Not Your Daddy's Deer Rifle

continued

Thompson recommends a shotgun for home defense rather than a handgun. "You hear that sound of a pump-action shotgun shell being racked, and you know what it is," he explains. "The sound alone is a deterrent." (And if you're just looking for that sound, you don't even need the gun. "There's an app for that!" Holli and Thompson both say at the same time--available online, not through their store.)

Thompson and Pinon don't always recommend guns. "The first day we were open, a gentleman came in and asked for a recommendation for his daughter who was going off to Michigan State," Thompson says. "My recommendation was for her not to have a firearm or a Taser, but to go through a 'Refuse to Be a Victim' course."

Ann Arbor Arms, 5060 Jackson Road, 531-6650. Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.    

[Originally published in November, 2012.]