in my experience (including 6 months working graveyard shifts at a convenience store and calling 911 once a week..) the dumb criminals are always the more dangerous ones. they make poor plans, things go wrong, they use the simple solution, violence. a well planed crime is one that isn't detected at all, or one that isn't detected until after the fact. smart criminals plan well and usually avoid any perceived need or use of violence beyond the threat at least, and have things planed well enough not to get into a desperate situation. once a building is surrounded, there really is only one smart choice, surrender and hope a nervous cop doesn't shoot you, every minute a stand off goes on the chances of the criminals and victims being killed only increases. we rarely hear about those smart enough to surrender, we do hear about those dumb enough to take 10-20 hours to surrender, finally and whose delay has hardly helped them or anyone else. sadly, desperation often breads foolishness and the pursuit of poor plans a more rational person would reject immediately. (ot): i've nearly witnessed this myself, i did see the top of the head of the body on the road covered with a blanket. an idiot in the back seat of a car panicked just as the police were done with the traffic stop and tried to shoot the cop, he missed, and was shot dead on the spot (i think he tried to get out of the back seat of a 2 door car and shoot, like he could surprise anyone that way). the moron did have an outstanding felony warrant, but the cops were done. they didn't ask for his id, since he was just a passenger and it was a casual, minor traffic stop. the moron panicked, and got himself killed, and endangered others when there was no need or benefit from it. by the way, the car had been stopped just at the entrance to our subdivision, which i'd say is normally a very safe area, but with a highway running by, anything can happen. i seriously doubt our house will ever be broken into, or that an intruder would be dumb enough to break in at night when we are home, but i do keep a loaded clip next to my gun, just in case (i do usually keep my gun in a locked box in my room, i am responsible and don't want a child or untrained moron to 'play" with it). note that i don't keep my gun loaded, but it would take about 2-5 seconds for me to insert the clip and rack the slide and take off the safety, fast enough. i'd hate to ever have to kill someone, even someone who was threatening my life, but i'd rather feel guilty about having to kill someone in self defense than be dead. this also means i'd be careful, and depending on the threat level might hold them for the police rather than shoot, depending on how they were armed and how far away they were. far away with a knife, i'd give them a chance to not be stupid, close with a knife or a gun, i wouldn't give them the chance to kill me first. it's my house, if they aren't supposed to be here they'd best not be very threatening. i've even discussed it with a sheriffs deputy when we had to call them about a harassing phone call, and that's about how he put it as well. we are just outside of town, trouble is unlikely, but you never know who will wonder through and be stupid. and i do plan to get a concealed carry permit, after the rightly required training, though i don't plan to need it or to "carry", it's nice to have just in case, and training is always good. i also think anyone who abuses these rights should lose them and be properly punished, you can't shoot someone who's already running away or other wise not a threat, or you are the criminal. David VanHorn wrote: ------- > > 3: If the criminal can make the assumption that you aren't armed, and he is, his odds of success would seem to be better. > > You also have to factor in the irrational person, who won't think about laws, odds of success, or risk/benefit, when he's plotting his crime. > -------- -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.