into her home and confronted her with a kitchen knife.

The man may have been planning on raping the woman, based on his criminal past.

Fortunately the would be victim was fast thinking, fast acting and was able to turn the tables on her would be assailant.

Even though the suspect was not armed with a firearm, this is clearly a case where a gun was used as an equalizer.

A fully grown man with bad intentions could easily overpower an older female and commit deadly physical harm without even using a weapon.




Disqus Comments
 
Hickory, I posted the above news articles as a sort of point. Save up your money, get the ID, and go get a good .22 and shoot the dog snot out of it. Use lottos bulk ammo to get the holy trinity of sight picture, breath control, and trigger squeeze down pat. You'll have a ball plinking, and if push comes to shove, a .22 will kill an attacker just as did as any other gun. That Henry .22 rifle will defend your home, put game on the table and plink for hundreds of rounds for the cost of one box of 50 rounds of 9mm or any other caliber firearm. A CCI mini mag or stinger out of a 16 inch barrel will poke right through a chest cavity and the human heart, liver, lungs or whatever won't care if the hole is only a a bit less than a quarter inch or three eights of an inch. It all stops when it gets a bullet hole in it. Spend a year with a .22 and you'll be a way better shot than if you go to a larger caliber too soon.

I go to public ranges to shoot, and I see totally atrocious shooting skills every single time, with horrid marksmanship. They re shooting too big a gun that they never have got the basics of shooting down pat. Don't go too big too fast. And don't let any keyboard commando tell you a .22 is no good for defense. It kills lots of people, all the time.
 
22-rimfire said:
This ID thing troubles me. I hear they're doing back ground checks to buy ammo.
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I'm probably wrong but I thought the ammo thing was supposed to take effect next year.
I don't really know all of the things that will be required but I know they sure don't make it easy.

It's this difficult to leagally to buy a firearm yet ignorant anti 2A bastards out there still have this idea that it's easy and want even more restrictions.
Some things they cry out for are already in place, but they just don't know because they simply want firearms to stop existing and don't care to learn a single thing about them.

I've always heard it said that if they would just go and try to buy one they'd likely change their tune, and just planning to buy one has been a sobering experience for me.
I thought I could just walk in, pass the quick background check, do the other little song and dance t,go back in a couple weeks and pick it up. I was sorely mistaken.
There's a helluva lot more to it then that, and discovering this really did ruin my day.
 
CA is different. In my state, I litterally can go into a gun shop, select any gun (non full auto), fill out the paper work (Federal form) and they run the NICs check. I'm usually out the door with the firearm in under 30 minutes if I am in a hurry. No waiting period. But I seldom am in that much of a hurry if I am buying a gun from a FFL dealer. The ID seems to be just another way that state can control legal gun sales. I don't understand what you mean by "ID". Is this a permission slip to buy?
 
22-rimfire said:
CA is different. In my state, I litterally can go into a gun shop, select any gun (non full auto), fill out the paper work (Federal form) and they run the NICs check. I'm usually out the door with the firearm in under 30 minutes if I am in a hurry. No waiting period. But I seldom am in that much of a hurry if I am buying a gun from a FFL dealer. The ID seems to be just another way that state can control legal gun sales. I don't understand what you mean by "ID". Is this a permission slip to buy?
Click to expand...

It's your identification card or drivers license.
For some reason if you don't have the new fancy one they're calling a " Real ID " you can't buy a gun.

I don't know why it matters and what's supposed to be different or better about the new one, but that's just how it is.

I would assume they're probably supposed to be harder to counterfeit, but I don't see what else they could possibly do differently.
 
Hickory n steel said:
It's your identification card or drivers license.
For some reason if you don't have the new fancy one they're calling a " Real ID " you can't buy a gun.

I don't know why it matters and what's supposed to be different or better about the new one, but that's just how it is.

I would assume they're probably supposed to be harder to counterfeit, but I don't see what else they could possibly do differently.
Click to expand...

If I'm understanding correctly, the "Real ID" you are mentioning, is a boondoggle initiated by the Department of Homeland Security. Essentially it requires a Gold Star on the front of the ID and a bar code on the back that can be scanned by any law officer anywhere with the correct scanner. It was initiated a few years back supposedly as a method to control terrorism; specifically on airlines. Soon, if not already, you will not be able to board an airline, either domestic or international, without one. Several states, including Utah where I live, have not complied with the law completely. I'd have to look up the specifics, but I believe all states need to comply by sometime next year.

Many see it as an attempt to create a national ID and have thus been against it. However it appears to be inevitable.

I have a cousin who moved out of California recently because of the new gun laws. Unfortunately many cannot do that.

Your best bet is to get a "RealID" as soon as you can and get a weapon as soon as you can. I'm already hearing stories about how hard it is getting to buy ammo in California. So I'd move as fast as you can before they button it up completely.
 
I guess depending on the particular stores policy you can bring in your birth certificate if you ID card ( like mine ) says " Federal limits apply " but I'm still SOL because my ID has my PO box on it since we don't have a carrier delivering mail in our neighborhood, and with my living situation I do not have any sort of " proof of residency " such as a recently paid utility bill with my name on it.
And I'd need that in order to have my physical address on a new ID card too, so I suppose they really do have every angle covered.
I guess there's just way too many things that need to be changed in order for me to buy a firearm right now.

The only way I could currently buy a firearm is if a friend or family member was to sell me something .
Private sale of registered firearms has to be handled at an FFL so all limits apply, but they can't do anything about legally non registered firearms like old .22's made before serial numbers were required.
 
I looked up the "RealID" on line. I was not aware of it. It appears that you have to be compliant by Oct. 1, 2020. In my state, they would create the new ID as part of a drives license renewal and you have to provide proof of residency and some other things (even if you already have a drivers license). So, I learned something. In my state, you obtain this at the DMV license location. If your driver's license is valid after Oct. 2020, you have to pay a "duplicate fee" to get the Real ID. I may put together the required documents and go ahead and get one in the next few months. These are reportedly going to be required for access to Federal buildings and airlines. The gun thing is new.

You must live somewhere with the address identified. How does Google Maps find your address? There are other forms of documentation that can prove residency.
 
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22-rimfire said:
I looked up the "RealID" on line. I was not aware of it. It appears that you have to be compliant by Oct. 1, 2020. In my state, they would create the new ID as part of a drives license renewal and you have to provide proof of residency and some other things. So, I learned something. In my state, you obtain this at the DMV license location. If you driver's license is valid after Oct. 2020, you have to pay a "duplicate fee" to get the Real ID. I may put together the required documents and go ahead and get one in the next few months.

You must live somewhere with the address identified. How does Google Maps find your address? There are other forms of documentation that can prove residency.
Click to expand...

Here in Utah we had to show up in person with an original birth certificate and proof of residency such as a utility bill. They were real sticklers about the whole thing. Now Department of Homeland Security is telling Utah they may have to re-issue some licenses, mine included, because they failed to put a Gold Star on the front of the ID.
 
22-rimfire said:
You must live somewhere with the address identified. How does Google Maps find your address? There are other forms of documentation that can prove residency
Click to expand...

The problem is that my name is not on any of the bills,
You've gotta prove you are not only a California resident but that you aren't homeless.

I'll have to keep digging and see if I have at least something recent that proves I live here.
 
Hickory n steel said:
The problem is that my name is not on any of the bills,
You've gotta prove you are not only a California resident but that you aren't homeless.

I'll have to keep digging and see if I have at least something recent that proves I live here.
Click to expand...
Sounds like another government conspiracy against homeless people and honest people in general. :D Can't they drive? Yes, let's keep them off the airlines.... ;)
 
Hickory n steel said:
The problem is that my name is not on any of the bills,
You've gotta prove you are not only a California resident but that you aren't homeless.

I'll have to keep digging and see if I have at least something recent that proves I live here.
Click to expand...



    • Rental or lease agreement with the signature of the owner/landlord and the tenant/resident
    • Deed or title to residential real property
    • Mortgage bill
    • Home utility bill (including cellular phone)
    • School documents issued by a public or private primary, secondary, or post-secondary institution, college, or university that includes the applicant's date of birth. If using a foreign school document, it must be sealed by the school and include a photograph of the applicant at the age the record was issued
    • Medical documents
    • Employment documents
    • Insurance documents, including medical, dental, vision, life, home, rental or vehicle
    • Tax return (either Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or California Franchise Tax Board (FTB)
    • Change of Address Confirmation by the U.S. Postal Service
    • Property tax bill or statement
    • Faith-based document that includes the name and address of organization
    • Records from any state or national bank, state or federal savings association, trust company, industrial loan company, state or federal credit union, or any institution or entity that has issued a credit card
    • Voter registration confirmation letter or postcard issued by the California Secretary of State or a local California county elections officer
    • Proof of payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education in California
    • An original copy of an approved Claim for Homeowners’ Property Tax Exemption (BOE-266) form filed with a local California County Assessor
    • Court documents that list the applicant as a resident of California
    • Letter attesting that the applicant resides in California from a homeless shelter, shelter for abused women, non-profit entity, faith-based organization, employer or government agency within the United States
    • A document issued by a U.S. government agency, meaning the entity, office, or authority governing over a country, state, county, city, municipality, district, agency, department, or any other political subdivision of a country or state
    • California Certificate of Vehicle or Vessel Titles or registration
    • A DMV No Fee Identification Card Eligibility Verification (DL 933) form, completed and signed

  • I know its a pain in the butt, I've done it too. You work so you have tax returns, you will probably also receive pay checks, been to the doctor? Registered to vote? All this stuff will work. Go to church? Ya can get this done. The ammo deal is already in place. Still living in the same place where ya went to school at? Get your high school transcripts. It can be done.
 
Ignoring all the gun nut and gun as political statement crap

I'm a Ruger guy..my Super Redhawk is my favorite large caliber wheel gun..and my Mark IV target is my favorite rim fire..

I don't concealed carry because IMHO it's dumb and way to much work.
 
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GermanyChris said:
Ignoring all the gun nut and gun as political statement crap

I'm a Ruger guy..my Super Redhawk is my favorite large caliber wheel gun..and my Mark IV target is my favorite rim fire..

I don't concealed carry because IMHO it's dumb and way to much work.
Click to expand...

Yeah, its a lot of work to lug around a polymer frame gun weighing less than a pound. I just don't know how people stand the strain. I guess its a lot easier to just hand over your car keys, wallet, wife, daughter, and whatever else some low life wants. Just look at rabbits, they get by fine by just hunkering down or running. Wait, sometimes they don't.

Its a free world and people make their choice how they want to live. Or not.
 
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