Poll on Home Protection

[Glenn]

There is a poll on WATE website about protecting yourself against home invasion with a gun.

Do you think having a gun is the best way to protect yourself in a home invasion? | WATE 6 News - Knoxville, Tennessee

We are winning 92% to 8% but we need to hit it anyway.

Glenn

[Garufa]

If an intruder is gonna come in, he/she is gonna do it whether or not you have a gun. I believe in gun rights. But I don't think it is the best way to protect yourself in a home invasion. Security system incliuding police monitoring is the way to go.

Must be nice to have a police station right next door, like in the garage.

[Glenn]

Really, What a dumb...

Glenn

[Guest fourspdRAT]

If a person with a gun wouldn't stop an intruder, how would an alarm system? Makes no sense to me.

[Bigiron]

Voted. 95% yes.

[Guest Benelli Nova Guy]

96% yes. They'll prob throw it out saying we influenced the numbers lol

[kb4ns]

I don't see a spot to vote. Did they close the polls or did I miss it somewhere?

[Guest Joey]

If an intruder is gonna come in, he/she is gonna do it whether or not you have a gun. I believe in gun rights. But I don't think it is the best way to protect yourself in a home invasion. Security system incliuding police monitoring is the way to go.

I wonder if this person realizes that since the police are people with guns his argument seems to be saying that the sight of police wouldn't deter someone from committing a crime.

But yeah, if someone's determined enough they'll break in whether you have a gun or not. But having that gun could save your life. In a home invasion I'd much rather have a gun than a security system.

[Guest Looney102]

Same where do we vote?

[greenego]

If a person with a gun wouldn't stop an intruder, how would an alarm system? Makes no sense to me.

You must have missed all the TV commercials where the guy busts in, the alarm goes off. Alarm company calls. Ask if everything is OK. Frighten woman says, "someone just busted in my front door". Helpful alarm company guy says "I'm sending help right away". The bad guy always runs away. At least on TV.

Edited May 19, 2010 by greenego

[Guest SUNTZU]

It's too bad gun ownership

Submitted by noman (not verified) on May 18, 2010 - 5:34pm.

It's too bad gun ownership isn't an inalienable right... I protect my home with blades and other deadly non-firearm things. I have no children but if I did, and if I was a gun owner, I'd get rid of one or the other because they don't mix well at all. Even kids skilled at weapons handling screw up and loved ones die. It's just not worth it in my opinion.

At least they picked the right screen name.

[mikegideon]

I don't see a spot to vote. Did they close the polls or did I miss it somewhere?

You missed something. Try again. If it shows you the poll results, then it thinks you already voted.

[mikegideon]

At least they picked the right screen name.

***** would have worked too

[Guest fourspdRAT]

At least they picked the right screen name.

$10 says that guy guards his "home" with a sword... and by "home", I mean his mother's basement.

[greenego]

As a Sheriff's dispatcher, I

Submitted by Eddie (not verified) on May 18, 2010 - 4:41pm.

As a Sheriff's dispatcher, I can tell you the odds of having an Deputy within 5 minutes are slim to none. Nothing is more unnerving than to listen to my 911 caller screaming and the sound of a door being crashed into in the background. Learn to use a firearm safely as well as storing it from children but available to use when needed. We'll ask you to secure the weapon when the deputy arrives on scene but if you stopped the invader dead in his tracks first, so be it. Security systems are mostly a joke as well. We get calls from some security companies that are a few minutes after a neighbor has called in an alarm. Not very fast response time for the money involved. The most important thing overall is your brain. Think before you fire and be sure of the situation. By all means get someone to call 911 ASAP and we'll be on the way.

[Guest Boogieman]

$10 says that guy guards his "home" with a sword... and by "home", I mean his mother's basement.

Hey now. I have a katana on the wall and a 9mm on the nightstand. Granted I'll reach for the 9mm first.

[kb4ns]

You missed something. Try again. If it shows you the poll results, then it thinks you already voted.

It apparently already thinks I've voted.

And the comment from the dispatcher is dead on. When your alarm system is "triggered", the alarm company waits a couple of minutes to see if you reset it. Then, if it doesn't reset, they try to call you. Then (some companies) call everyone on your contact list. Then they call the police. The call taker has to enter the information into the computer. Then the dispatcher that actually transmits calls to the officers receives the information and puts the call out to units on the street. You're looking at a minimum (and I mean bare minimum) of two minutes from the time someone enters your home until an officer is even aware of the situation. And then, they're probably not sitting right outside of your house. A lot can happen in two minutes which is your absolute best case scenario.

[Motasyco]

95% / 5%

[strickj]

You must have missed all the TV commercials where the guy busts in, the alarm goes off. Alarm company calls. Ask if everything is OK. Frighten woman says, "someone just busted in my front door". Helpful alarm company guy says "I'm sending help right away".The bad gay always runs away. At least on TV.

[Mike.357]

heck even my wife acknowledges that the security system commercials are ridiculous. The bad guy knows he has plenty of time to do what he wants before the cops will ever show up. All the alarm is good for is a heads up that someone has breeched a doorway or window, giving me a few seconds to wake up and react. Which is better than waking up with the guy standing next to my bed.

[dralarms]

It apparently already thinks I've voted.

And the comment from the dispatcher is dead on. When your alarm system is "triggered", the alarm company waits a couple of minutes to see if you reset it. Then, if it doesn't reset, they try to call you. Then (some companies) call everyone on your contact list. Then they call the police. The call taker has to enter the information into the computer. Then the dispatcher that actually transmits calls to the officers receives the information and puts the call out to units on the street. You're looking at a minimum (and I mean bare minimum) of two minutes from the time someone enters your home until an officer is even aware of the situation. And then, they're probably not sitting right outside of your house. A lot can happen in two minutes which is your absolute best case scenario.

not my monitoring company. If they pull that crap I'll pull all 375 accounts and move them somewhere else that knows how to handle an alarm call.

heck even my wife acknowledges that the security system commercials are ridiculous. The bad guy knows he has plenty of time to do what he wants before the cops will ever show up. All the alarm is good for is a heads up that someone has breeched a doorway or window, giving me a few seconds to wake up and react. Which is better than waking up with the guy standing next to my bed.

I hate those stupid commercials, it make us alarm dealers look stupid, while some others don't care how well you system works and all they care about is the money most of us independant alarm companies are NOT like that.

[USMCJG]

It wouldn't let me vote either until I clicked on page 2 of the comments, then the poll came up.

[kb4ns]

not my monitoring company.

Good. They're one of the few. Still doesn't change the fact that from the time the police are contacted to the time an officer reaches your home is more than enough time to do all sorts of things (like making popcorn and watch all the Star Wars movies if you live in Memphis PD's jurisdiction).

At least they picked the right screen name.

noman (not verified)

Wouldn't want the job of verifying THAT...

[kb4ns]

It wouldn't let me vote either until I clicked on page 2 of the comments, then the poll came up.

Ahhh. That worked for me, too.

[dralarms]

Good. They're one of the few. Still doesn't change the fact that from the time the police are contacted to the time an officer reaches your home is more than enough time to do all sorts of things (like making popcorn and watch all the Star Wars movies if you live in Memphis PD's jurisdiction).

Wouldn't want the job of verifying THAT...

Oh I do understand. My hands are tied once my central station contacts the cops. Then the wait begins.