YDS wants to buy a gun...

[Artemis Windsong]

Pay for professional training for him and yourself.  Yes, yourself.  Training by a well-intentioned nonprofessional relative is not good enough.

I was caught getting ready to move out of state, H was at work, Ddad found two loaded firearms in the house.  (Not unusual for a rural community).  I and he had no idea how to unload them.  

[ktunes]

YDS wants to buy a shotgun.

I have no experience with guns and am, actually, afraid of having them around.

To be fair, YDS is in college pursuing a major that requires him to spend a great deal of time in New England forests. Wildlife encounters are almost guaranteed given his major. He doesn't (yet!?) have a lot of experience with more aggressive wildlife species (bears, mountain lions, coyotes, etc.), so I do worry about him not reading the "signs" and stumbling into a dangerous situation. I understand that a gun does not guarantee his safety in a wildlife attack, but it could at least be an option for him.

there's no reason  to fear guns...just have the proper respect for them and you'll feel better about it...for you that means you should get some training on them so you'll feel more comfortable around them...there are basic gun handling safety rules that others have mentioned that become second nature if you practice them...

as for your yds, he'll need to get the proper training and practice regularly as well although i question his choice of gun for hiking thru the woods on a regular basis...unless you knew there was threat at hand, you would more than likely carry the shotgun with a sling over the shoulder...shotguns are long guns fairly heavy and ammo is bulky...he would be much better served with a side arm (handgun)...there are calibers that can handle most wild game threats for your area...

some have mentioned shotguns for home defense...shotguns are a flexible option for that but they have there limitations as well...many believe you don't really have to be accurate when aiming a shotgun because it sprays they "bullets" but that depends on certain factors...a shotgun can fire bird shot, buck shot and slugs... bird shot is a bunch of small bb's best for bird hunting...buck shot is similar but the bb's are bigger and more like pellets or even handgun size projectiles...slugs are massive sized, single projectiles...

if you have an intruder in your house you would not want to be racking an empty shotgun trying to scare them...and unless you live in a mansion where your rooms are massive, you would have to aim a shotgun just as you would a rifle...the shot does not spread much at short distances...

good luck and who knows, you may find out you like to shoot and pick up a new hobby...

[swamp]

Oct 28, 2016 12:25:19 GMT -5 countrygirl said:

I do carry in the motorhome and I have a CCWs permit

The permit is usually only good for the state you are in, unless it's a federal firearms dealer license.

Just tip: Leave you gun at home if you come to NY.   If it's found, you'll be charged and the gun confiscated. If it's loaded, it's a C felony.

[Shooby]

EXcuse me Mr Burlar and rapist. But i have to go to another room in my house to my gun safe. Then i have to unlock the safe, find the ammo and load my gun. I will be right back.

[weltschmerz]

To be fair, YDS is in college pursuing a major that requires him to spend a great deal of time in New England forests.  Wildlife encounters are almost guaranteed given his major.  He doesn't (yet!?) have a lot of experience with more aggressive wildlife species (bears, mountain lions, coyotes, etc.), so I do worry about him not reading the "signs" and stumbling into a dangerous situation.  I understand that a gun does not guarantee his safety in a wildlife attack, but it could at least be an option for him.

Coyotes were on the front page of our local paper. They're here, living in the city, by the railroad tracks.
They warned people not to let their dogs and cats out unsupervised.
Otherwise....meh.  If you see one, yell at it. It will go away.

[weltschmerz]

I'd be more worried about running into two-legged beasts.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Oct 30, 2016 1:01:06 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

To be fair, YDS is in college pursuing a major that requires him to spend a great deal of time in New England forests.  Wildlife encounters are almost guaranteed given his major.  He doesn't (yet!?) have a lot of experience with more aggressive wildlife species (bears, mountain lions, coyotes, etc.), so I do worry about him not reading the "signs" and stumbling into a dangerous situation.  I understand that a gun does not guarantee his safety in a wildlife attack, but it could at least be an option for him.

Coyotes were on the front page of our local paper. They're here, living in the city, by the railroad tracks.
They warned people not to let their dogs and cats out unsupervised.
Otherwise....meh.  If you see one, yell at it. It will go away.

Around here, the coyotes are more brazen.  They will follow dogwalkers and their dogs and try to lure the dog into a fight.  They are not shy at all.  Of course, we are all walking on conservation land so therefore walking in coyote territory, but, still.  They don't scare as easy on their own turf.  

[tskeeter]

Oct 27, 2016 16:11:57 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Oct 27, 2016 16:08:55 GMT -5 milee said:

Big differences between shotgun and rifle. Both are "long" guns but a rifle shoots a single bullet vs. a shotgun which releases more of a spray of smaller projectiles. What does your son want?

He is saying he wants to buy a "shotgun", but maybe he isn't clear on what he wants (which is why I am glad he is waiting until he researches the whole idea more).  

Is a shotgun a BB gun?  

A BB gun shoots a single BB with each shot.  The propellant is compressed air

A shotgun fires a shell which contains several BBs.  The shell is the container for the propellant (gun powder) and the shot (BBs).  When fired, the shell stays in the gun, the propellant explodes, and the shot is ejected from the gun barrel by the propellant.  Once free of the gun barrel, the group of shot will spread in a cone shaped pattern as it gets further from the gun.

Shotgun shells contain differing quantities and diameters of shot, depending on the game being hunted.  Small game, such as pheasant or rabbits are hunted with shells containing a fairly large quantity of small BBs.  Large game, such as deer, requires shells containing just a few large BBs, or even a single projectile, commonly referred to as a slug.

[tskeeter]

Oct 28, 2016 10:15:05 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Oct 27, 2016 16:11:57 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

He is saying he wants to buy a "shotgun", but maybe he isn't clear on what he wants (which is why I am glad he is waiting until he researches the whole idea more).  

Is a shotgun a BB gun?  

No, a BB gun is more or less a child's toy. It fires a small metal pellet that will sting but usually not wound.

A shotgun is a long gun that fires shells.  Once fired, the shells become a number of pellets that spread out somewhat. Usually shotguns are pump action, but don't necessarily have to be.  As I understand it, shotguns are commonly used for home defense, because they fire pellets that don't penetrate well through walls. They are also used for bird hunting because the spread of the pellets makes it easier to hit small, fast moving birds.

A rifle is another type of long gun, but it fires a single bullet.  There are different calibers of bullets denoting their size and power. a .22 is a smaller and less powerful caliber, usually used for rabbit or squirrel hunting. Larger calibers, for example, are 9mm, which is what most police pistols are.  Larger still are .45.  Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most hunting rifles are .32 or 0.308.

How you determine it's empty depends on the weapon.  A common mistake is people will empty the magazine, but there's still a bullet in the chamber of the weapon.   

Phoenix, short barrel shotguns are commonly selected for home defense because they are a point and shoot weapon where the pellets can spread over a significant area in just a few feet.  It's hard to miss.  

While shotguns don't have the range or power of a rifle, even a small shotgun, such as a four ten, can blow a fist sized hole in a sheet of drywall.  Have no doubt, shotguns are killers.  Even through walls.

Considering guns other than shotguns, if the aim of a rifle or handgun is off by just an inch or two, you can easily miss your target, even at close range.  That's why even experienced gun owners sometimes have a shotgun for home defense.  If you're excited, you have a much smaller chance of missing your target with a shotgun.