Posted on 01/05/2010 4:28:05 AM PST by marktwain
My thoughts exactly.
What did the burglar do to earn the oft-repeated "violent" label?
I'm certainly not saying he was anything but a criminal, and got what he deserved, but violent?
Maybe he had something like this in mind?
Also, I bet it would be quite nasty for a homeowner to get sprayed in the eyes with a fire extinguisher.
Add in this tidbit - the perp "was already on probation for aggravated assault."
Going through various possibilities, along with what he has done in the past still doesn't lead to the way the word "violent" was used in the article, in reference to this crime.
I'm not defending the perp, just pointing out the author's convoluted usage. I agree that the shooting was justified.
I agree. I believe they also serve as a good deterent to unoccupied burglaries.
I hadn’t thought about the delay factor. And you’re absolutely right about the 911 response time. Someone who would break in to an occupied house isn’t showing rational thought to start with.
And they all run like scared rabbits at the first sound of the siren! And Brinks calls and sends help immediately, johnny on the spot police service in fantasy land. Just once I would love to see the frightened homeowner turn and put a 125 grain JHP .357 round into the forehead of the miscreant, oh well one can wish...
He should have aimed about two foot higher with that shotgun and ended the slime bags future career ambitions and saved society a little $$$.
What if the perp was pointing a gun at the homeowner, but hadn’t shot yet? Would you classify the burglar as “violent?”
I would classify someone breaking into my house at night possessing something that could be used as a weapon (fire extinguisher, knife, gun, candlestick, golf club...) as an act of violence. To be met with a loaded shotgun and handgun as a backup.
Just the thought of that warms the cockles of my heart on such a cold day. Thanks.
Good point - and when the burglar saw the mom and little girl in the back yard - why didn’t he just enter the house from the other side. Why did he “wait” for them to go inside?
"Gimme all your money or I'll extinguish your fireplace!"
“There must be parts of Houston that are peaceful.”
I’d like to know where. Considering that I live behind steel gates and window bars, any burglar that enters my house will be presumed violent and will be shot, after my dogs soften him up a bit.
What if he fell down and was paralyzed, so he COULDN'T hurt anyone?
What if he was actually the guy's uncle, and he didn't recognize him?
What if the shotgun malfunctioned, and the homeowner blew his hand off?
What if lightning struck the man's house at EXACTLY the same moment that he squeezed the trigger? WHAT THEN???
This "what if" game is fun! ...and, of course, completely irrelevant.
I would classify someone breaking into my house at night possessing something that could be used as a weapon (fire extinguisher, knife, gun, candlestick, golf club...) as an act of violence.
Well, the law and the dictionary don't. That's why I commented. (ANYTHING "could" be used as a weapon.) That's why there are laws against "burglary" and "robbery." They aren't the same thing.
As Rush is fond of reminding his listeners: Words mean things! The word "violent" means something, and tossing it around for kicks is just sloppy.
...To be met with a loaded shotgun and handgun as a backup.
I agree, but not because he was "violent" in this instance. The correct word is "dangerous", or perhaps "threatening." Because he didn't actually attack anyone or start destroying stuff, the crime just wasn't "violent."
Sorry.
This is why I live in Texas. Both the law and I both agree that anyone attempting to break into my house after dark is by definition an act of violence and I am fully justified in using deadly force up to and including the use of a carriage mounted artillery howitzer to defend myself. I don’t have to wait for a ‘further threat’ to materialize, I don’t have to wait to see a weapon - he breaks the window or kicks in the door, it’s go time.
By the way, this also occurred in Texas, so no, by legal definition it was a violent act to be repulsed by force. Surprise!
When seconds count, the Police are minutes away...
Nice shootin’ Tex!
Good call on the missus too. “...grab the shotgun...” sets the tone for the rest of the engagement.
Another Wednesday feel-good.
And they all run once the alarm sounds......just like in real life! LOL!
I will never do business with a compnay which falsely portrays whites as doing all of the crime. Not racist.....simply want the facts told as they are.
:^)
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