I usually only discuss non-lethal forms of self defense, but today I am going to throw you a little curve ball. The article before you will give you the questions that you need to ask yourself before making the decision to buy a firearm for self defense. Most people feel content with just using non-lethal forms of self defense, but I know that there are some of you out there who would feel much more comfortable with a real gun by your side.

Before trying to decide which of the many guns to purchase you need to ask yourself some very important questions. What are the gun laws in your area concerning owning a gun? What kind of experience do you have in using firearms? Is this a gun that you are going to be keeping in your house or in your car? If you are keeping the gun in your house there are many other factors that must be addressed. Do you have any children in the house? Could the situation arise when someone else in the house, like your spouse, may need to use the gun? These are all questions that must be answered before you seriously consider buying a gun.

So first off, you need to learn what the gun laws in your jurisdiction are. How disappointing and frustrating would it be to go out and buy the gun of your dreams only to find out that is illegal for a citizen to posses in your area? Gun laws can differ from state to state and even from city to city. The best plan is to contact your local police department and they can point you in the right direction on understanding your area's gun laws.

The experience that you have with using firearms is also a good thing to consider before purchasing a firearm. This is pretty self explanatory here though. It is not rocket science; do not buy a gun that you are not comfortable with shooting!

One of the most important questions to answer here is whether or not you have children in the house. One of the biggest mistakes gun owners make is hiding their firearms from children. Hiding something from children only makes them want it more, and trust me, they will go looking for it! Every chance you get you should teach your children about gun safety rules. A great program, called the Eddie Eagle program, that will help you teach your children gun safety can be found on the National Rifle Association's website.

If you can come to responsible answers to all of these question then you are ready to take the next step and shop around for your self defense gun of choice. If any of these questions pose a problem for you though, then you may just want to stick with non lethal self defense weapons. Either way, you can rest a little easier at night knowing that you have some sort of protection from the dangers that criminals can bring to you and your loved ones.