Sheriff supports citizens arming themselves against burglars ...

[spin]

Sheriff supports using force against burglars

STUART, Va. — Desperate times often call for desperate measures, and that’s apparently the case in Ararat, where residents wanting to arm themselves against burglars have the full support of their sheriff.

“Numerous” burglaries have been committed in the Ararat area since November 2009, according to Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith.

The latest occurred in the early morning hours Monday, when an 89-year-old female in that community was victimized.

A male suspect, who is believed to be responsible for the other burglaries as well, entered the elderly woman’s home by crawling through a kitchen window. Once inside, the burglar went through drawers and the victim’s purse while she was in her bedroom.

The sheriff said Monday’s incident marked the second time in as many weeks that the home has been burglarized.

***snip***

Until the suspect is arrested, Smith advocates residents taking lawful steps to protect themselves against a would-be burglar.

The sheriff said he “strongly supports” the Second Amendment right to bear arms and the right of individual citizens to protect themselves.

Homeowners who consider buying a gun often fear that using it against someone breaking into their residence could subject them to prosecution for a death or injury that results. Smith indicated that he has had several such questions from concerned citizens surrounding their desire to arm themselves as a result of the recent burglaries.

The sheriff responded to this concern by stating that “any citizen has the right to protect themselves by whatever means necessary if he or she has a reasonable belief that their life or personal safety is in imminent danger.”

He added, “If you are protecting yourself against an intruder, I will support you.”
http://www.mtairynews.com/view/full_story/9004975/article-Sheriff-supports-using-force-against-burglars?instance=secondary_news_left_column

[jeepnstein]

1. RABBITT SEASON!

[DBoon]

3. Nope

too tough and chewy to be a rabbit substitute

[DBoon]

2. works only if you are home when the burglary occurs

in 2 income households, the home is empty during most workdays.

Too bad I can't train my dog to effectively use a firearm to defend the house!

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. If nobody is home there is no justifiable use of dealy force for B&E.

Therefore there's no reason to be home to shoot the guy burglarizing you.

[spin]

5. In areas where homeowners are commonly armed ...

you don't many people breaking into homes while people are home.

Does Gun Ownership Deter Burglaries?

Summary

Although there is no evidence to indicate gun ownership deters overall burglary rates, gun ownership may be a factor in deterring burglars from entering occupied dwellings ("hot" burglaries).

Discussion

In studies involving interviews of felons, one of the reasons the majority of burglars try to avoid occupied homes is the chance of getting shot. (Increasing the odds of arrest is another.) A study of Pennsylvania burglary inmates reported that many burglars refrain from late-night burglaries because it's hard to tell if anyone is home, several explaining "That's the way to get shot." (Rengert G. and Wasilchick J., Suburban Burglary: A Time and a Place for Everything, 1985, Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas.)

By comparing criminal victimization surveys from Britain and the Netherlands (countries having low levels of gun ownership) with the U.S., Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck determined that if the U.S. were to have similar rates of "hot" burglaries as these other nations, there would be more than 450,000 additional burglaries per year where the victim was threatened or assaulted. (Britain and the Netherlands have a "hot" burglary rate near 45% versus just under 13% for the U.S., and in the U.S. a victim is threatened or attacked 30% of the time during a "hot" burglary.)

Source: Gary Kleck, Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Walter de Gruyter, Inc., New York, 1997.
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcdgbur.html

The intelligent criminal avoids entering homes when armed people may be present. Unfortunately, not all criminals are rocket scientists. But stupid criminals are not the only people who invade occupied homes, some individuals are desperate to obtain items to sell in order to obtain drugs and wiling to take chances. A very few enjoy the thrill of a hot burglary and are quite possibly the most dangerous people a home owner can encounter. Often they are armed and are actually proficient with their firearms.

[SteveM]

6. Once a place is successfully burgled, the thug WILL return for more...

only he/she will be emboldened even more by a rising contempt for the occupant. And may not stop at stealing.

[spin]

8. True. After a robbery it would be wise ...

to take steps to insure that it doesn't happen again.

One of those steps would be to consider the purchase of a firearm for self defense. If the victim was unfamiliar with firearms, I would advise purchasing and practicing with a shotgun enough to become somewhat proficient. (Shotguns require more skill to hit a target accurately than shown in the movies.) A handgun of any significant caliber requires time to master and shooting someone with a revolver or pistol that fires a cartridge like the .22 long rifle may just really piss them off.

Of course, investing in a good alarm system and better securing your home from intruders would be the first step. It might be wise to invest in a good alarm dog. Dogs have their own personality and problems. I owned a Norwegian Elkhound that would allow people in the house (if I was there) but would turn aggressive when they tried to leave. He was an excellent alarm dog in the sense that he noticed any strangers in my neighborhood. Unfortunately he would bark at a visitor in an neighbors home three houses from mine.

I also owned a female Black Labrador Retriever. She was a very intelligent sweetheart. When my daughter confronted an intruder who had set off the burglar alarm and was busy forcing the sliding glass door of our home open, Duchess hid. Like I said, she was very intelligent. My daughter had a large S&W .45acp Model 25-2 revolver in her hand. She drew down on the intruder and he ran. I seriously believe that if the dog could have talked and I had asked her, "Why didn't you protect my daughter?", she would have replied, "Shit master, she had the gun!"

[spin]

7. If a person breaks into my home while I am not there ...

I have insurance.

Of course, I would like to see him apprehended, tried and convicted but at least he didn't threaten me or my family. His motivations were to steal my property, not to endanger my life or the life and health of my family.

If an individual breaks in to my home while I am there, obviously the situation changes. Under Florida castle doctrine law, I can shoot an intruder without retreating. I am willing to take some risk to be sure that I wasn't blowing away some foolish teenager or a drunk who lost his path. If I confronted an intruder and he was willing to follow my instructions, I wouldn't shoot him. If he turned and ran out the door, I wouldn't try to run him down. If he just turned his back on me but didn't run, I would immediately suspect that he was going for a weapon. Things would turn really dicey at that point.

If a person breaks into my home while I am there, he is either a total idiot, drunk or dangerous.