Has anyone ever broken into your home?

I only lived a few blocks from my high school and my parents worked until the evenings.  I walked home for luch a lot of the time, or to skip a class, sometimes I would just leave early and take naps before going back for practice after school since my last class was an elective and the teacher didnt care.

One day I came home and the front door was open slightly so I pushed on it and it was stuck.... push in really hard to see that it was the TV that was blocking it from opening.  I walked in and it just took a second to realize that the couch was gone... lots of things were gone... it HIT me.  I started running through the house looking for Boudreaux (our dog)... I didnt much think about anything but him.  He was outside in the backyard (hes NOT an outside dog and should have been inside).  Probably just ran out when he could to get away from them tho.  I called my parents and all. 

The thing that sucked the most was the little things they took which meant nothing to them but the world to our family... all of the videos and movies of me when I was little, lots of pictures, my moms wedding rings... the couch, tvs, clothes and all didnt matter as much as the other things.

It was pretty scary to think of someone in your house.  They did find the guy but none of the stuff.

ORIGINAL: loveukaykay

I only lived a few blocks from my high school and my parents worked until the evenings.  I walked home for luch a lot of the time, or to skip a class, sometimes I would just leave early and take naps before going back for practice after school since my last class was an elective and the teacher didnt care.

One day I came home and the front door was open slightly so I pushed on it and it was stuck.... push in really hard to see that it was the TV that was blocking it from opening.  I walked in and it just took a second to realize that the couch was gone... lots of things were gone... it HIT me.  I started running through the house looking for Boudreaux (our dog)... I didnt much think about anything but him.  He was outside in the backyard (hes NOT an outside dog and should have been inside).  Probably just ran out when he could to get away from them tho.  I called my parents and all. 

The thing that sucked the most was the little things they took which meant nothing to them but the world to our family... all of the videos and movies of me when I was little, lots of pictures, my moms wedding rings... the couch, tvs, clothes and all didnt matter as much as the other things.

It was pretty scary to think of someone in your house.  They did find the guy but none of the stuff.

I should have mentioned this before, but my family was robbed when I was a kid.  We had gone to Myrtle Beach for our annual summer vacation.  We came back a week later to find things missing.  Typical stuff like CDs, video games, and other electronics had been taken.  But other important stuff like stamp collections my grandmother had purchased for me were stolen, too.

My mom cried when she found my baby stuff taken out of her 'personal drawer'.  The tape they had used to measure me, her hospital wristband, some baby clothes, bottles, and just keepsake items were strewn around my parents' room.

My dad nearly lost it when his dad's/my grandfather's flag was missing.  My grandfather was in one of the wars (I want to say WW II), and had received a flag during his burial.  Well, my dad had kept that flag on a top shelf of the closet.  It was very special to him.

The perps were two of my friends in the neighborhood.  They knew we were gone, since I had told them and such.  Everything was returned to us, including the flag, but my mom always said the feeling of someone going through her things was like she'd been raped.  I've never experienced a robbery at an age where it would be emotionally draining like that.  I was a kid and understood the severity of the crime, but my parents' took the brunt of the pain and anger.

Yes, I've been robbed twice.  Once in college, someone broke into my apartment, oddly enough, they only stole food!  But, I still felt violated.
 
Then when we moved into our current home, we weren't her 4 months, someone broke in.  They stole a portable fire-resistant safe that contained documents like birth certificated, passports, etc.  Everything was replaceable, but a hassle!  Boy, talk about frustration.  You want to kill them, but you feel helpless becasue you don't know who did it!  The police officer told me to get two large dogs, the breed didn't matter, just be large!  He said around here, people who have dogs, don't get robbed.
 
If you're afraid of a gun, how about a taser.  It's not lethal and may save your life.  But, I wouldn't go outside alone to investigate, take Roxie with you.  Better yet, make sure your windows and doors are locked and call 911.  I've done it few times, and the police drove by adn talked to me.

Bradley suggested getting a gun for use in defending yourself and your home.  Since I have some qualification to speak on the subject of using a firearm for defense, I thought I would expound on his idea as well as some others that were brought up.
 
First, let me say that there is more to the decision of using a firearm for self defense than just knowing how to use the gun.  You must be psychologically prepared to take the life of another person.  If there is any doubt in your mind that you are prepared to kill a person, you would be better advised not to brandish a firearm for defensive purposes.  A moment of hesitation is how guns get taken away from good people and used against them.
 
I agree with Brad that a shotgun is an excellent tool for home defense, although it can be a bit unwieldy, compared to a handgun.  Like Brad said, the sound of a round being chambered in a pump action shotgun will strike fear in the heart of even the most hardened bad guy.  If you are going to use a shotgun for defensive purposes, I recommend cutting the barrel down to the minimum legal length, which is usually 18 inches.  Furthermore, if you can control the recoil, replace the shoulder stock with a pistol grip, assuming this is a legal modification in your area.
 
Statistically speaking, a 12 guage shotgun is your most effective defensive weapon.  85% or people shot with this weapon will die as a result of the encounter.  It is hard to beat those kind of odds.  Conversely, 85% or people shot with a rifle or a shotgun will survive. 
 
If you choose, as I do, to use a handgun for defense, your best bet is a 357 magnum loaded with 158 grain hollow point bullets.  The recoil from 125 grain bullets is a bit easier to control, especially in a short barrelled weapon,  but the muzzle flash has to be seen to be believed.  It can momentarily blind you, which would not be a good thing to have happen, when you are involved in a violent encounter.  If you have a 357 magnum, load it with some 125g hollow points and go outside and fire it at night.  VERY impressive.
 
Now, a little bit about tactics.
 
If you hear a strange noise outside, DO NOT go out to investigate.  Call the cops.  That's what they are for.  Someone suggested taking your dog outside with you to investigate.  I do not believe this to be sound advice.  I believe most dogs will retreat from a violent encounter, leaving you to fend for yourself.  It makes far more sense, to me, to stay inside with your dog and your gun and call the police.
 
If there is an intruder in your house, the ante has been upped a bit.  You have a choice to make.  Will you fight or will you flee?  This choice can be more complicated if you have others in the house to be concerned about, like kids.  Your best bet is to barricade all of you in one room and defend the room.  Never wander through a darkened house searching for an intruder.
 
Of course, you have a duty to familarize yourself with local laws concerning the use of deadly force.  While it is better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6, it isn't a bad idea to know what you can legally do, or not do, in defense of your home and your person.
 
 
 

The closest I've come (and that's fine with me) is someone breaking into my car.  They tried to steal my CD player, and then must have decided it was too much effort and just left it.  They also went through my CDs, left them on the seat, but didn't steal one.  Very unmotivated thief.....
 
I hope that my dogs (especially Sally, 17 wk old labs are not very scarey) are enough of a visual deterant to make people think twice...Plus, Sally sounds very menacing when she barks...

billy is right. you dont take up a weapon against another person unless you intend to use it. i grew up around guns, and i know how and when is best to use them.

i also believe that my home is my castle and i will do what is necessary to defend it. luckily, i only have myself and my wife to really worry about. so i know if there is someone in my house and my wife is right there beside me, they arent supposed to be there. for people with kids, my boss was telling me about a type of round for shot guns that has the shot attached in a web like pattern. it doesnt give the same shot spread as a regular shell, but it also wont penetrate sheet rock either.

i think having a handgun/shotgun home defense duo is the best scenario. but for one all purpose home defense weapon, i would choose a shotgun. luckily the laws in SC are pretty lax in regards to shooting intruders. i believe the new laws allow you to shoot a person on your property (not necessarily in your house) if you think they have malicious intent.

Brad, do you think there would be an inquiry if you were to shoot your stepson?  []

unfortunately yes. [8|]

but don think i havent thought about it.[&:]

I just couldn't deal with a gun in my home.  I'm just not pro-gun, because I have certain thoughts about them.  If I shared my thoughts, the pro-gun crowd would torch me.

As for taking Roxie out to investigate -- I wouldn't do that.  If I even ventured outside to see (and that's not something I'd do), she would definitely stay inside out of harm's way.  If a burglar saw her, it stands to reason that he would plug her first.  The thoughts of such an act is gut-wrenching ...

Billy, what you described is how I'd act in the event of a break in.  Granted I knew it was happening (and I have excellent hearing), I'd probably lock my bedroom door and call the cops.  The ones who go looking for the trouble usually end up dead.  Haven't we learned that from Hollywood by now?  []