Posted on 12/04/2004 6:11:50 PM PST by quidnunc
Remember Robert Symonds? It is the name of the 45-year-old Putney teacher who six weeks ago was stabbed to death in the hall of his home by a burglar. His body was found by his wife while their two children slept upstairs.
It was as a result of that incident that this newspaper launched our "right to fight back" campaign, which calls for the public to be given an unqualified right to self defence against intruders in their own homes. The point that struck me so forcibly at the time was not just the horror of Mr Symonds's death, but the fact that had Mr Symonds picked up a kitchen knife before encountering the burglar, and managed to get blows in first, then he would now, as the law stands, be facing a murder trial.
The defenders of the status quo argue that a jury might acquit, on grounds that such self-defence was "reasonable force". We argue that such cases should never even be considered as crimes in the first place.
-snip-
In America, where householders have an unqualified right of self-defence, only 12 per cent of burglaries take place while the owners are at home. In this country, the figure is well over 50 per cent, and as the horrible case of John Monckton shows, intruders are now deliberately choosing times when they know they will encounter someone who can be induced to allow entry into a home that is sufficiently secure to prevent an easy break-in.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I must be the only person alive who hasn't seen that movie.
"As long as you hack him apart in the house and not outside. Of course you could, bring the various parts back inside..."
In the seventies, in Oklahoma, I asked a police officer acquaintance about the ins and outs of drilling a burglar. He said, "Well, if you shoot him on the lawn, drag him inside."
So sad that you need to have this debate.
=================
"Never fear any man,
No matter what his size.
When danger threatens, I'll be there.
I will equalize."
Ah, S&W. They've made a lot of nice weapons down the years.
Well, what the heck are you waiting for? Every movie rental place in the country must have a copy or two. Al Pacino's performance is worth the watch, even if you don't like the movie. Really, it's one of the great movie performances of all time.
Okay, I'll rent it at the next opportunity.
Sad is not the word that pops into my head. In fact, no word describes a form of government that tells people they can enter your house univited, and if the owners try to prevent it, they will be prosecuted.
There just isn't a word to describe that.
You won't regret it. But if you have kids, you might want to put them to bed first.
Violence or sexual content?
Actually big dogs are pretty effective too.
I loved our Doberman. I sure do miss her. She was beautiful with the kids, smart as a whip and friendly to a fault when we were out and about.
But God help you if you were a stranger trying to come through that door . . .
I've been a gun nut since I first got a Red Ryder, but I think that my dogs have probably done more to keep my house secure than my guns. They also give you warning of an intrusion so you can get to your gun and they are great for flushing out anyone that your think might be lurking in the shadows outside. I think the kids that were hiding behind one of my trees at 1 a.m. probably needed to wash their pants after my dog took off after them.
Me too. I've got my Taurus 145 Automatic in ready mode. And if there's more than normal ruckus, the sound of my Mossberg Pistol Grip 6-shot cocking should be enough to chase away most intruders, if not, clear the room of entry.
Might close my own eyes, too.
We told them they were wrong some 223 years ago, now they get it?
I am reminded of some US municipalities who have, or have had, laws requiring home owners to refrain (on pain of imprisonment) from the use of deadly force against intruders unless they can prove that the had no "avenue of retreat" from their own homes. There's a legal term for this, which I forget, but it's every bit as repugnant as the Brit laws.
Neighborhoods need an "all for one-one for all" approach. One sms touch to the other neighbors that you were in trouble would make thieves think twice about entering.
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