Have you suffered a "home invasion"?

[GoneOffShore]

By this I mean that you, personally, have had armed people - not the police - break down your door and force their way into your home, where they stole your goods and otherwise abused you?

I'm not talking simple burglary here - coming home and finding that the window was broken and your stuff taken - but actual invasion while you were there.

The reason behind this are the number of threads postulating "home invasion" as a reason to have a gun.

Gun lovers?

Gun haters?

[Warpy]

1. I've been most grateful since the burglary here last October

that the scumbag didn't find any guns to circulate to his gangsta buddies.

I'm also grateful that he was stupid and took a lot of broken stuff that was sitting out to be sent in for repairs instead of the really good stuff that was hidden under piles of papers. He also took a bunch of unsigned junk jewelry from Woolworths that my mother had and I hated and would have paid somebody to steal.

In fact, the only thing I miss is my parents' wedding rings. They weren't worth much, but the sentimental value was enormous.

[GoneOffShore]

2. Sorry it happened.

Interesting that there have been no responses from the quarter one would have expected to weigh in.

[trashcanistanista]

3. I had the misfortune of being burgled by a cat

burglar at night while I was home asleep. I left the sliding door unlocked on a hot night. The entire apartment complex was hit.

I know one family that had a home invasion in the Sacramento area where it is common with Asian gangs. The son was involved with gangs and they took all the Christmas gifts. I don't have a gun and I suppose if it was a regular thing in my area, I could see justification of getting one. The gangs are pretty ruthless to regular people. I know many Indian's who fear home invasions because they keep a lot of gold jewelry in their homes for religious holidays for the women, and they don't have guns. They lock up more often and are more cautious about not leaving doors unlocked when they are at home.

[LWolf]

4. No, and I don't know anyone who has, and I don't expect it to ever happen.

I have a fucking beautiful dog, who would might bite an intruder as a final extreme, but who is more likely to try to "herd" them out of the house.

She looks like this:

[GoneOffShore]

5. She's stunning!

What a sweetie!

[TahitiNut]

9. Aussie Shepherd? Pretty dogs ... and SMART.

:thumbsup:

[LWolf]

19. Smart, and intensely loyal to her family, and

protective of her "herd." She knows the difference between "her" critters and fair game; she lives peacefully with chickens, horses, sheep, cats, and a child, but gleefully chases any and all other animal life off.

She meets strangers with a smile and lots of wags. If they come closer to one of us than she wants them, she "leans" into them and moves them back, without jumping or nipping. I've only once or twice seen her react aggressively to another human, growling and raising her "hackles;" if she sees that human as a threat, so do I.

As a pup, I took her to a group "obedience" class. She failed. We were in "time out" at the other end of the work area for most of the weeks we attended.

She sat, came, stayed, and downed on voice command or hand signal without a problem. She still does. Except when others were near. She would not sit and stay; she HAD to be between me and any other animal or person approaching. She was friendly. She was glad to see them. But she would not allow them to get between the two of us. She still won't.

[NOLALady]

36. My first Alaskan Malamute was protective of my son in

the same way. He seemed to treat us as equals, we were on our own and could protect ourselves.

But, he would always position himself between my son and anyone approaching, two or four legged.

[MissB]

11. What a gorgeous blue merle!

I had one too that dh and I raised from a puppy early in our marriage.

We now have a red merle, who is a wonderful guard dog and family pet.

[LWolf]

23. She's my first aussie.

I grew up with a long line of shepherds and labs. I loved them all. My aussie, though, holds a very special place in my heart.

[dysfunctional press]

13. same here...but my b.f.d. is as sweet a black lab as you'll ever meet...

she'd probably be more interested in licking the invaders face, or trying to get them to play fetch, or tug.

[LWolf]

22. Most dogs would rather make friends than not.

I've had my share of labs over the years, and they were all just like that. The most recent, about 8 years ago, was a dumped dog that I rescued and re-homed. I lived in an area in the Mojave Desert that was a regular dumping ground for unwanted dogs. I kept as many as I could, and found homes for the rest. Or, as a last resort, the pound, which I decided was better than dying of starvation, dehydration, and coyote attacks.

This dog showed up when I was "full." She was HUGE; the biggest lab I'd ever seen. She had obviously recently been nursing puppies. She sat outside the gate and looked hopefully at me. I put out some food and water, and started making calls. I was having no luck, and agonizing about what to do next, when she figured out how to get the gate open. She charged up to where I sat on the front porch, put her head in my lap, and turned to stone. My heart turned to butter, and she stayed with me until I finally found her a wonderful family. I got her spayed, caught up on her shots, and learned that she was afraid of cats. My tom cat terrorized her.

She's still happy and healthy with the family I left her with.

:hi:

[dysfunctional press]

30. our lab's name is fredda katz...

because of what happened when i brought her home to meet our 3 cats- it didn't go well.
our red tabby was on the bed, and when i brought her in, our siamese and grey tabby followed us into the bedroom...the red cat hissed and took a swipe, the dog cowered- and when she did, the other 2 cats decided it was time to attack from the rear, and both hissed and jumped on her(it was a little strange to see those two working together, as they normally can't stand each other)...the dog responded by cowering even further, and taking a big shit on the rug. i was able to open the sliding door, and let the cats outside into their courtyard, even though they had to jump over the cowering dog to do so- causing her to wet herself.
henceforth she became known as fredda katz. (i just call her fred)

she's so freaked out by cats that- we have a real-size bobble-head cat statue my mother gave us sitting by a bookshelf, and when i'm playing fetch with fred, and her toy bounces behind the statue, she won't go for it, but just sit and stare at it and whimper...it's actually a great way to end the game earlier than she'd otherwise like.
after 7 months, she still can't bring herself to even look at the cats- if one comes near her, she turns her head and refuses to look in it's direction. but she has no problem eating their food if i forget to pick it up when i go out.

[LWolf]

34. That is the same reaction!

Funny what a reputation dogs get for being cat chasers, lol. Around here, the cats are scarier than the dogs. ;)

[RedCappedBandit]

51. Wow! Beautiful dog

[barb162]

62. That's an absolutely beautiful dog. n/t

[atommom]

68. Gorgeous! My BFD is sweet, but acts vicious when strangers approach the house.

Once they come in, he watches them for awhile, and if we accept the visitors then he does too. However, they're still not allowed to touch me.

[LWolf]

78. No one is allowed to touch me.

Not even well-known, well-loved family members. She will simply wriggle in between, and wriggle her way into their lap, or onto their feet, and demand that, if they want to touch someone, she's available, lol. She's willing to suffer their attentions for my sake. ;)

[ThomWV]

6. 6 Miles from here an 80 year old man was beaten during 3 breakins before he armed himself

and shot and killed one of his assailants during the 4th return of the same two thugs. I believe he wounded the second.

Yes, it does happen. Unfortunately I can not find an on line link to the story, it took place just a little over a year ago. The old man who did the shooting has since died but the small tavern he and his daughter have run for 50 years is still there. The place is called Pioneer Rocks, it is on the eastern outskirts of Morgantown, WV.

[GoneOffShore]

7. There's one story.

He obviously was targeted.

[ThomWV]

18. I believe both of the boys were in their early 20's

Its a small bar right on the outskirts of town. The old man lived above it. They broke in twice (I mistakenly said 3 times in the first post but my wife informes me that it was only 2) and beat the hell our of him, he was hospitilized for a couple of weeks after the second beating. I'm sure he already had guns galore because the old bar has mor ammo for sale behind the bar than I've seen in ages - lots of strange out of date calibers. Anyway they beat him badly, I believe using a ball bat during the second assult. The next time they came in and he came out blazing. The boy he killed was actually outside of the residence when he fell.

Now I know that this event was as rare as hen's teeth. It is absurd to use it as an example because it is not at all typical of much of anything and should not be used to make a point that arming one self is a good thing. I do not make that arguement myself. I make the argument that it does not matter if it is a good or bad thing for a person to arm themselves, it is a Constitutional matter. We have the right to arm ourselves and that right is inviolate, as are each of the rights granted in the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It is no no more or less value than any of the others.

[GoneOffShore]

25. I'm not making an argument here on the Second Amendment

I'm looking for other rationales, spurious or not for owning a gun.

[ThomWV]

29. By the way - love your screen name

I fish off shore myself. We run our own boat, or at least did when we could still afford fuel.

There are plenty of other rationales, not the least amoung them the collector value of fine firearms and if your are appreciative of fine design and machine work then some guns are works of art in that sense too. It is very difficult not to appreciate a fine English shotgun for instance.

[pitohui]

8. a family member living alone was home invaded by a gang and gang raped

she had to be hospitalized for many months and the mental health impact was devastating and not just because she was an older woman, i think any woman would be torn apart by something like this

home invasion is becoming an increasingly common event in the greater new orleans area, even a police officer's home was invaded, both the officer and the wife shot, the officer died a lingering death after a number of days but at least his wife survived

the threat of home invasion is real, the people it happens to are real, they have feelings as real and strong as yours

[NOLALady]

38. Did this happen recently to the Officer?

Somehow, I can't remember.

[sandnsea]

10. You need another response

Yes I had someone come into my home, my husband stood with a piece of wood in the dark, as if he had a gun, and the guy went back out the door. I think he might have been drunk and lost, but it has happened. I wasn't tied up and robbed, so I can't answer yes to your poll. I've also had stuff stolen out of vehicles and my parents' home was burgled. And I still don't think most people need to own a gun.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I've been burgled while at home...

Some drunk kid down the street was crawling into my teenage daughter's bedroom at 2:00 a.m. (she didn't know him). I was in bed, my daughters were upstairs watching TV. Luckily my neighbor was out on her porch smoking a cigarette and called the cops who arrived before I even knew anything was going on. They had to take him down with a dog, and he had to show up for his arraignment in a wheelchair. Serves him right, little punk....

But, no, I didn't need a gun and I wouldn't have shot him anyway.


ed. I forgot another time. Back in my hippie days, one of my clueless roommates met a bunch of bikers one afternoon and invited them over for a visit that evening. (What the hell was she thinking?) They all showed up that night expecting to find us four girls alone there, but in the meantime I had invited some people over, so it ended up being a huge brawl with people flying off the balcony, blood all over the walls, etc. etc. The cops came but wouldn't arrest anyone because our house was surrounded by bikers and we were too afraid to press charges. After they left, we stayed up all night with pots of boiling water on the stove in case they came back, but they never showed. We moved within the week because we were too terrified to say.

Still no guns though, at least as far as I know. Just a lot of chains and knives and stuff on their side. Good times.

[GoneOffShore]

14. It looks like we need more folks to weigh in here.

But it also looks like the "home invasion scenario" is not nearly as prevalent as the media and gun aficionados would claim it is.

[pitohui]

15. wow, how prevalent do you need it to be?

you have hardly any responses yet and of those, my family member was seriously injured in a home invasion, another poster had a potential bad guy crawl in bed with her daughter with unknown intent, and another was invaded by bikers and was only fortunate to have other folks there to fight back!

sounds pretty damn prevalent to me

i thought it would be more like 10 percent of families, maybe fewer, would be impacted by a home invasion -- seems it's much more common than that and it's obvious that my relative, the older woman who was alone and had no one to help her out had the worst outcome -- an outcome that would have been far different if she'd had a gun

[GoneOffShore]

20. Well, since "home invasion" is mooted as the biggest reason to own a gun

I would have expected more responses from that crowd.

And yes, it's very disturbing and life threatening. But looking at the admittedly unscientific numbers so far, it happens far less than some would have us believe. Out of the 35 responses, 2 have actually had a home invasion and we've got one "heard about". Far greater percentage of people who haven't had it happen than have.

[hack89]

26. Not the biggest reason

the gun owners I know simply enjoy shooting (paper targets). We live in a very safe area where violent crime is simply not an issue. Now, there are some places nearby where a gun for self protection would be a worthy investment.

Like most Americans, the threat of violent crime is predicated on where you live - in my state, gun crimes are very localized in poor, inner city neighborhoods.

But since my right to bear arms is not predicated by my local crime rate, the point you are trying to make is irrelevant.

[pitohui]

28. if it happened to your family member, one would be enough

i don't think 1 in 35 chance of being severely harmed in a gang rape in one's own home, in one's own bed, is acceptable odds

older women living alone in violent areas probably do need to get a gun and learn how to use it, as my relative found out, kind of hard to call 911 when you're set upon by five young men who are 30 or 40 years younger

[Patchuli]

58. We were catburgled while we were sleeping...

It was summer and hot and our screen door was open. I thought it was my stepson coming in late without his key but it wasn't. All they took were my husband's jeans off the floor, I think they got scared when they saw us sleeping there and I don't think they were armed. They went out through our garage and...met the dog. I think my dog must have chased them around the yard as in the a.m. when we woke up and realized what happened, we found my husband's jeans on the lawn, wallet, keys and credit cards there but a little bit of cash gone. We think it would have been much worse without our yellow lab/German Shep on the job. He had a big ol' smile too...I bet he got a piece of someone!

The thing is in retrospect is how scary it was! How badly it could have ended for us if those guys had been armed. My husband is no longer opposed to gun ownership.

[krispos42]

44. Exactly, and I'd like tokeep it that way.

Otherwise, it becomes a cycle: crime goes up, people arm themselves, crime decreases, people stop arming themselves... rinse and repeat.

Eternal vigilence sounds better.

[-..__...]

80. I suspect that many incidents go unreported.

In some communities, home invasions are popular with Asian gangs against other Asians.

Police: Vietnamese Home-Invasion Gang Broken

PHOENIX -- A six-year probe into a criminal ring accused of terrorizing the Valley's Vietnamese community and committing 21 home invasions has netted a dozen arrests, law enforcement authorities said.

"They have been involved with robberies, kidnappings, aggravated assaults, drug trafficking, and in one case, a conspiracy to commit murder," said Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris.

"This particular group was doing Asian-on-Asian crimes, said Lieutenant Steve Soha. "They were targeting Asian victims because there was a hesitancy to report these crimes to law enforcement."

http://www.kpho.com/news/13691091/detail.html?taf=pho

[Blue Diadem]

16. Not a home invasion but I did have a situation

many years ago when a person had cut the screen on the screen door, unlocked it and attempted to enter while I was there alone with my baby and toddler in the early morning hours. I heard sounds on my back porch and could hear the door knob being turned and shaken. I turned on every light in the house and apparently it scared him away. I can only imagine what the intention was as around that same time frame another young female neighbor had a similar experience at 5:00am, except she saw him trying to get in through her kitchen window, she screamed and her husband, who was still home, gave chase but lost him as he scaled back yard fences.

I can't say a gun would have done me any good..I was terrified.

A story that was reported this past week on the news..

A man came home to find his door open. He entered and saw that his house has been searched(couch cushions were thrown around) Before he could get beyond the living room area, a burgler, using the homeowner's own rifle/gun, shot at him. Luckily he missed, giving the homeowner time to run back out the still open door to a neighbor's home. They said several of the owner's hunting rifles were missing.

To your post about home invasion..I really doubt that anyone would be able to get to a weapon if their home was invaded as you describe.

[spotbird]

52. In my town a teen hid in

the closet apparently to "surprise" his father when the father arrived home. The father noticed movement in the closet, assumed it was an intruder, shot and killed his son. No charges were filed.

A few years later a drunk entered the wrong house after a night out, the homeowner shot and killed him.

[B Calm]

17. No, and I'm not too worried about it either. I have guns not so much for

self defense, but to kill pests like opossums, and raccoons. I enjoy hunting and target shooting with my neighbors kid. I live in a very rural setting and crime is not that high out here in the country. Maybe it's because most robbers know that people who live out in the country have guns, and are not willing to get their ass shot off just to steal someones junk!

[GoneOffShore]

21. Good reason to have guns

And I have no quarrel with gun owners like you.

And maybe there aren't that many bad guys who live out in the country. And if they do, people know who they are.

[CTyankee]

24. I live about 30 minutes away from Cheshire, CT where that horrendous home invasion last July

happened. A doctor's wife and 2 daughters were killed. The wife and 11 yr. old daughter were raped. Wife was then strangled. The girls were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation from the invaders setting the house of fire. The doctor had been beaten and tied up but he got free and went for help.

The two alleged invaders were caught quickly. The CT legislature has recently passed some legislation aimed at preventing the problem, but really only oversight of the parole system will help. The two alleged invaders were parolees.

I like to think I am safe because my neighborhood is so quiet, but I am very careful. I feel better that I have a state trooper living across the street and he parks his cruiser in his driveway. Hopefully, that is something of a deterrent...

[aikoaiko]

27. When I was in college, my gf and I rented a house....

...and we generally kept the back door unlocked. I was in the bedroom and I heard some conversation in the kitchen (not unusual because friends came by often), but then I heard my girlfriend call for me in that tone where I knew something was wrong.

I jumped up and ran to the kitchen to see a really big strange guy (not someone we knew) in our kitchen who was clearly drunk and looking for his girlfriend. He thought my gf was lying to him that she wasn't there. He had grabbed her arm when she tried to show him out.

Fortunately I am fairly big myself and can look menacing if needed. We sized each other up pretty good when I came in a rush. Fortunately he left, but it was the first time (of about 4 times) when I wished I had more than my good looks and stinging tongue to protect myself and others.

[Balbus]

31. Never been home invaded.

But as the old saying goess... I'd rather have a gun and not need it, than need a gun and not have it.

[Mugu]

32. I was awakened one night

by the sound of somebody tripping over a rug inside my front door. I grabbed a little side by side 12ga. and went to investigate. He and I saw each other from opposite ends of the hallway. By the time I raised the gun, he had turned and started to run. I swear that he pissed himself.

My father use to tell me that there were three elements to a clean shooting. Shoot the perp once, if you shoot him fifteen times it calls your motivation into question (the important point being to use a big enough gun and don't shoot until you see the front sight.) Second, shoot him in the front. He can't present you a immediate danger if he isn't facing you. Third, halo the bullet hole with gun powder residue. That proves that he was close enough to be an immediate danger.

By the time I got the bead centered up on him, I was looking at his side and that quickly turned into his back. He was very motivated and didn't even bother to close the door behind himself. I was undressed and figured that if the police saw a naked guy with a gun running down the street in the middle of the night...well nothing good would come of it.

Another time, again in the middle of the night, a guy keep ringing the buzzer to my apartment. When I answered the buzzer he demanded to be let in. I told him that I wasn't going to let him in without a good reason. He claimed that he needed to call someone for a ride home, so I took my cordless phone down to the door. He then claimed that he didn't know the number and needed a phone book. I told him that I would get one and be right back. The "L" frame Smith in the back waistband of my pants (I got dressed this time) had to be obvious as I went upstairs. He was gone when I got back with the book.

Regards, Mugu

[WildEyedLiberal]

33. Nice push poll

:eyes:

I was going to pick the "No, but I have a friend who was at his home when someone attempted to break in." But I couldn't find that option because all you chose to include were faux-clever quips which clearly illustrate your bias. Obviously, YOU don't believe that armed robbery ever occurs and is only a concoction of "gun nuts."

Edited to add: Also, I'm from a very rural area, where home break-ins - crime in general - is very, very rare.

[Mugu]

39. I didn't vote in this poll at all.

The bias is obvious, the OP didn't even think of the fact that a person might successfully repel an invader.

Regards, Mugu

[pitohui]

54. well i didn't vote either

i'm still mad about the "gotcha" scandal over polls, plus this poll is absolutely terrible and a "push" as you say

[Mugu]

35. This made me remember an incident from my childhood.

Dad was out of town on business (which he was frequently) and our German Shepard dog started growling and pacing. Mom got up, grabbed a Walter P-38, and went to investigate. She could see the shadow of a man on the drapes of the siding glass door and followed him to the back door of the house in the laundry room. At first she leaned over the washing machine and aimed at the middle of the door. But then she stood up and aimed higher.

The man tried the knob, but it was locked and the shadow went away into the night.

When I asked mom why she stood up and aimed higher, she said that it dawned on her that the dog might attack the man and she didn't want to risk harming him. So she decided to shoot the guy in the head if he opened the door.

My mother was not one to be messed with.

Regards, Mugu

[Edweird]

37. I haven't, but others around me have. Quite a few, actuall;y.

I haven't heard about it so much recently, but there was a period where it was happening once or twice a week a little too close for comfort. Oh, and there was a serial rapist or two running around here as well.

[Mugu]

40. Had another incident a few years ago.

Don't know that there was any threat of violence, but I felt better being armed.

I live in the country and was awaken at about 2AM by lights in my windows and the sound of 2-stroke engines. I got up and pulled on my overalls, grabbed my Thompson w/duel vertical grips and a "C" drum, turned on the outside lights and stepped outside.

It was several guys on snowmobiles buzzing my house. One of the guys almost killed himself when he hit a support wire on a tree he was in such a hurry to leave.

I don't have any idea what they were up to, but when they saw the Tommy-Gun they became very highly motivated to be someplace else.

Regards, Mugu

Edit: None of my incidents have a category in your poll. Four incidents, but nobody got hurt and the police were never notified.

[Edweird]

43. Just out of curiosity....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2874223&mesg_id=2874525
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2874223&mesg_id=2874656
:wtf:

[Mugu]

45. You have to lure them in somehow.

Just looking vulnerable doesn't always work.

Regards, Mugu

[Lex Talionis]

74. LOL ! Ok Mugu, thats really Funny.Respects to you

[Dimensio0]

61. I am curious.

You mentioned posession of a Thompson Submachinegun. Is this an actual fully automatic firearm, a semi-automatic reproduction of the Thompson, or a realistic-looking replica of the Thompson?

[Mugu]

65. It is built by the Thompson Corporation

but is a longer barreled (16") semi-automatic reproduction of it's full-auto parent. It fires from a closed bolt as opposed to an open bolt, but otherwise is basically the same, including the 30 rd. stick and the 50rd. "C" or 100rd. "L" drum magazines. The silhouette strikes fear into adversaries much like its slightly smaller full-auto cousin.

It is an excellent fighting weapon with excellent reliability and low recoil. Consequently it has very fast follow-up shots, a small muzzle signature, and a big heavy bullet. The only downside is the weight of the weapon, limited range, and high price.

Regards, Mugu

[-..__...]

79. Next time...

wear the furry chaps. :smoke:

[Mugu]

82. My daddy use to tell me that I would get further in life with a smile and a gun

than I would with a smile alone. He neglected to mention anything about furry chaps (I suspect that may have been intentional.)

Regards, Mugu

[SoCalDem]

41. Sort of..

I woke up once to see a drunk guy standing in my living room..

I am not really good about locking my door, and apparently he got the wrong house :)

and once, a lady from the "adult care" house across the street, walked in..but her helper was right behind her, trying to get her to come "home". I guess she ran away from HER home...to MY home :)

[Tindalos]

42. It does happen

just not to anyone I know personally. I tried to find some statistics on home invasions, but the police don't appear to keep track of those as a separate crime. They seem to be lumped in with robberies, break and enters, etc. The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics estimates the rate is between 9 in 100,000 to 23 in 100,000 population, based on statistics from 1995 - 2000.

http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85F0027XIE/85F0027XIE2002002.pdf


I think it is one of those things that doesn't happen very often but, like child abductions by strangers, it does happen and people feel very strongly about it. A "once is too often" type of occurrence, given the impact it has.

[Critters2]

46. I've actually got a little dog, but she has a HUGE set of lungs.

The beagle sounds like she'd take your leg off. Which is fine with me.

[shanti]

47. kinda sorta

had a home invasion about 12 years ago, but no weapons were involved. i was asleep in my locked bedroom with earplugs on due to the party next door. i awoke to a bang and dashed out of my room to see what it was. two young people were standing in my living room trying to figure out how to take my teevee (they'd already stolen a few (replaceable) things, the teevee was apparently the last thing. they began working furiously to get the deadbolt open (they came thru an unlocked, never opened window) and as i grabbed the guy by his hood, he shoved me and i fell off balance. he dashed out the door followed by his girlfriend. to this day, it frightens me to think that they may have been armed! my house is fortified now!

[Joey Liberal]

48. No - My Pit Bull is a good deterrent n/t

[Mugu]

53. But doggies don't have opposing thumbs.

So their shooting skills are limited.

Regards, Mugu

[Joey Liberal]

66. You are missing the point

If any home invader encounters a Pit Bull, they will have their hands full. That would give me time to shoot them or clobber them. Your chances are much better with a tough guard dog that won't back down.

[Mugu]

81. Understood, I was just having a little fun.

However, I always worry about the doggies. I related my mom's experience when I was a child, but I have another story from about 20 years ago (one of the few good things about getting old, I have lots of stories.)

There was a blind fellow that lived in a local apartment complex. For whatever reason, he and a sighted guy had a problem. One evening the sighted guy got loaded and decided to confront the blind fellow. The sighted guy kicked in the door and was killed in a hail of gunfire from the blind guy. Unfortunately, the seeing eye dog got into the fight and was killed.

The blind guy felt that something bad was going to happen and borrowed a weapon. Unfortunately the weapon that he borrowed was a Ruger Mini-14 with a 30rd magazine. The weapon worked perfectly and all 30 rounds fired. There were holes everywhere, in the walls (around the door) of the apartment, in the cars in the parking lot, and in the apartments across the parking lot.

When the police arrived the home invader was dead in the doorway, but so was the dog. Fortunately, nobody else was hurt.

I always felt bad about the dog.

Regards, Mugu

[Matariki]

49. You're only choice on yes is 'tied up and robbed'?

I was home and kicked the guy's ass. 4am and woke up to a guy in my bedroom door who tried to rape me. I took away his weapon and stabbed him with it and chased him out of my house.

Where's that voting option?

[Lex Talionis]

75. Good for you kineta! Better to be a wolf than a sheep. Respects to you.

[dysfunctional press]

50. one reason that it may not happen all that frequently...

would-be invaders have no way of knowing whether or not the people inside have a gun(s) handy.

[Alexander]

55. No, but it doesn't mean it won't ever happen.

[Pavulon]

56. Missing a response in your push poll

Yes, I caught a guy climbing in my window at 3am. I shined a flashlight in his face, he probably did not see the sidearm pointed at his body. I yelled at him to get the hell out of my apartment.

He said he was sorry and left. This was years ago in a small town.

He had punched the window lock, which woke me up, and started the chain of events.

So people do use firearms in a responsible way. There was no reason for me to shoot him, even though it would have been legal. ot was not needed, never mind ethical.

[MrSlayer]

57. No, I have nothing that "invaders" would want.

90% of home invasions are planned and have specific targets. People just don't randomly burst into homes. If you have large amounts of cash or drugs or something of the like and it is generally known you'll be targeted.

[Wcross]

59. I have never had an auto accident but I still wear my seatbelt.

Better safe than sorry.

[cascadiance]

60. Had my car stolen from my driveway a few years ago...

... and have wished that I put a camera above my garage like I was thinking of more recently, since, even though noone has stolen anything from inside my house that I'm aware of, I do feel I saw evidence that someone broke into it once perhaps to spy on me coincidentally not long after I called the government oversight committee's office under direction of Waxman's office when I was referred to them over a concern I had with someone I thought should testify before their committee, that perhaps someone thought I had some "insider knowledge" about then.

[Demagitator]

63. No, but I was home when one was attempted ....

It was my former landlord, I think it was around midnight, I had changed the locks personally so he and his thug could not get in, then they went to the fire escape but I had my window bolted shut with a locked gate window.

He eventually sold the building, and I got a new landlord.

[tuckessee]

64. Why isn't there a choice saying....

"No, but I hope the OP experiences one really soon"?

[ileus]

67. my neighbors druggie daughter stole my wifes purse out of the kitchen.

The night I happened I assumed the sound downstairs was the cat....The next morning she got up and her purse was gone off the counter beside the kitchen door. She just stepped in grabbed the purse and walked back home....I changed all the locks and actually had to start locking the doors at night. I wouldn't have shot her but I sure would have punched her in her dumbass head.

[mvccd1000]

69. No and no. Never had a fire, either, but I still have smoke alarms. nt

[gorbal]

70. I can't vote, but my home was invaded.

I woke up to this dark figure hovering over me demanding sex. I punched him out then recognized him as a guy I dated once....scary.

[williesgirl]

71. Not home invasion, but two separate incidents of attempted car jacking or whatever. Had a Glock 40

in the car with me, have concealed weapons permit. Had my two smaller dogs in the car with me each time, a Boston Terrier and a Pug. Both times I was driving home alone late at night from my daughter's house. We both live in a rural area, she about 30 miles from me. Each time it was at a light. I guess just being a woman makes you vulnerable.

The first time was some jerk following me in a pickup truck and playing games with me on windy, narrow rural road. When we came into "civilization", he came up into a turning lane beside me at the light. I ignored him until he exited his truck and started to come near my window. I rolled it down partially and told him to get back in his truck. My dogs were growling and barking like crazy. He just laughed and asked if I really thought those two were going to protect me from him. I rolled the window down all the way and lifted the Glock off my lap where I had put it during the earlier games and said "No, but this will and I won't hesitate to shoot you if you come one step closer". He was shocked and couldn't get back into his truck fast enough. I've always hoped he wet his pants.

The second time I was further into that small town and stopped at a light. There were 5 thugs crossing the street. When they stopped right in front of my car, again I placed the gun on my lap. Dogs went crazy when two of them split up and came to opposite sides of my car. I started to back up and they kept coming, so I lowered my window and stopped a little further back, aimed the gun out the window and told them to stop or I'd start firing. The other three ran immediately when they saw the gun, but the one closest to me kept coming. I then told him I had a hollow point with asshole written on it and it was heading his way. With that, he and the other one ran. I was close to the sheriff's office so I went there to report it. They left immediately to look for them, hopefully to stop something else from possibly happening.

With the weapon's permit, I've obviously had the training etc to qualify. Luckily I've never had to fire it other than at the range.

I've since taken in a pitbull (Katrina rescue). What's funny is she's so scared of everything. I guess no one's told her she's a pit! But she's in the car with my other two dogs when I'm out most times. I do think someone seeing a pit in the car may elect to find another target. I hope so anyway.

Plus, I live alone on a mountain between two national forests and we have problems with bears and mountain lions. Having the gun with me at night is also with them in mind. It's so damn dark here that getting from the driveway into the house can be dangerous if you're not alert and prepared. Firing up into the air definitely sends them running back into the woods.

In summary, I'm glad I have my gun.

[Lex Talionis]

77. Good for you, williesgirl. Respects to you.

[Lex Talionis]

72. You left out the other choices:

"yes, I was at my widowed grandmothers house, as a suprise for her, and two meth heads thought she was alone. big mistake on their part. They didn't steal any goods, but they got very abused".

So let me get this right. Someone armed breaks into your house, you want to be unarmed and you will let them tie you and your family up? You have kids? You live in a gated community?
Here in the real world some people don't want anyone making that decision for them. Google home invasions in UK. Interesting stuff. These kind of crimes are very rare in my area. My whole immediate family, girls included, know to fight and not get tied up.



For the critical thinkers: "An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man is a subject". Any truth to that, taking into consideration historic and present day conditions?

[High Plains]

73. Just by the cops.

[plantwomyn]

76. Me too.

Every food container in my kitchen and bathroom was dumped on the floor, 6" of food all mixed together with oil. They beat my dog and locked her in the bathroom. Cost me $50 to the landlord to fix the door. Called down to the precinct to ask what was going on. All they would say is that they didn't find anything.

[flvegan]

83. Thankfully, no. And my close to a dozen pitbulls make me think I probably never will.

Again, thankfully.