Robbed last night/Becoming a target

[CordMcNally]

nolamd84 wrote:

I wonder if everyone else on this forum is willing to shoot someone on the spot or if its just the vocal ones.

Personally, a gun would make me feel safer if someone was breaking into my home but I would be VERY hesitant to use it. Sure, some people deserve to get shot but they also shoot back.

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If you don't feel confident that you would use a gun, the risk of having a gun in the house likely outweighs the benefits. People can theoretically shoot back but a large majority of people getting shot at in a home they broke into either A. get shot or B. run away. If they do decide to try to shoot back, it'll be like Ray Charles trying to shoot a target.

[portlandia]

wideopenspaces wrote:

 Our state has a lot of property crime, especially car break ins. Luckily we have a garage we can park in now and someone is almost always at home so our house isn’t a great target. Plus lots of nice houses and cars to choose from puts us at lower risk, I think.

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Being on the nextdoor email list has opened my eyes to how many car break-ins there are, even in good neighborhoods. It makes me glad we park our cars in the garage. I wonder how much crime would decrease if cars were regularly parked in garages?

[CM]

HikingDO wrote:

I have no problem with shooting someone who enters my house with the intent to hurt my family or myself, and that’s assuming my German Shepherd doesn’t get to him before I do.

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I had a large, aggressive German Shepherd for 10 years. He definitely fell in the shoot first, ask questions later camp. Nobody could have entered our house uninvited without being immediately attacked.

There are many reasons to own a German Shepherd (such great dogs),* but if you are concerned about security I recommend a German Shepherd before a gun (though you might want both). He will be always loaded, always ready, and he will consider it his solemn duty to protect you and yours. He will be absolutely fearless, and will probably terrify an intruder more than your gun.

As a bonus, he'll make you feel like the world's most important person every time you return home. Can you tell that I loved my German Shepherd?  

 

* ... and one reason for fastidious homeowners to hesitate; they shed prodigiously.

[Dreamgiver]

wideopenspaces wrote:

You guys must spend a LOT of time at the shooting range if you feel confident that you’d actually hit an intruder. I’d rather not keep guns at home since I have children there. Our state has a lot of property crime, especially car break ins. Luckily we have a garage we can park in now and someone is almost always at home so our house isn’t a great target. Plus lots of nice houses and cars to choose from puts us at lower risk, I think.

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The shooting range (or the desert in my case) are great stress relievers! And with a shotgun you don't need to be a sniper, you will hit them.

[CM]

Dreamgiver wrote:

nolamd84 wrote:

I wonder if everyone else on this forum is willing to shoot someone on the spot or if its just the vocal ones.

Personally, a gun would make me feel safer if someone was breaking into my home but I would be VERY hesitant to use it. Sure, some people deserve to get shot but they also shoot back.

Click to expand…

If someone comes in the house despite people being inside, they are either out to hurt you or high. Either way they can hurt your family badly. Do not give them a chance to shoot back. No dangerous warning shots like in the movies, no telling them what is happening, just hit first and quickly. Ask questions later.

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This 92 yo WWII vet living alone on a Kentucky farm was robbed twice in one year. On the third break-in he took your advice:

http://www.military.com/video/specialties-and-personnel/veterans/92-year-old-ww2-vet-kills-burglar/1828136340001

http://www.thelevisalazer.com/index.php/news/regional-news/5581-92-year-old-boone-county-farmer-wwii-vet-shoots-kills-one-of-two-intruders

[The White Coat Investor]

nolamd84 wrote:

I wonder if everyone else on this forum is willing to shoot someone on the spot or if its just the vocal ones.

Personally, a gun would make me feel safer if someone was breaking into my home but I would be VERY hesitant to use it. Sure, some people deserve to get shot but they also shoot back.

Click to expand...

Don't pull it out if you're not willing to use it. Why would it make you feel safer if you aren't willing to use it? Are you going to wave it at them and hope you look convincing? Throw it at them? Might as well get a baseball bat instead. Probably just as effective for most coming through the door.

[The White Coat Investor]

Craigy wrote:

The White Coat Investor wrote:

It makes me feel a little better when I have something stolen that that person needed it far more than I did. I’d hate to be at a place in life where I would consider taking someone else’s stuff. That’s especially true if you believe in some sort of after-death punishment for bad behavior during your life or even in simple karma. It also helps to know that if someone stole my car, purse, computer, bike etc that I could walk down to the store today and buy another one with cash.

Of course, I’d still shoot someone coming through the backdoor and not think twice about it. And I’d empty the clip to make sure I was the only eyewitness to the incident testifying in court. Sometimes people need to be shot. This is a kid I grew up with (now a cop) who shot a patient in radiology. The patient needed shooting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTglItSFXbo

The good stuff starts at 4:15. The video is from his body camera. He was obviously exonerated.

 

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Whoa heavy video.  Thanks for sharing.

Generally speaking in the ER, how many patients typically need shooting?   ?

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I haven't had one that needed to be shot AFTER arriving at the ED (yet) but I've had plenty that needed to be shot before they got there.

[The White Coat Investor]

CordMcNally wrote:

nolamd84 wrote:

I wonder if everyone else on this forum is willing to shoot someone on the spot or if its just the vocal ones.

Personally, a gun would make me feel safer if someone was breaking into my home but I would be VERY hesitant to use it. Sure, some people deserve to get shot but they also shoot back.

Click to expand…

If you don’t feel confident that you would use a gun, the risk of having a gun in the house likely outweighs the benefits. People can theoretically shoot back but a large majority of people getting shot at in a home they broke into either A. get shot or B. run away. If they do decide to try to shoot back, it’ll be like Ray Charles trying to shoot a target.

Click to expand...

The risk probably outweighs the benefits even if you're willing to use it. I'm going to need time to unlock, assemble, and load mine if someone comes through my door, but I'm just not willing to have a ready-to-use gun available with little ones in the house. Too risky.

[The White Coat Investor]

wideopenspaces wrote:

You guys must spend a LOT of time at the shooting range if you feel confident that you’d actually hit an intruder. I’d rather not keep guns at home since I have children there. Our state has a lot of property crime, especially car break ins. Luckily we have a garage we can park in now and someone is almost always at home so our house isn’t a great target. Plus lots of nice houses and cars to choose from puts us at lower risk, I think.

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Maybe I'd miss, but I'd have to miss a lot of times. But you're right that it is surprisingly hard to hit a stationary target at 25 feet, much less one that is moving, with a handgun. It's not like the movies. But my 12 gauge? They'd better be awfully good at dodging if I'm going to miss them multiple times.

https://memegenerator.net/instance/58706832/dodgeball-patches-if-you-can-dodge-a-wrench-you-can-dodge-a-ball

 

[White.Beard.Doc]

Whoa, where do all of you live that this is an issue?  Heck, here locking your door is optional.

[MrsParadoxWealth]

We parked on a primary street during residency. Our landlord (also an MD) advises us never to leave money or badge in sight in our car. We didn’t listen and so one broke in and took a medical bag full of neuro supplies. Renters insurance covered everything lost. The perp abandoned everything a block away, didn’t realize the panoptic ophthalmoscope was worth a grand. Our stupid mistake.

[Dreamgiver]

The White Coat Investor wrote:

CordMcNally wrote:

nolamd84 wrote:

I wonder if everyone else on this forum is willing to shoot someone on the spot or if its just the vocal ones.

Personally, a gun would make me feel safer if someone was breaking into my home but I would be VERY hesitant to use it. Sure, some people deserve to get shot but they also shoot back.

Click to expand…

If you don’t feel confident that you would use a gun, the risk of having a gun in the house likely outweighs the benefits. People can theoretically shoot back but a large majority of people getting shot at in a home they broke into either A. get shot or B. run away. If they do decide to try to shoot back, it’ll be like Ray Charles trying to shoot a target.

Click to expand…

The risk probably outweighs the benefits even if you’re willing to use it. I’m going to need time to unlock, assemble, and load mine if someone comes through my door, but I’m just not willing to have a ready-to-use gun available with little ones in the house. Too risky.

Click to expand...

Small nightstand safe with fingerprint reader for quick and silent opening allows you to safely store a loaded handgun in your nightstand.

[wideopenspaces]

Dreamgiver wrote:

wideopenspaces wrote:

You guys must spend a LOT of time at the shooting range if you feel confident that you’d actually hit an intruder. I’d rather not keep guns at home since I have children there. Our state has a lot of property crime, especially car break ins. Luckily we have a garage we can park in now and someone is almost always at home so our house isn’t a great target. Plus lots of nice houses and cars to choose from puts us at lower risk, I think.

Click to expand…

The shooting range (or the desert in my case) are great stress relievers! And with a shotgun you don’t need to be a sniper, you will hit them.

Click to expand...

I have been to the shooting range ( I grew up in Texas, after all and my FIL keeps gifting me guns) which is why I know how hard it is to be a good shot! I guess you are probably right about the shotgun but I'm just not comfortable mixing guns and kids, even with a gun safe.

[Kamban]

wideopenspaces wrote:

You guys must spend a LOT of time at the shooting range if you feel confident that you’d actually hit an intruder. I’d rather not keep guns at home since I have children there. Our state has a lot of property crime, especially car break ins. Luckily we have a garage we can park in now and someone is almost always at home so our house isn’t a great target. Plus lots of nice houses and cars to choose from puts us at lower risk, I think.

Click to expand...

With young children anything can happen with guns in the house. And with the current increase in teen anxiety and depression a millisecond is all it would take to lose a loved one.

I would rather give away millions of purses before losing my child. Material things can be replaced, life cannot.

Guess I am an outlier in this group.

[AlexxT]

I am of the opinion that shotguns are too unwieldy for indoor use, and too loud.  Too easy to be disarmed, too long to search house safely and unobtrusively.   Also, the spread makes it unsafe to use if other family members are home.  At the same time, the spread is not so great as to obviate the need to aim.  They hold few rounds, and are slow to cycle and slow to get back on target.

Handguns are better for indoor use, in my opinion.

There are some excellent safes that can be keypad or fingerprint accessed.  There's a new expensive one that might be better than the others, although I don't have first hand experience with it yet.  Look for Vaultek Pro Vti.  On Amazon and Vaultek website.

You can also get a lock put on a Smith and Wesson revolver which requires a matching magnetic ring to fire.( Magna Trigger)

I worry about kids in the house too.  My kids have been taught to never touch a gun, even a toy gun.  My accessible guns are in bedside safes, with magazine inserted but none in the chamber.  That is a small compromise for safety.

FYI:

Here are some videos showing a home invasion in Atlanta.  This was a home belonging to a Chinese Restaurant owner. I think this house was used for storage of restaurant supplies.  This video contains multiple camera angles and slo-motion replay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzEno0X_yBc

 

This video is a subtitled interview with her after the incident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsreAFzubXM