> Why do people have guns in their houses? I don't get it. If the gun is loaded, that's just an accident waiting to happen. If the gun isn't loaded, then it's not going to do much good if you're trying to protect yourself from a bad guy who suddenly bursts through the door and takes you hostage.

That doesn't tend to be what happens when people break in. But if you hear the sound of breaking glass or a door being forced when you're upstairs in the bedroom or something, that's plenty of time to pull out a gun and pop in a bullet or two. If there *isn't* time to load it, just its appearance could help. Most criminals are chickens posing as tough guys and aren't going to ask questions when they see a homeowner with a firearm. Most burglars try to avoid confrontations with the people they're robbing in the first place and might be inclined to run anyway.

The other thing is, who says a gun in a house is for personal protection? My .22 is for recreational target shooting, not self-defense, although if I had it on hand during a break in, I'd sure use it that way.