posted
My friend Steve saved my life by asking me to watch his dogs at his place last night.
Five young men with ski-masks and bandanas broke into my house late last night with a shotgun, knives, and a 9mm glock.
They stole my brother's katana, his butterfly knife, and a jar of marijuana. (I hate pot, but my brother and his friends smoke it all the time)
Since we were robbed earlier this year, I keep a half of a hockey stick in my room. I also stay up extremely late. Being me, and not being afraid of anything, I would have heard them break in, and would have waited at the bottom of the stairs with my stick. Somehow I doubt I could have survived against two guns though.
We didn't even notice anything was missing, since what they took wasn't anything my brother cared about. I guess it wasn't even much pot. Since I'm planning on moving soon, I have a box in my room with over 1500 dollars worth of electronics in it. A smart thief would have taken that.
They weren't particularly smart though, since they were caught while still in our driveway . A cop pulled in and saw one of them with his knife out. He arrested three on the spot, and they know who the other two are. They will tell us who did it when they catch them. I'm not sure why the sheriff waited till 4AM to come talk to us about it, but I was still up so I don't care.
I'm glad you weren't home. Being murdered is no fun. I should know! Well, not really. But I can only imagine.
Anyway, I'm glad you're not out anything important.
I assume your brother won't be reporting the loss of the pot. Duh! Just imagine if the police had actually caught them while breaking in. At that point, they would've naturally searched the house to make sure no more robbers were inside. Found the brother's dope...
Hmm...
In my state, they use the drug seizure laws quite effectively. Not that I like this particular law enforcement tactic, but there are sheriffs, especially, who delight in confiscating all property involved in drug "trafficking" (broadly defined as the presence of any drugs). That means they can take your house. For finding pot there.
We've had cases where they watch the drug buy, follow the car to the house, wait for the guy to go out in his boat, etc., etc. Then confiscate the whole shootin' match.
The three that got caught apparently were extremely honest with the police, so they were the ones who told them they broke in to steal the pot.
The cop told my brother it was one of the things stolen, and told him that they didn't care about him having it. Zach's not entirely stupid though, so he refused to admit to it being his in his statement. Hopefully that doesn't interfere with the prosecution any.
He brings this element into his life though by doing what he does. The kids obviously knew he had it, and that he normally has enough worth stealing. I hope he takes it as a wake-up call, and the cop told him the same thing. His words were "You lie with dogs, you wake up with flees" or something to that effect. He's right too.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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Wow! I'm glad no one was hurt. I hope those little thugs get what's coming to them in the court system. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Good for you for volunteering to take care of Steve's dogs when he asked! Hope your brother learns something from all this. Glad you're not dead.
Posts: 1379 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I keep a baseball bat instead of a hockey stick though. I could have easily wound up with a bullet ridden corpse had I been there as well. I don't reason very well when woken from a sound sleep, and, coupled with a break in, I think I would see red.... Posts: 2506 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Some people don't agree, but that's exactly the reason why I'd really love to have a gun in my house. My husband doesn't want one because he doesn't know how to use it, but I grew up in law enforcement and our motto was, "If you're not paranoid, you're dead.) I learned how to use a gun at eight years old. Meanwhile, my husband has a wooden bokken by the bed. Can you see him running into a bunch of punks with guns, armed only with that thing? The only good it's for outside of training would be cracking a bad guy over the head. And you better crack them all, or you're sunk. Wow, that got off topic really fast. Thank the Lord you're okay and I hope those guys GO TO JAIL! Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Five young men with ski-masks and bandanas broke into my house late last night with a shotgun, knives, and a 9mm glock.
just a question...but who the heck breaks into a house to steal pot loaded up with that kind of ammo? I mean seriously. And if they knew your brother would they really have been willing to shoot somebody? Do you know if their guns were loaded? Craziness.
Glad you're ok man.
Posts: 251 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I collect medieval weapons. I always thought if someone broke in, I'd grab my longsword and run down the stairs. I figure the sight of me running down the stairs in my underwear waving a sword around would freak them out enough to send them packing.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Am I the only one who'd just pretend to be asleep and hope to God nobody decides to maim my defenceless body?
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Good Heavens! Living in the city, and having been home during a break-in, I can understand how you must feel. Glad you're OK. Hope you recover and can move soon. I know I didn't sleep four hours connected without waking up in a panic for six months after my experience.
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Xavier, I think Steve is the sixth culprit, a conspirator who happened to have a personal investment in this particular crime, which is why he didn't go with his cohorts, and made sure that you were out of harm's way.
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Holy crap, glad you are okay. Between you and m. bowles, lots of crazy stuff happening. I'm with BTL, I wouldn't actually attack anybody, especially if I was unsure of what sort of weaponry they had (although zgator's idea is cool).
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Am I the only one who'd just pretend to be asleep and hope to God nobody decides to maim my defenceless body?
No kidding! You are MUCH more likely to die if you try to take them on. There is nothing you own that is worth more than your life.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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quote: If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.
Good thing you had to go lie down with a dog, or you may not have woken at all.
I agree that hiding is better than charging into battle against unknown odds. Even waiving a gun at the culprits is dangerous. If they are armed as these were, you suddenly are no longer a threat. You are a target.
The Bandana's and big weaponry make me think of a gang hit. The Pot and the theft of the sword and knife, and the quick "Good" behavior when facing the police makes me think this was a group of kids trying to be mean gang-bangers.
The were not harmless, just extremely niave, and ignorant. With a Glok, that is almost as dangerous as someone who knows what they are doig.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Geez, I'm glad you're OK! It's no use thinking what you would have done if you were there, so don't. (shudders)
But as long as we're on the topic, I'm pretty much an expert on moving silently in my own house, so I think I'd check it out before I went after them with my bokken... But then, I don't really have anything worth stealing... (Except maybe my Escaflowne wallscroll)
And also, regardless of whether they had a gun or not, I doubt they would have killed you over something so stupid, but I guess you never know what could happen in the panic of the moment. I'm glad that we will never know what could have happened... (worries)
Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I've always been amazed when folks who own a sword or whatnot assume that they are prepared to defend their homes. Running downstairs in your underwear wielding a sword most likely won't scare people out of your house. What it will get you is a stupid looking corpse.
Having a sword and being able to use it are such waaaaay different things. And in most people's homes, they start swinging and they'll hit: a lamp, the cieling, the wall, themselves, the dog, a couch. Heck, I've got a ton of old-style melee weapons but I sure wouldn't grab a flail and wade out into the house to come to battle.
I'd grab a telephone, lock the bedroom door and then a pistol (if I had one).
Once upon a time, you could guarantee that a burglar wouldn't have a gun. Burglars didn't carry any weapons because they knew if they did, the prison sentence would be a mandatory 10 years longer if they were caught. They weren't out to kill, anyway, they'd grab some easy loot and then get out. Today, well, burglars aren't professionals anymore. They're like those street punk kids. They are more than happy to unload a gat in you if you get in the way. Sad, tragic, true. A teenager with a weapon committing a crime is about as dangerous as it can get.
And back to an earlier thing, see folks forget there's a reason mankind left behind most melee weapons in favor of firearms for self defense. Those old swords, axes, knives, maces, they all took a lot of practice, a good teacher and real muscles to use. They also took a lot of guts to get face to face with your opponent. Firearms, outside of long-distance shooting, are pretty much just point and bang. Just remember: rifles are for hunting, shotguns are for defending your land and pistols for defending yourself. (Rifles shoot through walls, shotguns fire indiscriminately and pistols aren't worth it for ranges more than 10 yards most times).
And Xav, move out. He's your brother, but he's gonna get ya killed. I sure don't want to hear that you've had a closer call than this one.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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"Eek" is right. Imagine being that armed just to steal a couple of things! Does that mean they were prepared to shoot if they saw someone, just to stop being found out??? Scary thought!
Why else would you carry arms for a petty theft? It seems that the thought processes of these people were weren't working at all. (As opposed to a little, if they had broken in without weapons.)
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Hehehe, Z, I know ya were, but you'd be amazed how many folks wouldn't be...
It's the old line about the guy who went in to see a Bruce Lee film and came out itching for a fight with someone... he's recovering nicely now and should be eating solid foods, someday.
As a long-time gamer, I've seen so many guys who bought a "wicked lookin'" sword off of the Home Shopping Network, took in a couple of episodes of Highlander and now they are "Ready For The Bad Guys." You can always pick them out at conventions wearing a sword, speaking Klingon and wondering if they'll ever get a gal down into the basement of their parent's house.
They still think in terms of Orcs and Dragons, bandits on the road, rather than the reality of desperate youths with thousand-yard stares, no future and no value on your life, much less their own.
It's a sad, sad world some days and people do get shot and killed now and then for no good reason.
I've no idea what I'd do if I was in that situation and was confronted with a Glock. I mean, I wish I had a Glock of my own. But...it depends on my mood, I think. If I'm more mixed, I might ask the burglar to shoot me anyway, I've been suicidal for months. If I'm okay or hypomanic, I suppose I'd run out the other door, or to my neighbor's place and call the cops.
quote: Once upon a time, you could guarantee that a burglar wouldn't have a gun. Burglars didn't carry any weapons because they knew if they did, the prison sentence would be a mandatory 10 years longer if they were caught.
Er...I don't know what state you're in, but in Florida, this situation still exists. I think in many states it is the norm. If it is in your state, it just underlines the sheer, jaw-dropping, animal stupidity of these people. They were going to steal the equivalent of, at most, a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff and now they are looking at ten years in *prison*. Jebus Chrift. Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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See, I'm a believer in shooting them. I have a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. I would pick up whichever seemed best, probaby the shotgun, load it, and shoot them. It might be more dangerous than rolling over and playing dead, but it makes for a neighborhood with a lot fewer burglars in it when people do that.
I consider it highly rude to come into my house without being invited. If you do it in the middle of the night with ill intent, you are likely not to get a chance to learn better manners.
If you act non-threatening I might not shoot you, or I might not shoot to kill. But I don't really count on being able to keep control of the situation so I might just go ahead and shoot you dead to be extra safe.
[ August 18, 2003, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: ak ]
Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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Er, if see they are carrying a glock, I don't care if they are wearing halos and have armored themselves in baby seals. I'm shooting if I have a gun and I have the drop on them.
I think what Sop meant is that, even though you still get a longer sentence for being caught with a weapon, teenagers just don't care and will carry the gun anyway. They're more concerned with being caught in the first place and just dumb enough to try and shoot their way out of something.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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My father taught me how to shoot. Been shooting since I was six. Rifles, shotguns, semiautomatics, 9mms. Dad kept a few around. One time, he and I got into an argument. I told him I hated him. He took me back into his bedroom and handed me on of his 9mms. Then he told me to shoot him if I hated him that much.
O_o
Obviously I didn't. Most times, I wish I had. I was twelve then. Instead, I stared at him, put the gun on the nightstand and ran from the room. I think I cried.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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<laughs> I think we have a different idea about manners down here, mac. I think you're right. Ever wonder why southerners are so polite? Well, one thing is that everyone's related and you're liable to be talking to a cousin or at the very least your great grandmother's best friend's great grandson, and so you'd better be nice or else the tale will get back to your mama and grandmama and you'll catch it hot, but the second reason is that we are all armed and have strong ideas about property rights and other such things. Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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The weird thing is, if those guys had shot Xavier, would any of us have found out? Or would he have just disappeared from the forums? How do we know if something tragic happens to someone here? (Assuming you don't have a spouse that's registered.)
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Mind you, a sword can be a pretty menacing deterrant to an intruder without a gun.
See, we don't get many gun-wielding intruders down here.
I've always had a few swords around for decorative purposes only, not for home-defense - since the concept of home defense is almost unknown and un-needed here. The collection of swords in my home has at times been outrageously large, as my best friend and flatmate of a decade is also a fight choreographer, and I'm a trained stage combatant. So we've got at least a dozen rapiers, short swords, bucklers, daggers, sheilds, a few double-handed broad-swords, katanas and some really really really big melee weapons.
A few years back I was finishing up a TV binge at 3am and walked bleary-eyed back to my room. There was something odd about it.
It took me a few seconds to figure out that it was the guy trying to get in the window who'd stopped dead as soon as I entered the room.
My brain locked up completely and I just stood there gaping at him.
Then something took over, I snatched this british army sword from the boer war off my wall and ROAAARRRRED at the top of my lungs and charged at the window.
You better believe he ran like the was after him! Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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If I'm home when someone breaks into my house, I'll just go after them with my lightsaber! Cool light, realistic sound, who wouldn't be scared?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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. A cop pulled in and saw one of them with his knife out. He arrested three on the spot, and they know who the other two are. They will tell us who did it when they catch them. I'm not sure why the sheriff waited till 4AM to come talk to us about it, but I was still up so I don't care.
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