Hey all,

I've been at a bit of a loss for the past few days and was hoping that someone could shed some light on the subject.

My house was broken into yesterday. As I am out of town for the holiday, I have only had my house-sitter and the police to give me an initial report. It looks like nothing was stolen and the culprits were probably looking for the previous (very rich) occupants belongings. In any case, I have been debating the idea of a first firearm for a while now and believe that it's time. My girlfriend is moving in in May and I would like to get this squared away before she comes.

I went to a shooting range with some friends today and tried out a few basic shotguns including a Mossberg 500 pistol grip. While the gun is probably not the best for target shooting, it seems like it would make a great first gun with my intentions. I plan to get a bit more involved in the firearms scene and would like to purchase a 9mm in the future. But, as a newbie I think a shotgun would make the most sense. Any advice? Should I purchase a bedside safe? Those of you who leave home defense weapons by the bed, how do you store them? I appreciate any and all wisdom. Thanks guys. This is an important issue to me.
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why not pick up a mossberg 500 or rem 870 with a stock vs a pistol grip. You can get them with the 18.5" barrels. That would do HD duty well. Personally with no kids in the house, i would leave they gun propped against the wall by the bed or behind the door. my :-)
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I grew up around guns. I have guns. I shoot guns. I write for a gun magazine, but I gotta ask, don't you think they would have stolen your gun if you had one?

That being said, take a class. Than take another one
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Sucks about the house, on the gun topic a Shotgun is a great home defense weapon but you must be at home to defend it, if it's not locked up when you're not at home bad guy has a new gun. Any kids in the home? I leave my gun(s) in my nightstand at night and on my person when not at home.
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Got both :-), great choices.

I like the 870 better out of the two
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Sorry to hear about the break in. Having a gun for protection in the house can be a catch 22.
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@emopunker, thanks for the advice. I was looking at a stock mossberg 500, but was advised that the pistol grip would be a bit easier for storage reasons (I guess because of size?). Like I said, absolute newbie here, does this sound like a trivial quality? Thanks again brother.

@ysr, I was thinking about taking a multi-session class. Unfortunately, with my work schedule in the new quarter it looks like it will be a few months until I can find the time to fit it in. I saw some advertisements for 1 on 1 lessons though and will be investing in some! I'm a bit confused as to your comment regarding, "don't you think they would have stolen your gun?". IMO it's missing the point. When I travel for extended periods of time I lock my valuables (watches, cash) in a safety deposit box. The break-in happened early in the morning, roughly between 5-10 AM while my house-sitter was at work. I need to feel safe with my loved one sleeping beside me.
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Considering obtaining a gun because of a Break-in while you're not at home is like saying you had a house fire while you were away and wanting to buy a fire extinguisher.

I'm not going to discourage you from purchasing a home protection weapon, but I think you may be better served by calling brinks home security or adt or something like that.
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Thanks @ninja, you make a good point. I'm trying not to dwell in the immediate fear of another break-in. But this is something that I have been considering for some time. I recently moved into my first house. It's not in what I would consider a "bad" area, but it's more prone to crime than my past residences. If the house was completely unoccupied during this time it would be one thing. But during my absence there has been someone in my bed every night. They have also been driving my car. Unless someone was paying very close attention I think it would appear that the house was occupied as usual. I appreciate your input!!

EDIT: I also want to add this, they ****ed up one of my dogs and locked both of them in the bathroom.
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Personally i think a gun for HD is a good idea. If you are not home lock it up for sure. As a side note, if storage is that much of an issue maybe you should consider a handgun, maybe a .45 my :-) again :-)
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The right training, along with the right weapon, is good when you're home, but, a good home security system is an optimal way to go in my opinion.

1. Home security system
2. Home safe
3. Weapon and training, then practice, practice, practice.
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speaking of training. if you got a handgun you could always take up IDPA as a hobby. At the very lease you'd get some SD based target practice and have some fun.
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Or they know your house sitter.
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Good point
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This doesnt sound like a "break-in". Looks like someone was taking advantage of he fact that you were gone. Why would they "use" your car and then bring it back? Why would someone sleep in your bed without knowing when you return? That's just ridiculous. Your house would be stripped bare even if there were no "valuables" I would be looking for a new house sitter. :-)
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I think he means his house sitter was doing this for him in his absence to seem as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. I could be reading this wrong though.:-)
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Ahh, that could be. Thanks Jay. Still seems a bit unusual that the break-in occurred during the small window where someone was gone. Seems like a security system with cameras would be a good investment.
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I got robbed two years ago. They even stole some humidors:-). The police chief told me that every robbery in town was in homes with no alarm systems. I got one installed pretty quick. One neighbor was the last to have no alarm system until they got robbed too. IMHO if I was a robber I'd rob the unalarmed homes and forget about those with security systems.
Best of luck deciding whether to get a gun or not. I thought about it after getting robbed but I knew I shouldn't have one as I love to drink too much.:-)
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i vote system and gun. guns are like cigars: you can never have too many :-)
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+1. I would go with the Remington 870. Buy some of the Federal Law Enforcement 00 buckshot shells to put in the gun. http://www.policehq.com/Products/FC-132LE
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