Do you leave your doors and windows unlocked? (Lynchburg, Winchester: house, neighborhood)

[Hickory patrick]

Originally Posted by Fallout Zone

This post makes my head hurt.

We locked up in small town Minnesota, and do here as well. Why give criminals a simple path?

2 Summers ago there were 33 day time break in's in my small city, and when they caught 2 of the crews doing it they were Minority's out of the city and some had gang tie's to the Gangster Disciples ,,

I know i was shocked as well, they weren't Polish or Irish, weird huh...

[Pikantari]

I lived in the Hampton Roads area for 23 years, beginning at age 15. I'm not sure if we ever locked our doors. Slept with the windows open, etc.

We lived on what was basically farmland. Now when I had my own children and we moved to a different area, we locked the doors. I will say we did at times sleep with the windows open.

We didn't lock our car doors either.

Here I would not think of not locking the house or the car.

[The Dissenter]

I grew up in Hampton Roads also. I NEVER leave without locking up my apt and car. Just street smarts all day.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Fallout Zone

This post makes my head hurt.

We locked up in small town Minnesota, and do here as well. Why give criminals a simple path?

My wife's relatives are in small town Minnesota near the Canada border and they never lock the house. Drives me crazy when I go there.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

And, before the outrage begins, yes, I'd shoot. If you're in my house, uninvited, be prepared.

I'm not outraged. It's probably more likely someone in your home will be accidentally shot than you'll ever successfully use the gun to defend them.

To contribute to the topic, we always lock our doors, even though I feel extremely safe in the community we live. You just never know

[Hickory patrick]

with all the day time break in's we had here I learned locking the doors only keep the honest people honest... because most break in's just took the thief's one or 2 kicks and they were in..so after that it became a false security to just Lock a dead bolt, I had to Harden my security, I added door devils to all my doors and a zombie bar to the basement garage door....now it would take wayyy more kicks to get in, So if I or my wife are home when someone comes kicking buys us valuable time.... and if were not home they might just give up after 10,12,15 kicks and move on to easier target....

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by FCNova

I'm not outraged. It's probably more likely someone in your home will be accidentally shot than you'll ever successfully use the gun to defend them.

To contribute to the topic, we always lock our doors, even though I feel extremely safe in the community we live. You just never know

Two adults; regular practice at a firing range.

[Old Monkey]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

We locked all lower and main level all the time, no matter where we've lived. Since it was always a ubiquitous two-story colonial, we did open the upstairs windows at night.

Of course, alarms, locks and doors can be overcome, but it at least there's usually noise and the dog would bark. Gives us time to get the pistol. And, before the outrage begins, yes, I'd shoot. If you're in my house, uninvited, be prepared.

That's NOT an issue for outrage. The problem is that the burglar might indeed come "prepared"--with his own pistol, with the element of suprise and willing to shoot first.

I once lived in a Norman Rockwell, small town in the mid west. I had just moved there from L.A. and thus was in the habit of locking everything up. Good thing, too. A couple of locals (meaning good ol' boys, redneck, non-gang mambers) tried to kick down my door one Friday night. Scary.

Before moving to NOVA, I lived in a small city in WA. A group of neighborhood kids (non-minority,non-section 8) thought it was tremendous fun to break into (the unlocked) houses to call 1-900 numbers. The police were pretty dismissive.

Although we feel pretty safe in our current neighborhood, we keep everything locked even when we're home.

[South Jersey Styx]

Growing up, we used to leave the front door unlocked.

In NoVA, we always locked all doors even if we were home. We lived in a brand new development.

In Winchester, we leave the front door unlocked (storm door there) only if we are in the kitchen and/or front parlor. If we are upstairs or in the back of the house, front door is locked. The good thing is that everyone on the street is pretty nosy about strangers. So if anyone is creeping around who doesn't live here, one of us speaks up and/or will call the cops.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by FCNova

I'm not outraged. It's probably more likely someone in your home will be accidentally shot than you'll ever successfully use the gun to defend them.

Originally Posted by Old Monkey

That's NOT an issue for outrage. The problem is that the burglar might indeed come "prepared"--with his own pistol, with the element of suprise and willing to shoot first.

I am with LynchburgLover on this one: over on our side of the mountain (west into the Winchester-area), ALOT of people own guns, hunt, and/or own giant dogs. I have seen "little old grandmothers" shopping and stop to talk about the ammo sale at Gander Mountain. It is not just the cliched redneck-thing either. It is just seems that people are well-armed over here. They even walk around with them holstered or in their pocketbooks.

So anyone breaking into someone's home around here, even with a gun, shouldn't expect to find a homeowner who's unarmed or cannot shoot. "Prepared" or not -- someone breaking into a house ought to be ready for a homeowner who can, and will, fire back.