Someone broke into my home....

[FATC1TY]

You should be glad you're not Swedish. A friend of mine had his house broken into and he hit the burglar with an 8 iron (he had been practicing his grip while in bed) and crushed the burglar's windpipe. He did two years for involuntary manslaughter. Clean record. The reason for the conviction was that the burglar hadn't attacked him, hence it wasn't deemed as self defence. After six months he was allowed to spend weekends with his family outside the penitentiary. He never paid for a beer at the club until he got out.

Thats the difference between countries and our rights. The Europeans aren't allow to protect themselves, and insist on banning anything deemed dangerous.

So what should you friend have done? Shown the burglar where everything of value was? Ask him to kindly leave? Ask him to punch him so he could bash his head in... legally?

This isn't the place for the discussion, but I'll leave it at that.

 

[nututhugame]

I'm with Fatcity.... shoot first. If you let them attack you to make it legal you may be dead. Rather be caught with than without.

Rory, I understand that you're not happy with the capacity within yourself to almost feel evil, but that's not the reality. Reality is you showed more restraint than most could. Just know that your emotions were appropriate and in the moment, and be glad that you are ok and that you have that restraint.

 

[Clugnut]

You did the right thing by defending your home and family. You should not have to feel guilty for ensuring the safety of your family. Way to be a man and kick some ass. The situation deemed this to be the right course of action. You don't know the intentions of the intruder.

I don't know if I would have shot or not, but I would have been ready to. Since it caught you off guard, I think the bull rush was the next best thing. He is very lucky he didn't end up dead. Hopefully, he learns his lesson.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

Beat em to a pulp & ask questions later. Guy on the westside of madison had a similar deal, woke up & someone was in his house. The burglar ran up the stairs at the owner...who just happened to have a gun. Result was 1 dead perp & no charges for the homeowner, just as it should be.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

In response to your initial reaction, Rory... More power to you. If a guy is violating the sanctity of your personal home in an attempt to steal from you, I think you have every right to make sure he isn't competent enough to testify to the beating you give him.

I've heard horrible stories about theives taking homeowners to court for stuff like that, so your best bet is to make sure they can't testify. Take that however you want.

 

[Manavs]

Rory,

Im with everyone else here - everyone has their own code to live by. protection of one's family should be right up there next to protecting and ensuring your own survival.

The surge of adrenaline you felt is a bit unnerving i understand but dont discount the fact that whats right is right, and you wouldnt sneak into someone elses house, and he shouldnt have done that to you. Good job putting in his ethics and getting the cops involved.

btw - please take note of the design features of the clapgo D.29 =)
YouTube - seinfeld the door must be closd !!

 

[FATC1TY]

I've heard horrible stories about theives taking homeowners to court for stuff like that, so your best bet is to make sure they can't testify. Take that however you want.

My exact thinking. Who's to argue when one has a toe tag on.

 

[RickinMA]

I'm glad you and your family are OK

A couple months ago my house alarm went off around 3am - wife runs to our 2 year old in the next room while I fly (touched 2 or 3 steps) down the stairs (in my underwear) thinking there was dust in a smoke alarm or god forbid a fire in the basement or something - when I got downstairs, I found the side door to the garage wide open - I said "oh shit" and flew back upstairs.
My wife has had a strict "no bullets in the house" rule that I have completely disregarded since - well, whenever she started saying it.
I thought it took me forever to drop that triggerlock on the floor and get that speedloader emptied into the gun, but my wife said it was only a few seconds.
I checked the first floor and made a lot of noise doing it - hoping anyone in the house would opt for flight over fight. When I got to the garage I wasn't sure how I felt about finding all the doors closed - on one hand, I was nervous someone was hiding in my garage with access to all my tools (axes, hammers, you name it) on the other hand, doors/windows secured is a good thing. Finally, it was raining like hell that night and I found no wet footprints anywhere, so I concluded it was the wind that blew the door open and set off the alarm.

Long story with no real action at the end - but I can tell you 2 things; 1) the "no bullets" rule died that night - she actually thanked me for ignoring her, and 2) I was surprisingly calm during but scared shitless afterwards and didn't sleep a wink- I've never had a shot of adrenaline like that in my life - I could still feel my heartbeat for 2 or 3 days afterwards.

Thinking about what could have happened will drive you crazy and I'm betting you will be even angrier after a few days than you were when it happened - the good news is, chances are, you won't ever be in that situation again - that bad news is for the poor bastard that you catch next time after you've had some time to stew over this - I have a feeling he'll leave in an ambulance when you're done with him...

 

[doof_d]

Wow. That would be a terrifying situation. I live in Canada, so we don't enjoy the right to protect ourselves or our property and families, but I do keep a baseball bat by the door and a samurai sword in my room. Not sure at all how I would react if I found someone in my home. I think over time you will be glad that you didn't beat or kill the guy. Legal or not, justified or not, it would be a heavy weight on a man's conscience to kill or badly injure another man, no matter what the situation. I certainly wouldn't want to have to live the rest of my life knowing I'd killed someone, even in self-defense.

I guess my only advice is to lock your door from now on, and I'm very pleased to hear it worked out without you getting into a far worse situation.

God Bless!

 

[Youngun5]

Rory, Please lock your doors.

Glad everything worked out alright. Took a great measure of restraint doing it the way you did.

Fellows like the one you encountered are learning that people who don't live in cities are lax with their home security...and migrating to take advantage of such.

 

[twogreen]

This behavior, that thought process, is not me....I mean it might have been when I lived in California...but not the "Rory of Iowa"...I am humiliated right now..angry and ashamed.

Am I wrong?

Absolutely wrong. You have no reason to feel any remorse. Stop and think about it, Rory. Who was the intended victim here? It certainly wasn't the dirt bag you found standing uninvited in the sanctity of your home.

Glad you and your family are safe. It might have had a different ending if the bad guy had been armed.

 

[warbirdlover]

You did the right thing by attacking fast. If he gets the upper edge who knows what he's capable of doing. You are the protector of the house and your family. Kill him if you have to. And don't regret it.

And lock your doors and put windows on that have to be broken to get in. There is no "safe" neighborhood anymore in this country.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

There is no "safe" neighborhood anymore in this country.

I don't think that's true, I know my village is prety damn safe.

 

[MCDavis]

I don't think that's true, I know my village is prety damn safe.

It's so safe, it kept it's idiot! :laugh:

 

[eclark53520]

Rory,

Being ashamed? Embarassed? I don't understand why you would feel this way. You are a hero, you protected your family. You showed courage and removed the threat from your home. Honestly you are a rare breed, i really wonder what most people would do in that situation. From the reports and "how to's" of being robbed, most people would hide while the intruder raped their privacy. If its worth being in my house, its worth protecting as far as i am concerned. Nothing is free in my life, the way it should be, i'm not going to give something for free to someone else.

Thank you for protecting whats yours and whats right!

Fatc1ty pretty much mirrors my ideas on this situation. I don't check out 'bumps in the night' without being armed. Yeah, 99% of the time, its nothing, i honestly hope its always going to be nothing, but it only takes once. One time, its not just the wind and my daughter is growing up without a father or worse if the intruder gets his hands on her. Shoot first, ask questions later, and Wisconsin does not have the castle doctrine. Laws will not stop me from protecting my family at any cost. Rather be tried by 8 than carried by 6, and if society deems what i did wrong, fine, i go to jail, but at least i'm not dead.

Nothing is sacred in this world anymore, too many people have realized that they can get something for nothing and no one will stand in their way. Take all reasonable precautions, don't be the easiest target, and be prepared.