OT Home Invasion

[JackConrad]

My only other comment is "better to be judged by 12 than carried by six".  I hope I never have to shoot someone and we try to stay out of locations/situation that might lead to that happening. However, if me or my family is threatened, I would not hesitate to protect them.  I keep my guns loaded. I have had people question why I keep the guns loaded?  I asked them why they keep their fire extinguishers filled? When they reply "in case I need it", I just smile and say "me too"  Jack

[bevans6]

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[ruthi]

Home invasion is very scary. We live in a very small town in Ga. and there was one about a mile from us a couple of months ago. In Ga. you can get a permit to carry a gun, conceled or otherwise, no classes required. Just fill out the app. wait for them to run a ck. on you, pay up, and it is yours. Ken and I both have one. As yall know we travel all the time, and spend lots of time at truck stops, rest stops and walmarts. We are armed at all times. I know that our permit is good in a lot of other states, but I dont remember which ones.  But, in these times, it pays to be prepared. I think of all the times a gunman has gone into a restaurant, etc. and opened fire. If only  a good guy would have had a weapon, maybe a lot of lives could have been spared. We  too live in the country, so, you have to take care of yourself. No neighbors close by. I have to stay home sometimes when Ken is out on the road. We installed an alarm system, as well as cameras. If anyone comes in the house the alarm will go off and the sheriff called. Meantime, I have notice to have my gun ready, and it is loaded and on the pillow beside me, along with my cell phone  Unfortunatley, a lot of people know that if the bus is not there, we are gone. So, if i stay home, I make it a point to make it obvious I am there. I dont know if that is a good thing or not, come to think of it.   It does make me feel better, but, I still dont sleep as well when I am home alone. It would be hard for me to know that I killed someone for sure, dont know if I would ever be the same, but, if it is me or them, then.....its them. Georgias laws are like Texas, you have the right if someone is breaking in. It is like Co. law, make my day law.  Anyhow, thank God, you are okay. I know it will take a long time for your wife to feel safe again. Take care, Ruth   A word of caution, keep your doors locked all the time in your bus, even in the middle of the day, or when you are running in and out. You never know who is lurking.

[1960eagle]

Very sorry to hear about what happened to you and your wife,I know from reading the posts hear that you have been very helpful to many here.sure makes you think about how crazy people in this world can be. I cant say that shooting them would have been the answer when all is said and done.However i can relate to the feeling of shoot first ask? later.     Take care.   

[white-eagle]

Clifford, i'm sorry you had to deal with some piece of crap invading your home, but i'm happy it came out in your favor.  Our prayer's for your wife's BP getting back to normal soon.
i'm not in favor of killing anyone needlessly, but i just heard some dumb A$$ legislator in florida suggest releasing criminals early to save money and cut costs.  Cut costs by letting them work for their supper.  i'm in favor of the modified 3 strikes law.

and Jim shepherd, i would not be so open about what i carry and where.  a lot of us want to protect ourselves, but there are also a lot of anti-nra folks around.  there are plenty of states that except cc permits from other states.  from what i saw, i would stay south of IL and MI.  Ohio lets you carry your weapon in your bus if you are going camping or hunting.

in florida, a sherrif told me that while driving, your bus is a vehicle, so treat the gun that way.  when parked, it's your home and treat it that way.

Gumpy, wasp spray is my new preferred method if i can't get to a gun quicker.  i've even given fran lessons at the range with guns.
glad again for you clifford, that if came out ok as a home invasion can be.

[Lin]

Okay, for all the prospective shooters, here is a site with a bunch of relevant videos.  Of particular interest are ones on what to do after a shooting, what ammo to use, which weapons are likely to be the best choice, etc.  Oh yeah, this is just like getting to Carnegie Hall-- practice, practice, practice.  CHP are required to shoot 50 rounds a month.  How many are you chipping?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1541138791?bclid=1527680698&bctid=51377350001

[Lin]

Well, that didn't seem to translate real well.  Try this one if interested.  Click on the personal defense tab.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/videos

[Just Dallas]

Removed

[Busted Knuckle]

Cat says I can't say what I think.

or is that can't think what ya say?
  BK 

[Songman]

Clifford, I was amazed when you told me this on the phone today because I had not heard it. I am very glad that you were armed and able to defend your home and family. I'm glad the punks didn't make you shoot, but if it had come down to you or them, I would rather it had been them. That is what a lot of the talk skips over. Sometimes you don't have a choice. Sometimes people will kill you as soon as look at you. You either let them or you stop them. I'm glad Sonja is okay too. That is pretty scary about her blood pressure. You both have lots of people here praying for you.

About this safe gun-free Canada thing.... This might be a good article for some people to read. Sometimes things have to be put into perspective - especially if trying to say that an unarmed population makes things safer.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=fb715fde-9cee-42e2-ae75-81061c3cee14

[FloridaCliff]

Clifford,

First and foremost I am glad that you had the presence of mind to handle this, to a safe result for your family.

Our prayers are for both of you to return to some sense of comfort and safety in your own home.

Cliff & Julie


On the other issue of the self defense topic, I am glad I live in Florida where we passed a no retreat law.
I can do whatever is necessary to defend my family, home, property and person.   And I will...............

[bevans6]

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[Songman]

And Wikipedia is written by anyone who wants to write something. Not a good source.  Yes, the article I posted had a political message. And it should.. The politicians up there tell you what they want you to hear just as they do down here. Did you happen to read any of the statistics at all or did you just discount it as political? are we saying that we can't believe anything we read on Canada.com? Very valid points were made in the article. But it was not about a politician. It was about a political system.

And if you do want to post from an unreliable source such as Wikipedia, don't pick and choose. You stopped your quote one line before it got good. From your own source, two lines after what you posted:
Since violent crimes are a smaller fraction of all crimes, the difference between the two countries is less than the homicide rate might make it seem, and the overall rates are generally close.

Furthermore, in recent years, the gap in violent crime rates between the United States and Canada has narrowed due to a precipitous drop in the violent crime rate in the U.S. For example, while the aggravated assault rate declined for most of 1990s in the U.S. and was 324 per 100,000 in 2000, the aggravated assault rate in Canada remained relatively steady throughout and was 143 per 100,000 in 2000. In other areas, the U.S. had a faster decline. For instance, whereas the murder rate in Canada declined by 36% between 1991 and 2004, the U.S. murder rate declined by 44%. [8] Surprisingly, both Saskatoon and Regina consistently have Violent Crime rates that would place them among the 10 most violent cities in the US, and often individually exceed larger US centers in terms of Total numbers for Aggravated Assaults and Robbery.

Just like the article I posted said... Crime is dropping in the US and rising in Canada. The biggest cities in the US raise the average even though crime outside of those cities is markedly lower. From that number, take away the crime that is perpetrated by illegals and I would wager that the US would be below Canada. 68% of the population in California prisons are illegals. The US federal number is not far below that. It was 33% in 2004.

[Barn Owl]

Interesting that the US cities they used for comparison ban guns. Who cares if it is 1% or 75% if your the statistic. The indisputable evidence is that guns reduce crime. As gun ownership has gone up in the US crime has declined. Something the Brady Campain has conveniently overlooked. Also note that in the Brady State scoring of states that they felt had weak gun laws, Utah is the only state they scored a zero. If the anti-gun's logic held true, then Utah would be the most dangerous state to live in. Ever been to Utah? You would be hard pressed to meet a more civilized and polite people in all of the US. The only state I would move to if I had to.  

[HighTechRedneck]

If you delve a little deeper, a lot of our violent crime is tightly clustered in dense urban settings, which you would also expect. 

Which also explains the disparity between crime rates between the two countries.  The U.S. has many more high population cities with dense urban areas than Canada does.  (Keep in mind that the total population of Canada is about 10% less than the population of California alone).  And those dense urban areas have the highest violent crime rates in the U.S. just like in Canada.  Since there are more dense urban areas, the national averages are impacted.  Also notable is that generally the big cities have the toughest gun control laws.