This morning, While my father, mother and their lab slept, someone came through their back door, walked through the house past my mothers pocketbook and went into a back bedroom, they went into the room and carefully unplugged a computer and left my fathers wallet sitting nearby and left with nothing else.
Everyone was asleep and heard the door but assumed it was the other person letting the dog out, my mother has been sleeping in the room next to the one the computer was stolen from, so had she walked out she would have been between the robber and his exit.
HERE is my problem...I live nearby and often times come over, without warning at random times, the garage door is ALWAYS left wide open and the garge door into the house is also always unlocked (matter of fact, the lock has been broken for years), the front door open and a glass storm door closed but left unlocked. The back sliding glass door is ALWAYS unlocked unless they are home.
About 6 months ago there was a problem with homeless people living in the wooded area only about 100 yards from there house. They would wake up to them in the yard and hanging out nearby late at night drunk. The homeless have since disparsed after "I attempted to convince them".
Here is my problem: I CANNOT get my parents to realize in this economy, there is no such thing as a "safe neighborhood". 15 years ago it was a wealthy and safe, tight knit community, but since the housing market crashed, many homes are left abandoned and people who normally couldnt afford these homes all of a sudden can. It has brought quite a bit of riff-raff in.
I also cannot convince them to not leave things unlocked or open! As a matter of fact onbly about 15 hours after they discovered the robbery, my fathers car is left unlocked in the driveway, the garage door is open, door to the house is unlocked and they are both out back.
My father just recently bought a firearm, after much convincing from me and my brother. I sent him to a "New Gun Owners course" but he still has these irrational ideas of guns. He has convinced himself he is going to give the "robber" the opportunity to leave and would not shoot a fleeing person in his house, despite the FL Castle Doctorine protecting his right to do so. I have told him time and time again "If they are in your house, assume they are their to do harm and can easily cause bodily harm or death, make sure you are the first to do so, so that your NOT a victim. You need to shoot first, shoot fast and continue to fire until their is NO longer a threat. Not shoot one round, wait for a response and determine if follow up shots need to be used to stop the threat.
He tells me he will wait for the person to come around the hallways into the kitchen or hallways so that if he shoots them, they wont bleed on his carpets. I cannot convince him "Thats an igorant concern when someone is in your house uninvited, thats why you carry homeowners insurance. All you are doing is giving them time to pull their firearm, attack and disarm him or hid behind cover in time to return fire.
I ALSO just a few days ago convinced him it is pointless to keep the loaded magazine in one drawer and the gun in its case in another drawer. There are only two adults in the house, NEVER any children. He continually says if he hears a threat he will go out with the gun and magazine together but NOT one chambered and will point the gun and threaten the intruder before he loads a round. I again try to convince him that he is giving them a chance to attack, pull their gun or disarm him and he will be unable to fight off someone AND load a round.
I am going to make him take some kind of course that will hopefully convince him to stop thinking in such "fantasy tale thoughts"
Any suggestions? I honestly want to just take the gun at this point because I fear it is going to be used against him because of his lack of understanding of what truly goes on in a home invasion or armed robbery, mugging or other violent attacks.
Everyone was asleep and heard the door but assumed it was the other person letting the dog out, my mother has been sleeping in the room next to the one the computer was stolen from, so had she walked out she would have been between the robber and his exit.
HERE is my problem...I live nearby and often times come over, without warning at random times, the garage door is ALWAYS left wide open and the garge door into the house is also always unlocked (matter of fact, the lock has been broken for years), the front door open and a glass storm door closed but left unlocked. The back sliding glass door is ALWAYS unlocked unless they are home.
About 6 months ago there was a problem with homeless people living in the wooded area only about 100 yards from there house. They would wake up to them in the yard and hanging out nearby late at night drunk. The homeless have since disparsed after "I attempted to convince them".
Here is my problem: I CANNOT get my parents to realize in this economy, there is no such thing as a "safe neighborhood". 15 years ago it was a wealthy and safe, tight knit community, but since the housing market crashed, many homes are left abandoned and people who normally couldnt afford these homes all of a sudden can. It has brought quite a bit of riff-raff in.
I also cannot convince them to not leave things unlocked or open! As a matter of fact onbly about 15 hours after they discovered the robbery, my fathers car is left unlocked in the driveway, the garage door is open, door to the house is unlocked and they are both out back.
My father just recently bought a firearm, after much convincing from me and my brother. I sent him to a "New Gun Owners course" but he still has these irrational ideas of guns. He has convinced himself he is going to give the "robber" the opportunity to leave and would not shoot a fleeing person in his house, despite the FL Castle Doctorine protecting his right to do so. I have told him time and time again "If they are in your house, assume they are their to do harm and can easily cause bodily harm or death, make sure you are the first to do so, so that your NOT a victim. You need to shoot first, shoot fast and continue to fire until their is NO longer a threat. Not shoot one round, wait for a response and determine if follow up shots need to be used to stop the threat.
He tells me he will wait for the person to come around the hallways into the kitchen or hallways so that if he shoots them, they wont bleed on his carpets. I cannot convince him "Thats an igorant concern when someone is in your house uninvited, thats why you carry homeowners insurance. All you are doing is giving them time to pull their firearm, attack and disarm him or hid behind cover in time to return fire.
I ALSO just a few days ago convinced him it is pointless to keep the loaded magazine in one drawer and the gun in its case in another drawer. There are only two adults in the house, NEVER any children. He continually says if he hears a threat he will go out with the gun and magazine together but NOT one chambered and will point the gun and threaten the intruder before he loads a round. I again try to convince him that he is giving them a chance to attack, pull their gun or disarm him and he will be unable to fight off someone AND load a round.
I am going to make him take some kind of course that will hopefully convince him to stop thinking in such "fantasy tale thoughts"
Any suggestions? I honestly want to just take the gun at this point because I fear it is going to be used against him because of his lack of understanding of what truly goes on in a home invasion or armed robbery, mugging or other violent attacks.
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