You can shoot anyone who trespasses.

I think you can shoot them wherever you want.

When I got out this morning to leave to work, I walked all around my house being very paranoid and scared that someone was there watching when I leave. Man, I really haven't been myself lately, I feel like a wuss. My emotions are going nuts because of everything that happened.

personally, i dont like the dog idea. id prefer to shoot the fucker. with a dog in the house, the thief is not going to stick around long enough to get bit, let alone get shot.

I would take a class.

Wasn't the point to prevent theft?

I actually came home the 2nd time they were robbing my house. I drove in my driveway, saw lights on in the house that I left off, and someone standing at the doorway.

If I had a gun, I could have run up to them and stopped them.

How exactly does a firearm help in this situation?

Cause when you pull the trigger on a gun, it goes bang and shoots a bullet out of the barrel, and if properly aimed it can incapacitate the bad guy leaving him to either die as he ponders whether it really was worth his life to burgarlize people, or it can leave him severely wounded while the police show up and then he can have 15 years in jail to think about it.

So exactly how does this dog thing work?

but I would never consider owning a gun. Just too many risks.

That 12 gauge you mentioned -- do you take it to the grocery store when you pick up milk?

I'm just talking about the future. I would really feel more secure having one

They bark a lot, and scare the crap out of people who might otherwise think about breaking into your house. Then they decide to move on to another, easier target.

No, but it stays in my closet with a box of shells next to it.

Buying a gun means that you're buying into the culture of fear and crime that exists in that neighborhood. You're becoming one of them.

you know that stupid bravado and Rambo-like confidence that you will come out in top in a firefight that you have?

There is very little crime prevention value in guns.

If you had had a gun in your car when you came home and encountered the thieves, and had been so foolish as to approach them with it, the chances are very high that you would be dead now.

in Austin, no one is required to wear anything above the waist - male or female. I saw this in action the first weekend I was in Austin (exercised by females). From then on I know that Austin was a magical place.

I personally carry a 10mm (a VERY powerful handgun) on my hip and .40 caliber on my ankle, everyday, whether I'm at work or not. That should hint at the line of work I'm in. There have been 3 separate cases (in 3 different states) where I wasn't on duty that I can credit being armed with saving my life.

btw - I would recommend a 12 gauge pump shotgun to get the suckers. A pistol is fine, but you can't miss with a 12 gauge, and it will make a bigger mess of their face and is sure to drop them with one hit. Plus a shotgun won't overpenetrate; bullets can go through a window or a wall and hit little suzie sleeping in bed next door. If they're armed with a handgun, you'll have the upperhand with the 12 ga.

Look at veterans from the various wars over the years, they've seen enough killing and bloodshed to affect them for the rest of their lives

I don't think that you pulling a gun on him stopped him attacking you

Having a gun in your hands just allows you to make life/death choices against other people - I don't want to *ever* be in a situtation where I can choose, or not, the life or death of another human.

I don't think he said he pulled a gun on him, but rather just made the gun visible.

Ever wonder what the psychological impact on the householder is when they kill someone trying to burgle them?

Can't say that I'd ever want to be in that position.

Yeah, you just place that burden on a few brave people who work for the police. This is the same sort of hypocrisy with people who condemn hunting because of animal cruelty then they go to the supermarket to buy some fresh meat. You just don't want to get your hands dirty.

Ask yourself this, who do you want to uphold the law in your country - the Police force (committed, trained experts in this stuff), or Joe Public? You seem to be advocating some sort of Anarchy.

And by the way, I won't be making the life or death choice if someone breaks into my house. The thief will make that choice for himself.

No, that's incorrect. Do you think that the thief WANTS to break into your house? They obviously feel that it's worth the risk for whatever reason. You are the one pointing a gun at them, you are the one deciding if they live or die. You have the choice.

you are the one deciding if they live or die.

Ask yourself this, who do you want to uphold the law in your country - the Police force (committed, trained experts in this stuff), or Joe Public? You seem to be advocating some sort of Anarchy.

Can you really say that most/all/any of the people who own guns in the US are correctly and properly trained in both the usage of the weapon and have the mental faculties or training to cope with making the right choice when deciding wether or not to kill someone?

Do you think that the thief WANTS to break into your house?

They obviously feel that it's worth the risk for whatever reason.

You are the one pointing a gun at them, you are the one deciding if they live or die. You have the choice.

you were the one showing off your Uzi's in another thread as well

I can clearly see that we're just going to have to agree to disagree, so I'm going to let this lie right here, but I have one final parting question...

Outlawing guns only disarms the law-abiding citizens.

Well, for one, the ability for the populace to be able to overthrow the government if the need should ever arise.

You're kidding, right?

For that matter I'm pretty well willing to fight anybody when I feel ANY of my rights begin to slip, and believe me, they're starting to slip ever and ever faster in this country.

It just that the silly arguments

Is the "problem" with guns and violence in the US caused by the Amendment itself?

Eh, what do I know? I lost my train of thought, at any rate.

The biggest problem is probably unrestricted access to guns. There's no requirement that a person who purchases a gun from a licensed dealer do anything to sell it to someone else. I'm sure it'd be illegal for them to sell it to a felon, but pretty much anything else goes. So I could conceivably buy a gun, getting the permit and waiting however long the law requires and then go the next day and sell it to some other person. There are more laws restricting the sale of cars.

So I could conceivably buy a gun, getting the permit and waiting however long the law requires and then go the next day and sell it to some other person.

Give me my sig back, please.