CAn I help them load their vehicle with our stuff?
Cause the stuff they want and the stuff I want are two seperate things.
i’d break out the Vogon Poetry first
i don’t mess around with criminals…
but seriously, if my house was broken into, the first thing i’d do is call 911, advise the dispatcher that there is an intruder, while the police are on their way, i would grab a firearm and flashlight, either my Mossberg 500 12-gauge or my Taurus 689 .357 Magnum and my SureFire G2 Nitrolon with it’s searing 120 Lumen P61 lamp, the P61 will temporarily blind and disorient a thief with night-adapted eyes, i will then announce to the criminal that the police are on their way and that i am prepared to defend myself and property with lethal force, if need be
any agressive moves towards me will cause the criminal to come down with a rather quickly moving case of lead poisoning
It really depends on the situation.
My husband keeps all firearms locked up. He keeps the ammo locked in a separate place. Assuming I had a loaded gun, for some reason, I’d probably shoot to kill, because I live in a pretty rough neighborhood, and there’s some drugged up junkies roaming around. I can’t take the chance that someone is “innocently” burglarizing the place, and will leave peacefully upon request. I have very little strength and stamina, and I’m likely to have a very short period of time in which I can act, so I have to make it count.
Sure, it could be some kid who’s desperate for money to buy milk for his li’l baby sis because Mama’s sick…but it could also be somebody out for kicks. It’s impossible for me to tell which is which until it’s too late. I’m not willing to take chances with my life, or my family’s. I will minimize the risks I can. The way I look at it, anyone who is breaking the law runs a certain risk of being damaged or getting killed. Those not willing to run that risk shouldn’t break the law. I’m in Texas, so I probably wouldn’t be prosecuted for shooting a home intruder.
Can we have a cite, please? I’m not contesting what you’re saying; I merely would like you to expand. What restraints does Massachusets put on a person’s right to defend himself in his home?
If the sound of the 12 gauge shotgun racking one into the chamber hasn’t made him run, it’s time to shoot to kill.
No problem with shooting a home intruder in Alabama, except for the required carpet cleaning and other mess.
I have been told on two seperate occassions from two very good sources (weapons training related) that “giving a warning” like freeze or halt is the biggest reason for an armed resident to loose in a confrontation like this. In so doing, you give up the advantage of surprise and also give away your location. In many of these scenarios the lighting is poor and the time is short. Determining the status of the criminals weapon possession and intent is often not a luxury one can afford. Also, there may be more than one of them.
I heard a mention of shooting in the back. This was a question in an exam I took. Is it ever legal? Depends. Was he headed for the door in an attempt to retreat? Then no. Was he moving towards a loved one? Then yes. That is part of the reason I don’t use a shotgun. I may need a smaller area of effect than afforded by my shotgun.
Also, if you are in a secured area with your weapon and don’t have family members in other parts of the house to consider, then yes, stay in the room and call the police. Then, and only then, do you say anything to the intruder. Tell them you have called the police and suggest they leave. Do not reveal yourself and do not tell them that you are armed. That is giving away another advantage you have.
Let it come as a surprise.
Shooting to wound. Bad plan unless you are a professional trick shooter. The odds of missing and becoming the victim are very high. Shoot for center of mass. It is harder to move the torso out of the line of fire than say a head or hand.
My grandfather taught me my early lessons in the safe handling of a weapon. He said:
“Never point a gun at a man unless you plan to shoot him. Never shoot a man unless you plan to kill him”.
His point was don’t threaten anyone with a gun. If it is not dangerous enough to warrant shooting, it isn’t enough to warrant pointing a gun at them. And if you have to shoot, plan on him dying. If what he is doing is not bad enough to justify shooting to kill, you shouldn’t have drawn a gun on him to begin with. Don’t shoot with a mindset of “I didn’t mean to kill him”. If the situation was so desperate that you had to draw a weapon and fire it at someone then there must have been no other way than to have risked the likelihood of his death. If by chance he survives his wounds, all the better.
If this seems cold to some, I must add that I have had firearms at my ready disposal for better than thirty years now and, so far, I have never had to shoot anyone. I truly hope I never will need to do so.
You can shoot them just for trespassing in Texas. Anyone sets foot on your land uninvited or without a legitimate reason (meter reader, process server) and their ass is yours. It’s the best incentive I know of for moving to Texas. (This was before Jeb Bush changed the law in Florida.)
Well, if I was at my house, then I would grab a butcher knife and get the phone. If I was in my apartment (when I have one), I’d load my 12 gauge shot gun and tell them to get the hell out of my home. If they make any moves except towards the door/window they used to get in, then the results are their problem. Now, I probably wouldnt kill them, just shoot off a leg or something. If they had a weapon, then I’d shoot to kill.
I love Texas trespasser laws.
I added this wondeful comment to your current Pit thread
I live in CA now, but I grew up in TX. I much prefer the way Texas law handles these things.
In this type of situation your mind goes into Emergency Mode. It is ridiculous to charge a crime victim with a crime because under the influence of a massive dose of adrenaline he used somewhat more force than was necessary to protect himself.
I’ve been in similar situations and I can assure you that, regardless of the local laws, I will embed my ball-peen hammer in the skull of anyone I come upon invading my home and not even think about the legal consequences until later.
And while we’re at it; let’s make a law preventing criminals from filing lawsuits against their victims. If I hear about one more burglar who sues someone because he fell through their sky-light and injured himself I’m gonna scream!
In all seriousness, I have been burgled five times, and on one of those occasions I was in the house when a burglary took place. If I had had access to a gun, I would have shot the fucker. Not from any calculated prediction of my behaviour, but from sheer animal fight/flight response, which is what I experienced (I’d never actually felt my hackles rise before, but they did - all the skin on my spine puckered up. Bizarre experience).
Which, to reinforce what yojimbo said, is why I am glad I don’t have one. In my opinion, a better outcome is that some snivelling junkie got away with a replaceable camera and a few pounds in cash, versus the same snivelling junkie bleeding to death all over my floor, and the mountain of emotional and legal shit that would follow for me. It’s only property, it’s not life. It’s not that important.
If the fucker was directly threatening me or mine, then it would be a different story.
I’d say if someone breaks into your house, or your car, kill 'em.
Unfortunately, I don’t own a gun. Or baseball bat.
Which is probably what the criminals are counting on. If someone breaks into my house, I’m pretty much fucked.
I think most people who break into homes & cars need to be shot dead.
I don’t see myself ever having a gun in the house, though. So if you’re a burglar, come to my house! I’m pretty much helpless. But I hope someone kills you.
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- I keep a loaded firearm within reach of my bed. I would draw aiming right at them and offer them the choice of leaving now or getting shot. If they hesitated for even a moment I would fire off one shot into something right next to them; just because I’d bet the sight of the bullet hole would be pretty effective in clearing up any indecision they would have. If the roles were reversed, it would sure convince me.
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…I’d like for them to get caught but I wouldn’t even try the “citizen’s arrest” thing, I’d just tell them to leave and call the police after they’d gone. If a cop shoots a suspect during an arrest he has some legal footing because disobeying a police officer is a crime–but disobeying a ordinary guy is not. I’d much rather have them just turn and run away, with a brick in their shorts but without any new holes in their hide.
…If I was attacked, I would EMPTY the revolver into them. I would not leave any ammo in it for them to possibly use on me. They wouldn’t easily be able to find the extra ammo, and they might even be bigger/stronger than me–but they’d have five or six shots, and be bleeding like a stuck pig.
And after that I’d, uhhh, , , -well I haven’t really got any plans beyond that. I’m hoping it never happens.
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Seconded, except it’ll likely be a .357 instead of a shotgun. If they run, they get to run. If they run at me. I hope I can take them down.
I can’t imagine any situation in our house with two very alert dogs that anyone would be able to get in unnoticed. So I very much doubt I would turn a corner and be ‘face to face’ with an intruder.
Anastasion - The only reason to use deadly force is to save your self. You do not shoot to ‘wound’. Not only is it nearly imposible (I don’t care how good of a shot you think you are), it could get you in a hell of a lot of trouble.
If you shoot. You shoot to kill.
A distinction should be made between “stopping” and “killing.”
In a self-defense situation, you want to stop, not kill, the perpetrator(s).
A word to the wise: never utter the words “kill,” “death,” or “lethal” to anyone after you have justifiably defended yourself. As an example, do not tell the detectives, “He was threatening my life, and in an act of self defense I killed him.” Never use the word “kill,” as it will be used against you in court. If you feel you must say something to the detectives, tell them, “He was threatening my life, and in an act of self defense I stopped him.” Again, your goal was to stop, not kill. At least that should be your official line. Any death is incidental. Utter the words “kill,” “death,” or “lethal” to anyone after a defense-related shooting and the attorneys will eat you alive.
To be honest, I agree, but keep it to yourself. After a justifiable shooting, your official story was that you were trying to stop the threat, not “kill” the perpetrator. Do not use the word “kill.” Any death is incidental. See my post above.
FIVE TIMES?
Holy Crap.
That’s ridiculous and totally unacceptable to me. Perhaps if England didn’t have such strict gun laws, there would be fewer burglaries?
So how do you know if someone is a process server when they fist set foot on your land? Why would you want to shoot someone just for setting foot on your land?
If a kid crosses your lawn to make a shortcut, can you shoot him?
True, but sad.
Lawyers, gotta love 'em don’t ya.
“Ooops. I accidentaly killed the fucker when I shot him.”
Yep.
Anything I’m * thinking* cannot be used against me in court; only things I say. So if anyone breaks into our house while we’re home, my goal will be to kill the SOB. But my statement to the detectives will be the following:
“I was scared for my life, and I wanted to stop the threat.”