Why do people always cite the sound of the action on a pump shotgun as reasons for owning?

Most people are sheep they follow the flock and repeat information given to them even if it's wrong. Just look at the answers here.

Those that think the sight or noise of a firearm will send criminals running are foolish. If you bring a firearm into the confrontation you better be ready, willing and able to pull the trigger. They also need to realize they very well maybe shot, shot at, or even stabbed trying to defend themselves.

While I will give you credit that most robberies are to feed a drug habit, most are not no drug when they commit the crime. They need the stolen goods to buy more drugs.

I beg to differ that the noise of a pump shotgun being racked is not intimidating. How do I know? I have seen it deter a 2 would be thieves from my home on one occassion. I grabbed my gun and racked it and heard the intruders say "he has a gun" and they took off. They did nto even see me.

Most home invasions are actually crimes of opportunity, such as someone is walking up the alley and sees an open door.

You are right that if you are unwilling to use a gun it should never be brought out, believe me I will defend my family's life using whatever means it takes, but I disagree about looking for opportunities to shoot bad guys. No one in their right mind wants to kill someone.

There are other reasons besides the noise of the gun getting racked to use a pump action shotgun for home defense.

1. Load it with 00 buckshot and you have more than enough punch to kill a would be attacker, but you are not shooting something that will go through a couple walls and kill an innocent neighbor.

2. Pointing and shooting a shotgun requires less control than aiming and shooting a handgun or rifle.

3. I will preface this one by saying guns should always be kept in safe locations and unless you have a real need to keep it loaded and readily available it should be locked up. And even if it needs to be handy it can be located in a safe place such as a very high shelf where only an adult can get it. However if you do have the need to keep a loaded gun handy a pump action shotgun is about as safe a gun as any. This is because any kid that is big enough to rack a shotgun is old enough to be trained in gun safety. You can keep the magazine loaded with the chamber empty and the gun is readily available in an emergency, but cannot be shot by a small child.

several hundred times? that's not a mob, that's an Army! many places restrict the shell count for semi autos to 3-5 shells, depending on the place, most places don't have a restriction on pump actions since they're manual repeaters, not automatic. so picking between a 5 shot semi and a 9 shot(they make them) pump, I'd choose the pump, not only for the shell count, but the reliability when heated is better too(since you'd be heating the gun up by shooting so many shells).

My uncle once told me, "If you rack the slide and they don't head for the door...you better start shooting." Some don't chamber a round so the sound of the firing pin falling is the first warning, followed by chambering a round and putting the bead on their chest. I keep the 12ga in the closet, empty chamber and safety on, as a backup. I keep my XDm 40 on my night stand with a Surefire, and grab them before I would the shotgun.

We have the castle doctrine (no duty to retreat) in Indiana where a resident can use deadly force on an intruder without warning. Some states do have a duty to retreat where you have to make an effort to get away and use deadly force if the attacker advances.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a lawyer. Be aware of your state's laws pertaining to deadly force.

Actually, just the sound of a shotgun loading (the cha-chick) is enough to get criminals (some) to high-tail it. A semi-auto makes a certain sound when you close the action once you load it, so does an o/u or a side-by-side, but it's not as well known as the sound of a pump loading.

Also, just the sight of a gun is enough to discourage a criminal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YTM_eAWnQ

Also- what makes you think that every criminal that breaks into a house is a guy on meth?

The sound of a 12 gauge pump action being worked is a sound not disdained by even the bravest of men! Same can be said for a double-barrel shotgun closing, a .30 US M-1 carbine slide closing on a loaded chamber, a .357 Magnum being cocked and a 1911 action being racked.

I don't think anyone believes that the sound itself is the ultimate solution but what follows. That is why the wise flee before the next sound: The big... Kaboom!

H

If I'm near a home invader, the last thing I want to do is NOT have my gun absolutely ready to fire. If he has a pistol in his hand already, and I start to make that sound, he may turn and start firing in that direction. Or he might move quickly, while turning and firing. I really think people should plan what they are doing during a home invasion. In my case, my wife goes into my boys' room with a cell phone to call police, and I sit in the hall with the shotgun. Anyone comes up the stairs into the hall.......my shotgun will be ready to fire. Screw the sound of the pump.

Edit-Resurfaced-I don't doubt your story, and your version of criminal is probably the most frequent, as you said. As a matter of fact, just hearing you awake would send many thieves running. On the other hand, if someone is in my home, I don't want to give them any advantage. If you decided to step out there with your shotgun, they would be expecting you with guns drawn had they decided to stay. There are different kinds of criminals. With my kids lives on the line, that's all I'm worried about, their safety. I still like the idea of my wife calling the cops while I cover us with the shotgun. 00 buckshot waiting for the bad guys if they enter the hall to our bedrooms. They'd probably hear my wife's voice, and if they come that way after hearing her instead of leaving, they deserve what they get.

The sound can be 'scary' I guess if your not the one holding it in a dark house. I do own one (not for that reason, it was the 1st gun I bought lol). I am probably just gonna grab my Glock 45 in this situation and put 2 rounds in their chest cuz here in Indiana we have the castle doctrine where someone breaks in, it's like open season on their ***. I ain't afraid to use my weapon against another person to protect myself and quite frankly I won't hesitate to. Where I live, the neighborhood is on the decline so I am waiting for it to happen quite frankly. More and more break ins going on these days and in many places to. Yeah that would be a real shame wouldn't it?

the sound of a shotgun is scary if you aren't supposed to be there but all you really did was give away your position so it is really just a Hollywood trick.

Think about it i am in your house and hear a shotgun being pumped

ok well now i know what gun you have and where you are. And can take you out cause i know too much and you just lost the element of surprise.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Hollywood has indoctrinated people into believe the clack-clack of the action being worked will send the bad guys heading for the hills. I agree that it may intimidate a sane, thinking person bit (as you said) not a meth-head looking for loot to hoc for a fix. I still own a pump action 12ga (mossberg 500). But not to one handedly rack the slide like Bruce Willis in ... well, all of his movies (come to think about it). You bring up another good point, if you own a gun and are going to brandish that gun at a bad guy, you MUST be willing to use it. If they are armed they are going to respond to the threat of deadly force with deadly force.