ClassicCar

Ritchie, Sorry that this happened to you. I used to have a 357 magnum, but got rid of it after I thought about it for a while. Unless you carry it with you everywhere you go, they will steal it too if and when they break in. Then you have a thief with a gun out there. Or worse, If you were to come home while they are still there, it could be used against you. I keep 3 dogs now, a grumpy old male and two females.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in the right to own guns and will never change my mind about that. I think that a person has the right to protect what is theirs. Unfortunately, if you shoot someone that is robbing your house, You will go to jail! Sad but True.......
Bob

Buy a shotgun - can't miss with that. That said, make sure the sucker breaking in ain't breathing - you could get sued blind, in this day and age.



Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

I can tell you from personal experience.... Just wait until a major disaster or riots happen like they did in Los Angeles. You'll be happy you have a gun. Just make sure you are trained with it and know when you will use it.

Sounds like the prescription that you need is a Taurus "JUDGE". They are great for home protection.

Richie, was not good news about your house getting robbed. Might be a time to get a LARGE dog. Sorry to hear about your things getting carried off Richie.

Richie wrote:

Thanks for all the comments guys. It will bother me for a long time, every time I go out I will wonder is the house safe and for how long. I hadn't used the alarm system in the past when I went to the store or for coffee. Just didn't seem necessary for the short time I was away. Now I guess I need it on every time I leave the house. They will be back I'm sure. They passed up four computers including a brand new Dell and the downstairs 54' flat screen TV. Someone must have been watching me and when I started for home the alerted the nice people that were doing the stealing. Enough said, I apologize, time to move on and talk Hudsons. Richie.

Just one final note - there used to be a TV show, "It Takes A Thief". It was show where two fellows, with your permission, broke into your home. One of the fellows would go to the homeowner and get their permission. The people from the show would then rig the house with camera's. Owners knew there would be a break-in, just not when.



When the day came the other fellow would break into the house and proceed to clean it out, while the first fellow watched TV monitors from a van parked nearby.



Here's the point - the burglar would clean out a house in less than 15 min. And that was a big house. It really made you stop and think. After the break-in when the home owners came back they would go thru the house, then watch the videos in the van. The "burgler" would then bring everything back, they would do a clip showing what he'd taken (everything from cash to cars and in between) and then the house would have an alarm system installed, courtesy of the show.



And if you think having a dog is a deterrent, think again. Unless the dog is a trained attack dog he'll probably be so happy to see somebody , after being left alone most of the day, he'll not only help them get into the house, but show them all the goodies and help them carry the loot out of the house.



And if you think, oh, why bother - I don't have much worth stealing - think again. Bank statements and credit cards being stolen can ruin your whole day.







Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

My 2 cents. I have been in the security industry for almost 10 years now and I often hear. Oh I dont use my security system when I am only gone for a short while.



If you have a home security system ARM it and use it everytime you leave the house. We turn ours on when we are at the barn..



Nothing deters a thief more than a blaring alarm and the knowledge that they have been detected....

Jon B wrote:

I hope you won't take offense, but I'm gonna move this to the Discussions section 'cause, as you say, it's a bit off-topic. It is truly heartbreaking to be burgled, and it kind of pulls the rug out from under one's sense of well-being. The realization that some stranger has simply sashayed into your private domain and walked off with whatever he wanted to, would leave every one of us with the urge to kill. Don't entirely give up hope -- this may never happen again, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that these guys may be apprehended, and you may get your property back.

Jon, no offense taken, I shouldn't have posted anything about my personal problems. I was just really upset with everything. Thanks,

Also thanks to everyone for their helpful comments. The alarm system will be used every time I leave. Thanks again guys. Richie.

In this day of cheap hi tech... having a set of interior hidden cameras is a good idea. Over the years the quality has increased and the cost plummeted. I like others have cameras hidden which are accessed via the Internet and on 24-7 recording everything they see. With the battery powered camera and UPS on the CPU supporting them ... the activites in the house can be watched from any place I can get on line. Do not for get a camera or two covering the front door and back of the house. Interesting to see the folks who come to your door... I am of a mind that many are out "casing the house and neighborhood" under the guise of selling something door to door. My neighbor is a fine fellow and it would be a fool who tries his place...between the 45 he keeps and wears and the shotgun in the closet... well you can guess the outcome.

If you were sitting over your coffee in the restaurant with your gun in your pocket and your cameras set up throughout the house, you would have had the same outcome, just nice video to watch of an evening. An alarm and a barking dog bouncing himself off the inside of the door the burglar is trying to break down is by far the best deterrent. Even my UPS guy doesn't come within 20 yards of my house! If a gun appeals to you for home protection (maybe useful when you're home), your baking dog will give you time to slip a coupla rounds of double-ought buck into your ol' Browning twelve gauge. Just the sound of you racking that sucker will scare off all but the most drug-addled intruder.

RL Chilton wrote:

Unfortunately, if you shoot someone that is robbing your house, You will go to jail! Sad but True.......

Bob





Except in Texas, where you are free to shoot anybody who walks onto your property, much less IN your house.

Not necessarily- This is a true story- a guy with a remote farm that was normally uninhabited had experienced several thefts of tools, etc.- So he decided to sleep out there for awhile to protect his stuff. Hid his vehicle in the barn. Late one night, perp returns- owner comes out, fires a warning shot- but was a little low, and coroner said perp was dead before he hit the ground. At trial, owner testified that he had tried to fire a warning shot, thought it was high over the perp's head, so sorry, etc.



Jury acquitted him- jury foreman told reporter (with a straight face), "We believed that it was just a warning shot, gone awry- and we couldn't send the guy to prison for being a poor shot."

SamJ wrote:

Is there a State in the Union where you can't buy and own a shotgun or a rifle with no interference? Most people have a better chance of protecting their home and family with a 12-gauge than they do with an AK-47 or a 20-round Glock. I suppose if you had a 50 mil machine gun mounted on the top of your car you could cause the bad guys to crap themselves to death...

Go on NRA's website and they have lists of what states ban. California, Hawaii, D.C. ,Chicago,and some states in New England have the most gun bans. All Sates have the "Brady" check which is a extra $25 fee, which is basically a Federal tax.

46HudsonPU wrote:

Mine just 'clicks' when the breach is closed. It is a 12 Ga. Double barrel...

There's no sound quite like that "click" in the dead quiet at three in the morning, Rick...

Richie wrote:

I just need to vent a bit, sorry in advance. Being retired I always go out for coffee and a biscuit in the morning, well when I got home the back door was smashed in and they made off with our 40" flat screen TV a laptop, wifes jewelery and my stash of money in my dresser drawer. They had to know my routine and how much time they had, wish I came home a bit earlier !! They didn't get into the extra garage where the Hudsons are. We live in a culdersac and our area has never had this kind of problem before. I don't have a gun, but will buy one tomorrow. This really burns me up !! I guess this kind of thing will be on the increase with the economy in the dump. I feel a little bit better now, Richie.

Sure sounds like a neighbor to me. But I'm sure you suspect that as well. Maybe a hidden camera is a good idea? Might see someone you know?



As far as getting a gun and start shooting, I hope it never comes to that.

Richie,

Grrr people who steal make me angry :mad:

That really sux! Did the police tell you if there has been a lot of break-in in the 'hood lately?

It had to be someone close/close by that knew your routine - and that you didn't set your alarm.

Besides setting the alarm, a safe deterrant (besides the decoy car - which BTW needs to move once in a while) is to vary your schedule so you're not so darn predictable ~