Well, someone recently stole my dad's boat in broad daylight with several neighbors watching (one was even a former cop who is just a moron, the other thought it was my brother and was really upset when she found out since she had given my dad some of her deceased husband's fishing gear). Drilled the lock right off, which took several minutes, and fed our big dog a treat so she would stop barking. We believe they scouted our house the week before, because they hit right when everyone was gone.
He has a gun, he has an alarm system, he has several dogs and even bought a lock that couldn't be cut off and they still stole it. So if they want to steal something, there's very little you can do other than try to deter them. A gun doesn't do you a whole lot of good if you're not home and really it's just something else they can steal.
1. Look for out of place cars, write down their make, model and license plate number.
2. Get close with your neighbors and let them know you're concerned and that if they see anything suspicious to call the cops.
3. Put your valuables out of sight.
4. If you don't have it, get insurance.
I know you just changed your locks, but if you're really worried about bumping and so forth, look into an Abloy disklock(or a similar high security disk tumbler lock. I'm not sure if they're sold in the U.S. but worth checking out). That shit can't be bumped, and pretty much the only person that can get one open without a key is a professional locksmith, especially with the anti-drilling plates.
I really don't understand why anyone still uses pin tumbler locks, as they're relatively easy to open in comparison. I guess they're a bit cheaper.
At that point it's easier to just break a window in the back yard.
Can you not ask the cops to patrol your street every now and again? If there's a car in the area doing nothing, just wandering down the street could be a strong deterrent.
This is what we did when we thought that our place was being scouted. A neighbour rang me to tell me that there was a weird foreign guy looking up at ours and his place, and he overheard him talking to the neighbours and heard the conversation go something like 'yeah, it looks like student housing, doesn't it.' He knocked on my neighbour's door and my neighbour hid from him. I told him to call the police on a non-emergency line and let them know - at the very least, it's easier to prove to insurance companies later on that we thought there was a threat and took precautions.
Turned out, it was my new housemate who wasn't sure which house was the right one
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
Nothing wrong with a gun, provided you know how to use it.
No need to over-exaggerate like 90% of the threads here do. They are perfectly viable home defense tools and are more often than not used as a deterrent.
I think it is safe to generalize and say that most petty thief's will run at first sight of a gun.
Saying "OMG If you get a gun everyone will die that enters your house don't do it its stupid and anyone who has one is stupid and its dangerous blah,blah,blah" is just a bunch of overdramatic crap.
Nothing wrong with a gun, provided you know how to use it.
No need to over-exaggerate like 90% of the threads here do. They are perfectly viable home defense tools and are more often than not used as a deterrent.
I think it is safe to generalize and say that most petty thief's will run at first sight of a gun.
Saying "OMG If you get a gun everyone will die that enters your house don't do it its stupid and anyone who has one is stupid and its dangerous blah,blah,blah" is just a bunch of overdramatic crap.
Or you could actually look at the statistics and realize you're the one generalizing.
Nothing wrong with a gun, provided you know how to use it.
No need to over-exaggerate like 90% of the threads here do. They are perfectly viable home defense tools and are more often than not used as a deterrent.
I think it is safe to generalize and say that most petty thief's will run at first sight of a gun.
Saying "OMG If you get a gun everyone will die that enters your house don't do it its stupid and anyone who has one is stupid and its dangerous blah,blah,blah" is just a bunch of overdramatic crap.
Or you could actually look at the statistics and realize you're the one generalizing.
In an extensive series of studies of large, nationally representative samples of crime incidents, criminologist Gary Kleck found that crime victims who defend themselves with guns are less likely to be injured or lose property than victims who either did not resist, or resisted without guns. This was so even though the victims using guns typically faced more dangerous circumstances than other victims. The findings applied to both robberies and assaults.
Kleck "Crime control through the use of armed force." Social Problems Feb. 1988; Kleck and DeLone "Victim resistance and offender weapon effects in robbery" Journal of Quantitative Criminology March 1993; Tark and Kleck "Resisting Crime" Criminology Nov. 2004
Nothing wrong with a gun, provided you know how to use it.
No need to over-exaggerate like 90% of the threads here do. They are perfectly viable home defense tools and are more often than not used as a deterrent.
I think it is safe to generalize and say that most petty thief's will run at first sight of a gun.
Saying "OMG If you get a gun everyone will die that enters your house don't do it its stupid and anyone who has one is stupid and its dangerous blah,blah,blah" is just a bunch of overdramatic crap.
Or you could actually look at the statistics and realize you're the one generalizing.
In an extensive series of studies of large, nationally representative samples of crime incidents, criminologist Gary Kleck found that crime victims who defend themselves with guns are less likely to be injured or lose property than victims who either did not resist, or resisted without guns. This was so even though the victims using guns typically faced more dangerous circumstances than other victims. The findings applied to both robberies and assaults.
Kleck "Crime control through the use of armed force." Social Problems Feb. 1988; Kleck and DeLone "Victim resistance and offender weapon effects in robbery" Journal of Quantitative Criminology March 1993; Tark and Kleck "Resisting Crime" Criminology Nov. 2004
Keep reading that same report. It was determined that Kleck's subset of data was too low and his estimations too high.
You're also looking at it from the sole perspective of defense. Consider that said gun will reside in his house all the time and, as such, increase the likelihood of accidental injury outside of the context of a home invasion.
Or you could all quit bitching about guns abloo bloo and read the part where they're scouting out for when he's not home and therefore the presence of a firearm won't necessarily be a deterrent?
tl;dr focus on something else. Security system, dogs, floodlights, telling the next person at the door to go fuck themselves, etc.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I called the local police desk, and aside from meager advice (don't leave anything unlocked, leave lights on, etc) there isn't anything they can do. Police occasionally stroll the neighborhood at night, but haven't recently. Good thing is, they're only a couple of streets away.
Beat'd by two pages, even.
Forar on
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Don't spend tons of money or stay paranoid. Look, you left your keys in the door and they were stolen. If a criminal really wanted your stuff, he would've come back the next day. Same with the back gate and walking around -- if they really wanted to get in, they would just break a window.
Owning a gun would do nothing -- if they're casing the joint, they're going to wait for when you're not home. Unless you get a conceal/carry permit and have it on you all the time, planning to meet them, owning a gun actually increases the likelihood of you being robbed. Why? Because criminals, uh, would rather steal a gun. Especially one associated with someone else. After all, what's more valuable to a degenerate -- something they have to pawn, or something they can use themselves or sell to another degenerate?
You already changed the locks, so the keys to enter your place don't work. That's about all there is to do. If someone really wants to get in, they'll just break in. Don't leave your wallet sitting around, but keep the place a little messy with some clothes/blankets about. It's stupid, but criminals don't really want to dig through people's laundry. My wife's dad has a story about how they piled a bunch of clothes on some instruments he and his friends had in college, and sure enough, the place was broken into and they stole some stuff, but didn't touch the pile of clothes -- where the actual valuable stuff was.
You don't know why these people are knocking -- if you're in a questionable neighborhood, they could simply be looking for drugs and someone told them the wrong address. Or if you're in a nice neighborhood, they could be looking for someone who says they have a roommate and got the wrong address. Get a motion light in the back if it makes you feel better, but it's far better to spend money on your renter's insurance policy than it is to drop a couple hundred having security work done. In my opinion, of course.
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
I don't think he should have a weapon at all. However a baseball bat and a gun are likely to have the same effect on a burglar - a bat however largely removes the potential for anyone to get hurt while it's just sitting around the house.
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
I don't think he should have a weapon at all. However a baseball bat and a gun are likely to have the same effect on a burglar - a bat however largely removes the potential for anyone to get hurt while it's just sitting around the house.
Actually, no.
Baseball bats are shitty weapons, at best you get the person unexpectedly and take them out cold. At worst you fuck it up and end up dead whilst they have a broken arm.
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
I don't think he should have a weapon at all. However a baseball bat and a gun are likely to have the same effect on a burglar - a bat however largely removes the potential for anyone to get hurt while it's just sitting around the house.
I grew up with guns. I fired my first one when I was ten. As someone who grew up with guns I will say that if someone is stupid enough to leave a gun "just sitting around the house" (especially loaded) they shouldn't own one in the first place.
When the next person comes to your door just calmly state that you know they've been scouting your house and that you have informed the police and your neighbors. If it's someone who has been scouting your house they’ll know they’re being watched and back off. If they haven’t been scouting your house you’ll just look a little crazy.
mystikspyral on
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'Fuck the lemons,' and bail" :rotate:
Do not buy a gun. It's stupid and will only result in someone getting hurt. Take preventative measures and nothing more. At best, have a baseball batt.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
I don't think he should have a weapon at all. However a baseball bat and a gun are likely to have the same effect on a burglar - a bat however largely removes the potential for anyone to get hurt while it's just sitting around the house.
Actually, no.
Baseball bats are shitty weapons, at best you get the person unexpectedly and take them out cold. At worst you fuck it up and end up dead whilst they have a broken arm.
Read what I said instead of jumping to LOLARGUMENT.
A gun presents an unneccesary risk outside of the context of a home invasion.
Not if you lock it up and all of that normal, sense making stuff.
It's not just going to jump around shooting it self. Don't be so ridiculous. Any responsible gun owner locks up their gun and ammo. It's not just sitting around the house, unless the owner is careless and stupid. In which case, darwin states he deserves to be shot, and nominated for first place at the darwin awards.
Edit:
I like this too. Don't open the door, just snap a picture through the window or something.
hahah, I'd love to see the look on someones face if you open the door, snap a photo and close it.
Christ, this is getting way off-topic. The OP has no training in gun usage. He's not going to get it in a decent time period for it to be a decent amount of help in this situation, and if he did, it would just be more time out of the house. Any weapon you are not trained to use is more of a threat than an assistance.
Whether he wants to get a gun for protection in the future is irrelevant and has been argued for far too long by people more educated than anyone on this board.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Why would you want to go to jail for life and have the guilt of shooting someone dead and have their head or guts splattered all over your walls and tv. You may of well let him steal it. You are only ever able to use the same force as the other person. The robber uses a knife you have to use a knife or less. use a gun and you go to jail.
Not in Texas. You can fire away with what ever you have. A few years ago they passed the Castle Law that lets you protect your house with whatever force you think is appropriate.
Another good one would be to take their picture next time they knock on your door. Then take a picture of their car.
What is he, a Scientologist?
Anyways, not to bring you down but if a professional thief wants your stuff, then they're gonna get your stuff and nothing you do will change that. It's the whole cat and mouse game. Like that guy posted on page 2 about the boat, the guy scouted out the lock, the dogs and the times they wouldn't be home, then proceded to render all measures of security useless.
That said, you shouldn't just give up. The various suggestions for deterring a criminal are better than nothing at all. The motion sensor flood lights, the fake security stickers, the new locks, keeping your curtain's closed from now on when you're not there, all this stuff will help deter criminals. Hell, at my house, we have a Beware of Dog sign on both sides of the fence and we don't even have a dog. They're from the previous owner and we left them up as a deterrent. Another tip from me is do not leave any ladders out. Thiefs know that people are less likely to lock 2nd floor windows (if you have a 2nd floor) because of the height, but that's nullified by a ladder. And bringing their own ladder is a little obvious and ridiculous.
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
I think this pretty much sums it up. Might look into getting a dead bolt on top of everything else, if only to make you feel safer.
*Somewhat related but not really helpful*
A few years ago, more like 10 years ago, my dads tools were stolen right off our porch. We heard someone walking up the driveway but didn't see anyone when we looked outside. We thought we were hearing things but our neighbor came to us about 5 minutes later. He said this dude came up to the porch, prone down right in front of the screen door (the one I looked out to see who was coming), then crouched up, stole our tools and walked away Agent 47 style.
"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
0
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
My dad put a few fake cameras (you can get them at most electronic stores) and put them up in choice locations around our lake house (it was broken in a few years ago). We haven't had a problem since, and we're gone from that house weeks at a time. That, and putting up those official 'protected by security system x' that you can get at hardware stores probably couldn't hurt.
Fake cameras should never, ever be used. The deterrence value of CCTV to prevent crime is extremely limited to begin with and fake cameras tend to be fairly easy to spot. It also opens up a legal liability issue if someone is attacked in front of them, or within sight of them. Using fake cameras just means you're out the cost of the camera + what ever was taken.
My dad put a few fake cameras (you can get them at most electronic stores) and put them up in choice locations around our lake house (it was broken in a few years ago). We haven't had a problem since, and we're gone from that house weeks at a time. That, and putting up those official 'protected by security system x' that you can get at hardware stores probably couldn't hurt.
Fake cameras should never, ever be used. The deterrence value of CCTV to prevent crime is extremely limited to begin with and fake cameras tend to be fairly easy to spot. It also opens up a legal liability issue if someone is attacked in front of them, or within sight of them. Using fake cameras just means you're out the cost of the camera + what ever was taken.
Yeah, you'd be better off rigging a USB webcam with a long cable and setting it to record when you go out.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
You know, if these folks are knocking on your door every couple of days and asking for someone else, they'd have to be the least subtle thieves on the planet. It seems more likely to me that they're collections folks -- i.e., somebody put your address on a bad loan or credit card application, and the collections folks are trying to catch them at home.
Which isn't to say that you shouldn't still do the other stuff in this thread -- ask for ID, take pictures (and make sure they *know* that you have their picture), install timer lights, etc. But if they were aiming to rob you, I'd guess they'd have done it by now, instead of introducing themselves multiple times.
"Hi, I'm Tim, and I'll be your burglar this week! Would you prefer to leave the back door open, or should I smash your ground floor window with this cloth-wrapped brick?"
Not if you lock it up and all of that normal, sense making stuff.
It's not just going to jump around shooting it self. Don't be so ridiculous. Any responsible gun owner locks up their gun and ammo. It's not just sitting around the house, unless the owner is careless and stupid. In which case, darwin states he deserves to be shot, and nominated for first place at the darwin awards.
Edit:
I like this too. Don't open the door, just snap a picture through the window or something.
hahah, I'd love to see the look on someones face if you open the door, snap a photo and close it.
Well, if you took a photo, you'd be able to see it whenever you wanted.
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
The guy in the house above our ground floor apartment used to (and possibly still does) deal, and at all hours of the morning we hear people knocking on his door, waking us up. They even climb the wall outside our window and sliding door to knock on the door on his balcony. We trust none of them, and we have so much expensive stuff in the apartment that it makes us nervous. Neither of us are big or physically intimidating in any way and I maintain a healthy level of suspicion 24/7. I never keep any of the windows in the apartment open if I'm not in the room. The outer door is always locked even if we're inside, and I lock the inner door also at night.
We also have two very sharp swords sitting on the mantelpiece in the living room, and a bokken each in our rooms that we both have the training to use. So if anyone tries to break in while we're in the apartment, they're either in for a broken collar-bone or worse. Depending on where we are at the time. I trust nobody I don't know, which is a good idea considering our neighbour upstairs.
I will say though, even if guns were legal in Ireland, I'd never consider one. Yikes.
You'd bring a sword to the gunfight, presumably?
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
Posts
He has a gun, he has an alarm system, he has several dogs and even bought a lock that couldn't be cut off and they still stole it. So if they want to steal something, there's very little you can do other than try to deter them. A gun doesn't do you a whole lot of good if you're not home and really it's just something else they can steal.
1. Look for out of place cars, write down their make, model and license plate number.
2. Get close with your neighbors and let them know you're concerned and that if they see anything suspicious to call the cops.
3. Put your valuables out of sight.
4. If you don't have it, get insurance.
At that point it's easier to just break a window in the back yard.
This is what we did when we thought that our place was being scouted. A neighbour rang me to tell me that there was a weird foreign guy looking up at ours and his place, and he overheard him talking to the neighbours and heard the conversation go something like 'yeah, it looks like student housing, doesn't it.' He knocked on my neighbour's door and my neighbour hid from him. I told him to call the police on a non-emergency line and let them know - at the very least, it's easier to prove to insurance companies later on that we thought there was a threat and took precautions.
Turned out, it was my new housemate who wasn't sure which house was the right one
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
No need to over-exaggerate like 90% of the threads here do. They are perfectly viable home defense tools and are more often than not used as a deterrent.
I think it is safe to generalize and say that most petty thief's will run at first sight of a gun.
Saying "OMG If you get a gun everyone will die that enters your house don't do it its stupid and anyone who has one is stupid and its dangerous blah,blah,blah" is just a bunch of overdramatic crap.
Or you could actually look at the statistics and realize you're the one generalizing.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
In an extensive series of studies of large, nationally representative samples of crime incidents, criminologist Gary Kleck found that crime victims who defend themselves with guns are less likely to be injured or lose property than victims who either did not resist, or resisted without guns. This was so even though the victims using guns typically faced more dangerous circumstances than other victims. The findings applied to both robberies and assaults.
Keep reading that same report. It was determined that Kleck's subset of data was too low and his estimations too high.
You're also looking at it from the sole perspective of defense. Consider that said gun will reside in his house all the time and, as such, increase the likelihood of accidental injury outside of the context of a home invasion.
tl;dr focus on something else. Security system, dogs, floodlights, telling the next person at the door to go fuck themselves, etc.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Good suggestions abound in here, what with the lights,security systems, etc...
This
Beat'd by two pages, even.
Owning a gun would do nothing -- if they're casing the joint, they're going to wait for when you're not home. Unless you get a conceal/carry permit and have it on you all the time, planning to meet them, owning a gun actually increases the likelihood of you being robbed. Why? Because criminals, uh, would rather steal a gun. Especially one associated with someone else. After all, what's more valuable to a degenerate -- something they have to pawn, or something they can use themselves or sell to another degenerate?
You already changed the locks, so the keys to enter your place don't work. That's about all there is to do. If someone really wants to get in, they'll just break in. Don't leave your wallet sitting around, but keep the place a little messy with some clothes/blankets about. It's stupid, but criminals don't really want to dig through people's laundry. My wife's dad has a story about how they piled a bunch of clothes on some instruments he and his friends had in college, and sure enough, the place was broken into and they stole some stuff, but didn't touch the pile of clothes -- where the actual valuable stuff was.
You don't know why these people are knocking -- if you're in a questionable neighborhood, they could simply be looking for drugs and someone told them the wrong address. Or if you're in a nice neighborhood, they could be looking for someone who says they have a roommate and got the wrong address. Get a motion light in the back if it makes you feel better, but it's far better to spend money on your renter's insurance policy than it is to drop a couple hundred having security work done. In my opinion, of course.
My god, how in the world can you sit there telling someone not to get a gun, but instead get a baseball bat? A baseball bat may be useful if you're freaking Conan the Barbarian, but telling Joe Schmoe to go against a thief with a baseball bat is stupid.
To the OP,
Just do common sense stuff. Nothing is thief proof, and the only thing you can truly hopeful is make your property such a hassle to rob that it isnt worth it. Locks, flood lights, window jams, safe, cameras, etc. Dont do stupid stuff like leaving the window open, leaving a key underneath the mat, growing a huge ass bush infront of your back windows, etc.
If you want a gun, get something small. The last thing you want to do is miss and plaster some kids brains across his mother kitchen. A 20 gauge shotgun is perfect for house defense, 12 gauge is pushing it.
Again, there is nothing you can do against a good thief who really wants your stuff.
I don't think he should have a weapon at all. However a baseball bat and a gun are likely to have the same effect on a burglar - a bat however largely removes the potential for anyone to get hurt while it's just sitting around the house.
Actually, no.
Baseball bats are shitty weapons, at best you get the person unexpectedly and take them out cold. At worst you fuck it up and end up dead whilst they have a broken arm.
I like this too. Don't open the door, just snap a picture through the window or something.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I grew up with guns. I fired my first one when I was ten. As someone who grew up with guns I will say that if someone is stupid enough to leave a gun "just sitting around the house" (especially loaded) they shouldn't own one in the first place.
When the next person comes to your door just calmly state that you know they've been scouting your house and that you have informed the police and your neighbors. If it's someone who has been scouting your house they’ll know they’re being watched and back off. If they haven’t been scouting your house you’ll just look a little crazy.
Read what I said instead of jumping to LOLARGUMENT.
A gun presents an unneccesary risk outside of the context of a home invasion.
It's not just going to jump around shooting it self. Don't be so ridiculous. Any responsible gun owner locks up their gun and ammo. It's not just sitting around the house, unless the owner is careless and stupid. In which case, darwin states he deserves to be shot, and nominated for first place at the darwin awards.
Edit: hahah, I'd love to see the look on someones face if you open the door, snap a photo and close it.
Whether he wants to get a gun for protection in the future is irrelevant and has been argued for far too long by people more educated than anyone on this board.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
This, basically.
:^:
What is he, a Scientologist?
Anyways, not to bring you down but if a professional thief wants your stuff, then they're gonna get your stuff and nothing you do will change that. It's the whole cat and mouse game. Like that guy posted on page 2 about the boat, the guy scouted out the lock, the dogs and the times they wouldn't be home, then proceded to render all measures of security useless.
That said, you shouldn't just give up. The various suggestions for deterring a criminal are better than nothing at all. The motion sensor flood lights, the fake security stickers, the new locks, keeping your curtain's closed from now on when you're not there, all this stuff will help deter criminals. Hell, at my house, we have a Beware of Dog sign on both sides of the fence and we don't even have a dog. They're from the previous owner and we left them up as a deterrent. Another tip from me is do not leave any ladders out. Thiefs know that people are less likely to lock 2nd floor windows (if you have a 2nd floor) because of the height, but that's nullified by a ladder. And bringing their own ladder is a little obvious and ridiculous.
But yeah, that's my advice.
I think this pretty much sums it up. Might look into getting a dead bolt on top of everything else, if only to make you feel safer.
*Somewhat related but not really helpful*
A few years ago, more like 10 years ago, my dads tools were stolen right off our porch. We heard someone walking up the driveway but didn't see anyone when we looked outside. We thought we were hearing things but our neighbor came to us about 5 minutes later. He said this dude came up to the porch, prone down right in front of the screen door (the one I looked out to see who was coming), then crouched up, stole our tools and walked away Agent 47 style.
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/propertycrime.html
Fake cameras should never, ever be used. The deterrence value of CCTV to prevent crime is extremely limited to begin with and fake cameras tend to be fairly easy to spot. It also opens up a legal liability issue if someone is attacked in front of them, or within sight of them. Using fake cameras just means you're out the cost of the camera + what ever was taken.
Yeah, you'd be better off rigging a USB webcam with a long cable and setting it to record when you go out.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Which isn't to say that you shouldn't still do the other stuff in this thread -- ask for ID, take pictures (and make sure they *know* that you have their picture), install timer lights, etc. But if they were aiming to rob you, I'd guess they'd have done it by now, instead of introducing themselves multiple times.
"Hi, I'm Tim, and I'll be your burglar this week! Would you prefer to leave the back door open, or should I smash your ground floor window with this cloth-wrapped brick?"
Well, if you took a photo, you'd be able to see it whenever you wanted.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
You'd bring a sword to the gunfight, presumably?
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
/thread
Edit - The IRA has guns, don't they? :P
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
No guns :P
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten