[pragmatic_asian]

"To a North Country Yankee it’s self-evident that, when a burglar breaks into your home, you should have the right to shoot him - indeed, not just the right, but the responsibility, as a free-born citizen, to uphold the integrity of your property."

I'm going to have to disagree with the eagerness with which Steyn shoots people. Call me crazy but I value life more than property. Even burglers are people, a-holes at that, but the taking of life over property (even stuff you work for) isn't worth it to me. I'm not saying I would let them go, but I wouldn't shoot them on sight like he's suggesting. What I do with the handcuffs otherwise is between me and the wife.

[Travis McGee]

That's great, if a criminal invading your house at 2AM gives you a polite choice. But if you are awakened suddenly by the window in your daughters room shattering, and find some creep crawling in the window, are you going to merely shoo him away, so that he can grab your neighbor's child another night?

There is great value to shooting criminals who break into houses not their own. It stops them forever, and discourages their buddies from going down that road.

Don't pity them. It's a simple equation really, don't break in to American's houses, and you won't get shot.

Break in, and take your chances.

[wardaddy]

If a stranger is in your home at night and you are sure it's a stranger and not your teen daughter's boyfiend sneaking in, then he has a bullet coming.

And keep shooting till he's down and out.

If you live alone...hell, do want you want. Offer him tea and scones but you owe your family a proper defense if you're the hombre of the home.

Now, I say that, yet in college I had a drunk old black man in my bedroom at Ole Miss rifling change whilst I was asleep. For some reason known only to G-d, I pistol whipped him(with my loaded M28) and threw him out of my house. He was quite drunk. I did not call the law given the other contents likely to be found in a college boy's rented home in the bleary-eyed 70s lol.

A few days later, his son (to whom he had confessed after being queried about his injuries) came by to apologize and offer recompense and thank me for not killing his dad. His son was a law student and the old man had been the yard man before at the property I rented.

Today, with a wife and 4 young children in a roomy home and feeling a lot less immortal now than then, I doubt the outcome would be the same. I see somebody in the hallway near my babies or upstairs near my girls, I'm killing them more likely than not...like I said...make sure it's not Romeo sneaking around...aside from that....any stranger is fair game in your home...at least here in Nashville.

A few months ago some kids, one was a society-brat dopehead broke into a mansion near me and went for the goodies armed with a Romanian semi-AK and a 9mm.....they did not bank on the owner (a publishing house magnate) to be a Korean War vet and full of piss and vinegar. The ensuing gun battle left both perps with ratshot from a .357 to the head. The owner said they were damn lucky he didn't grab his 1911 loaded with Glazers in the confusion. I'll say. The homeowner was in his early 70s. The perps were late teens/early 20s. One of them's dad was Charlie Chase of the Crook and Chase TV show on TNN.

[ProudGOP]

Call me crazy but I value life more than property.

You aren't crazy, you are a fool.

They will take your life first, then they will take your property.

But hold on to your platitudes.

[supercat]

Call me crazy but I value life more than property.

So do I. On the other hand, if a thief decides he values his life less than someone else's property, that's the thief's decision--not the property owner's.

[budwiesest]

Your property and your life are intertwined. Allowing someone to take property in an attempt to save life is to say that all of the effort put into acquiring such was without value.

Having had a couple of occasions where I was seperated from personal property in order to escape injury or death, all I can say is that, had I been armed appropiately I would have no hesitation at all with using deadly force to prevent any and all robbery attempts. Besides, having had a gun shoved in my face and a rather large knife held up to my throat I am not certain that I was the last to experience this unique form of property transfer. What only remains a mystery to me are the outcomes of those who more than likely suffered a similar fate later at the hands of these guys.

There are some sick sobs out there whose lives were spared by such thinking as yours and untold innocents may pay dearly for such. Sleep well, if you can.

[BlueLancer]

"Call me crazy but I value life more than property. "

I see ... and, of course, you know, at the time that he breaks into your house, that he's only there for the property. Must be nice to be psychic.

By the time that you've figured out that he's there to rape, kill, and THEN rob you and your family, it's too late to ask him for permission to go and get your gun.

It's a good thing that, here in Texas, the law is that anyone found on your property after dark can, after becoming one with the ambient air temperature, be found there in the morning as well

[freedumb2003]

"not just the right, but the responsibility, as a free-born citizen, to uphold the integrity of your property."

...the taking of life over property (even stuff you work for) isn't worth it to me

Sorry, your analysis doesn't pass muster. Your retreat into "life over property" may feel good, but it establishes a bad precedent. It emboldens criminals, who think "hey, they don't care if I come in no matter what."

One MUST assume anyone invading your private residence intends harm, either as a motive or a result of getting away with burglary. The state already protects live over property by not allowing lethal booby traps.

Your perspective does your community a dissrevice as it invites criminals into not only YOUR home, but into any in the community.

[PatrioticAmerican]

" I'm not saying I would let them go"

Handcuffs? How are you going to get them on a bad guy? What force do you plan to use if the bad guy has a weapon or is way better than you at hand to hand and would you really want to take that risk?

I'm not saying shoot the bastard immediately, but a gun can work wonders in getting those handcuffs on him.