General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Concealed-Carry Fantasy [View all]Ghost in the Machine
(14,912 posts).... but in the last 2 years, I have caught people on my property trying to steal gas, a lawn mower and who knows what else. I have dogs that bark or growl ONLY when someone is around. I have gone outside with my "big black, scary looking, military style (which it actually is) rifle, complete with 20 round magazine, tactical flashlight and laser sight" and have run people off. I would never shoot, unless they were to come at me like they were going to attack, because 1: I would never shoot someone in the back if they were retreating, it would not be covered under self defense or Castle Doctrine laws, and 2: I wouldn't shoot wildly in the dark as even though I live in a very rural area, I DO have neighbors, and would not risk having a round hit their house and possibly injure or kill one of them.
Have I reported any of it to the police?? NO! What good would it do when you can't give an accurate description and nothing was taken. The cops have told us that we are basically on our own out here, and to do whatever we had to do to protect ourselves and families. On any given night, we only have 3 County Officers on patrol, and if they are tied up on another call, it could be an hour or more before they can even respond.
As stated, this is just MY experience over the last 2 years. I won't even get into the years I lived in Miami, Fl... I couldn't count the times just merely brandishing a pistol stopped someone from attempting to break into my house, rob me, or run me off the road in "road rage" incidents, but I would guesstimate over 100. If this is any indication, I can agree that there are millions of unreported defensive uses where a shot was never fired, and police were never called. YMMV...
Peace,
Ghost