Not in Texas and Florida! Shoot'em all day long, not sure if you heard the story a couple of years ago in Texas, a man watched a couple of guys break into his neighbors house, called the police, was talking to the dispatcher when he watched the guys leaving. Long story short he told the dispatcher "they are getting away, im gonna shoot'em" he than walks outside and shoots and kills 1 or 2 of them. No charges filed against him!

I know I sound pretty cold with my comments. im really not that cold, but I will shoot to kill, actually thats all i know!

 

AWG, I like the way you think... If my marriage ever falls apart (13 years now) and your boyfriends messes up, Im taking you on a date!

 

i remember this. he was on the phone and was like hold on their getting away.....all you hear is gun shots. the law in texas is you can protect your house and your neighbors. nebraska has a rule you have to tell them to get off your property and if you feel threatened anything goes. There was a case in nebraska where a guy robbed a house and the owner chased him down an alley and shoot him in the back. he had charges against him for that. otherwise its like your word vs the criminals. basically you can shoot anyone in your house.

I really want a big dog but my apartment/guest house doesnt permit because im gone all day.

 

Roger, can't believe this! But really glad that nothing happened to your girl!

Do you have cameras installed? I'd put up panoramic mini-cams on all approaches to your home and have them record on a secure remote hard drive - just so that if the fuck tries and gets away again (and I really hope that "again" never happens, btw!), you'll at least have a chance at knowing what he looks like.

It really is so crazy that you have to go through this shit so often! You sure its not some "insider", who might be going for something specific, or someone you might know? Just sounds crazy that this would happen again - AND again, when you weren't home. Almost as though someone knew when you're not home... maybe I'm talking crazy - you'd know better. Do a lot of B&Es happen in your area?

 

Yea I actually heard that story, and I heard the sound clip too. The guy was just like "Gotta go, I am not going to let these two get a way" the next thing you hear is the shotgun racking and the window pane shattering.

I think you can still get in serious trouble for that though.

 

honestly.. why dont you do like V said.. get cameras.. a plain jane setup is in friggen costco! easy as pie and you can watch them on t.v's... and to be honest again you dont need a big dog at all.. any dog will work for that matter as long as it barks.. when i had my alarm installed the guys told me that its great that i have a pitbull.. that alone will help if people see him.. but any dog.. even a tiny one will bark and deter the burgler away.. bottom line is dogs make noise!!! especially little ones! mine on the other hand will sleep through anything(and is barking in his sleep as i type) , but shh.. dont tell the robbers..

get a small dog if you cant handle the responsibilites of a large one. they require alot of work and exercise.. and alarm all the time, obviously now you will and invest in some cameras.. im glad shes okay.. ive been robbed once and its a feeling that kinda never goes away. scary shit and im glad shes okay. not sure how i feel about actually carrying a gun though.. i have shot various guns being that my father used to be a firearms instructor and i grew up with magazines like "mopar" and "guns and ammo" on the table..lol.. just be careful and do what feels right for you guys..my sympathies to her... mel

 

Florida has "Castle Doctrine". In simple terms, this means that your home is your castle. If someone enters your home illegally, you have no legal obligation to flee, warn them, observe a weapon, etc. before using deadly force.

That being said... some may agree, some may disagree, but that is the law here in Florida and in many other states. Personally, I am not asking my 110lb fiancee to argue, debate, ask questions, look for sharp objects, etc to a criminal breaking into my house with her in it. I will not allow a criminal breaking into my house to decide whether he/she chooses or not chooses to become violent. I may handle that same situation differently, but... that is the purpose of the law.

I have an alarm, the doors were locked, and I have a chihuahua. He normally hears everything and barks at everything. He did not hear this. My condo has a weight limit on dogs and I am limited to one.

My patio is screened, so there is no way to secure that area without enclosing the patio. Wouldn't get a return on my investment and I plan on moving up to a house as soon as fiscally possible. He still would have had to breach the sliding glass doors that separate my patio from my interior. Everybody says... put rods between the doors. Well, most of these genius's don't try to slide the door open, they just break the glass!

Cameras are great for recording the crime, not so great at protecting the occupants How many recorded robberies do you see on tv with a hooded, hat, towel around the face, and then the reporter says... "if anyone recognizes these subjects, please call police." Meanwhile the crime has already occurred.

I live in a middle-class community. About 2/3 are working families and about 1/3 are retirees. The problem with my unit, is that it backs up to a large park and there are about 12 foot hedges separating the back of my unit and the park. Thus, there are no other units observing the rear of my unit. This makes my unit very private, which is why I chose it. Hard to find condos that provide some privacy. But it also makes it a target, privacy and quick escape route.

I appreciate the comments. Hope this clears up some of the questions.

 

[quote post='886957' date='May 22 2009, 07:13 PM']Florida has "Castle Doctrine". In simple terms, this means that your home is your castle. If someone enters your home illegally, you have no legal obligation to flee, warn them, observe a weapon, etc. before using deadly force.[/quote]

Sorry didn't make my post clear. If they are in your house of course no questions asked, two in the chest one in the head.
I was referring to being in public. I.E. your walking to your car and see it is being jacked. Shooting that criminal will get you in trouble if he is not threatening you and/or you have the opportunity to escape. (If I recall correctly this is how it goes) If you are IN your car, the car is referred as an extension of your home so you are permitted to use deadly force if someone is trying to get you out of the car by force.

 

Even a small yappy dog will be a great alarm of/for an intruder. Piles of poop are not nearly as big.

 

Well said Tiger!!