Anyone who wants to prepare themselves for home defense, riots, and looting will want to own a shotgun. There are many reasons why someone should have a shotgun available in their possession for the preparation of such events. Even if you are not interested in hunting or recreational shooting, a shotgun is always good to have for home defense purposes no matter who you are. No one likes to think that their family or property will ever be in danger, but there is always the possibility of someone trying to break into your home for whatever reason.
As a prepper, you need to be ready for anything. Someone could break into your home no matter where in America you live. There is an even greater chance of this happening if there is a natural disaster or riot taking place in your area. We’ve already seen a dramatic increase in the number of hurricanes that strike the North American states and territories each year. This trend is likely going to continue as the years go on.
If your area was hit by a hurricane before, then you already know how differently people act during these times. One real problem that emerges in the middle of this chaos is looting. These looters see a time of natural disaster as the perfect opportunity to break into people’s homes and steal their belongings. They figure the property owners will have already vacated their premises and the police will be too busy or unresponsive to deal with a break-in situation at someone’s home.
Of course, if you are like many people, you will not leave your home during a time of chaos. You will hold down the fort and protect your home at all costs. Looters won’t typically target homes with people inside, but sometimes they will if they think the police won’t show up because the power’s out and the cell phone signals aren’t working. There is also the chance that looters will think no one is home when there really is someone home.
When there are riots, the main targets are typically businesses and commercial property. But there is always the chance that residential property could become impacted by looters too. Regardless of which type of property you own, a shotgun can still be useful to keep angry rioters and looters out of your property. Just make sure you don’t go shooting them on the outside of your property if they haven’t threatened you. Depending on the laws of your jurisdiction, you need to be careful when shooting an unarmed intruder or trespasser and understand the legal consequences of what could happen if you do.
In most cases, if someone actually breaks into the structure of your property, the owner is allowed to defend their property with whatever it takes. You can’t rely on alarm systems and smart security technology to save you, especially if there is a natural disaster. The only thing that can save you and protect your property is a good old-fashioned shotgun. For over a hundred years, property owners have used shotguns to protect their property and they are still just as useful today as they were back then for doing so.
If you were to surprise a looter by pointing a shotgun at them, they will likely run away as fast as they can without putting up a fight. Looters are usually cowards who are not looking to engage in a gun battle with a property owner. They’re just looking to loot a property quickly without any resistance. If they see you with a shotgun, they will give up on looting your property right away. The same goes for anyone looking to break into your property, even when there is not a disaster.
It helps you to practice shooting your shotgun in preparation for such events. You certainly don’t want to end up in a situation where you must protect your home and are not sure how to fire your weapon when you need to. That is why it is recommended that you go practice shooting at the nearest firing range or open field so you can feel confident in your shooting abilities. Then, if the time comes when you must use the shotgun to defend your home, you will be able to do so without hesitation.
You should choose a shotgun that you are most comfortable with using. I have always liked the pump shotguns for two reasons. First, there are few sounds that are as bone-chilling as the sound of a round being chambered in a pump shotgun. Day or night, this is one of those sounds that snaps everyone to attention. Just the sound could be enough to make the intruder turn and run and, in most cases, leaving a trail of DNA in their retreat.
Second, even a 12 gauge Magnum Express Slug fired from a shotgun is going to fall safely to the ground in less than a few hundred-meter meaning, unlike your Glock 21, the round is not going to go through the intruder, your wall, your neighbor’s teenage sons car parked across the street and on into your neighbor’s house possibly doing great harm there as well.
Most people will choose the Remington 870 Express pump-action shotgun because it is affordable and reliable. If you practice enough with the weapon and get good with it, you could always upgrade it to a Remington 870 Police version. But don’t think you have to do this to protect your home. Any working and reliable shotgun will do a good enough job of deterring looters and thieves. Again, it is very rare that you’ll ever need to shoot your weapon at them. For more check out Vitaly at his site rem870.com.
Editors Note An article from Vitaly to The Prepper Journal.