www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyKey=72860&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=12/16/2001


Potential terrorist threats aside, Ferrante and his fellow firearms instructors work hard to disabuse their students of any notion that a pistol or revolver is a practical means of self-defense at home -- though they suspect that's what prompts at least some of their students to buy handguns.

"We don't teach marksmanship, self-defense, anything like that,'' Ferrante said. "This is strictly safety. We try to advise people here not to have a handgun. Too many of 'em watch TV.''

This is defenitely the type person that just worries about liability then anything else. That or he is just a moron. The world is full of them.

Potential terrorist threats aside, Ferrante and his fellow firearms instructors work hard to disabuse their students of any notion that a pistol or revolver is a practical means of self-defense at home -- though they suspect that's what prompts at least some of their students to buy handguns. "We don't teach marksmanship, self-defense, anything like that,'' Ferrante said. "This is strictly safety. We try to advise people here not to have a handgun. Too many of 'em watch TV.

Can you imagine sending your son or daughter to a driving school taught by this guy?  "We don't recommend you actually *drive* a car.  Hundreds of people are killed or injured every day driving cars.  We recommend you stay home and in bed.  And watch your TV."

Mr. Ferrante works for the county. He's a bureaucrat, not a shooter. Of course the county doesn't want people to have guns! They would prefer to maintain a monopoly on force.

I definitely can relate to that as a friend of mine who swore that he will never get to the "carrying a gun fad" as he calls it, just sent in his application last week.

And just what does this jackass consider to be " A Practical means of self defense"?

Maybe he's a high priced bodyguard a bit low on contracts? Perhaps a nice thermonuclear warhead.. I mean, it works for many countries.. A standing navy.. Yes, a Missouri class battleship in my yard, THAT'LL keep the bastards out!

I wonder how much he charges to tell people they shouldn't buy a pistol..


Meplat-

He also says a 12 gauge, or a big ugly dog would be more effective. Wasn't it Chuck Taylor who said you use a handgun to fight your way back to you long gun?? He seems to be saying firearms are ok, and there are more effective arms than a handgun.

The driving instructor thing, I'm sure many will teach you how to drive and advise against driving a Yugo........

For home defense, Ferrante recommends "a big ugly dog.'' If a student insists on a firearm, he and his fellow instructors suggest relying on the distinctive sound of a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun being

"Me, I have the cat from hell,'' Guenther told his students. "The last thing you want to do is hurt somebody, in home defense or any case. You've got a few seconds to make a decision. The judges and the lawyers and the juries have years to make theirs.''

Hey- NO FAIR! the only reason 300 people looked at this post is because we were expecting some babe with a gun!

Heh!! Sorry!

"Me, I have the cat from hell".....WTF?  Has anyone in here ever been remotely scared of a house cat?  And if its bigger than a housecat, I think the liability would be higher than with a gun.  Can you imagine being tried because your cougar ate an intruder?  What a friggin idiot.

The guy has a point.  I can't imagine anything more dangerous than some jumpy new gun owner that's likely to put holes in the woodwork.  The best outcome is to always not have to use a gun, which is why I have 3 big mangy dogs.  If somebody *does* get by the dogs then I figure the use of a firearm would be more than likely warranted.  But not before.

This guy's "point" as far as I can tell is that no one should have a handgun because it's too dangerous, but since the government is too stupid to ban them, people are going to get handguns anyway so here's the "safe" way not to shoot yourself/wife/kids/people down the street.  Not to hit your target or defend yourself because you shouldn't even try that with an evil handgun.

Screw him.

Wow, how'd you guys find this?!  Funny thing is, Vic Ferrante was the instructor who taught my "Handgun Safety Class" back in 1996 when I was applying for my NYS carry permit.  He seemed like a decent guy too.  I would be willing to bet his quote in the Times Union was at least partly taken out of context.  I don't remember him saying anything about handguns being useless for defense back in '96.  To the contrary, I am fairly sure part of his class had to do with safe defensive gun handling in the home!

So either he had a change of heart for the worse, or the newspaper twisted what he said to fit their typical BS agenda.  Personally, I'll bet on the latter.  He NEVER "advised" people to not have a handgun!  I hate the media.

Now for that Guenther guy, I don't know who he is or what he does, and I don't give a crap.  He sounds like a POS who has no business telling new gun owners anything!  He can take his big, mean cat and stick it where the "sun don't shine".... because if some crook breaks into his house, you better believe that's where HE'S gonna shove that stupid cat!

I would like to know, how many of you have ever tried finding out how "dangerous" a handgun at home is? I keep hearing people say the same old line about how handguns in the home are dangerous, or handguns in the hands of a new gun owner are dangerous, etc. It's become almost cliche to run one's mouth about a topic I think most folks have no concrete information on. I don't know if handguns really ARE more dangerous. We can all speculate they are, but that's what the anti-gunners do everyday too.

I find it a lot easier to carry a handgun in a holster than to stuff a 12 ga. pump or a big, mean dog in my pants.  Maybe these guys know tricks that I don't? I do believe I am more likely to need a gun AWAY from home than in it.

At home, I generally keep my AR15 ready for intruders and such, and prefer that to the 12 gauge, the big dog or "lions, and tigers and bears, oh my!"