What Burglars Won't Tell You . . .

[NETim]

I'm amazed Paladin, in the event you described, that you didn't have all kinds of cops aiming their guns at you when they rolled up. How are they supposed to know who the good guys are? I doubt your team was wearing shirts that said "good guy" on the back.

Not that I'm condemning self defense in any way, it's just that I don't think I'd want to go outside the house and confront the bad guys no matter how good I thought I was.

I'd stay inside, get behind good cover, get on the phone with 911 and wait for the cops to show up.

If the bad guys persist and actually break in, well then, they've just made a very bad decision.

 

[Paladin]

It's just the way we do things here. We take care of our own problems. If you want a better understanding of the hillbilly mindset, look up the Battle of Blair Mountain, the Matewan Massacre, the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, the Great Textbook Controversy and other points in our history.

Suppose we had done as you say you would have and hidden inside the house waiting for the police to come. What if the would-be invaders heard the cops coming and ran away? They would have still been loose on the streets to victimize some other elderly person who was vulnerable. What if they killed that person? The fault would have been mine for letting them get away. We don't do things like that here.

 

[Paladin]

Another little story you might like:

Sometime back, maybe a year or two, an old widow was sitting in her home alone when a couple of black males began pounding on her door, trying to break in. She grabbed her grandfather's 1858 Remington .44 in one hand and the phone in the other. Before she could dial 911, the thugs broke down the door and rushed into her house. She fired once, dropping one of them with a slug through his heart. The other one spun around and ran away. She then made her call to 911.

When the cops showed up and took her statement, one of the officers made the comment that it had been good shooting to drill the thug through the heart like that, to which the old woman declared "Good shootin' hell! I was aimin' fer his head!"

 

[Jax]

Yeah, but I think your muttered comments like, "PLEASE make a false move so I can shoot you!" might have had some effect, hmmmm?

 

[Paladin]

Quite possibly, Jax. Quite possibly. :ar15:

 

[AfterDark]

Another little story you might like:

Sometime back, maybe a year or two, an old widow was sitting in her home alone when a couple of black males began pounding on her door, trying to break in. She grabbed her grandfather's 1858 Remington .44 in one hand and the phone in the other. Before she could dial 911, the thugs broke down the door and rushed into her house. She fired once, dropping one of them with a slug through his heart. The other one spun around and ran away. She then made her call to 911.

When the cops showed up and took her statement, one of the officers made the comment that it had been good shooting to drill the thug through the heart like that, to which the old woman declared "Good shootin' hell! I was aimin' fer his head!"

That's one the of down sides of getting older, your eye sight diminishes and your hands aren't quite as steady but, with a little extra effort you can still get the job done!

 

[AfterDark]

I'm amazed Paladin, in the event you described, that you didn't have all kinds of cops aiming their guns at you when they rolled up. How are they supposed to know who the good guys are? I doubt your team was wearing shirts that said "good guy" on the back.

Not that I'm condemning self defense in any way, it's just that I don't think I'd want to go outside the house and confront the bad guys no matter how good I thought I was.

I'd stay inside, get behind good cover, get on the phone with 911 and wait for the cops to show up.

If the bad guys persist and actually break in, well then, they've just made a very bad decision.

It all depends where you live. We have 6 cops here in town I know them all. If they pull up to my house they know who to point their guns at!

 

[Jax]

I'm amazed Paladin, in the event you described, that you didn't have all kinds of cops aiming their guns at you when they rolled up. How are they supposed to know who the good guys are? I doubt your team was wearing shirts that said "good guy" on the back.

Not that I'm condemning self defense in any way, it's just that I don't think I'd want to go outside the house and confront the bad guys no matter how good I thought I was.

I'd stay inside, get behind good cover, get on the phone with 911 and wait for the cops to show up.

Good CCW courses train the gun owner on what to do when the cops show up.

(1) Instantly obey all instructions, moving slowly and deliberately. Do not argue.

(2) Constantly say "I am the homeowner. I have a CCP."

Usually, they will have you put your weapon on the ground, and step away. We were also advised to echo the instructions, "I am putting my weopon on the ground, and stepping away."

Cops recognize these moves.

 

[NETim]

Good CCW courses train the gun owner on what to do when the cops show up.

(1) Instantly obey all instructions, moving slowly and deliberately. Do not argue.

(2) Constantly say "I am the homeowner. I have a CCP."

Usually, they will have you put your weapon on the ground, and step away. We were also advised to echo the instructions, "I am putting my weopon on the ground, and stepping away."

Cops recognize these moves.

Understood. However, unless they absolutely, positively KNOW you're the good guy, you WILL have guns pointed in your direction while you comply. They aren't mindreaders and they want to go home at the end of their shift. And who knows, you might have a very nervous rookie in the crowd that night or some hardhead who doesn't like them "NRA types." When they roll up, the guys they see with guns are the threat, simple as that.

Much better to have it holstered up and your hands empty when they arrive. Not my job to arrest people. That's very tricky and very dangerous work.

It's just something to keep in mind.

From my standpoint, I'm not a LEO. A CCW permit doesn't make me a LEO. I'd much rather explain to the judge and jury how I had no choice but to shoot whilst still inside my home, with no other options available.

Going outside, armed, deliberately, while you were not under immediate threat to your person while inside the building, confronting and then shooting, well, I personally don't want to be in the position of having to explain that to the judge and jury. Heck, I don't want to ever have to drop the hammer on someone, regardless of my predicament.

The best sign of good training is never having to use it.

 

[AfterDark]

Going outside, armed, deliberately, while you were not under immediate threat to your person while inside the building, confronting and then shooting, well, I personally don't want to be in the position of having to explain that to the judge and jury. Heck, I don't want to ever have to drop the hammer on someone, regardless of my predicament.

Suppose you had to explain to the next victims how you had the them dead to rights but did nothing because you were afraid to act? Maybe we should be responsible our inactions as well as actions. The right thing isn't always the easiest or neatest way to go but it has always allowed me to look at mirror.