With gun ownership on the rise and the numbers of those with concealed carry permits exploding, a new poll shows that Americans are ready to use those weapons if threatened.

In a survey for Insurancequotes.com, 78 percent said that they are mentally and physically prepared to kill an intruder. And even those armed with less lethal weapons, such as pepper spray or a golf club, would kill if they had to.



Some 44 percent of homes have a gun, according to the Pew Research Center.

The thrust of the survey was to see how well prepared Americans are to handle an intruder and it appears they generally feel up to the task.

Overall, about 45 percent believe that they will face an intruder at some point.



Those who felt most threatened have “armed” themselves with security cameras. The next choice was a gun, followed by pepper spray, an alarm system, a baseball bat and a golf club.



All felt they could be better prepared, said the survey: “Overall, 70 percent of Americans felt they should be better prepared for an intruder situation. Women felt the least prepared for an invasion situation, despite expecting it more than any other demographic. Democrats and non-parents thought an intruder was less likely to enter their homes but felt they should be better prepared more so than their relative counterparts."

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com