Quenchcrack Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I got a call from the neighbor across the street last night at 1:30 AM to tell me my garage door was left open. I thanked him and headed out to close it. He called back and told me not to go out there as there was someone in the garage. OK, I go back and put on my pants and picked up the 12 ga. It is a police shotgun with 5 rounds of 00 Buckshot. The neighbor saw the culprit running down the street and followed him. My wife called 911. Hidden behind an air conditioner unit a block away was $1500 worth of my power tools. The Harris County Sheriff arrested him on the spot but I was up for another 2 hours while they photographed each tool and logged its S/N. This morning we found a bag of hand tools hanging on our fence that he had stolen just as he was discovered. Folks, that 24 year old Mexican kid will probably do some serious time here in Texas. He was lucky they found him before I did. In Texas, we have the right to shoot to kill anyone found in our home without an invitation. It was my fault, I forgot to close the garage door in the first place. Two lessons: be alert and be a good neighbor and don't forget to lock up at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyshackleford Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 and practice gun control: hit what you aim for. (when appropriate) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 You are very fortunate not only that you was was able to get all your tools back but that you did not have to defend yourself. Thank God for those neighbors who still watch out for each other... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Quenchcrack I am so happy that you got your stuff back. I lost an unknown amount of tools (several thousand dollars worth) about three weeks ago to a thief. The reason I don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgtwister Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 what happen to the days you could leave your house open and the keys in your car just in case your neibors needed something you can't trust any one any more i hade thousands of dollars worth of tools stolen a few years ago i got alot back by going down to cash converters (pawn shop)i had reported a few things that i new right off that were missing to find that there was 3 times the amount of my stuff there so i calledthe pd and they came and confiscated all my stuff back took to weeks for the investagation to get my stuff back and then they tell me it was my little sister and her friends well that got her 4 years the store had her charged and this goes to show that trust know one around what you charish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meancoyote Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Two weeks ago I called 911 twice, and the police never came. Its sad to say, but you are lucky the police came. I live in a very rural area, and crime is rare, but I keep a AR15 with 31 rounds near me most all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I hear you on the "the police never came". This has happened 4 different times just in the past year. That is why I keep big dogs and have a wife who can shoot just as well (or better) than I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Luckily I've not had any break-ins but there are only a few deputies covering the very large rural area where I live. One of them told me that even if they knew the exact location of my house, by the time they could respond (they might be on the other side of the county) whatever was happening would probably be over so I should always be ready to take care of business. A loaded shotgun and a 2 million candle-power light (the light is a great self defense weapon) always stand ready. Sad state of affairs but that's the reality of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry W. Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Quenchcrack, It is great to hear that he was caught and that you were able to recover your tools. I was a locksmith for over 20 years and found that in most cases, peoples homes and businesses weren't as secure as they thought. Many times you find doors and windows that are not locked or do not lock properly. In some communities you can call the Police dept. or the County Sheriff and get a security survey. Here, if all is done properly you can qualify for a discount on you homeowners insurance. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDJ Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Want to see just how easy it is to get into most door locks? The remainder of this post has been removed as we really to not need to assist the bad guys. Having looked up the reference cited, we need to choose our security wisely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 I got a call from the District Attorney this morning to confirm some facts about the burglary. He asked if I had any preference regarding sentencing. I asked if capital punishment was appropriate. He said no. I noted that this person had been in jail or prison several times prior to this and offered the opinion that we had not gotten his attention yet. The DA said "well he hasn't been in trouble now for....uh......nope, he's just a piece of dung". Direct quote. The judge has the option of sentencing him from 2 to 20 years. I said I was not a lawyer and had no business asking for any particular sentence but did feel he needed to do a LOT more time than he has done to date. He agreed but who knows what will happen. Going to change my shotgun over to goose loads. 00 Buck is so terminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coltpax Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Wow, small world. Police dont show up here either. My Grandma lives in the middle of the town, and the police have only shown up once, and then it was three hours after she called them. Now, I dont have any fancy guns like the police shotgun or an AR, but I think a double barrel is just almost as frightening. But just recently, somebody broke into the autoshop right beside the fire station. Wasnt even 10 yards away. Thats just plain dumb. Just remember, Shoot to kill because a dead man tales no tales, and also, a dead man can't sue ya (but watch out for the family). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 My Step-Son in Law is a police officer. When he visited us out here he strongly suggested I get a pump shotgun. He said that may times just the sound of chambering a round will solve a "problem". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coltpax Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 The sound of firing a round can also solve a "problem" as well. So can the experience of being on the wrong end of that round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Jim Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Glad to hear you had some neighborly neighbors there. Not as many of those around these days. Having recently moved to a rural town, I've found our neighbors to be great. We haven't had any problem with theft that I am aware of, but last Saturday I was woken up to the sound of my wife screaming bloody murder. I quickly threw on my robe and ran out to find two pit bulls in the back yard playing tug o war with a stray cat. I chased them off, but they roamed the neighborhood for another 30 minutes. My neighbor ended up with a kitten missing. The neighbor, a county sheriff and myself eventually were able to track down who the owner was, and apparently they aren't keeping the dogs there anymore. My wife was very upset, we have a baby and a cat. We didn't want to see dogs tearing into either one! It left me wishing I had a .22 to put the cat out of its misery (or the dogs, if they would have been attacking a human..). I hate to see an animal suffer like that. While I fully support gun rights, I am rather reluctant to bring a gun into the house with 4 kids. Although moving out into a more rural area sure has made me think about starting to deer hunt again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 My Mossburg 12 ga is well seasoned and kinda loose. Jacking in a round sounds like a small train wreck and I expect it would have a calming effect on any aggressor. Regional: I bought an old single shot 12 ga and sawed it off to 18.25". I bought an elastic sleave that would carry 5 rounds and put it on the stock. When my kids were growing up, the gun was handy but never loaded. The nice thing about a single shot is it has an exposed hammer and you can tell instantly if it is cocked. You can lower the hammer and break it open to see if a round is chambered. It is not perfect but it is about the safest way to keep a shot gun around. I carried it camping since if I ever had a police officer take it away, I am out about $30. When we camped in bear country, I kept the sleeve loaded with slugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Someone sent me a joke that had a way to get the police to come to your house NOW! The gist of joke was that instead of saying that you had a burglary in progress is to say that you had just shot the fellow. That way they send an ambulance, a swat team and six other officers to handle the situation rather then telling you to wait until the thief leaves and then file a police report the next morning.:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Bentiron: I think the punchline to that joke was: Cop: I thought you said you shot someone? Citizen: I thought you said it would take 30 minutes to get here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Yup, that's the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Regionalchaos, I don't know how old/mature your kids are, but if you're worried about safe storage, there are gun lockers available designed for your situation. Some are opened in about 1 second by your fingerprint. A .357 snubby or a 12gauge or whatever your home defense weapon of choice is can then be kept ready for use securely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pault17 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Regional, I have 9 children now, the oldest is 15. most of my firearms are locked in my gun safe. all the children 10 and up can handle. My wife has several that are hers and she can shoot them as well as, if not better than me. Keep the secured and you're okay. Also, they make these cool safes that use finger pressure combinations that, unless you know the code, will not open. you can leave one loaded and secured so you don't have to look for ammo. coltpax, I live in nc too. be careful with the "warning shot". they (police) will get you for discharging in public. also, the law says something to the effect of "you can shoot through your closed door at someone if they have you scared for your life, but as soon as they enter, you can no longer do so. UNLESS, you are in fear of imminent danger or death. at least that is what my concealed-carry instructor told me..... also, while a double barrel is intimidating, my little brother (also a cop - swat as well) said that he has stopped many a felon with the sound of his pump shotgun. he said they don't have to see it, hearing is good enough. another way he has taken the "run" out of someone is putting the little red dot where they can see it - chest/center mass works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryCarroll Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Don't even mention protecting your property or family with a firearm in this area of Illinois. Even a piece of rebar can get you in trouble trying to stop a thief. Sad situation!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cami Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Don't take me too seriously....I don't....I just want to ask/share. Any resemblance to a sermon is a coincedance. I don't even own a soap box. Holy smokes! Do you guys live in war zones? Don't get me wrong...I have libertarian outlook on many things, including gun ownership, but I haven't picked up a weapon, or even felt the need to, since I quit the Armed Forces years ago...and all I ever killed were paper targets. Laws aside: I don't own any tools worth killing or dying for. As for family security...the war zone thing again...We're not without our troubles up here but overall it's safe where I live. You just take a few reasonable precautions. For my peace of mind that means that the wife or boy don't go out at night/in a bad neighbourhood alone and the security at home is just good enough that someone can't get in without making a bunch of noise. The worst that's happened to us was having a string trimmer go missing from the back yard. I've known a couple of guys that carried weapons....in Kimberley and Johannesburg...the problems where I live just don't compare to what they faced. I would eventually go mad if I had to maintain a garrison mentality in my daily life...and feeling the need to keep a weapon ready at home/work would make me question my quality of life in that community. If I couldn't help fix things I'd have to move on. How do you guys tolerate the BS in your respective areas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 We have dog problems out here as well; both the roaming local dog pack and dogs that folks "dump" in the country when they can't keep them anymore and won't take responsibility for them. Supposedly country folk like dogs---Actually they hate strays, especially after starving dogs have done several thousand dollars of damage to their sheep, cows, horses, chickens, etc. Not to mention the fear for their kids. SOP for unknown dogs on your property is shooting them dead. You get a new dog for a pet or worker you introduce it to the neighbors so they will know it's "accounted for" and if it's caught running livestock it still gets shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Cami, I lived in Calgary for 3 years and the crime rate then was so low, the local police had to pay folks to do something out of line so they could keep their jobs. Texas is a whole other country. Harris County, which is where Houston is, has more people than MOST other entire states. Probably more than BC, too. We have MILLIONS of undocumented aliens, mostly from Mexico living here. Not all of them are well intentioned. I would not endorse killing a person for stealing tools which is why I considered taking the 00 Buckshot out of my gun. However, for violent crimes I do not feel the death penalty is a deterent. It is a cure. If I feel threatened, I will shoot to kill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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