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OK, you are sleeping, your burglar alarm is going off, you investigate, bigger person coming up the stairs at you. Most burglars would leave if they knew there was somebody home and the alarm is going off, so at that point, you would think their may be more than just a burglar.
Now, if there was some distance, I wouldnt have shot. I would have commanded the typical freeze. If they turn around and run, I'd let them run. If the took another step forward, I'd empty a clip.
I know I would never want to shoot anybody, but bad situations happen. This may have been one of them.
Exactly. There was the case of the man who shot some kid who was trying to steal his car. He was in no danger from this kid. Just shoot your gun up in the air, and tell the kid to get lost. Give them a chance to run away. Then call the police. You don't have to kill people just because they are trying to steal some of your stupid property. Your property is not worth someone's life.
My first thought also. Why shoot someone to death just because they might be burglars?!
Time they outlaw all lethal firearms...
How do you know WHAT their intent is? Should you wait to see if they're "just" going to steal something?
The fact is, nobody belongs in MY home but me, my family, and other persons that I have invited it. And never at 2 am. If you're breaking in a window at 2 am, I have to assume you're up to no good, which might include great bodily harm to me or my family.
If I were someone who wants to confront home intruders, I would do what someone else already mentioned. I would yell, "Freeze. I have a gun. Get out of here." and if they came towards me, I would shoot into the air.
In reality, if it was me, if I had a home intruder, the LAST thing I would do is come out looking for them. That's just stupid. I would barricade myself in a locked room and call the police.
The ALARM was going off, while he was walking up stairs, if the alarm did not scare him off or did not tell the intruder to run, and he is standing on your stairwell, do you think he is really going to run away?
BTW, depending on which alarm siren the homeowner had, they may not have been able to yell over the siren.
In reality, I don't know what I would do? I know where my son sleeps (he is 11), you damn right I'm going to his room first thing, with my phone and gun, if at that point I encounter the guy, I'm not going to try and yell over the alarm, he does not care about the alarm.
How do you know WHAT their intent is? Should you wait to see if they're "just" going to steal something?
The fact is, nobody belongs in MY home but me, my family, and other persons that I have invited it. And never at 2 am. If you're breaking in a window at 2 am, I have to assume you're up to no good, which might include great bodily harm to me or my family.
Why not give it a split second to find that out? Believe it or not there are not that many strangers breaking into people's homes in order to kill them. In fact, that's mighty rare. If someone is doing that they probably know the victim, and have some beef with them, as in a drug deal gone bad, or domestic violence. The chances of some random serial killer-type person who just breaks into peoples homes to kill them, that is very very rare.
So we know that the vast majority of home intruders, probably around 99.9 % are burglars who want to steal your property. If you shoot into the air, it is highly likely they will flee. Why not do that, since the risk of it being some psycho-killer is very remote? Why this blood-lust to kill?
Exactly. There was the case of the man who shot some kid who was trying to steal his car. He was in no danger from this kid. Just shoot your gun up in the air, and tell the kid to get lost. Give them a chance to run away. Then call the police. You don't have to kill people just because they are trying to steal some of your stupid property. Your property is not worth someone's life.
You are making a lot of assumptions, and cherry picking the VERY few idiots that have guns. You are painting every gun owner as the same as the guy above.
Ok joe biden, your "just shoot in the air" just got someone thrown in jail not more than a month ago....
How do you know WHAT their intent is? Should you wait to see if they're "just" going to steal something?
The fact is, nobody belongs in MY home but me, my family, and other persons that I have invited it. And never at 2 am. If you're breaking in a window at 2 am, I have to assume you're up to no good, which might include great bodily harm to me or my family.
Well, nighttime is prime time for burglars, you can't expect them to come for lunch
I just think it is the wrong approach to kill people just because you assume they break into your home in order to kill you. In 9/10 cases that is not the case, people are just roaming the home to see what there is to steal.
Frankly, I guess people watch too many crime programs featuring psychopaths
Well, nighttime is prime time for burglars, you can't expect them to come for lunch
I just think it is the wrong approach to kill people just because you assume they break into your home in order to kill you. In 9/10 cases that is not the case, people are just roaming the home to see what there is to steal.
Frankly, I guess people watch too many crime programs featuring psychopaths
Actually, most burglaries occur during daytime, when homeowners are away. That is because burglars do not want to encounter people. And if they are fool-hardy and evil enough to break into people's houses at night, and do not flee at the first sign that a homeowner is there, then they may very well be armed and be the type to shoot you before you even draw your gun. Good luck at a shootout in the darkness after you've just woken up. The most prudent thing in that case, would be for you to avoid them, not to go and seek them out.
Why confront burglars especially if you care about your own safety? The worst thing to do is force an encounter with someone who is desperate, foolish, young and stupid, and may be on drugs. Why? To save your stupid flat-screen TV?
And most burglars are young. It's something people do when they are young and stupid.
Exactly. There was the case of the man who shot some kid who was trying to steal his car. He was in no danger from this kid. Just shoot your gun up in the air, and tell the kid to get lost. Give them a chance to run away. Then call the police. You don't have to kill people just because they are trying to steal some of your stupid property. Your property is not worth someone's life.
You can't shoot a gun into the air. Those bullets often come down and kill innocent people.
I would agree that there is no need to shoot someone stealing your car outside. But I have no problem with what this homeowner did. Homeowners shouldn't be required to figure out a intruder's intent when they break into their home. No one should be forced to end up like the Petit family. Those guys started out just stealing, but after they had the money, they raped the wife, raped the little girl, and then tied the daughter's to their beds and burned down the house. You don't know what the intruder will do until it is too late.
Why not give it a split second to find that out? Believe it or not there are not that many strangers breaking into people's homes in order to kill them. In fact, that's mighty rare. If someone is doing that they probably know the victim, and have some beef with them, as in a drug deal gone bad, or domestic violence. The chances of some random serial killer-type person who just breaks into peoples homes to kill them, that is very very rare.
Prove the guy did not......however his siren was going off, and that split second, can cost you your life, it may not happen often, but I won't give them a chance to show me they have nothing. Again the alarm is going off and he is still in your house at 2am....
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellemint
So we know that the vast majority of home intruders, probably around 99.9 % are burglars who want to steal your property. If you shoot into the air, it is highly likely they will flee. Why not do that, since the risk of it being some psycho-killer is very remote? Why this blood-lust to kill?
Again shooting in the air can and will get you thrown in jail, just because the VP said it does not make it true.
Blood-lust, big word Wednesday is tomorrow. There is no blood-lust, you cannot prove that and have nothing to back that up. This was a complete mistake and the drunk teenager (6ft I might add) while the alarm was going off, after climbing through an unlocked window was standing on your stairwell at 2am....
Actually, most burglaries occur during daytime, when homeowners are away. That is because burglars do not want to encounter people. And if they are fool-hardy and evil enough to break into people's houses at night, and do not flee at the first sign that a homeowner is there, then they may very well be armed and be the type to shoot you before you even draw your gun. Good luck at a shootout in the darkness after you've just woken up. The most prudent thing in that case, would be for you to avoid them, not to go and seek them out.
Why confront burglars especially if you care about your own safety? The worst thing to do is force an encounter, with someone who may be on drugs or otherwise foolish. Why? To save your stupid flat-screen TV?
I suppose it is mostly people known in the neighborhood that break in at night because they are afraid of being seen and recognized.
Probably there is a difference between suburbia and cities. I live in the center of a small city and it would be crazy to break in during the day, there are always people around...
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You can't shoot a gun into the air. Those bullets often come down and kill innocent people. 
