Posted on 11/22/2012 4:22:00 AM PST by marktwain
If you’re a thief, there are a couple of warning signs that you should watch out for. A dog bowl and a leash in the front yard would tip you off that you’re probably going to get bitten. A sign that reads, “Trespassers will be shot!” is pretty self-explanatory.
The home of 77-year-old Lloyd McCarty is similarly filled with warning signs. He flies an American flag on the front porch, he has a U.S. Marine Corps patch tacked to the wall, and he also keeps a framed picture of himself in his glory day as a Marine. If the home invader had noticed these clues then maybe he would have picked another house to rob.
According to reports, McCarty heard a knock on his door – a knock so light that it was suspicious -- on Nov. 10. The shrewd veteran retrieved his .32-caliber pistol just in time to encounter the home invader breaking down his front door. With the casual devil-may-care attitude that only a war veteran can have, McCarty said, “He hit (the door) that hard and when he hit it that hard that's when I shot the door. He went to a hollerin' and screamin'. I could hear him going clear down the street hollerin." He added, “Well, maybe I shoulda shot two or three times.”
So, what happened to the would-be thief? He learned the hard way that even 77-year-old Marine veterans still have some fight left. The bullet struck the home intruder in the abdomen, forcing him to flee the scene. Police caught up to the culprit and arrested him.
This story went exactly the way it should have gone – McCarty defended his home and his wife, and the police caught the bad guy. There really isn’t much room for argument here. What we can chat about, though, is the whole issue of warning signs.
Flying an American flag on your front porch isn’t the same thing as saying, “We have a gun and we’re willing to use it,” but it isn’t that far off.
Every gun owner has the opportunity to warn would-be thieves. Putting a sign that reads “I’m a lifetime member of the NRA” on your front lawn may very well scare off thieves, but on the other side of the coin having lots of signs on your property typically doesn’t look very nice.
What about our readers? Can thieves look at your house and immediately know that they’re going to get shot if they try anything stupid? If you do show any warning signs on your property (even subtle ones like an American flag), why do you do it? And for the other gun owners out there, what’s stopping you from putting up a “Trespassers will be shot” sign?
Me, too!!
Made my mornin’! Many blessings.
Other details:
Muskogee, Oklahoma
He is a disabled vet, of the 8th Rifle Company, USMC. (I’m a little puzzled about this, not being very familiar with the historical task org of the Marines.)
http://muskogeephoenix.com/local/x2082770505/Hospitalized-teen-to-be-jailed
A Muskogee man shot during an alleged home invasion will be jailed when he is released from the hospital, a police spokesman said.
Muskogee police say R’Mont’e Nelson, 18, was attempting to kick in the door of a home in the 600 block of Kankakee Street on Saturday when the homeowner fired one shot through the front door.
Cpl. Pedro Zardeneta said officers arrived to the location of the shooting and eventually found Nelson nearby, staggering and clutching his stomach.
Nelson was hospitalized with a gun-shot to the abdomen, Zardeneta said, though he’s not facing life-threatening injuries.
Semi happy ending. Love these stories.
Priceless!
As a Marine veteran I am embarrassed that used a puny .32. He needs to upgrade to a .45.
Those Oklahomans sure do have funny-sounding names, don't they?
Regards,
Thanks for your service.
A gut shot can result in peritonitis and a painful death if the surgeon isn't extra careful.
Hey Doc, how about saving the taxpayers some money?
I’m surprised that a .32 could go through a door.
When you join NRA, they send you stickers. I put one on the front and back doors.
I recently used wood putty on a hole in an insulated steel door and sanded it level before repainting. Worked great! Whereas, as you say, carpet stains just never come out completely.
” I doubt your average thug knows much Latin or even cares to look it up like I did.”
Considering how many of ‘em are named Demetrius, Octavius or Cletus, maybe they should;)
A claymore? A nasty piece of steel that.>>>
Yep, from the hand of Rob Miller.
http://www.castlekeep.co.uk/gallery.asp?galleryid=199
http://www.castlekeep.co.uk/pagex.asp?bioid=36773
My parcel is 10+ acres and my signs say things like, WARNING: Owner will not be held responsible for trespassers shot in “hunting accidents”.
Even in a Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground state, putting up such a sign is just asking for trouble if you're involved in an actual self-defense shooting.
Now a "Beware of Zombie/Trespassers Will Be Eaten" sign would get the message across, but could be plausibly defended as a gag.
Now, that's cold. That's really cold.
≤}B^)
Law suits usually follow, but lucky for the marine he lives in Oklahoma.
So what caliber was the hole in the door? Just pulling your leg.
LOL! Thank goodness you weren't pulling my finger!
Haha!
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