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bruss01 wrote:
Let's back up a second. The victims/volunteers quote is being taken out of context. We are not talking about legal liability here, but the much more esoteric side of living. No, I don't think the couple should be prosecuted for the fact that two men forced their way in by subterfuge and robbed them blind. But look at it this way... when the couple kept a huge sum of cash at home, they were volunteering... when they blabbed to "someone" about the stash, they were volunteering... when she opened the door while home alone to a complete stranger without any means of self-defense, she was volunteering... All of these were VOLUNTARY choices that laid the groundwork for what would likely have been a non-event if they had made wiser choices. They essentially may as well have raised their hand to the Universe saying "Pick me, pick me for a home invasion where I lose my life savings!" because of the choices they voluntarily made. People do not like to look at their actions that way, it puts a lot of responsibility on the individual when it is much easier and more satisfying to pin all the responsibility on the villain. I'm not saying "blame the victim" because there is a huge difference between blame and responsibility. Obviously, the criminal is to blame, but the victim shares responsibility for their actions that made the crime not only possible, but likely. Certainly not in a legal sense, but in a logical, causality sense absolutely.
In this game we call life, blaming all one's problems on others ultimately leaves one powerless to do anything about those problems. Taking responsibility for one's own choices and errors leads to the ability to make better choices and avoid errors, leading to a better quality of life. I much prefer the paradigm where I can make my life better by making better choices, rather than seeing myself hopelessly at the mercy of other people's choices. After all, is that not one of the things that the choice of owning a gun is all about?
+ 1 bazillion! Excellent post!
even my grown kids. LOL!, because I walked up to the door and said: can I help you, and watch them jump out of their skin because they never saw or heard me until I said something. 
The heavy metal ones allow me to leave them open all night if I so desire. So when there is a knock at the door, I can open it without question because I know that the security door is double locked. It is the best $300.00 installed, investment I ever made.