Mark - trailer tenant - I was discussing with him my intention of getting a 12 gauge shotgun.
He asked the following: "Do you really want to shoot a bunch of kids, even if it is legal to do so?"
"Anthony is 18 years old, not a kid anymore. But to answer your question, no. Unless they had a weapon, I wouldn't shoot a teenager. It's their relatives/extended family - several of those people I would shoot in a heartbeat" .............. since, they would shoot me in same-said manner if given the opportunity in such circumstances.
I feel that people that don't have any value associated with human life should go before me,l; if the situation is forced and I have to defend my life. I have numerous problems right now - but I don't look at my life or someone else's as worthless shit. Well, maybe a few someone else's (think Osama bin Laden type of people) , but for the vast majority of people, not.
I would not have a problem head butting them with the barrel of the shotgun - concerning those kids - or sticking them with a club or baseball bat in a non-lethal manner, but killing them, probably not. These kids think it's perfectly acceptable to just walk right into a person's home, find whatever is appealing to them, take it and walk out with it.
They do THAT in a home with a person that has a gun and doesn't know them, they might have a serious problem on their hands.
I bid on an auction today for a Mossberg - a basic version, single barrel. $135. Ignorance not aside, I realized that it's the same as eBay and even more. Shipping costs and they can't ship to individuals, they have to ship to licensed dealers. Who knows what a dealer around here will charge to receive the item. I - unfortunately - had the winning bid until right up before the auction ended, when some other person outbid me and I sighed a hugh sigh of relief. For that money, I could buy the brand new thing I saw at Walmart today and be very happy to have it.
I will be visiting local pawn shops tomorrow and gun dealers as well looking for whatever I can find. Perhaps I will lower my sights and go with a single barrel. Anything that can stop a person in their tracks that has ideas of inflicting harm is better than nothing.
Look, folks, I am concerned - my safety, my son's safety, tenants. I don't need the fear of being unarmed if something happens. I do have a .22 rifle sitting in my closet - they didn't take that - but a 22 doesn't really have much stopping power. A 12 gauge shotgun at close range is simply aim in the general direction and pull the trigger. I live in a big city with too many people that could care less whether you live or die.
That's it. It won't be long and you'll be reading about my new/used - shotgun.
12 comments:
Ben, I'm surprised at you! Even the thought of having a gun for that purpose is un-Christian! You want to murder someone because they steal "items"? Is someone's life worth it? NO!
Keep your house locked, put more locks on it. Have neighbors keep watch, the police are already informed. Don't do anything rash! Hide items of value away in a closet or something... make sure there is nothing lying around worth stealing.
You have your videos... that should be enough!
Ben, I've been reading regularly your past entries, as you've noticed by the stats, and I am really shocked at your thoughts... sorry, but it's just not YOU!
Dorrie:
I think I stated that I did NOT want to shoot a bunch of teenagers. My house has all kinds of locks. Locks keep out normal people, not thieves. Thieves will get into your house if they want to, I don't care how many locks you have. These kids came into my house in broad daylight with people HERE!! I don't see where it's un Christianlike to defend your home, property and people living there.
I have been discussing about getting a gun for quite some time now, I just haven't done it. Laws about the ability to shoot people who have brazenly walked into your home to steal from you and then shoot you are there for a good reason. If you couldn't do it, then just let them kill YOU instead of being able to defend yourself.
The point of getting a gun, if I didn't make myself clear, is not the kids that did the stealing, it's their extremely extended families - all of them have guns, none of them care whether you live or die and I do believe that it is very possible that when detectives start doing their job in this particular case, I will be seeing some of these people. They are not logical, rational or even civilized people, they will want revenge regardless of the fact that the relative they are getting revenge on is the perpetrator, not me.
On all 3 fronts - all 3 of those kids that were here stealing - they have relatives that are either in prison, were in prison, or just haven't been caught yet. Some of these people are murderers. Many of them are thieves, drug dealers, on and on and on. If you can't get the picture as to why I would get a gun to defend myself with that scenario, then there is no explaining it.
ben
BTW, the gun was IN the closet, that had a keyed lock on it. They simply pounded a hole right through the door, opened it and walked out with it and about $100 in coins, besides the $1,200 worth of video gaming electronics. That closet is in MY bedroom. How would YOU feel if you had a bunch of people just walk into your home, take whatever they wanted to and committed acts of destruction while doing it?
but Ben, you have evidence on your videos... and owning a gun won't make matters better. Sorry, but I am very against guns. If those people are so bad, then why aren't the police doing their job? Why are they still walking around free? I will stay with my opinion, killing a person is wrong, no matter how much that person deserves it. Sorry, I just can't accept it....
Then we will have to leave it at a disagreement. I have no problem killing a person first before they kill me, ie: they are in my home, have a weapon, intend on using it on me or someone else. I see nothing in the Bible that says anything against it. It is not MURDER to defend one's self. It never has been and it never will be. Let's put it in a different light. Let's say you have one of your grand daughters over for the night. A burglar breaks in, has a gun. Hypothetically, you have a gun to defend yourself. This person is going to kill everyone in the house, including the little girl. His only intent for doing such is that he doesn't want any eyewitnesses to be able to ID him. He kills you, the girl, takes your stuff, goes scott free. Happens ALL the time in the U.S. the nation over.
Compound that scenario. These people know who I am, they know my schedule. They know who lives here, when they are here and what my current armament is. I get their relatives thrown in jail. Now they want revenge because - their relatives robbed me, I got them in trouble, and now, I am going to die for it because of it. I don't see God having a problem with me taking steps to defend myself.
I agree, murder is totally wrong. In home self-defense, you are not murdering anyone if you shoot them, you are DEFENDING YOURSELF and EVERYONE else that lives there. If you think it is acceptable that I should just lay down and die at the hands of thugs, then that is your opinion, but I totally disagree with it. And that's the sticking point here - I am NOT just going to lay there like a doormat and let these people have their way with me, ending my life because they are mad that I sent one of their kind to prison.
Owning a gun won't make matters better? Oh, yes, it will. It will give me the peace of mind that when I go to sleep at night, if someone comes walking in here on Anthony's, Drey's or Darnell's half to do me harm, I have something to answer it with besides just my fists. Fists don't stand up to a bullet.
You know, going on with this a bit more, my mother took the same stance that you have now in younger years. She was totally opposed to guns, ownership of them, was for the banning of them for anyone.
Then, she got old. She inherited a house in a 55-plus only community. She found out that thieves prey on those people - going to their homes, breaking in while they're home, robbing them blind and sometimes killing them. The theives have the advantage - youthfulness and strength - against an elderly woman or couple that can't possibly go mano y mano. She met a man that owned all kinds of guns, fell in love with him. He taught her how to use a handgun and a shotgun. They went to the shooting ranges. She is a good shot now, owns 3 guns. She took a COMPLETELY different view of things when the possibility that SHE could end up like so many others in her area had in years past became reality to her.
If the reality hits you that you, possibly, could be subjected to such a thing, or, God-forbid - you ARE robbed, you might have a change of mind. Things become a bit less black and white in life when you become the victim.........
Ben, If you feel compelled to buy a gun, I recommend that you get a .45 instead of a shotgun. A .45 will do double duty - home and personal protection. You can't carry a mossberg on your person (without looking like a complete nut) and a .45 has great stopping power. It's also much easier to wield than a shotgun. Maybe even just get a used .40 Glock. Cheap, reliable, great stopping power, and indestructible.
Be careful about interpreting the law yourself. A few FYIs I've learned:
1. Just because you are in the clear criminally, doesn't mean the perp (or their relatives) can't sue you later in a civil court. See OJ Simpson. People (and cops) get ruined this way, even if they are in the clear criminally.
2. Castle doctrine doesn't apply in AZ.
3. Don't assume gun laws on the street and your home apply to guns in your car. Everything changes once you put a gun in your car.
Check out this website. Lots of experience there:
http://www.arizonashooting.com/v3/index.php
Puma
The law changes with the environment. What you can do to a person in your house you can't do in your backyard. In the car I wouldn't even have the thing available - it would be in the trunk. I actually want to get both a shotgun and a handgun.
I also want to take a CCW permit course that teaches you the law and gives various simulations of what kind of situation you might find yourself in and what you can legally do.
I do assume, however, that if someone is shooting at your, regardless of where it may be happening, you have the right to defend yourself. I will check out the website.
ben
I'm assuming you mean by Castle Doctrine the likes of what they have in Texas - a person even attempting to break in your home can legally be shot and killed? I know we don't have that here and from what I have heard, even if they are inside your home, you allegedly have to 'feel that yours or someone else's life' is threatened.
That's right. However, you CAN point your gun at them and say "get the hell off my property". Even outside the house in your yard. The key is to shoot them and then put a knife in their hand afterwards. Just kidding. About the knife part.
I got my CCW just to avoid the fuzzy areas about having it in my car. Was afraid I'd set it down on the passenger seat and forget. That's a no-no without a CCW. Has to be in a holster and in the glove box w/o a CCW. If you have the CCW, it doesn't matter - it can be ANYWHERE in the car legally.
Good luck.
Puma
Monday:
Lol to Puma and the knife statement - I'll have to remember that one!
In all seriousness, I have written 2 entries over the weekend and apparently got lost in doing stuff around the house - forgetting to post them. Oh, wait a minute, take that back, on Saturday I was installing a different version of Windows XP and simply shut the computer off. It's called "The Last XP v17" and is a some killer software - however - my computer as old as it is? Couldn't handle all of it. We still put that version on there but to a much more limited extent.
I truly wish I could afford to buy a new computer, my tenant's boyfriend was telling me you can get a newer one on CL for less than $100. I'll have to check that out.
Anyway, the forecast last week showed today was going to have a high of 100. Now? 107. It's ridiculous. If you can't forecast the weather even close, get out of the business! Tomorrow and the rest of this week look promising. Promising, that is, if you can believe their predictions. I'm ready to get outside and start doing some serious work on the front yard and yes, I put off digging any more on that pond until the weather was to cool down.
I just read an article with the Associated Press asking Iran's President all kinds of questions spanning the globe of things going on in Iran. I consider the man to be a bald-faced liar, I don't give any credence to anything he says and I will not be forgetting his past statements that both America and Israel are the infidel and should be destroyed. Until there is absolute proof otherwise, I totally believe they are out for building their own nuclear weapons and world dominance. In fact, I will go as far to say that the man is a rising Hitler in nature and desire to rule.
The reason I read these articles with his statements is mostly for the entertainment value of it. You read what he says and then you think about what he has said in the past: there is a total disconnect there. Either one thing is true or the other is. Simply because he can put on a poker face and act like they are the friendliest nation on earth, as he is basically, now, purporting, doesn't mean that there is pure and total evil lurking within his inner man.
This weekend saw another blast of cleaning. I scrubbed the inside of my refrigerator - for an hour and a half I did that. I was cleaning all over the place and apparently that bug hit a few others that started in on things as well. The installation of the XP software took QUITE a while because of having to redo it 3 times to make it work. I also gave the CD to police, who showed up, said they don't know anything about the case, please call the Property Crimes division to speak with whoever the detective is on the case.
Then, yesterday, the original officer that showed up called asking if I could burn him a CD of those kids for his own personal use. I would have loved to, but, my files were stripped when I reformatted the computer. I got the original CD done first before doing that. I guess he really doesn't have access to impounded evidence. He was going to take it around to schools to see if anyone could identify these people. I informed him that would no longer need to be done, as the video of AFTER they left my house clearly shows the faces of 2 of them and an admission of guilt from the third.
Where is this going? Well, I didn't expect immediate or fast results, I just want this thing put to rest. The only way to do that is to confront Anthony, Drey and Darnell with these facts. I'm looking to keep them off of my property, but my trailer tenants have now made it known to those kids through other kids showing up that further invasion will not be tolerated and they WILL call the police immediately if any of these kids show up around my place.
As for politics, it certainly is quite the show going on now. GOP is "drawing a line in the sand", so they say. Great, what good is it going to do? Nothing unless they get control AND do what they say they are going to do. I don't believe a damn word any of them says anymore. I hope the Tea Party's wins might help, but I ain't holding my breath. I read all of that junk this morning - wonderful. Whatever, more like it. Same rhetoric, different day. DO something - then talk to me.
Work day is here, I'm outta here.
G'day.
ben
Post a Comment