I’m asking this to see how much of a difference there is between places. We all know the stereotype about Americans having guns being very quick to shoot intruders, but I want to know how much of a difference there really is. Not just with Americans, but different parts of the world.
It would be interesting to know what you would think and do if you went to bed at night, and then heard someone in your house. Would you be scared? Angry? What would be your first throught?
You can state where you are from in a very general way, if you don’t want to identify yourself too much.
It would likely be my son. Also, we have two dogs who would lose their shit if someone broke in.
But I won’t fight the hypothetical. In such a circumstance, I believe I’d yell down the stairs “I called the police!” If I actually brought my phone upstairs, it would be true.
I don’t own any guns. If after I called out, I heard this person climbing the stairs I’d walk out to meet him at the top, with my 8-iron in hand. It would be my strong preference to avoid any confrontation, but I assume someone advancing after I called out has especially evil intent.
To close out my hypothetical, if he was armed I would then die at the top of the stairs. I currently live in the Philly suburbs.
Years ago, before mobile phones, one my neighbors was in the Air Force and her husband was often away. I told her once not to be shy about screaming out if she wanted someone to come running. She assured me that she was OK. She said she slept with a .303 rifle beside her bed and, if she thought that she had heard an intruder, she would call out, “Listen to this. It is the sound of me working the bolt on a .303 rifle to load it. And I know how to use it.” She never did have an intruder though.
Probably suggest strongly that they leave, and if not I’d leave myself. Calling 911 might not be an option since my phone is usually in the front room. The person would have to contend with an overly friendly Lab and a yapping, not-friendly terrier as well as a houseful of cats.
Unless THEY had a gun I wouldn’t be too worried, I’m a lot tougher than I seem.
I would think it would most likely be a bear. They break into our cars.
Anyway 2 or 4 foot intruder, my dogs would be having a word with them. I would make sure my wife is in bed next to me.
Then I would arm myself. I’ve got a switch in my bedroom that turns on 6 outside flood lights, so I would turn those on, and then start yelling 'who’s there.
Having no weapons, being a small, and, no longer young woman, I would grab the phone and head for the attic. There is a concealed entrance so I’d be well hidden, as long as I was quiet calling 911, I think I’d be okay. Failing that, were I far from the attic, I’d leave my house from one of the exits and head to the neighbours to call 911 from there.
I have plenty of weapons, but none in our bedroom or even near it. It just wouldn’t feel right, and I’m not alone in feeling like this.
I’m pretty young and strong, but I have no illusions of grappling someone in the dark, waiting for the knife stab to puncture my gut or lung.
I’d call the police and then shout from the bedroom, behind the closed door, that police are on their way, while holding my brass nightstand light as an improvised club.
Not to fight the hypothetical, but I cannot imagine this happening, given where we live and the fact the dogs would go apeshit if someone approached our home, let alone entered it.
I own a shotgun that I use maybe once every 5 years for dispatching injured wildlife. It is stored under my bed (where else would I store it?). It is loaded, so I guess I’d grab it and dispatch the intruder.
If I believe it’s an intruder, the first thing I’ll do is call 911 and report it.
And then… it depends.
I sleep upstairs. If I know no one is sleeping downstairs, I will grab my 12 gauge shotgun and stay put in my bedroom. Let him come to me. However, if someone is sleeping downstairs, I’ll do the opposite: I’ll grab my shotgun and go to him.
We have no guns and our dog is crated at night. And, unfortunately, we usually leave our phones in the living room when we go to bed. So I think my answer would be to yell out “I’m calling the sheriff” and barricade the bedroom door.
I suspect my husband would be more inclined to investigate and attempt to kick some ass…
Our plan in our last home was that the wife would shut and lock the BR door (on her side of the bed), then sit with her back against it while I called the cops. Then I’d get my handgun from the closet in case the door was breached while we were waiting. There is a zero chance of a scenario like this where we are now living.
We don’t live in a town. And the Sheriff’s office has no one on patrol between I think 10pm and 6am (maybe they do now, but they didn’t a few months ago). So, I would still call after making sure we are safe. Or more likely have my wife call 911. I suspect it would fall on the State Patrol.
I think about this often enough while listening closely to strange noises I hear outside my bedroom door. It’s the cats rampaging up and down the stairs and jumping around, I tell myself. Or it’s the wildlife outside my window grunting and snuffling about. NTL, if it’s an intruder with evil on his mind I think I’ll lay here like I’m dead or quick hide under the bed. lol no no no no. Quick get up open the second story window and grab the 5# aerobic bar and I will whack the morherfcker out the window. If that doesn’t work by then my adrenaline will cause sparks to emit from my head and I will convincingly act like a demon possessed and wildly attack the ghost in hand to hand combat.
They’d have to get through layers of security including menacing barking from Pluto the Wonder Spaniel to get to the point of me needing to take action.
