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The Relative Merits of Home Security Systems, Home Defense and Gun Control

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by Aldeth the Foppish Idiot, May 29, 2008.

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  1. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Remove all ads!
    I completely agree with Aldeth on this one. I catch someone in my house, I am not going to assume that they just want the silver, are not armed, and will quietly leave when they take the silver. I am assuming that they are armed and will do whatever they fancy -- they have already demonstrated a complete willingness to break the law, they have demonstrated what I consider to be stupidity (breaking into an occupied home), and they have lost any benefit of the doubt in my mind at to their motives. I have a very nice softball bat (an aluminum job that will serve admirably) that I keep under my bed. I have pool cues near the pool table, guitars in one room, knives in the kitchen, you name it, all of which can be pressed into service as a bludgeon or other weapon. I have no guns (except a pellet gun, which hardly counts, as I use it to chase away squirrels from my wife's tomatoes and our walnut trees) and don't feel the need for one. I can do plenty of damage with the tools at hand and if I feel that my family is in danger (which, trust me, is the case if there is an intruder in my house), I will do whatever I believe necessary and adequate to protect my family. I can check the a-hole to see if he's armed after I've knocked him out and bound him in duct tape.
     
    dmc, May 31, 2008
    #21

  2. LKD Gems: 31/31
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    Yeah, I have three kids and I would rather be wrong and have a dead criminal than be wrong and have a traumatized daughter.

    When that stupidity is coupled with criminal behaviour, you bet it is punishable by death. If the guy is in MY house, uninvited, CLEARLY for the purposes of a criminal nature, it's time to die. I'm not about to open negotiations with the bastard.

    As for the police, if a person is waving around a knife or something, or is just throwing stuff around and being violent, the cops tell him to calm down and smarten up. They're usually quite authoritative "follow my commands and put your hands up!" or something similar. If he's too high to understand, too bad for him. Blast the bugger until he stops being a threat to decent people.
     
    LKD, May 31, 2008
    #22
  3. Drew

    Drew Arrogant, contemptible, and obnoxious Adored Veteran

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    Not to play semantics, but a dead criminal will most assuredly traumatize your daughter. The flip side, of course, is that a living criminal could probably do worse. A criminal rifling through your silver, however, probably just wants your silver (because if he had truly nefarious intentions, he likely would have indulged them first).
     
    Drew, May 31, 2008
    #23

  4. Dinsdale Gems: 13/31
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    Yeah DR, the sound of a pump action shotgun is a deterrent in and of itself. They take less training to use too. The only negative is that they are harder to bring to bear in some cases. I have a Mossberg 12 gauge pump with a 18 inch barrel. Basically it's a police shotgun. I recommend it highly. It's not too expensive and is VERY reliable. I hope I never have to use it against an intruder though. My other defense weapon is a .45 Ruger semiautomatic pistol. It's not as high tech as the Glock but it does the trick.

    Anyone who breaks into my house when my wife and I are there will be in a world of hurt if they don't vacate posthaste.
     
    Dinsdale, May 31, 2008
    #24

  5. LKD Gems: 31/31
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    Drew, playing semantics is what you do best, IMHO!

    I was trying to be a little less graphic -- I'd rather her have the trauma of dealing with a dead stranger in the house than the trauma of repeated rape and sodomy. Is that sufficiently semantically precise for you?

    Going back to the whole home security, this thread has concinced me that if I ever get a house and if my kids ever live with me instead of their mother, I'm buying a dog -- it seems the most reliable system in terms of notifying me and as deterrence. My Dad has no dog but he has a sign in the yard that says "Beware of Dog" that the local cops told him scares away many would be thieves.
     
    LKD, May 31, 2008
    #25
  6. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

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    There's nothing wrong with having a burglar alarm besides the dog. Unless a burglar really wants to hit YOUR house, chances are he will move on to the next house if he finds that yours is protected. Burglars operate on a risk/benefit basis, and a house with an alarm is more trouble and a higher risk than a house without an alarm.

    A former professional burglar told that, "When we saw a sign from a security company on the door, we moved on to the next house!" (Of course this was from a commercial for home security systems so the evidence is somewhat skewed!;))

    And of course you'll want to prevent your dog from triggering the alarm... :)
     
    Montresor, May 31, 2008
    #26

  7. martaug Gems: 23/31
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    Just remember LKD to spend a few bucks on a couple of dog toys & leave them in the yard. Kick them around every couple of days & it reinforces the illusion of a pet. Oh & don't forget the water bowl:)

    @dmc, don't get me started on squirrels!, they are the devils minions!! Those little rodents from hades are the bane of my garden & torment the crap out of the dogs. Every now & then the cat will take pity on the dogs & chase one out of a tree, right towards the dogs but usually she just lays on the deck ignoring everybody.
     
    martaug, May 31, 2008
    #27
  8. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

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    Montresor, Jun 2, 2008
    #28
  9. Aldeth the Foppish Idiot

    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot Armed with My Mallet O' Thinking Veteran

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    That would be a real concern for me if we still owned a dog. In fact, it would effectively prevent me from activating part of the home security system. We have sensors on all the doors that sound when a door is opened, and also motion detectors on the main and lower level of the house. We don't have any motion detectors upstairs which allows us to deactivate the alarm before going downstairs and setting off the motion detectors. (And frankly, unless Spiderman is breaking into my house, I'm not concerned with someone breaking into the second floor.) Having a dog would effectively activate the motion detectors.
     
    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot, Jun 2, 2008
    #29

  10. martaug Gems: 23/31
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    unless you keep him upstairs.:)
     
    martaug, Jun 2, 2008
    #30
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