Hot Prowler

[Letj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar We have a lockable driveway gate, exterior IP cameras with email notification on motion detection, and a monitored alarm system. Hopefully that's enough of a deterrent. If someone gets inside, I'll be ready and waiting for them, but I won't shoot if all they want is stuff. Only if personal safety is threatened.

You definitely don't want to shoot unless your life or safety is threatened. The ramifications are too great and you'll find out real quick how "important" they were to their family who wouldn't hesitate to tie you up in court proceedings.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueskies123 Would you have remorse if you shot you neighbor's 14 year old kid? Yes, he or she should not be in your house but a lot of break ins where only cash is taken is neighborhood kids doing stupid things.

If I were frightened enough to pull the trigger, nope. That would someone who ignored two barking dogs (one of whom was bred for bear hunting and sounds like a 100 pound German Shepherd), possibly being bit by the larger dog, and the sound of me getting up and poking around with a flashlight and firearm. That would mean we are talking an armed robber who isn't taking several strong hints in my house after dark. If that is the case, I really do not care who they are. "Dindunuffins" come in all ages...

[RetireAge50]

We lock our doors and windows but that is all of our security measures. This thread makes me think about what I hope is a very rare event, perfect for the news and movies.

[dixonge]

I have found that the amount of time I spend thinking about/worrying about self-defense has gone down exponentially in direct correlation to the amount of guns I own. I don't worry about it at all any more now that I own none. YMMV

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixonge I have found that the amount of time I spend thinking about/worrying about self-defense has gone down exponentially in direct correlation to the amount of guns I own. I don't worry about it at all any more now that I own none. YMMV

I don't think Walt would approve.

[dixonge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal I don't think Walt would approve.

I don't know....Look where it got him! lol

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixonge I don't know....Look where it got him! lol

You mean retired, with a nice pension?

[dixonge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo You mean retired, with a nice pension?

Wrong Walt

[Teacher Terry]

We have 3 little dogs that would just bark. I have a big guy that would defend. He is very protective of me. If the house was empty that might be different.

[Jack_Pine]

If you gained entry to my locked home then I am in fear for my life. Period.

[Just_Steve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack_Pine If you gained entry to my locked home then I am in fear for my life. Period.

And if charged and I were on a jury of your peers, you would have nothing to fear.

[Dawg52]

That is scary. I have a big lab who barks at any unusual sounds. Sometimes a golf cart might ride by and he's barking at it. I doubt he would bite an intruder, but I can't imagine someone coming in with his big bark.

[Jack_Pine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 That is scary. I have a big lab who barks at any unusual sounds. Sometimes a golf cart might ride by and he's barking at it. I doubt he would bite an intruder, but I can't imagine someone coming in with his big bark.

We fell the same way about our GSD, Her hair goes up and she sounds bad but she is a cupcake. The effect, though, is very effective.

[ronin]

They/he/she tried again last night. I think it might have been around 10 or 11 when I heard a soft thump. Again, it was raining so could have been anything, even a car door out on the street. I didn't get up. This morning saw that the exterior door to my enclosed porch in the front of the house was almost kicked in. The door strike in the jamb was hanging by a thread and the jamb itself was ready to give. Motion sensor light 10 feet away made no difference. Us being home clearly made no difference. Why they didn't finish it off and get in I don't know, spooked, paranoid on meth. Whatever, this is crazy. Hope they never come back.

[Just_Steve]

.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin They/he/she tried again last night. I think it might have been around 10 or 11 when I heard a soft thump. Again, it was raining so could have been anything, even a car door out on the street. I didn't get up. This morning saw that the exterior door to my enclosed porch in the front of the house was almost kicked in. The door strike in the jamb was hanging by a thread and the jamb itself was ready to give. Motion sensor light 10 feet away made no difference. Us being home clearly made no difference. Why they didn't finish it off and get in I don't know, spooked, paranoid on meth. Whatever, this is crazy. You are right. Hope they never come back.

Have you discussed this with the local constabulary? It might also be a good idea to put a game cam or two (and maybe a strategically placed conibear) in the areas that seem to be attractive to the burglar.

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixonge I have found that the amount of time I spend thinking about/worrying about self-defense has gone down exponentially in direct correlation to the amount of guns I own. I don't worry about it at all any more now that I own none. YMMV

Same here. Zero guns, very little worry.

Random home invasions are quite rare (where the victim doesn't know the assailant(s) ). That's what would really adversely impact us.

Simple burglary? In n out, maybe do a few hundred in damage to the door/window and steal $500-2000 worth of our cool stuff (insurance would cover anything beyond that). No way would I spend many hundreds or thousands on alarm/monitoring systems/beefed up security/guns/dogs/etc just to prevent the minor loss of property.

Of course I don't have a lot of nice stuff, I live in a residential neighborhood near a main street so the cops are never far away, I have a $20 motion activated light and routinely lock my doors and usually windows too.

[Sunset]

It is true, home invasions area rare, although they are getting more common near here.
Burglary is nice when it's simple, but what are you going to do when it's not ?

Like when they decide you have money hidden and need to beat the answer out of you, or kill your kids because one of them saw the burglar, Or rape someone for fun.
Chicago Man Found Guilty of Killing Suburban Teen | NBC Chicago

I bought an alarm to wake me up if someone breaks in. I'll phone the police as they are only minutes away when seconds count. Then I'll hide in the bedroom with my little friend.

I don't worry at all because I have more than a bat.

[samclem]

We have several of these little IR alarms that we bought at Harbor Freight. Pretty handy, and about $15. It's all battery powered, wireless, and very simple--the sensor goes where it can "see" the "area of concern," when the IR unit senses motion it sends a signal to the chime inside (they can be up to several hundred feet apart). We've used them to alert us of animals on our back porch, to know when someone is on our front porch, etc. If placed where it could sense someone outside your enclosed porch, it might provide some peace of mind, or advance warning of trouble. In my experience, it's more likely to give "false positive's" (to alert on an animal, etc) than to miss a valid alarm (a person moving in the FOV).

[braumeister]

I like the Nest outdoor camera a lot. It will give you nice clear video of anyone who approaches, and since it's simultaneously uploaded to your account in the cloud, even damaging the camera would be irrelevant. Quick and easy to install, too.

I've had one installed for several months now and it's great. I can even go online and see the occasional squirrel or cat crossing my patio.