About the same number of times I’ve read about an armed robber robbing a daycare, a vet clinic, a landscaper’s nursery, a fabric store, a funeral home…
Getting a gun or not is an individual choice. But when you live in a rural area - it’s like my father said - and he lived in the country - by the time he called the cops and they responded, it’s likely he and my mom would be dead. So it was up to him to take measures to protect them. And there were MANY times traveling on the road in the 70’s when we were thankful my father had protection on him. He scared off a couple of very bad people in rest stops( at night) and camping areas who thought a traveling family was easy prey.
Again it’s a personal choice. I live in a city and I choose to be prepared.
I would disagree a little on the pistol v/s shot gun. While a pistol is easier because it is small etc. provided you intend to use it you have to be a good shot, where a shot gun has a scatter so your aim doesn’t have to be as good. If you have close neighbors a pistol like a 38 can send a round thru you walls and into your neighbors house, that won’t be as likely with a shot gun although the pellets could travel they won’t do as much damage. There are small caliber shot guns that have less kick and are easier to handle. On either I would put an aim point laser so at least you can point the red dot and know where your round will be going.
The cops got him on the street when he was leaving, and he was a process server who had the wrong address. He didn’t leave any contact info and I didn’t get any paperwork from the cops, so don’t know who he is or I would have called and bitched out his company today. He told the cops his phone was broken so he couldn’t use it to figure out the right house to go to,
^^^I’m not at all sure I buy his story.
Given your personal circumstances, I would do exactly what you did. Many kudos to you for staying calm.
I would be sure to call the burly neighbors the next time something like that happens on one phone and police on the other.
For my part – I come from a hunting family and would have had no qualms about blowing his kneecaps or *uts off. I’m old, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be:lol:
Keep cans of mace or old timey style hair spray (Aquanette) in various locations in the house. Especially by the bed.
Take a self defense course, if at all possible. Or have one of your local police officers show you some defense moves.
Let the noise come to you – never go to the noise. Just be sure you’re prepared to defend yourself and try your darndest to stay calm, as situations like this are “kill or be killed” :eek:
[QUOTE=saje;7784291]
About the same number of times I’ve read about an armed robber robbing a daycare, a vet clinic, a landscaper’s nursery, a fabric store, a funeral home…[/QUOTE]
I looked it up for giggles: daycare center?Yup, vet clinic? yup. Landscape nursery? yup. Fabric store? Yup. Funeral home? yup. Police station? Not so much, couldnt find an article on that.
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+daycare&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+veterinary+clinic&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+landscape+nursery&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+fabric+store&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+funeral+store&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
https://www.google.com/search?q=armed+robbery+of+police+station&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
You did right under your circumstances. Good on you for that choice.
You also got a lesson in “what might have been.” You’ve gotten a lot of good advice from other posters.
How much risk of danger from a stranger are you willing to accept vice taking an effective step towards your own (and your mother’s) protection (with the risk that such a steps might contain)?
There are secure, firearm containment systems that allow quick access in an emergency. Here are a couple of makers:
http://www.gunvault.com/home-safes.html/
http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/496/QAP1E_Digital_Pistol_Safe_
Another alternative is this:
http://www.misdefenseproducts.com/Hollow-Book-Safes-p-1-c-380.html
Here is a DIY project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zap4vbs6sAs
You can also look at non-lethal devices like a TASER or pepper spray.
Or you can keep your present system and rely on prompt response by deputies and/or help from neighbors.
Lots of choices, lots of consequences of those choices.
Best of luck in making the right choice for you.
G.
Why was this scary? the guy wasn’t sneaking around or anything. He was knocking on doors and yelling and trying to find someone to talk to. Doesn’t sound like he was anything other than very lost or in need of some help. The only scary part was it happened after sunset? unfortunately that’s when people are most likely to get lost.
Why would your first response be to shoot him?
I’ve been in the guy’s shoes- car died in the middle of nowhere, no phone reception. Hiked to the nearest farm and tried to find someone. It was pitch-black and pouring rain. Luckily they didn’t shoot me or spray me with wasp spray.
I’ve been thinking more about this. Many good ideas here. If you don’t have the motion sensor “light it up like a football stadium” lights, I would get that along with a camera monitoring system. They’re not too expensive.
You know how I feel about guns, so this is saying a lot. IF you want a gun, get a gun safe and Mom doesn’t get the combo, ever. This doesn’t help when you’re not home or you’re at the barn, etc.
Do some research on the property allegedly in foreclosure. Get the bank info. Call the attorney’s office who is handling the foreclosure and tell them what happened. Tell them that you have filed a police report and that you will be pressing charges for trespassing.
I’m hopeful that a lawyer in the know for our state will weigh in here. Otherwise, you know plenty of local ones.
Don’t keep a baseball bat by the door, the first thing someone bigger/stronger than you is going to do is take it away from you and club you with it.
Reading these types of threads makes me so glad I live in Canada. Not that bad things don’t happen in Canada, but I sure as hell do not feel the need to keep pepper spray / guns / bats / ect. on hand.
1 Like
I am not at all anti-gun, but I do understand that keeping one in a house with a mentally unfit member would be tricky. If you do, I’d keep it locked in a finger print safe in your safe room.
Personally, I would take everyone in the household, my cell phone, dogs, and the best weapon I had available into a safe room. I’d shut and lock the door to that room, and wait. If the door came down, then I’d use the weapon - whatever it may be.
Other than that, get an alarm system, security lights, cameras, and make sure your house is as secure as it can be.
I wouldn’t worry as much about the guy messing with the horses. In most cases I think you would be in much more danger trying to defend them with a lunge whip than they would ever be in. Most criminals don’t want anything to do with horses.
[QUOTE=js;7784302]
I would disagree a little on the pistol v/s shot gun. While a pistol is easier because it is small etc. provided you intend to use it you have to be a good shot, where a shot gun has a scatter so your aim doesn’t have to be as good. If you have close neighbors a pistol like a 38 can send a round thru you walls and into your neighbors house, that won’t be as likely with a shot gun although the pellets could travel they won’t do as much damage. There are small caliber shot guns that have less kick and are easier to handle. On either I would put an aim point laser so at least you can point the red dot and know where your round will be going.[/QUOTE]
Most self defense battles are at ranges in the area of 7 to 10 ft.
Shoot your shotgun at a paper target at that range and see what the pattern looks like.
Probably 2 to 3 inches, which means that it still must be aimed carefully.
Many fights are at “bad breath” distance…almost if not hand to hand.
Unload your shotgun and get a friend to practice hand to hand with you. He will get it away from you every time.
A shotgun is ideal if you are going to stay in your bedroom and wait for the bad guy to open your bedroom door.
But there are so many cases where you will walk through the house to see if there is a danger, or if the dog tipped his dish, if someone left the TV on, if the baby cried, etc., and in those cases you do not want a long gun.
Walking down the hall past the den…the bad guy reaches out from behind the door and grabs the end of the barrel…and you are done.
And as for the sound of the pump gun racking being so scary to the bad guy, a line that has been repeated thousands of times, a young person sharpened up by a life on the street can cross any room in your house in far less time than you an rack the gun.
By the way, have you ever had a shell hang halfway though the rack cycle?
It is a non recoverable incident when seconds count.
Cops use them under certain circumstances when clearing a house or building, but cops never clear buildings without backup.
A shotgun is a great weapon, no doubt. a 12 Ga. with 00 buckshot gives you 10 pellets with roughly the velocity of a .22 long rifle. So with one pull of the trigger, you shoot 10 missiles that can kill.
But it is a awkward weapon for hand to hand combat, which is what most personal defense battles are.
[QUOTE=wendy;7784354]
Why was this scary?
Why would your first response be to shoot him? [/QUOTE]
I am a gun owner and I live in a very rural area. I’m completely with Wendy on this. I would have grabbed my phone and my big flashlight and walked down the drive. I would inform him, in a loud voice from a distance, that he was trespassing and asked him if there was something I could help him with.
accidental repeat
[QUOTE=Manni01;7783813]
- Somebody came up our driveway at 10.00 pm and rang the doorbell.
- There was no light outside… I was not by myself, my grown up son was with me so I did go to the door and switched on the light…
- The Guy outside did not look to dangerous, so I opened the door.
- He was quite friendly and asked me where the previous owner of our place was. I told him that it wasn’t me and that I had no idea were he was. He was ok with my answer, asked for my name and left.
- I wasn’t even scared. I only thought afterwards that the whole thing was weird…[/QUOTE]
AAAAA!!! You did everything WRONG! I mean, really, you did everything wrong.
No light outside, so the house can be approached by anyone unbeknownst to you. Get a light and use it. Get a motion sensor light outside to give you a heads up when someone arrives.
Your son was with you…so what? Did he have a gun? Was perhaps someone with the guy at the door, or at the back door? Even if your son was armed, would he even use it?
You opened the door?! Really, are you nuts? Why would you ever open the door to anyone you didn’t know at 10PM? They had no reason to be at your door at night and you invited this guy in!
“He did not look dangerous…” Just what is dangerous looking? Big thug with tattoos? Look at serial murderers, lots aren’t threatening looking, which is how they work.
Why did you ever respond to his questions? Even worse, why did you ever give your name to a stranger at your door?
“I wasn’t even scared”…You should have been, you did 100% everything wrong and are truly lucky. Phew, very scary. Go down and have a talk with the local sheriff’s office and listen to them. Gawd…truly scary.
[QUOTE=jacksmom;7784527]
I am a gun owner and I live in a very rural area. I’m completely with Wendy on this. I would have grabbed my phone and my big flashlight and walked down the drive. I would inform him, in a loud voice from a distance, that he was trespassing and asked him if there was something I could help him with.[/QUOTE]
I guess I am just paranoid or something but I can not think of one good reason why someone would be walking around my front yard in the dark, after driving by slowly.
There are way too many crazy people in the world to risk my family.
No harm is done to the stranger by the OP calling the police.
1 Like
[QUOTE=myrna;7784187]
i don’t understand the whole “get a gun” mentality.[/QUOTE]
That’s fine, criminals need defenseless sheep too! Bleating for the police is special, you’ll have a nice wait, and remember, the police do not have a duty or legal responsibility to come to your aid, they’re only responsible for the public, not the individual.
Thank you for this-I agree 110%. I highly recommend a concealed carry, in a electronic gun safe-they are very quick to open some are made to spring open, holding 1 gun safely. Hide the safe in your closet, and don’t inform your mother of it. End of story.
A lunge whip or (heavens no!) toy gun, will get you killed.
If you are nervous about the gun, get training-take classes. Understand though, if you pull your gun on someone, you are pulling it out to kill, NOT use it as a negotiating tool. End of story. If you are not ok with that, then don’t get one.
In the interim, wasp spray/pepper spray. Hide it around the house, in your car, etc. Again, mother doesn’t need to know.
AND, with someone like her, if you feel any protective measures (pepper spray, wasp spray, guns) are not a viable option for HER to defend herself with, install an alarm system that is monitored, where is she was home alone and something happened, she can press the ‘alarmed’ button and notify the company.
Install (or have installed) dusk to dawn motion sensor lights around your house, barn and property. LED are low cost to run.
[QUOTE=cssutton;7783981]
Thee is some good advice and some terrible advice in this thread.
Good advice…get a gun safe. They make pistol safes that will open instantly, only for you and without complex pass codes that you might forget under stress.
Bad advice…get a toy gun that looks real.
When you point a gun at someone, one of two things will happen…he will run or he will try to kill you before you can shoot. Not good if all you have is a toy.
The first lesson in protecting yourself with a gun is to make a determination that your life is truly, by the judgment of a reasonable person, in danger. Only then do you draw or present the gun and if you do, you fire immediately.
To present, as they refer to it, and not fire is in many jurisdictions evidence that you did not really believe that you were in danger of losing your life.
So is firing in the air or at the ground.
So even if you decide to scare a guy off, which I do not approve of, tell the cops you fired at him but you don’t know whether you hit him.
Never ever tell them you fired in the air or fired a warning shot.
In many jurisdictions, drawing and not shooting is considered brandishing and that in itself is a crime.
So you did the right thing under the circumstances.
If you get a gun, do exactly the same thing except crouch in a protected area and say and do nothing, other than calling for help as you did, but be ready to shoot immediately should the person break into the house.
You do not shoot people in your yard, although there are exceptions to that in TX.
Get a pistol rather than a shotgun. That has been argued forever, but a pistol is easier to handle in a confined area. Preferably a very simple to operate weapon that will not cause you to make a fatal mistake when you are scared.
Semi auto pistols with safeties, magazines not properly inserted and latched, all have caused the victim to lose the weapon to the bad guy.
And practice until you can hit a man sized target at the longest space in your home without looking at the sights. Because most likely you will be either in the dark or in very poor light.
The longest hall in my house is 34 feet. See what yours is and practice at that distance. In truth, the bad guy will be much closer because he will be advancing.
If he gets in the house before you can compete your call for help, immediately hang up. You need both hands on the weapon and your full concentration on what the bad guy is doing.
Besides, if you want to see why you don’t want to be talking on your cell, tonight turn off all of the lights in your bedroom and open your cell and hold it to your face as you would when calling 911. Do this in front of your mirror.
Two things will be very obvious. You are blinded by the light on the cell screen and your face is a perfect target to the bad guy.
Not smart.
In my house, the call will only be made to get the mess cleaned up.
I forgot, take the concealed carry course. They will teach you what the law is in your state whether you ever carry or not. Many of those laws apply to you even at home.
Most important:
Get an alarm. Get one that is monitored by the alarm company.
They will have all of the vital information on record so that when they call the cops, the cops have no confusion about the address, the layout of the house, etc. The alarm company can tell which door or which widow has been breached.
The alarm company will call you to verify there is a problem or not. Even so, if the guy gets inside while you are talking, throw the phone on the floor and concentrate on saving your life.
The alarm company will know what to do when you put the phone down.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=wendy;7784354]
Why was this scary? the guy wasn’t sneaking around or anything. He was knocking on doors and yelling and trying to find someone to talk to. Doesn’t sound like he was anything other than very lost or in need of some help. The only scary part was it happened after sunset? unfortunately that’s when people are most likely to get lost.
Why would your first response be to shoot him?
I’ve been in the guy’s shoes- car died in the middle of nowhere, no phone reception. Hiked to the nearest farm and tried to find someone. It was pitch-black and pouring rain. Luckily they didn’t shoot me or spray me with wasp spray.[/QUOTE]
If you will go back to my original post, you will see that I suggested that anyone who intends to use a weapon for personal defense should take the concealed carry course.
And that I pointed out that one MUST before pointing a weapon at anyone determine that one’s life is truly in danger as perceived by a reasonable person.
So you are reading into this thread something that is not there, or at least should not be.
A person in your yard rambling around, no matter how confused or drunk, is not a threat to your life by any reasonable standard.
In most jurisdictions, it is not even reasonable to go out and confront the person because it is considered that you escalate the risk to yourself by doing so.
This is what makes confronting any person outside your home a tricky decision.
In this state, NC, it is not smart to go outside “looking for trouble” even though occasionally the law supports it.
Within a few miles of here there was a case where a business owner tried to stop a theft in progress, which was taking place at his business on the same property as his home. The thief attacked him and was killed. The sheriff supported the owner.
However, this was an unusual case in this state as we have the perception that the life of even the most low life is of more value than property, no matter how expensive the property.
So no, no one who knows what he is doing is going to shoot a person just because that person is walking around the yard or the barn at 2:30 AM or whenever.
Take the concealed carry course and find out what you are talking about.
However, I will add this:
When you are stumbling around in the rain at night knocking on doors, knock on that door and then step back a respectful distance…to the edge of a large porch or totally off a small stoop.
Your nose stuck up against the door when it is opened, if it is, is an invitation to be perceived as a threat.
When knocking on doors out in the country, this is expected of you whether it is a foul night or a beautiful sunny day. And it is good manners.
In PA a state trooper was shot coming out of the barracks with another trooper so yes, it sadly happens. And just by owning a gun does not mean you will not be the victim. If you have the balls to point it you sure as hell better be ready to shoot it to kill or be prepared to potentially have is wrestled away from you and used on YOU.
Back to the topic at hand, “typically” making lots of noise, having ANY barking dog and shouting out a window “I HAVE CALLED THE COPS” will deter “most” intruders. Excluding a psycho who it really doesn’t matter how fast the cops can try to get there.
My best advice, from a woman who lived alone on a big farm in the middle of nowhere is prepare yourself but don’t live in total fear. Have a plan, have either an escape route or a “safe room” with a phone.
