Burglar Shot Dead

[C l u t c H 385]

How is "you might kill your own kid" any different than the "fear mongering" you were worried about?

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

Regardless of what the law says on this issue, my gut reaction is this: Did the homeowner warn the burglar before shooting him? Did he call the police when all this was going on? Or did he just basically murder the burglar?

In my opinion, if you see someone trying your door, and instead of making yourself known and informing him that you will protect your property, you simply shoot him, that's pretty ****ed up.

Maybe there's more to the story.

Tell that to the guy in the Connecticut who has no family now. I'm not saying he could've done anything preventative anyway. But you have to assume the worst and aren't risking your own family's life or your own hoping the intruder doesn't have a weapon him or herself. Be proactive.

It sucks for the "victim." But ya know what? There are certain things that everyone knows by the time they're five, let alone 19, and one of the obvious ones is not to break into someone else's home at 3am.

 

[unluckyseventeen]

I also don't personal know anyone who has broken into a house thinking it's their own because they are drunk. all this time we're talking about it doesn't make me what a gun with rubber bullets. If I do ever decide to get a gun to protect myself and family in these circumstances it will only have real bullets.

I've heard several stories from friends of mine just like that. In fact, in one circumstance they called the police and it wound up being a policeman's son. He went into a place thinking it was a friend's of his, when his friend's place was like 2 doors down. If they happened to hear him come in and came out wildly firing then it would have been a huge mistake and would have hurt a lot of people, not just the person being shot.

I don't intend to ever buy a gun, rubber bullets or not. I like to think that I live in a nice enough neighborhood where stuff like that wouldn't happen, and if it did I have plenty of countermeasures to handle the situation. Ignorance.. maybe. But I'm not going to let fear dictate me getting a weapon that is more likely to be fired on me or somebody that I'd rather not it be fired on versus somebody actually deserving it.

 

[unluckyseventeen]

And I will accept the consequence of killing an intruder to protect my loved ones. Again, sorry?

That's fine. I respect your right to disagree. The fact that you can even talk it out and make a point that actually makes sense, and still have an opinion that differs from mine means there actually are some quality posters here.

 

[unluckyseventeen]

How is "you might kill your own kid" any different than the "fear mongering" you were worried about?

Because I've been in the exact situation. Never even heard of the other situation. One is more reasonable to me since it's happened, and the other hasn't ever happened within several planes of people I know. One seems to be born of fear, while the other is born of fact.

 

[C l u t c H 385]

I've heard several stories from friends of mine just like that.

Ok, and I haven't. I still don't see the point. This is even a smaller percentage of something you say is so unlikely to happen in the first place.

Is someone likely to break into your house? No. If someone breaks into your house is it likely to be an accident? No.

 

[C l u t c H 385]

Because I've been in the exact situation. Never even heard of the other situation. One is more reasonable to me since it's happened, and the other hasn't ever happened within several planes of people I know. One seems to be born of fear, while the other is born of fact.

And others have been in the exact situation where their child was raped.

 

[TheDude]

I read all the posts in this thread, up until the Unlucky, Archie, Dude, clutch, gang bang and I have a few questions for the "shoot first" advocates.

1. What if it was one of the homeowner's children trying to sneak back into the home?

2. Why the **** could you not position yourself behind some sort of cover, flip a flash light on the intruder, and tell him your armed? If you are going to own a gun you sure as hell better have some idea of training on how to best protect yourself in your home, other than "if someone tries to open your door shoot the mother ****er". Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you grab it march downstairs and stand right in front of the door to make the statement that you'll shoot. This seems to be what most people are assuming one would do in this situation. Unless the intruder is carrying an assault rifle, you are most likely going to be safe behind a modest amount of cover.

I'm with Franklin and Viny on this one. I don't want anyone's death on my conscience, let alone a 19 year old kid, without knowing I took the measures to end the confrontation non-violently.

These are fair and valid questions, and unlike UL17, I will try to respond:

1- Part of being a gun owner is being responsible. That includes identifying your target. I know, I know, it's late, it's dark, etc. If my son or daughter were trying to sneak back in, I doubt they would be trying to jimmy the door open. I know this has happened before... again, very sad situation... but I have heard WAYYYYYY more times where a burglar has killed a family.

2- I am not advocating busting out my AK and spraying down the perp who is still outside my house. But I also am not going to let some guy barge in my house while I hide behind the couch to try and get the drop on him by shining a flashlight in his face. Shots can be fired in a spilt second, by BOTH homeowner and criminal. Why take that risk?

 

[Qman]

My two cents is that once a person breaks into someone else house they have potentially forfeited their life. They made that decision.

Personally I don't think I would be going looking for them but I would fort up with my family and call 911. But if circumstances don't allow that I would kill them.

 

[unluckyseventeen]

Ok, and I haven't. I still don't see the point. This is even a smaller percentage of something you say is so unlikely to happen in the first place.

Is someone likely to break into your house? No. If someone breaks into your house is it likely to be an accident? No.

How is it unlikely if I've heard of X amount of situations where it was an accident (or could be perceived as one) and never heard of a situation of somebody breaking into a house with malicious intent while people were home? It seems plenty likely to me considering what I've seen and heard around my community.

Look, all I've been saying is that if you don't consider every circumstance to a situation like this, where life and death are on the line, and wind up killing somebody that didn't really deserve it, then it's your own dumb fault. Why would you ever think of a situation as important as one like this and not consider every circumstance, aside from being ignorant and stubborn? It doesn't make any sense to me to approach it with one mindset and never be willing to challenge it.

 

[TheDude]

My two cents is that once a person breaks into someone else house they have potentially forfeited their life. They made that decision.

Personally I don't think I would be going looking for them but I would fort up with my family and call 911. But if circumstances don't allow that I would kill them.

Well put... if you know someone is in your living room and it's just you and the wife upstairs and you can say get out of a window and run to the neighbors... then I think that is certainly resonable.

For me, that would likely mean leaving my son in his basement bedroom, so it's very situational.

I would NEVER want to kill anyone (Maybe some of those terrorist d-bags), but I am prepared to do so if someone threatens my family.

 

[TheDude]

UL17, you seem to be anti-gun, which is the root to your "argument". To each their own.

I defenitely agree that you are being ignorant to think that you live in nice enough a place that it wouldn't happen to you.