[jlgreco]

Certainly shotguns are good for that. Most people I know that own guns were given shotguns (usually as wedding gifts or whatnot) for that reason. The only two firearms that I know of in my extended family are gifted shotguns in a locked gun-rack with a trigger lock and no ammunition. And my extended family is pretty much a bunch of hawks... Most firearm ownership in the States is similar to this I think. Both sensible and safe.

When we hear figures like 47% ownership, we may tend to think that all of that 47% is of the irresponsible sort that news stories eventually are made about. The reality is very boring and mundane though.