What is the law? Shoot 'em or not? (lenders, purchase)

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by Simpson12

So great to live in the land of redneck.

Well actually its great to live in the land of the redneck. I was out this weekend with a couple heating contractors down in SC having a grand old time on the shooting range that one had built in his backyard. We had everything from a suppressed .50 bmg to .22 rifles to everything in between & the same variety in pistols. We spent the afternoon shooting up refrigerant tanks & yakking. All in all a great time. Make some friends with the locals, learn some new skills & enjoy where you're living at.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by BrusselsSprouts

Hey Ani, a little off topic I know, but in the knew movie "The Dark Knight", Batman has a gun that shoots petards. These are little gooey piles of explosives, with a digital timer, about 2-3 inches around, that stick to things, and explode. Are these an allowable response if you catch a thief? just shoot an explosive goo ball at them?

If only...

I gotta go see Dark Knight!!!

I majored in 16th British Lit/History, LOL! Now who in his/her right mind would do that??? So that is how I know about the word, "petard." Haven't heard it used since I was in college, tho!!!!

Hoist by your own petard

Meaning

Injured by the device that you intended to use to injure others.

Origin

A petard is or rather was, as they have long since fallen out of use, a small engine of war used to blow breaches in gates or walls. They were originally metallic and bell-shaped but later cubical wooden boxes. Whatever the shape, the significant feature was that they were full of gunpowder - basically what we would now call a bomb.

The device was used by the military forces of all the major European fighting nations by the 16th century. In French and English - petar or petard, and in Spanish and Italian - petardo.

Maybe I need to consider some medieval methods for protecting my home!!! How about a moat???

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by anifani821

Maybe I need to consider some medieval methods for protecting my home!!! How about a moat???

A moat sounds good, Ani.

How about a suit of armor? (The kind people used to put in their houses.) Have him standing, holding a period-appropriate weapon, in a place where, from the street, at night, he would be seen in silhouette.

[Mom of 3 girls]

Okay...I have been out of sorts lately... been passing wonderful kidney stones... and have about 2 dozen to go.. no joking! The original was the size of a golf ball and another size of a quarter!!

Back to the topic:
These people that I have found to be lurking in my yard, community, etc. Well, in the past two years, I have been researching who they are, what is their deal, trying to have the "compassionate" heart, etc. Well, here it is in a nutshell:

They know how the system works. They know how to get away with everything. They have police scanners, so they know when the "5-0" are coming. They have a group of people that go from house to house in varying parts of town or towns. They have no job, but apparently seem to have a habit. I looked up their criminal histories (when I can get their names), and it is quite extensive. They range from 20 to 35 years! This home near me appears to be owned by a parent of one of them. So I am not sure who is enabling the others.

It is quite sad, because some of the people have families that really care for them. And they know that, so they take advantage.

So after awhile of feeling compassionate and how they "need help," I realize that THAT is their game. They only act remorseful, ready to turn over a new leaf when it suits them and can get them out of trouble (THAT IS WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT!)

I have talked to countless people who grew up w/some of these people. The stories that they tell when this group were 14, 15, would make your mouth fall to the ground! There is no hope for them and I think that they would steal from their mother and grandmother (and there are stories that they have)!! I have even talked to LE who know all about them. When someone calls into the 911 call center, all you need to say is "So-and-SO" is doing whatever at whatever address, and they know who YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! No joke.. That alone can make someone really p***ed off.

So when these LOWLIFES come onto my property, I do not know their intention. They may or may not mean me or my family bodily harm. I am not sure if they know that I am on mission to get them out of here, so I am only to assume that they do know, and mean my family and myself harm. With all of the drugs/alcohol they consume, who knows how their minds work? They can not be able to make rational law-abiding decisions while under the influence (of God knows what), and I am not going to take any CHANCES. PERIOD.

So if I have to grab a baseball bat, golf club, frying pan, shotgun, handgun, bow, or even a rock, then I will do so to protect myself and my family. My DH feels the same way. They can do a drug test on the dead, cold corpse (after I drag it on my threshhold)..

[BigJon3475]

I say if you can catch em and torture em...do it. If you can't I guess shooting them in the legs is next best...If you feel threatened mise well "go for the gold" no point in taking chances.

You could get a propane operated HVAC system. I would just build up the area around it or have it located several hundred feet away...Would be interesting to see the "cut" into the lines....hope they ain't smoking or make a spark....maybe you could setup a lighter to light when the pressure drops to low in the system

[BigJon3475]

Originally Posted by BigJon3475

I say if you can catch em and torture em...do it. If you can't I guess shooting them in the legs is next best...If you feel threatened mise well "go for the gold" no point in taking chances.

You could get a propane operated HVAC system. I would just build up the area around it or have it located several hundred feet away...Would be interesting to see the "cut" into the lines....hope they ain't smoking or make a spark....maybe you could setup a lighter to light when the pressure drops to low in the system

Hope I didn't offend anyone with the blowing up stuff

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by BigJon3475

Hope I didn't offend anyone with the blowing up stuff

Hey, Jon! Let's face it. We are all expressing our frustrations here! We saw the wry humor behind your comments.

It is challenging to consider what one can do to protect property . . . and it is so frustrating to face that we are even having to think this way. It is not as tho we are living in run down hoods w/ no law enforcement. It is hard to even get one's mind around the crazy crime we see in what have traditionally been thought of as quiet, safe burbs.

Some of the worst offenders have been plucked off the streets, so that is encouraging, and is reflected in the crime stats - we are seeing less home invasions. Pretty sad that a few rotten thugs could so upset a whole city. To me, it is a type of terrorism. The creeps out there have managed to make us feel assaulted - and if not assaulted - they have succeeded in making us wary. Being prudent and cautious are good habits to adopt, no matter where one lives. But feeling vulnerable - that is NOT something we should be dealing with. We should feel confident that our law enforcement will be there when we need them. We should feel confident that we won't have thugs in our quiet neighborhoods. However, the reality is . . . criminals figured out ways to find our "soft spots" and take advantage of us. That is not to say that we should have to arm ourselves and grate the windows and doors . . . but after months of burglaries and invasions, how can we feel differently? Until we get these psychopaths off the streets permanently, we are gonna feel wary.

I guess what changed things for me was when I realized the "traditional" burglar of the past has transformed into a wacko willing to assault homeowners - that is when I said ENOUGH. I was taught (in self defense classes years ago) that for the most part, burglars do not want to encounter a homeowner. They prefer breaking in when no one is around, and they typically do NOT carry a weapon, as simply having a weapon on one's person escalates the charges. So my thoughts have always been - well, if someone breaks in and takes my stuff, life goes on.

However, the thought that someone might shoot my beloved Miss Scarlett tears me up . . . and the thought that someone might put a gun to my (or my DH's) head is right out of a nightmare. Yet, these things have happened in "nice, safe suburbs."

So that is why I am interested in figuring out the best ways to A. not draw attention to my house as a place someone would be interested in breaking into and B. making sure my home is secured and C. educating myself about what I can legally do to protect myself and my family.

In addition, my hope is that the miscreants amongst us will be rounded up and separated from the society that they have chosen to terrorize.

[BigJon3475]

Maybe proud owner of
hand gun sign.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I still think a security system, with its attendent signs in the windows, and a large dog inside make them want to go somewhere else. From what I've read of studies on criminals, opportunity seems to be the biggest driver of who gets the hit. Whether it's a lone woman who looks afraid and keeps her eyes on the ground vs. the woman confidently striding and looking everyone in the eye or the house locked up tight vs. the locked house with a big dog inside, they are going for the target that gives them the least work. I used to live on a street in a nice suburb where everyone (literally) that didn't have either an armed security system or a dog was broken into, some more than once.

[BigJon3475]

Exactly.....they don't steal from cars that don't have items sitting on the seat worth $......at least around here they don't.

Everything you can do to make yourself a hard target...Locking everything up, closing windows that show off valuables, alarm system and signs saying you have one, dogs, neighborhood watch...ect....ect...


It does appear though that no matter how many times you tell someone not to leave their GPS or CD's or phone in the car it's not taken serious by enough..