Once a criminal is in the house, of course, your mother can wave her gun around. That may, in fact, protect her.
More likely it will get her shot. The only defense against a gun is to shoot first. What do you think the criminal will do? How likely is it that Mom, who is probably a nice person with normal inhibitions, will shoot first?
There is a good reason why the homicide rates are much much lower in countries where gun ownership rates are low, compared to the U.S. Pick any western european country as an example.
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More likely it will get her shot. The only defense against a gun is to shoot first. What do you think the criminal will do? How likely is it that Mom, who is probably a nice person with normal inhibitions, will shoot first?
There is a good reason why the homicide rates are much much lower in countries where gun ownership rates are low, compared to the U.S. Pick any western european country as an example.