Defending Against Break-Ins

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Bar-L

I guess that one reason we have so few break-ins in Oregon is that the Sheriff departments heavily promote concealed weapon classes and permits. I know that I feel better knowing when I leave my wife at the ranch that our dog "spike" is there and my wife has her 20th anniversary present-45GAP with laser grip.

I'm not aware of any place in the U.S. where one needs a CCW permit to have a gun in the home. That's legal just about everywhere except for Wash. DC. Though it is true that places with CCW laws tend to have a little less crime than the places with strict anti-gun laws.

The only way you'll get sued for shooting an intruder is if you let him live. If you ain't justified in killing him, you ain't justified in even showing the gun. It's an all or nothing kind of thing. Though home invasion is pretty universally accepted as justifying deadly force. And 9mm would never be my choice for home defense. I have one in the drawer, but only because I grab it a lot when going out the door if not wearing the right clothing for one of my larger caliber carry pieces. 12 ga. Mossberg and SIG P220 are my main home defense guns. But then they don't deter break-ins, they just make it more likely the intruder won't be leaving alive if he's confronted.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by dgavlak

While we were away at our timeshare in Mexico, for the second time, our house was robbed. The police suspect that someone who knows us is behind it, which is creepy. I refuse to let this affect our next scheduled vacation, but I can’t help but feel like the house is a sitting duck when we leave town. We’ve “hardened” the house: changed locks & installed an alarm. Am I covering all the bases here? I was thinking about hiring an investigator...

In my opinion, home invasion is basically a suicide mission for reasons stated elsewhere.

I see a few other people would probably do what I'd do: Make a huge production out of going on vacation out of the country for a few weeks. Cancel services, and blab that that I was on my way out of town.

Then, prepared for a home invasion, I'd hide my cars, stay home, and wait around to see what turned up. It might be quite interesting to find out who showed up.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

... my larger caliber carry pieces. 12 ga. Mossberg and SIG P220 are my main home defense guns. But then they don't deter break-ins, they just make it more likely the intruder won't be leaving alive if he's confronted.

Would it deter the prospective burglars if you put a sign outside much like a "Beware of the dog" type sign but it'd have the picture of a mean looking guy with a shotgun that reads "Beware Armed Home Owner!!"?

[artvandelay]

Sounds like some of you have made home-invasion part of your regular routine. The sad thing is, it should be that you could install an alarm and go about living your life. I can't imagine having a day or weekend with nothing to do but sit quietly in my house and wait for an intruder.

[azcallin]

even if you don't want year round monitoring, I would sure use it when away if this is repeating every time you go.

and when police say it is someone you know, i dare say it is most likely someone who knows or can see your routine more likely than someone you know as in a friend. most of us make it quite evident when we are away for long periods eventhough we don't think we do ...

a friend of mine walked in on home invasion - never try to take them on unless you are armed and ready to go the mile ... it is not worth it.

best wishes

[aj661]

RL, you're batting .500. You can leagally threaten deadly physical force in defense of your home.
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatD...13&DocType=ARS

And I bet you thought I only knew traffic.

I won't get into the debate of "stopping power" or knock-down power if you prefer, except to say that with most calibers below .50 BMG, shot placement is much more important than the size of the round. Unless the owner is highly proficient with the larger caliber, they may as well have a 9mm with more bullets and hope "spray and pray" works for them. Personally I carry a P230 concealed (.380, which is a 9mm short for those that dislike handguns), but I'm fortunate that I've always been much more accurate in 'combat' scenarios than when just punching holes in paper targets. Plus, the point of CCW is for up close and personal, which makes placing at least one round in a quick kill location even more likely.

You are absolutely correct for one of your choices for home defense-it's hard to beat a (tactical) .12 gauge. Even loaded with birdshot, it would make any burglar want to go elsewhere.

I'm not a fan of alarm systems, but if you are getting one, go ahead and pi*s off the neighbors with an audible alarm. Silent alarms will not stop the burglary and they certainly won't save your life. WAY to much lag time between the alarm tripping and the police being notified-the alarm company will call your burglar first, letting them know they need to rap up their business. With the number of false alarms over the years, response time by law enforcement can suck also.

I don't know what an HOA would think of it, but along with a security door on the front, the roll-down metal shutters would be a great way to harden your home against break in. The best way to keep the bad guys out is to make it more work than it's worth to get inside.

[blisterpeanuts]

In Massachusetts, you can't just shoot an intruder. You have to prove they were threatening you with a deadly weapon, or else you can actually get prosecuted. I read an interview with law enforcement authorities about this topic a few years ago. In the event of a home invasion in Massachusetts, your only safe and legal option is to evacuate your home. I think the law may have changed quite recently; perhaps someone can confirm this.

Then there was the case a few years ago in Boston of a liquor store clerk, the son of the owner, who was held up by an armed robber; he pulled a gun out from under the counter, shot the robber, and called the police. The police came, treated and arrested the robber for robbery, and arrested the clerk for using a gun without a license (it was his father's).

Just to keep things in perspective.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by blisterpeanuts

In Massachusetts, you can't just shoot an intruder. You have to prove they were threatening you with a deadly weapon, or else you can actually get prosecuted. I read an interview with law enforcement authorities about this topic a few years ago. In the event of a home invasion in Massachusetts, your only safe and legal option is to evacuate your home. I think the law may have changed quite recently; perhaps someone can confirm this.

Then there was the case a few years ago in Boston of a liquor store clerk, the son of the owner, who was held up by an armed robber; he pulled a gun out from under the counter, shot the robber, and called the police. The police came, treated and arrested the robber for robbery, and arrested the clerk for using a gun without a license (it was his father's).

Just to keep things in perspective.

Wow. Even in Wash. DC where all handguns are banned, the cops leave you alone if you use a gun to defend yourself. They may take the gun, but they don't prosecute you. However, I'm pretty sure that most states with CCW laws have equally sympathetic laws toward homeowners defending themselves. When in one's home or place of business, you get some extra deference from the DA if you need to use a gun for self-defense.

[AZgarden]

I remember the one and only time my house got robbed was the time I held the mail at the Post Office. Never did that again. Just asked the neighbor to take it in for me...