How far would you go to protect your coin collection if faced with a robbery/break-in. Taking it a step further, would you go as far as this fellow did when it came to protecting his neighbors property. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5303222.html To be perfectly honest if this happened at my home the result would be the same as above. On my neighbor's property though I would at least give them (the burglars) the option to raise their hands... Ben
Is it self defense when they are in the neighbors yard or as the story indicates not even on the property where the crime was committed muchless not in fear for his own life if they had already left the scene. jmo John
I agree, Self-Defense is a bit of a stretch. Think I would have said "Drop-It or I'll shoot" something along those lines. Probably do the same if I had the advantage on them in my own home too. But rest assured they wouldn't get away either. Ben
This guy is clearly in the wrong legally, if not morally. They were no threat to him and he should have followed the dispatcher's advice and let the police handle it. If I were threatened in my own home, I'd do whatever is necessary to protect myself and my family. However, I wouldn't risk my life to save my coins. They're just stuff.
I agree if that happened in my own home I guarantee they wouldn't leave in an upright possition. But, I doubt I'd risk my life like that if it were my neighbors house. I'd call the police and try to get as good a description as possible and call it a night. I kind of feel bad for the old guy. I honestly think he thought he was doing the right thing. As for the burglers, they got what was coming to them and nothing more. And the neighbor...who leaves large sums of money laying around when they're away? It's like they were asking to be robbed. Guy~
I would probably react the same way if they broke into my neighbor's house. (Maybe I'd aim for their feet?) And of course I would be arrested and incarcerated: New Jersey doesn't even allow you to defend your OWN home, much less your neighbor's.
Make that 2 less scum-bags on this earth that will do no harm to anyone else. Give the old guy an award .. not jail time.
myself, i hate people who think just because they 'want it' it's theirs for the taking and they shouldn't be challenged by anyone....including the police! i think i would have at the very least crippled them.
That reminds me of a story that I heard on some talk show (not Springer) of a cabby that saw a womens purse get snatched, the cabby pinned the perp against the wall with his car and mashed him but good broke several bones and believe he was parilyzed. He sued the cabby and won a big judgment against him. He was pertecting the ladies purse but the crime wasn't committed against him. self defense is how the LAW interperetes it and not the citizen. again jmo
I don't think the guy in Texas had enough information or was under enough of a threat to his own life to kill in that case. Coins aren't worth risking your life over. Remember, if the thief is in range.... so are you.
Spend about 1000.00 and put them in a nice big heavy safe. Anchor it if you think they will use an army to haul it off. I would use my guns to protect my home and call the police for my neighbors. Maybe cut their tires or do something to delay the robbers departure from my neighbors home.
I would go to those lengths to protect my family. As far as the coins go, they're just material things that can be replaced sooner or later. Take them all, its not worth your life. You're wife and kids cannot be replaced no matter how hard you try. I wouldnt go as far as shooting a thief who is robbing my neighbor. I may shoot the car and the tires in an attempt to disable it. If I knew my neighbor was home at the time of the robbery and I heard gun shots, that may be a different story. Then I would aim for the knees.
Well there is a gray area here---the guy that lived there had asked this guy to watch his house while he was gone. In this case I think the Grand Jury will let him off. Now I'm all for self defense but this guy went far beyond that...IMHO too far. I just lined up my rifle the other day at 50+YD's.....normally I do it at 100+ but this time I went for a closer range and at 50 YD's I was shotting 5 rounds in a 1/2 area with most of the holes touching...I said that to say this. Don't come to my house Speedy
