We Got totally cleaned out whilst away O/S

^^^
Used to do that as a "party trick" when 20-something (i.e. nearly a lifetime ago). Remove chain from saw bar, start up saw. Worked particularly well on non-country persons. Real country people realised pretty quickly that there was no chain, just an idiot with an engine.
Always wondered what would happen if there turned out to be a "hero" in the house .....

 

Kawa, I feel for you my man. I walked in on a burglary in progress when I was 12. The guy got some cheap jewelry and a pillowcase. The only thing we really missed was my great grandfather's NYPD billy club. Shame when the very poor steal from the kinda poor.
I am also absolutely bamboozled by the firearm thought process on display. I assume this is the prevailing thought there. I live in a state that has the "Castle Doctrine". If someone has broken into your house you have the absolute right to shoot him. I know for a fact that the first 8 houses on my block are all lawful firearms owners.

http://www.sled.sc.gov/ProtectionOfPeople.aspx?MenuID=CWP

I hope they find the bastards that did this. I know where I would pour the first oz of molten silver. -bw

 

Agree on the issue with firearms, but this was in the context of Australia where it is highly unlikely you'd have a gun in the house. Of course there are exceptions, but the vast majority of suburban householders will not have a firearm.

The point here is that, when startled by an intruder, it is unlikely an untrained individual will respond with mental clarity and rationally assess the situation in light of existing legal precedent. With heightened adrenaline, a powerful instinctive reaction is far more likely. That may mean running, hiding, freezing or, if you come face to face with someone in your house at night that you suddenly realize is a stranger, lashing out reflexively with a strength you did not realize you had. This is not a hero fantasy, it is the effect of fear and a very sudden adrenalin spike have on overriding immediate rational decision.

 

One saying some of my overseas contacts use is "Better judged by twelve, than carried by six"

Along the simular lines as above, another saying I have used often from overseas contacts is "I have a gun [this can be interchanged with any firearm] and a back hoe, and I know how to use both"

Its interesting in my experiences most people freeze up, some run, those who fight are definitely the minority, and those who do at least in my experiences are those who have been trained to, either through the military/police, etc or some martial arts teach the same kind of thing (Krav Maga for instance). The other thing that these people seem to have in common is their use of a tactic called "Violence of Action", but as I have said these are just my experiences and insights.

 

Can you trust your insurance company?

 

Fortunately I don't have any experience confronting homeowners in home burglary situations.

 

Even if they did you are AFAIK not allowed to have it outside of an unlocked safe, and AFAIK also not allowed to keep the gun and ammunition together.
You are not allowed to keep a firearm for self defense in this country, it is not a legitimate excuse to own one.

 

Really?
http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/sessionalview/sessional/act/1998-109.pdf

Pretty darn clear that in NSW you have the right to act in self defense if you believe you are under threat, and the onus is on the invader to prove otherwise.
Like I said, these new home invasion laws exist for a reason, the community demanded them because there were starting to see cases like you describe.

 

I have been in the security industry for well over 20 now and we like to call it " flight or fight syndrome "
Meaning most will run and some will stay and fight till the end, some people have it and most don't.

Unfortunately I have been put in a few situations where I had to protect either myself , people or property from thugs and in some cases it has turned out very violent but this happend while working for a security company while protected by company policy law. I hate violence but if push came to shove I would fight, especially if it was In my own home. But when it comes to being at home and if you hurt some one that has broken into your house its a complete different ball game there is no real law out there to protect you.

Edit to say it depends on the situation, it's a very Gray area.

Be carful all.

 

in this day and age the prosecutor will charge you and let the courts decide. you then need to spend vast sums of money and your life fighting the charge and you will never get that back. the system is too bias towards those who have nothing to lose and commit crimes.

 

It is HIGHLY likely that the perpetrators follow the discussions, regarding these burglaries on this site and the other PM related sites where these are discussed each time.

They may even offer their condolences each time as a registered member or they may just view these "open" threads as a Lurker.

Therefore I shake my head in utter disbelief that for each robbery condolence/discussion thread there are members that still indicate..or just come right and tell us all that they are storing metals at home.

These perpetrators are "professionals" and are obviously very good at what they do.......without people on PM forums making it easier for them

 

Kawa opens thread about being Robbed, turns into a gun debate!!!

 

In our own home, we should enjoy the same standards as police that shoot unarmed civilians.
Remember the following and make sure it is in your statement to the police - "I feared for my life".
If your family was home, add "and the life of my family".

Unless you shot the intruder in the back as he was running away (or asked him to bite the curb before stomping on his neck), you should be fine.

 

love the American history x reference

 

It's a long shot but ebay or gumtree could turn up something if you want to post a couple of the rarer bars and serial numbers. Also check the local pawn brokers

 

Not so in NSW. The government passed home invasion laws some time back that protect home owners in self dense situations, as I posted above.
Never ever think twice about defending yourself in your own home if it comes to that.
You are also protected against defending other people in your home against home invaders.

 

Yes indeed. Always say you feared for your life. And quite frankly if you are startled by an intruder in your own home, most people would legitimately fear for their lives and those of their family.

 

I posted this earlier:

"Section 420 of the NSW Crimes Act explicitly states that self-defence is not available as a defence to murder if death is inflicted to prevent criminal trespass."

Source (PDF): https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/P...978b859ca256b12001953ad/$FILE/b01-126-p03.pdf

 

Yeah, but the issue is fear.
I fear that I would live a life of torment, if I was responsible for taking someone's life.
Overridden, by the fear of not protecting my family if I didn't.
No regrets your honour !

 

All the discussion around self defence ignores the fact that none of these burgs occurred when someone was actually home.

Only difference firearms would have made would be an increase in the amount of stuff stolen.