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The Glock 19 is the universal recommendation for a first gun because it is relatively cheap, extremely reliable, and is small enough to conceal while still being large enough to easily control.

That said, if you know with 100% certainty that your first gun is strictly going to be for home defense, I would recommend going larger. Larger guns are easier to control as there is more mass to absorb recoil and you get a larger sight radius (his is of course assuming the caliber stays the same). The Glock 17 is the larger, more home defense appropriate, version of the Glock 19. The Glock 34 is even larger still but at that point you are getting into competition gun territory (was literally built for IDPA) so that may be a bit much for home defense.

You'll also want to think about other factors like ergonomics; a Glock is fine but there is a good chance there is another 9mm that will fit your hand better. The Smith and Wesson M&P 9 is a comparable alternative that can also come with an external safety. The Ruger Security 9 is another option to look for that comes in a few hundred cheaper than a Glock. You may even find that metal offerings like a CZ-75B or Beretta 92FS feel better to you than a polymer double stack. Again there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Glock 19 but you might find the other guns fit your hand better. Ideally you would go to a gun range to rent so you could try before you buy.

What ever you go with, make sure the wife is fine with it as well. No I don't just mean that from a budget point of view; if you both went to class then she has to be just as comfortable using the firearm as you are. If anything it is even more important that the spouse is comfortable with the gun than you are as she may need to use it when you aren't around.

You seem fine with the range bag, eye/ear protection, and maintenance supplies so that seems good.

For kids I would recommend educating them to remove the mystic about firearms as well as a good wall mounted pistol safe for storage. I'm personally a fan of the Shotlock mechanical handgun safe as a mechanical tends to be more reliable than digital (for that price range) and you can bolt it above your night stand for easy access.

Ill differ from others in this thread - will Ballistol work in all firearms? Yes more than likely. Will it be 'perfect'/the right fit for all? No.

For example the M1 Garand (and most rifles with major sliding/'grinding' parts will benefit greatly from a grease instead of an oil, originally Sperm Whale/whale grease was used just as it was for the 03 and M1917. But even a new grease like White Lithium/ball bearing will help. If you want high end grease for sliding parts Lubriplate is of the same "grade" of grease as Cherry Balmz (grease comes in grades just like steel wool does) but this tub is a lot cheaper, might not smell as nice though. Not to mention a tub will last you a decade easily as its only applied to sliding/grinding parts and not drowned like an oil can be. You can use a combination of grease and oil depending on what part of a firearm is being lubricated.

The use of oils such as Ballistol or CLP etc. on the sliding components of an M1 will certainly work but will 'burn off' and not provide the same benefit as a grease. Will it work? Sure it will...but the M1, like most 'modern' firearms will work even without lubrication which, as stated, is sometimes recommended (for that particular firearm, not to be run with any lubrication for certain instances)

In an AR platform, like with a Glock, and most Smith & Wessons you will probably never notice the difference running Ballistol over CLP or over a Hoppes brand lube etc.


But like with most tools, a singular grease or an oil 'be all end all' is asking too much/you will end up with something that works but doesnt necessarily do as good of a job as a 'specialty' tool. Will you notice the difference in most firearms? Probably not. But cleaning/lubricating items are cheap and firearms are not, using the right product can, has, and will help in longevity and reliability.

I have ran a number of greases and oils for a while, from CLP, Hoppes for both cleaning and lube, Ballistol, MPro7, MPT Industries gun oil and many different Greases. High end and low end, what I would say is find the stuff that works well in your firearm and use it. If youre looking for 'general' use, I would say you probably cant go wrong with any of the mentioned oils, but you might want to consider using a grease where needed.

I didnt mention cleaning in any of this, the reason being what you are cleaning will impact how it is cleaned far more than the solvent you use. If its a Mosin you're shooting corrosive ammo out of, hot/boiling water will probably clean just as well as any Hoppes solvent or Ballistol, more so depending on how you clean it than what you clean it with, but I usually try and separate cleaning from lubricating (CLP and Ballistol will certainly 'work' for both, but will they be ideal? Really depends on that particular type of firearm you are using)

(We all have our own way of 'rolling our own', do your research and find what works best for you. Stay away from anyone who says x is the best and theres no need to try y)

I got this first one basically to see what a $2.85 flashlight was like. I knew that it might not fit my needs, but it didn't cost much to find out. If I'm going to get 4 or 5 of them, then getting them at $2.85 a piece is way better than getting them at $20 a piece. In fact, I wouldn't get 4 or 5 at $20 a piece. I'd get one and then just stick with my incandescents as spares if that was my only choice. That said, I was surprised with its performance. I have no doubt that it is inferior to nicer lights, but we're talking about the difference between throwing the beam 75 or 100 yards for the cheap light as opposed to 200 yards or more for a nicer light. Neither is necessary for 99% of uses around the house. Battery life is probably better on the nicer lights too, but I recharge early and often anyway. It's kind of like my guns. I thought that I would try cheap and basic (okay, I don't do "cheap" on my guns, but I do basic), and then I'd only upgrade if there is a specific reason. So far I haven't run into much of a reason.

18650 batteries are cheap and popular, and as such the best lights seemed to run off of them. That's definitely the way to go if you are looking for sheer brightness or tons of options for a light, and will be what I get if I do get a nice one. It's also definitely the way to go if you are getting free batteries like me. Lights that run off of 14500 or a single AA battery are cool too though. At the same time that I got my cheap 18650 light, I also got a cheap SK68 clone (this style but a million different companies sell them). That's one of the few generic lights that actually gets recommended occasionally on /r/flashlight, but only when someone specifically asks for a dirt cheap light. That's cool because it can run off of a lithium ion battery or a AA battery if you want the option of running on alkalines. Of course, there are nicer non-generic lights that run off of the same battery combo.

Edit: Changed the Amazon link to what I believe is the exact one I bought instead of just a similar one.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/6y85qs/tinder_experiments_guys_unless_you_are_really_hot/

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\>As a bi guy on tinder this definitely reflects my experience. I get a match with maybe 90% of the guys I like, with girls it's probably more like 2%.

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\>I've never felt so lucky to be gay.

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\>My girlfriends been doing some instagram work. Her conclusion?...girls are bitches. They require 10x the amount of work.

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\>Tinder filters who sees you based on age too. They have openly talked shit about people over 30 using their app. Their reasoning is that they're probably less attractive and they want hot people using it for their brand image. That's why it costs more to buy 'plus' if you're over 30.

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\>Online dating has probably been the most depressing thing I've ever tried to do in my life. Bar none.

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\>Exactly.

\>It's a waste of time for guys to actually look at the pictures while swiping.

\>The best setup for Tinder would be to only let women swipe and then men would get a notification when a girl swipes on them. Then the guy is able to message the girl.

​

this is essentially a low-key "men have to be special in order to even talk to women" argument. Which Im sure they did not mean it at all that way but it did expose that. Completely.

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\>I had a discussion with a friend about this. He used a few different dating systems and is a User Experience person. One of the things he noticed right away was that the use case for men and women was so drastically different and it really makes those platforms kind of shitty overall. Women can be and have to be very selective because they get bombarded with requests from men. Men increase their chances of meeting ANYONE by simply reaching out to everyone.

\>Then, once you actually get to the dating phase, the women continue to be selective. If the date isn't perfect, they have very little incentive to try again. Even moderately attractive women end up with a huge list of possible dates. Do I keep going with this guy or just go to the next one who might be THE ONE? Gone are the days where a decent date would get you one or two more.

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the Paradox of choice.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice

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https://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/149151423X

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And the data indicates the more choices people have, the less happy they are with what they have. Which may be why divorce rates are massive. If you think "I could've had that person instead", as if they're interchangeable toys, then why would someone be happy in that relationship?

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-and-sex-in-the-digital-age/201808/7-key-reasons-why-some-women-cheat

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After all "I cheated in order to protect my marriage, not destroy it, because I was unhappy and felt I wasnt getting enough sex or emotional support".

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Im sure you could figure out some incisive retort on this part of women's claims saying "you're not entitled to all the sex or emotional support you want from someone" the same way "men arent entitled to sex from women" has become so mainstream and even banal, today.

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If you're actually using a dating site to find "love", gun picture removal is the least of your concerns.

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Get some height, go to the gym, eat better, shave, get a 100$ haircut, some professional photo work, and then you might get a woman who's interest in you was because of your ability to mask your physical flaws and signal having excess money and time.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2015/12/25/rejection-and-physical-pain-are-the-same-to-your-brain/

If you enjoy the chronic punches on dating sites... I dont know what to tell you but sign up for some BDSM while you're at it.

I assume you mean home defense. I’m not familiar with CA laws but I suspect that getting a Concealed Carry permit is a rather difficult process.

So for home defense either caliber would be effective. But there are some things you may want to consider before buying. Assuming you are choosing between the two calibers you me mentioned.

The brand, size, cost of the gun is less important than your ability under stress to fire at your target and get a first round hit in a critical area.

Think about that statement carefully because it really matters. So your ability to build up your skill level, comfortability, muscle memory and situational awareness with your chosen firearm must be priority number one when preparing to defend yourself.

You build those skills through a lot of practice and discipline. Unless money is not a problem for you, you should plan on firing at hundreds of rounds per practice session at the range. The cost of ammo is a factor then, so thats one good reason to choose 9mm.

Now when getting to the type of gun. If it’s for home, meaning you are not carrying this thing on your belt every day, bigger with more the most rounds your state will allow in the magazine is better. A full size gun with roughly a 5” barrel would be a good start. Something like a CZ 75B is not a bad starter. It’s all steel which helps reduce the felt recoil. You cant go wrong with a Glock G17 either, but there are many more good sub $650 options.

If you can swing the extra $100 get a set of Tritium Night Sights.

Lastly if you are a new gun owner I recommend reading either or both of these great books about defending yourself.

Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense Ayoob Massad

And/or

The Law of Self Defense: The Indispensable Guide to the Armed Citizen

Good Luck during your journey

I unfortunately do not use any written resource for my kid training. I grew up on a farm with a father, grandfather and uncles who were all hunters, police and former military. I started shooting when I was 5 and had lots of teachers to train me both the right and the wrong. They taught me the joy of target shooting, the strict adhearance to the rules (while still having fun) and to never point a gun at anything you don't want to destroy, kill or eat.

The biggest thing I can say is make sure you teach them the joy, that you make it fun. As it becomes work (and it will become more work as they try to improve) its easy to forget the simple joy of being outside, in the country, with friends and family, target shooting and trying to one up eachother. So try to make sure you add as much fun as you can. Play games (use playing cards to make poker hands), shoot steel or spinners, balloons, things that fall down, etc. Show them how to have fun and be safe. Becareful showing them up (learned this one the hard way). If you are shooting when they are and you can put 5 rounds in less than a quarter at 100 yards and they can only hit a pie plate at 20, they get discouraged. Do your best to encourage them. They might not start out strong (but don't be surprised if the little buggers can outshoot you, they have no bad habits yet) but as long as you celebrate the wins, downplay the misses and always make it a positive experience you will have a shooter for a lifetime.

As far as BB guns go, we have two now. One, my Gamo Little Cat I can use with both my 5 and 7 year old (due to a lighter trigger pull, its about 3.5#), my 7 year old is a laser with it, my 5 year old its still a bit too long but she likes to feel big like her sister so it works. Its a single cock (my 7 year old can BARELY do it herself, its like 15lb pull) spring powered pellet gun. Works great for teaching fundimentals. It has a weaver mount on it so I put a little cheap 3x reddot scope on it (because we tend to shoot in the evenings where the lit up reticle helps) and they love it. Last christmas, I bought her a Daisy Model 1998 in pink, and then we fixed it. Red is much more her color. Its crazy accurate, she is slowly learning on these sights (but is complete garbage when its low light) and loves to shoot it but doesn't enjoy it as much. Also, my 7 year old struggles with the trigger pull. I swear its an 8-10# trigger. My 5 year old can't even do it with both hands. This got put away until they get a little bigger.

Everyone can recommend you a bunch of items. How much are you wanting to spend?

He probably has hearing protection but if he just has buds, get some howard leight pros for $30. Also there are some generic bore snakes on amazon.

Howard Leights

.45 Pistol Boresnake

Shotgun Boresnake

and Midway has a really nice bag for a good price. They make different variations too if you want to look around.

That's all about $100 but it's a nice bag, ear protection, and some useful cleaning stuff but he'll still need patches and a cleaning kit. The shotgun would honestly be fine with just the bore snake especially if it's a pump at least for the time being unless he shoots a lot. Get something more pistol specific to keep that running nicely.

> I'm not sure what sort of things I may not be considering

-Get training/instruction. The most effective thing you can do is to take a marksmanship class at your local range, probably for 2-4 hours long. You can watch all the YouTube videos you want; it's not as effective as relevant feedback from an experienced instructor. Learn the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship and how perform dry-practice effectively. If time is available, tune your marksmanship fundamentals, and learn & practice malfunction clearance, reloads, drawing from a holster. Find a local NRA instructor, or ask at your local range. You need to ask at YOUR local range, or contact your LOCAL instructors (hint: if it is not on the website, e-mail/contact the people that teach NRA Basic Pistol).

-Listen to this Tom Givens interview to learn what skills should be prioritized for training for a CHL holder. Tom Givens has trained a couple ten-thousand CHL/CCW students over the years, and most of them have won their gun fights. Trends for success have been identified. (Implied: learn and practice those things that he recommends)

-Get legal instruction and instruction about what to do AFTER the gunfight. Your mandatory CCW training provides the minimal legally required instruction; you need more than that. Attend a MAG-40 or -20 course (Rules of Engagement for the Armed Citizen, by the Massad Ayoob Group), or a Law of Self-Defense seminar by Andrew Branca. Both instructors have content in book form (Deadly Force, LoSD), or even Kindle, but the books lack instructor/class interaction. [/shilling]

-Paul Lathrop shares the story of this defensive gun use, and the legal aftermath, in this podcast interview.

-Find and take advantage of opportunities for regular practice. Preferably under moderate pressure, where you engage a variety of targets, will be evaluated on both speed and accuracy, have the opportunity to fire from varied positions, and maybe perform reloads or malfunction clearances. Chances are good that you can find an IDPA, USPSA, or Steel Challenge match somewhere near to you (each of the national organization websites have a club locator). You don't need a lot of extra stuff to start shooting competitively.

> what sorts of other things I may need to purchase that I haven't mentioned.

Hmmm... I haven't said much about buying more stuff (hardware); most of that have been software upgrades. Strange. (;

Always double up. Electronic muffs over earplugs.

Not only do you get better protection, but crank the muff volume up and you can hear basically normally and enjoy how funny everyone else sounds talking with earplugs in.

Howard Leight Impact Sports are only $36 at Amazon

Buy foam plugs in bulk they're less than $0.10 a pair.

You'd have to be a super mega cheapskate to blow your hearing over saving the cost of 1 box of ammo.

2/2

So both IQ and socioeconomic status are heritable, but to what extent can the same genes explain variation in both traits? This study looked at the correlation between genetic similarity, SES similarity, and IQ similarity in a sample of 3,000 unrelated children. Their genetic sample consisted of roughly 1.7 million SNPs and was therefore large, but still far less than the entire human genome. IQ was measured at ages 7 and 12. Family SES was measured at ages 2 and 7. They found that variation in the portions of the genome they analyzed accounted for about 30% of variation in both IQ and SES. In this sample, IQ and family SES correlated at .31 and 94% of that correlation of mediated by genetics. In other words, the reason why high SES 7 year olds were smarter than average was almost entirely because they had “smart genes”. The correlation between family SES at age 7 and IQ at age 12 was .32 and 56% of that relationship was genetically mediated. In other words, about half of the relationship between intelligence at age 12 and SES at age 7 was explained by people having smart genes.

This is direct evidence showing that a substantial amount, likely more than half, of the correlation between parental SES and IQ in adolescence is explained by the parents having smart genes and passing them on to their kids.

Now lets compare the IQ of black populations to poorer populations of other races. Using GDP per capita data from World bank and IQ data from this study you find that blacks in America have a GDP per capita of 20,458 (This can range depending on what figure you use for African American contribution to GDP, this is a low figure) and an average IQ of 85. There are many other countries with few blacks that have lower GDPs per capita and higher IQ. Estonia, Chezk Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Russia, Romania, Belarus, Vietnam, Ukraine, Mongolia, Serbia, China, and others all have lower GDPs and higher average IQs.

Now lets look at SAT scores. One study found that if average SAT scores of high school students are broken down by their parent’s SES (for both Blacks and Whites), Whites from families who earn less than $20,000 a year do just as well on the SAT as Blacks from families that earn more than $200,000 a year. Other studies have found that Whites from severely impoverished families who earn under $10,000 a year tend to have higher SAT scores than Blacks who earn over $100,000 a year. Now obviously SAT scores are not equal to IQ. But they are related.

Another thing that's interesting, is that the richer people you compare, the larger that Black-White IQ gap becomes. In this book 32 studies were analyzed and found a mean Black-White IQ gap of 12 points between people of low SES and 20.3 points between people of high SES. This has been replicated multiple other times, including in Murray's The Bell Curve.

Now lets look at racial and IQ difference over time. The U.S. Census began collecting information on individuals income in 1939. Since then, Black wage relative to White wage have risen from 44% to 67% in 1989. Using data from the US Census Bureau between the 1950’s and 2014, there was a dramatic reduction in the size of the Black White income gap. The median income of Whites went from 2.4 time larger than the median Black income during the 1950’s, to only around 1.3 times larger in 2014. Rates of post-secondary educational attainment revealed the exact same pattern. In 1940, Whites were nearly 4 time more likely than Blacks to have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. However, as of 2014, Whites were only 1.5 times more likely than Blacks to have a BA or higher. All and all, the historical trends reveal huge reductions in the education and income gaps between Blacks and Whites.

But during this time, the white/black IQ gap hasn't really changed. In this book it's reported that IQ testing during the first world war gave Blacks a mean IQ of 83. Today the average IQ of blacks is 85. Thus, the Black-White IQ gap has been reduced by 2 points during a time period in which the black/white socio-economic gap has been reduced by at least 50%.

So overall how socioeconomic status influences IQ is unknown. But it is important to realize that money, or class, does not magically make people smarter. But yes nutrition and cognitively stimulating environments likely have an effect, but I wouldn't conclude them to be the major factors.

Not to mention the fact that 9 cognitive predicting gene variants were studied and the SNPs that were linked to higher intelligence occurred at a rate of 53% for whites but only 36% in blacks. Their frequency in Asians was 60%, thus mirroring the observed racial IQ hierarchy. 1 Here is a recent paper that directly shows evidence for a genetic cause. There will undoubtedly be many more such papers as this field advances. This is what spawned this discussion mind you, and you still haven't addressed it my pointing out of your misunderstanding of it.

Overall it seems that intelligence is about 80% genetic 20% environment. Tho, for the sake of argument we can say it's 50:50. Doubt you'll have read until here, but if you have, in spite of all this data why do you refuse to accept that there is a genetic component to the racial IQ gap?

I bought the Peltor sport tactical and I really like them. They are very comfortable for me and the sound amplification is really clear and much better than the howard light impacts. (Then again they are ~$80 more) They also have a 26 NRR as opposed to the 22 of the impacts. The bluetooth worked just find out of the box and was easy to setup.

Youtube is a vast resource for almost any gun these days.

Four basic rules of gun safety:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrlDUIZ3f0

Basic range safety and ettiquette:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvFyw-6Fqs


How to operate an AR15:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFN_j3WD80

How to zero it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oXGT55cV8


How to shoot it (like a boss):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ligUEAJH25E

How to maintain it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4DQ5QlwrA

How it works:

P1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKKQcJnMEOo

P2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VntwFqcE4-g

Development history:

Early development and current ongoing modernization
https://www.full30.com/video/9b50f8a825ab510b4c227c7b32a76bc1

A2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX5RoaYqQ04

Army approved camouflaging methods:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE_Ly61h10w

Things you should consider if your going to involve yourself in gun ownership and the greater gun community:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGYf9AZlSyU



Literature (for your library of badassery):

Owners guide:

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-AR-15-Complete-Owners-Guide/dp/1888722193/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244413&sr=1-3&keywords=ar15

Builders guide:

http://www.amazon.com/AR-15-Complete-Assembly-Guide-Kuleck/dp/1888722126/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244598&sr=1-4&keywords=ar15

DOD technical manual (vintage repro) A1:

http://www.amazon.com/The-M16A1-Rifle-Preventive-Maintenance/dp/1616088648/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NXC05W604YBE436A34P

DOD technical manual A2/M4:

http://www.amazon.com/M16A2-Carbine-5-56mm-Technical-Manual/dp/1601700199/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244734&sr=1-3&keywords=m16+manual

Another manual:

http://www.amazon.com/M16-Weapon-Gordon-Rottman/dp/1849086907/ref=sr_1_31?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245604&sr=1-31&keywords=black+rifle

Collectors guide (early rifles):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-Retrospective-Modern-Military/dp/0889351155/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245668&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=black+rifle+retrospective

Collectors guide (modernized rifles & carbines):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-II-Into-Century/dp/0889353484/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245763&sr=1-5&keywords=black+rifle


Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

If you decide to get into gun ownership taking a firearms safety course and getting what you need to participate in an Appleseed marksmanship clinic are good first steps into getting some hands on experience with firearms and the history of the 2nd amendment. Safety courses are held all over the place some googling will find you one in your area pretty easily they are usually fairly inexpensive. Appleseed clinics are scheduled events that are at predetermined ranges. https://www.appleseedinfo.org/ Beyond that if you choose to get an AR15 there are a lot of schools that host "Introductory Carbine Classes" designed around the AR15. They are good ways to get some hands on training but they usually require you to bring your own rifle, mags, some basic load bearing kit, and ammo. If you can afford to get into an entry level carbine class they are usually worth it. Watching youtube videos and reading some text on the stuff can be greatly useful but there is a limit to how much you can learn without getting hands on experience.

I just bought this scope for my new 10/22. Nothing too fancy but the price was right and my friend bought the same one and loved it. For $180 gun I didn't see myself spending more than that on optics but you can.... easy.

I use this one as a bedside pistol safe.

https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8

It is super durable, and I think the lock is a good blend of simple yet secure enough.

One thing that is worth considering for your husband is to carry a firearm while in the house. A comfortable OWB holster and a good belt places the loaded firearm in his direct control at all times. The other guns can then go into the safe.

If he's not inclined to do that for comfort reasons or just not wanting to carry in the house, there are numerous "quick access" vaults that can keep curious hands away without necessarily adding too much time for accessing the weapon. I would go for a mechanically actuated vault vs those electronic ones with buttons or fingerprint scanners. You don't want to be fumbling with electronics and sweaty fingers when time is of the essence.

Depending on the level of "readiness" that your husband wants to achieve, storing the firearms with loaded magazines but closed bolts/slides on empty chambers can add another layer of security/complexity towards discharging the firearms. Some may view it as a hindrance or something to forget in times of stress or injury, but it's worth considering all the options.

It's worth discussing with your husband the level of readiness he desires along with the element of risk that you both are willing to accept. Currently, it's pretty much grab-and-go from the closet. Does he move a gun closer to the bed when sleeping? If someone's trying to break in when everyone's around, is it a "honey go grab the gun" sort of situation? You already mentioned having to lock the bedroom door when family/friends are around. How does he feel about security when no one is home? While you live in a low crime neighborhood, most crimes happen during the day when most people are away. Also consider investing in upgraded/reinforced door frames, deadbolts, sliding doors, and windows. Those are elements that can buy you precious time in the hypothetical home intrusion to access the guns however they are stored.

Most importantly, make sure that you and your husband have a plan for such incidents. Make sure you know how to communicate with each other and have a plan for who goes where, does what, calls 911, etc. Might be worth stocking some basic first aid such as tourniquets and gauze as well.

Here are some mechanically actuated safes that seem to be relatively well-received:

Pistol shot-lock

AR-15 shot-lock


Here's an RFID vault

RFID Pistol

EDIT:
Here's some more mechanical vaults

Fort Knox


V-Line

kinda looks like a 308? maybe a tad bit bigger. What does the headstamp, the bottom of the cartridge case, say? neutralization? stick the brass end in a vice and pull the copper bit out with good pliers. They also make bullet puller tools you can buy off amazon, like this one found here. that can help you pull it safely. Then discard the gunpowder in your garden or lawn and throw the rest in the trash.

It's very common for new shooters to hit low-left. There is a wonderful drill you can do to detect and solve this problem very easily.

Get a pack of these:

http://www.amazon.com/A-ZOOM-15116-Hunting-And-Shooting-Equipment/dp/B0002IKANW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457829953&sr=8-1&keywords=9mm+snap+cap

Have a friend load a few at random in a magazine filled with live rounds. They will feed normally and you won't know it's there until you press the trigger and hear a click instead of a bang.

Chances are, when that happens, you'll see the gun dip slightly down and to the left. Now you know what's wrong and you know how to fix it.

With the snap cap still in place, dry fire a few times, being careful not to let the sights move at all. Once you think you've got it, cycle the action to eject the snap cap, and try again. While you are being careful you'll be striking closer to the center of the target. If you remain careful, the next snap cap will reward you by showing that your sights haven't moved.

It's not uncommon for skilled shooters to balance a nickel across the front sight, and dry fire the gun without the nickel falling off. When you can do that consistently you'll be shooting very well.

It's amazon so it should be fine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W56YRWJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They came in today. They're badass. Even has bluetooth. I tested them out by random various loud noises with varying objects. Works great.

You could check out something like a laser cartridge insert. It won't give you the added benefit of a double tap unless you have a true DA pistol, but you can safely use it around home.

I got this one and am fairly happy with it.

Fort knox

It fits either my p220 or sp-01 perfectly with 4 magazines, or both guns set yin-yang without extra mags.

You made me chuckle. Honestly, I think it would be cool if somebody made candy in the shape of crayons.

EDIT: Found some. https://www.amazon.com/School-Crayon-Filled-Fruity-Flavored/dp/B07T86BW26/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=crayon+candy&qid=1569368193&s=gateway&sr=8-5

I hate to give a generic answer.....but to be completely honest......I poked around this forum as well as /r/ar15 for advice & tutorials...coupled with buying The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide of Amazon.

I'm a total amateur...and this was my first build...but it was very easy.

Anyone else know of any second amendment scholars like Joyce? She's got an impressive amount of writing on the subject

Another fun tidbit about her is one of her books was cited in the Heller case

Good book on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/Securing-Civil-Rights-Freedmen-the-Fourteenth-Amendment-and-the-Right-to-Bear-Arms-Updated-Edition/dp/1598130382/

Basically the 14th amendment was written to guarantee the individual rights of freedmen (former slaves), and by extension all Americans.

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O hearing protection could probably be better, but they work well enough for range and hunting, they don't interfere with cheek weld, and while hunting i can turn up the hearing to be slightly better than i can hear without them (albeit with imperfect frequency range and susceptibility to wind noise)

Howard Leight Impact Sport

If the reviews aren't enough to show you they're great I can personally say they rock. I don't have experience with anything fancier though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qZGnyb6C094G5

This is the one you want. To Keep and Bear Arms: The Origins of the Anglo-American Right https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Bear-Arms-Origins-Anglo-American/dp/0674893077

Justice Scalia references this book a great deal in his opinion in DC v Heller (2008)

I've got Walkers Razor muffs with some Noisefighter gel cups. The gel cups make them SOOOOO much more comfortable

These ones are pretty nice. https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Electronic-Protection-Amplification-Suppression/dp/B01AAH8CMA/ref=sr_1_1?fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1554129576&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A3451704011%2Cp_89%3AWalker%27s+Game+Ear&rnid=2528832011&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-1

I also have a couple pairs of Howard Leight's for guests. They are ok, but not as good as the above. https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=sr_1_1?fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1554129673&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A3451704011%2Cp_89%3AHoward+Leight&rnid=2528832011&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-1

KMK-678. Very nice.

Now get your booger hooks on these items.

1. https://www.bullseyegear.com/bullseyegear/ruger-no-sghts-black-slab-side-v-comp-muzzle-break.html
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YF931Y/ref=twister_B073X4WMMH?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Fort Knox makes a nicer looking one for the same price.

http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8

If you are trusting your life to it, I would put a bit more than $4 in a light.

Electronic muffs. Not only will they protect your hearing, they can also amplify other sounds.

I don't use a full laserlyte system.

I use this.

And combine it with this and this.

That way I'm using my real gun with its trigger break, etc.

Faaaaantastic for dry-fire practice.

Do that daily with nice slow, precise, control and it will absolutely perfect your live fire shooting.

But I wouldn't train with the system in the OP listing. I'm sure it's nice, but I'd rather use my own weapon.

Get aluminum snap caps and have a friend load them randomly in your magazine. Not worth going out seeking to intentionally blow up your gun or get a squib load just to practice clearance drills.

I got the Barska 3-9x scope and it looks like it's on sale for $40. It's a nice 22 scope and you can't beat it for that price.

I've had mine for about 6 months and I have nothing but positive things to say. I did upgrade the scope rings to These for another $10.

These are pricey but excellent: https://www.amazon.com/ShotLock-Handgun-200M-Solo-Vault-Mechanical/dp/B00844HGVU

The cool thing is that this is 100% mechanical, so won't fail in a power outage or due to dead batteries! Or if there's an EMP.... one of the top reasons to own a gun.

Amazon Link if you want to buy the book.

>hard hand gun case

Its likely that any new handgun you buy will come with one. It might not be great quality, but it matters what you need it for.

>Earmuffs & Glasses

You can just pick up a cheap pair at Walmart (or any sporting gun store that sells gun stuff) for $10 that will work fine.
But if you want some nice earmuffs, I suggest Howard Leight Impact Sport.

I would look into getting a range bag/box to carry everything you need to the range.

A magazine loader is very handy, some guns come with one.

One option: get this and this. Loop the cable around something solid (bed frame) and stick the case inside a bag that you lean against the anchor (bed frame). No one will see the cable or the box unless they move your bag aground. Won't stop a determined thief but they'll have to make a lot of noise and effort. Opening the box is fast if you know the code.

I think this one falls under common sense and they at least had something for you to use. Crap if i went into my range bag I would see 5 pairs of Howard Leight Impact Sports. Along with a 10 pack of throw away plugs and my own three tier silicon plugs that i use when shooting rifles along with my howard leights.