[NGIB]

Originally Posted by willfully armed

good time to buy a Jiminez 9 to keep in the truck/car.

Why would anyone ever buy a gun that may or may not shoot when you need it? If $$$ are critical, get a Hi-Point - they're ugly but reasonably reliable...

[Gojubrian]

A guy I know had a jimenez 9mm. It had a heck of a recoil and hurt my hand to shoot it. It also failed repeatedly at everything. It felt like a metal toy gun. I had a beretta92 at the time and he loved it and soon got rid of that crappy jimenez thing and bought one.

[Car54]

I had a small 2 bedroom house in Detroit years ago and one early morning about 1:30 am I heard noises coming from the 2nd bedroom. Thinking I was hearing things I rolled over and closed my eyes. I then heard papers rustling. I got up, grabbed my gun lying on the nightstand and went looking.

The other bedroom door was closed but the light was on and there was noises coming from inside. I slowly opened the door and staying to one side of the door for some cover I entered spotting a kid about 19 standing near an open window holding my fishing tackle box to his chest. When he realized I was there he looked at the open window and I told him not to move or he was dead.

I told the kid to put the box down and get on the floor. He got down right away. Now that was years ago before cordless and cell phones so I made him crawl towards the phone in the living room. I took the phone and called the police telling them I was an off duty P.O and holding one a gunpoint. In Detroit, those words gets massive response. Within several minutes there were 4 cars (8 cops) at my door, all trying to be the one to cuff the kid. He was pleading with them to let go. He told them if you let me go, I'll give the stuff back that I have in my car that I took from garage. I almost went berserk yelling "you hit my garage too?" I said "I should have blasted the s%$# out of you". One crew took the guy to the local precinct for booking and the rest of us went out back to his car and my garage. The car was loaded, chain saw, tools, ammo carriers (full), handcuffs that I carry in the car, and I found the garage a total mess. Really pissed me off at this point.

Fast forward to the trial...He was found guilty of Breaking and Entering a Dwelling w/Intent to Commit Larceny and given 3-5 years. On the way out of the courtroom his family sitting near the door told me that "I better watch out". I said in a pretty loud voice, 'Folks you are threatening me and should I see any of you on my property or near it I will consider that as a personal threat to my safety and I will do to you what I should have done to James". I then said "I made a mistake that night that I will never make again, I will shoot and kill if there ever is a next time"

After the night I found Joe dirtbag in my house I had some time to ponder as to why I didn't blow him away. Two things immediately came to mind, and the first is pretty stupid looking back at it. First: the kid was holding my tackle box (9 drawer-pretty large) to his chest. Now just the day before, planning to go fishing in a couple days, I had cleaned all the lures and organized them. I remember seeing him holding the box and thinking how much damage that the hollowpoint bullet would do going through my tackle box before entering the dirtbags chest and I just didn't want to mess things up. The second, is that he made no overt threat to me, nor did he make an attempt to flee.

I endured a lot of criticism from fellow officers for not shooting the dirtbag that night and I also received a lot of compliments and praise for showing a calm demeanor, and a lot of restraint not shooting him.

The above mistake will never happen again....

Thanks for letting me share.


"As an American I am not so shocked that Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize without any accomplishments to his name, but that America gave him the White House based on the same credentials" ...Newt Gingrinch

[superc]

Ayoob has an article about this scenario in this month's American Handgunner.

That said, I had it happen to me in the 80s when visiting my parent's old house in the S. Bronx. It was supposed to be vacant. I was passing through NYC, hit a few places I knew, and decided to spend the night at a house I owned rather than rent a hotel room. The electric and water utilities (but not the phone, oops) were still connected, so why not? This was in the pre-cell phone days and 2AM in the morning. Nearest known payphone that worked was miles away. Neighbors (who had no phone and who hung out on the street corner at all hours) approached me as I was entering and told me the workers I had hired(?!) had just arrived and gone in about an hour ago. Most of the neighborhood residents were in the income category where they had no telephone and besides, it was a neighborhood where you really didn't want to bang on strangers doors at 2AM. In my own case I was lucky enough to be, in those days, one of those blessed to carry a gun anywhere (FLEO). I went inside and arrested the intruder found (sleeping in MY bed) on the third floor. The male had his pockets stuffed full of cancelled and blank checks (discontinued account) he had found in my father's study and some of my mom's old costume jewelery with more stuffed in his bag along with an old coin collection of mine. I think what saved him was my knowledge that those outside had seen me fetch cuffs from the Jeep and draw a pistol when I went in. Had there been no witnesses.., well I was a little ticked off.. Anyway I cuffed him, and searched him. then dragged them outside, threw him into the Cherokee (belting him in, you should have seen the eyes of those outside when I marched him out) and dragged him to the 44 (once I found it, as it had moved miles from where I had remembered it in my youth) and had him booked. Court in the AM. Charges were lowered to simple unarmed trespass, he was released on PR bond, with an FTA at the next appearance date, never seen or heard from by me again. I had so many burglars and encounters with at that place I eventually just gave up and sold it.

These days, I (a) try to avoid the Bronx, and b) call on my ever present cell phone first and get some back up onto the scene.

[Murfdeezy]

I think you made the correct decision. You already had your loved ones out of the house. Clearing the house is very difficult to do properly, and safely, especially alone. Add to that the fact that you have no idea how many there are, or if they are armed, and if so, with what? You buy insurance for your goods, you fight or shoot to protect yourself and your loved ones. If they are safe, why risk your life. I take jiu jitsu so I am confident that I can protect myself and my loved ones if it came down to it. I shoot for the same reason. that being said, even if I could take the guy, I would still give up my wallet to avoid the risk of the unknown. Any conflict with an adversary has an infinite amount of variables, and many of the results do not end well for you or your family. In short, if he wants your stuff, give it up. If he wants your wife, or child.....well.....simply explain, in the universal language, that it just aint gonna happen! You were smart. Stay smart and stay safe.

[LegatoRedrivers]

Had a scare just yesterday. (well, maybe not a SCARE...uneasy feeling?) The GF and I went for a walk near dusk, and when we got back the fence gate and back door were both open. (the back door screen was closed, it's a sliding door.) Now, she told me she thought she'd left the back door open, but wasn't sure about the gate. This is a small town, good neighborhood, VERY low crime area (there is a police training facility here, and there's something like 3-5 LEOs for each private citizen, () and she said she might have left it open. I've always felt it's better to be safe than sorry, though, and made sure she let me do a quick sweep of the house before she came inside.

Listened from outside the back door for a couple of minutes, heard nothing (You can BET if I'd heard signs of activity, I'd have stepped back and called the police). Hearing nothing, I stepped inside and did a visual check of all the rooms. The thing that made me most nervous was the basement; while there's nothing to steal down there, there are plenty of places for a BG to hide and possibly get the drop on me.

She grew up in this town, and I feel is sometimes too confident in the "It won't happen to me" feelings, but I grew up in a big city, and know how it feels coming home to a robbed house, your valuables missing or thrown all over the place, and not knowing if someone's still inside.

Just glad that nobody was inside, and that she's accepting of the fact that if we come back and a door's OPEN, I'm going to check. Maybe if she gets tired enough of it, she'll shut the doors...

Because it's better to be safe than sorry.

[superc]

I just wanna throw this out there.. I have a dog. Any house I own has a dog when I live there. Sometimes more than one. None of them are what would be considered lap dogs (although they sometimes think they are). Dogs exhibit certain behavior when they hear their owner's car. Coming home and seeing the dog behaving strangely, or simply not seeing the dog, is a very real (NAI) tip off. Likewise the dog hears approaching footsteps long before the person reaches my door and lets me know about it. The dog is a trusted companion and a member of the family I would defend, however he also has a purpose and should he suddenly alert me at 2 AM I would let him gain me a few seconds by releasing him to handle it while I a) call 911 and b) take needed action for the developing situation. I'm pretty confident any noises that ensue will paint a clear picture of the situation before I reach that room to check on my pet(s).

[ALSGUN]

it all really depends on the situation at the time, a similar thing happened to me at work once and I confronted the suspects, in my home as you did with no one in immediate danger I think you did the right thing...

[skullcrusher]

Originally Posted by ALSGUN

it all really depends on the situation at the time, a similar thing happened to me at work once and I confronted the suspects, in my home as you did with no one in immediate danger I think you did the right thing...

It never depends on the situation at the time unless you can give excellent reason why it is a good idea to enter a broken into building or house not knowing who or what is there unless it is your job.

[ALSGUN]

Originally Posted by skullcrusher

It never depends on the situation at the time unless you can give excellent reason why it is a good idea to enter a broken into building or house not knowing who or what is there unless it is your job.

It does depend on the situation, if you read my post I mentioned immediate danger, that would be the prime reason if any...