WSJ On Home Invasions

[The Rabbi]

In today's Wall Street Journal there is an article on home invasions and their rising incidence. They report even Warren Buffet was the victim of one. Among their recommendations are decent enough ones like not to answer the door to someone coming unannounced.

But the only mention of firearms is advice not to resort to "extreme measures like obtaining firearms without proper licensing and training."

So I felt obliged to write as follows:

To The Editor:

In your Personal Journal article on home invasions M.P. McQueen labels as "extreme" obtaining firearms without proper licensing and training. Among the recommendations listed is a perimeter warning system for the property which will probably cost in the thousands of dollars to install and maintain.

I am a Class 01 Federal Firearms Dealer and N.R.A.-certified instructor. A decent shotgun should cost about $300-500. A good-quality handgun about $400-700. There are NRA instructors throughout the country who can give instruction in the defensive use of these firearms. Such classes typically will not take more than a day or two, with advice to practice periodically. Cost for the classes is very reasonable, under $200 certainly. So for less than $1,000 and several days instruction a homeowner can have a home-defense system that has been proven to repel criminals. That certainly seems less "extreme" than a several-thousand dollar warning system that will not repel anybody. -The Rabbi

[molonlabetn]

Nice letter! I'll have to start picking up the WSJ every so often to see if they printed it, and keep tabs on such articles...

[willis68]

Very nice letter,

[The Rabbi]

Thanks. Let's see.

What bothers me is that it betrays an attitude of dependence, in this case on police and armed guards, for protection. Self-defense is too important to be left to individuals. Guns are too complicated to understand for the average householder. Besides, we all know that the criminal will just take the gun away from you and use it on you, right? And we all know that merely having a gun in the house increases your chances of violent death, right?

Feh on those attitudes. We have a lot of work to do here.

[Im Neero]

What bothers me is that it betrays an attitude of dependence, in this case on police and armed guards, for protection.

When I took the level 2 handgun course at Rangemaster they played us a 911 call of a woman calling because someone was trying to break in through the door. Over the course of the tape the criminal broke into the house, came up the stairs, broke down the door to the room that the woman was in, killed her with a knife, and hung up the phone. The entire call was less than 3 minutes.

The police are not and cannot be that fast to respond. I'm sure they showed up just in time to take a report and some pictures, and maybe they even caught the guy later. That is a cold comfort to the woman that was killed.

I have two dogs, a 12 gauge in the closet, and a .45 on the dresser. If I'm ever in that situation I'll be sure to call the police when I get around to it.

[The Rabbi]

She should have had an armed bodyguard.

Yeah, police show up after a crime has been committed generally. This is one reason I like to see people have guns at home: it gives them a choice they wouldn't otherwise have. Even if they never use it, they will be more secure just knowing they can. That is true "Homeland Security."

[SkWaShDeM]

If I'm ever in that situation I'll be sure to call the police when I get around to it.

Or when you run out of ammo... whichever comes first?

[Im Neero]

Or when you run out of ammo... whichever comes first?

If I run out of ammo, I think pointy objects are next, and then blunt ones, and then if that still doesn't work, I think calling the police will be the last thing on my mind.

[Will]

Shows the guy kick in door alarm sounds and he runs away ,they call

and say police will be dispatched. Had plenty of time to rob and kill her.

Had break in before I had safe they felt ok going through most drawers

with alarm wailing. Someone kicks your door only one thing will save

you.

[Guest canynracer]

I set my home alarm...it is to tell me its to wake up and shoot a bad guy.

[Guest CrazyLincoln]

A decent shotgun should cost about $300-500. A good-quality handgun about $400-700. There are NRA instructors throughout the country who can give instruction in the defensive use of these firearms. Such classes typically will not take more than a day or two, with advice to practice periodically. Cost for the classes is very reasonable, under $200 certainly.

I like to see people have guns at home: it gives them a choice they wouldn't otherwise have. Even if they never use it, they will be more secure just knowing they can. That is true "Homeland Security."

That sounds to me like some kind of well regulated militia that would contribute to the security of a free state. I wish some of the great thinkers of the past would have added some kind of law for that. Oh, wait.........

[fury2neon]

Guns are too complicated to understand for the average householder.

That is just the story a lady was telling me recently. That she does not believe she should fire a new fire arm until she takes a class and allows the instructor to fire the weapon first. I showed her my new J-frame (thanks Rabbi) and how to use it to convince her there is nothing complicated about your basic revolver. She told me that she had been convinced by a former FBI agent that guns were just too complicated so she had never fire the three pistols she owns. I think I convinced her that its not that difficult or dangerous when fired responsibly. It is amazing how uneducated the general public is about firearms.

Now if there was only a range in Franklin County where people could go to practice shooting...

[The Rabbi]

I had no idea that was you. If I had known...I would have jacked the price 15%.

But yes, firearms are among the least complicated implements in modern life (I have no idea how my daughter's iPod works) and yet people have been cowed into thinking they are only for the super gung ho. Even the idea that "personal protection is your responsibility" (to crib the ad line from Charter2000) has been eclipsed into "let the police handle it."

[fury2neon]

I had no idea that was you. If I had known...I would have jacked the price 15%.

Yeah, I was trying to stay incognito to get a better deal.

[roninnashville]

I appreciate the posts here. It seems that we are ignorant about self defense. I live in West Nashville. A few weeks back, I was in a hurry to get inside the house and use the bathroom when I sat off the alarm. Within a few moments the alarm speaker is blasting out "are you all right?" I have a speaker/mic in my bathroom among other places that I can answers these responses quickly. Of course I was sitting down (if you get the picture) and shouted "yes" at the top of my voice. I was asked for a password and I gave it out but they could not hear it. "Please stand closer to the speaker." I pulled up my pants and moved to the microphone/speaker (under stress) and provided the password. The alarm company did not have the correct password that was changed a month or so back. They had already dispatched the Metro PD but said they would recall them. Thirty minutes later the police came anyway. Gosh! My wife forked out a bundle to get this security system. I hope it will wake me up in time if any intruder comes in. I believe that I could dispose of the body and clean up before the police get there.

You folks that live in zip 37205, should take care. It seems that all of my neighbors have alarm systems, but............That's where I live. I think a good barking dog would be better than the alarm system.

[Guest canynracer]

I appreciate the posts here. It seems that we are ignorant about self defense. I live in West Nashville. A few weeks back, I was in a hurry to get inside the house and use the bathroom when I sat off the alarm. Within a few moments the alarm speaker is blasting out "are you all right?" I have a speaker/mic in my bathroom among other places that I can answers these responses quickly. Of course I was sitting down (if you get the picture) and shouted "yes" at the top of my voice. I was asked for a password and I gave it out but they could not hear it. "Please stand closer to the speaker." I pulled up my pants and moved to the microphone/speaker (under stress) and provided the password. The alarm company did not have the correct password that was changed a month or so back. They had already dispatched the Metro PD but said they would recall them. Thirty minutes later the police came anyway. Gosh! My wife forked out a bundle to get this security system. I hope it will wake me up in time if any intruder comes in. I believe that I could dispose of the body and clean up before the police get there.

You folks that live in zip 37205, should take care. It seems that all of my neighbors have alarm systems, but............That's where I live. I think a good barking dog would be better than the alarm system.

cops go on SO many "false alarm" home calls I think they have a general complacencey. like I said, my home alarm is to wake me up and tell me to shoot the bad guy.

[Guest Mugster]

Its getting so a man can't even take a crap in peace.

[Guest canynracer]

Its getting so a man can't even take a crap in peace.

ROFLMAO

[Guest bluecanary25]

Its getting so a man can't even take a crap in peace.

Shoot (figuratively), just open the bathroom door......

unless it's allergy season, the smell will run an intruder/spouse/family/ out of the house.

[Guest ricks]

I would have jacked the price 15%

ok i laughed at that one.

It is amazing how uneducated the general public is about firearms.

my wife was at a teaching conference a couple weeks ago and a LEO was there discussing the current state of security in public schools. he was in a suit/tie, etc. and somehow got onto concealed carry, although it was not a discussion of cc by teachers/staff. He showed his concealed carry to a room full of teachers. of course, gasps and shock prevailed. wifey told me that later, while at dinner, a bunch of teachers were talking about how dangerous it was for him to have it, that someone could have ran up on stage and taken it from him. LOL. this is what the teachers said about a LEO!

she said to her group, well, he's probably trained not to let someone take it.

one nice thing, she told me she would have most likely agreed with the other teachers had she not been married to me and been exposed to handguns, etc. in a responsible way the past 4 years. so maybe a majority of sheeple are just inexperienced and only draw upon what they see in media for their opinion forming.

[fury2neon]

One of the "safety professionals" I work with has stated on several occasions that anyone handling unfired ammo should be dressed in full explosives safety gear. The guy just has no idea what he is talking about and has been corrected by many many people but continues to spout this BS. If we listened to this guy our test techs would never be able to test fire anything.

[Guest dotsun]

ok i laughed at that one.

my wife was at a teaching conference a couple weeks ago and a LEO was there discussing the current state of security in public schools. he was in a suit/tie, etc. and somehow got onto concealed carry, although it was not a discussion of cc by teachers/staff. He showed his concealed carry to a room full of teachers. of course, gasps and shock prevailed. wifey told me that later, while at dinner, a bunch of teachers were talking about how dangerous it was for him to have it, that someone could have ran up on stage and taken it from him. LOL. this is what the teachers said about a LEO!

she said to her group, well, he's probably trained not to let someone take it.

one nice thing, she told me she would have most likely agreed with the other teachers had she not been married to me and been exposed to handguns, etc. in a responsible way the past 4 years. so maybe a majority of sheeple are just inexperienced and only draw upon what they see in media for their opinion forming.

He didn't go into the 'I'm the only one in this room professional enough...' spill I hope?

[strickj]

first i will use my 12gauge if that dont stopem i will use my cw if that dont do the trick i will beat them with my phone and let the neighbors do the calling

[Im Neero]

first i will use my 12gauge if that dont stopem i will use my cw if that dont do the trick i will beat them with my phone and let the neighbors do the calling

If it gets that far I think who calls the police is the least of your problems.