my new anti car theft strategy.

[Bobarino]

ok, points well taken. an alarm is on the way too.

i gotta say though, i'm really dissapointed when people simply say "move". if we all moved everytime something bad happened, i'd buy a lot of stock in U-Haul. just simply saying "move" is not only a cop out, but not a rational solution and its caving into the boogymen. its MY dman house and i will not be run out of it by some little hood rat hoodlums. thats how they get to taking over neighborhoods in the first place. people cave to them, submit, let them win. the next person to move into that house will likely have the same problems. my goal is to end the cycle. that should be ALL of YOUR goals too. moving doesn't solve the problem at hand. its a hugely expensive and irrational solution to a relatively small problem. i will not let them win and run me out of my house. plus i love my town, location, neighborhood, and my neighbors. ok, 'nuff said on that.

i'm sure you can understand my frustration. thats why i want to shoot the turds in the butt with the rubber balls. i still want to, believe me, but i probably won't.

so the car is fairly secure now. not likely to be stolen again but now i'd suggestions on how to catch anyone who might try it again. what do you think about a paintball gun? they hurt, they leave paint which may be helpful in tracking someone down. they also make pepper balls and stink balls for them. that would accomplish what i want too. to punish the little pukes.

other suggestions?

Bobby

 

[V4Vendetta]

If you heed my advice about "acupuncture", just follow the blood trail from your garage to the gang's hideout. Then call the cops so they can bust them thieves for breaking & entering, attempted grand theft auto, etc.

 

[Bobarino]

Booby traps (or should i say Bobby traps) are illegal here.

Bobby

 

[middy]

Paintball gun with pepper balls sounds better, as long as you still have that USP on your hip.

I agree with you about not giving in. Fight the good fight.

The camera idea is good, too. Again, don't neglect the sidearm.

V4Vendetta, I like how you think. You forgot step 4.5: coat the nails with liquid detergent. You know, so the poor little dears don't get a nasty infection.

A bullet-proof vest might be in order, in case the car thieves you confront turn out to be deadly serious after all...

 

[foghornl]

X-10 type low-light video cams, tied into the VCR.

With a chime in living room, master bedroom, etc.

Chime lets you know something is happening outside, and rolls the tape on the VCR.

 

[Manedwolf]

my objectives are of course to keep my car in one piece and in my possesion, to scare off any punks that have designs on my car, and hopefully they will spread the word not to mess with THAT guy.
Bobby

1. You get arrested for brandishing or using a lethal weapon in a nonlifethreatening situation outside your house.

2. They don't "spread the word", they see it as a loss of face, come back and do something called a "drive by" when you're out watering your lawn.

Invest in a good car alarm with an ignition cutoff and a LOUD car-interior alarm on a ten-second delay if you're worried. Or one of those Dragon antitheft systems that fill the interior with a harmless white smoke. Get Lo-Jack, too, which can activate a homing signal if the car is stolen, the police get them back with an extremely high success rate.

All Hondas, Acuras and many other brands (don't know about US makers, though, they tend to cut corners) now come with an immobilizer where the car won't start unless an RFID-chipped key is within range of a dash antenna.

And if you want to hit someone outside your house, Pepperballs are good, yes. Just make sure you have a decent launcher, a $24 Wal-Mart special is likely to just break it in the barrel and ruin your day. Expect to spend over $100 minimum for one that's of any use.

 

[Bobarino]

ok, so considering this:

RCW 9A.16.020
Use of force -- When lawful.
The use, attempt, or offer to use force upon or toward the person of another is not unlawful in the following cases:

(1) Whenever necessarily used by a public officer in the performance of a legal duty, or a person assisting the officer and acting under the officer's direction;

(2) Whenever necessarily used by a person arresting one who has committed a felony and delivering him or her to a public officer competent to receive him or her into custody;

(3) Whenever used by a party about to be injured, or by another lawfully aiding him or her, in preventing or attempting to prevent an offense against his or her person, or a malicious trespass, or other malicious interference with real or personal property lawfully in his or her possession, in case the force is not more than is necessary;

(4) Whenever reasonably used by a person to detain someone who enters or remains unlawfully in a building or on real property lawfully in the possession of such person, so long as such detention is reasonable in duration and manner to investigate the reason for the detained person's presence on the premises, and so long as the premises in question did not reasonably appear to be intended to be open to members of the public;

(5) Whenever used by a carrier of passengers or the carrier's authorized agent or servant, or other person assisting them at their request in expelling from a carriage, railway car, vessel, or other vehicle, a passenger who refuses to obey a lawful and reasonable regulation prescribed for the conduct of passengers, if such vehicle has first been stopped and the force used is not more than is necessary to expel the offender with reasonable regard to the offender's personal safety;

(6) Whenever used by any person to prevent a mentally ill, mentally incompetent, or mentally disabled person from committing an act dangerous to any person, or in enforcing necessary restraint for the protection or restoration to health of the person, during such period only as is necessary to obtain legal authority for the restraint or custody of the person.

what do you think would be considered reasonable force?

Bobby

 

[Havegunjoe]

I dont think anyone knows how mad it makes me when some little punk tries to steal something, especially something as expensive as a car. Although I am close to their age, I still consider them little punks who are not worth the air they breathe. They can't motivate themselves to work so they go after someone else's hard earned property. I paid $18000 for my car when I was 17. I'm 20 right now, and if I ever saw someone try to break into my car, I can guarantee that they would never be seen again. Ever. There is no description for what would happen to the person that tried to steal my car and got caught. Lets just say if you've seen the movie SE7EN, their parents would be getting similar packages in the mail. hahah. I feel better after having said that. Realistically, I would beat them senseless and then call the police.

I feel so bad for people who get their cars stolen. They work hard and some little waste of life comes along cuz they want a thrill. I have a thrill for you... cut your wrists after drinking some bleach.

DITTO! I couldn't have expressed my sentiments better.

 

[Manedwolf]

I forgot to say in other post that when you get out of the vehicle, remove the spark plug. I don't think that your average crook walks around with spare plugs. When you get ready to go to work or etc, screw the plug back in.

Annnd...then when they start it, one of the cylinders doesn't fire and either, depending on the engine model,

1) The car works anyway with the computer throwing "cylinder misfire" errors, but still runs, and they steal it. Or

2) Bad firing sequence causes cam to lock up or other such disaster, pay $1000 to mechanic to tear down and rebuild engine.

And screwing and unscrewing a spark plug is just asking for stripped plug threads and paying twice that to have the block rethreaded. There's a reason why when you change plugs, you put antiseize on the threads and put them in CAREFULLY so as not to overtighten, undertighten or strip the threads with a bad angle. Also, any dirt you get into the plug hole will be ground into the cylinder by the cylinder head.

Not a good idea.

 

[el44vaquero]

You need to get you a trunk monkey device like this:


http://www.trunkmonkeyad.com/4qt.htm

 

[Bobarino]

the USP is always on my hip. like i said, i have my doubts that they would be armed but you never know so its my American Express card. the paintball bun with pepper balls is sounding pretty good. any others? by the way i appreaciate the feedback.

Bobby

p.s. its a honda accord, the most stolen car in the land.

 

[V4Vendetta]

If booby traps are not your thing, get a Airsoft gun. They have some models that will fire fully automatic. They are called AEG's. Get one or two, load them, sleep tight. I'd still keep the USP in case they are dangerous. Camera's a brilliant idea.

"move to Texas here you can use lethal force in defence of property. It makes life simpler."

If I didn't have my own shop & family and didn't mind extreme heat & snakes, I'd do that. Or better yet, Alaska. Eat what I catch, no punk kids around, no loud neighbors. The good life.

"V4Vendetta, I like how you think. You forgot step 4.5: coat the nails with liquid detergent. You know, so the poor little dears don't get a nasty infection."

I didn't forget. I just figured that if I coat the nails with poision, they might die. I want them to live to tell their associate's not to rob me or my family.

 

[Bobarino]

what do ya'll think of these from www.pepperball.com

they're tail stabilized 12 ga pepper rounds. kind of a good compromise between the rubber shotgun loads and the paintball solution.

Bobby

 

[chopinbloc]

not to hijack the thread but this has me confused:

move to Texas here you can use lethal force in defence of property.

did i miss the sarcasm? if not, could you post the relevant statutes?

 

[one-shot-one]

i see bad things

with the nail &board advice:
1. the bg finds it before steping on it and moves it to your frount porch where you find it the next moring.
2. one morning in a rush you forget to move it yourself and end up going to emergency room instead of work.
3. someone other than bg some how inadvertanly steps on it and you get to pay for their emergency room trip.
too many bad things could happen.

 

[V4Vendetta]

My board advice isn't for everyone I agree. If you are a forgetfull person, it's not for you. If you live with anyone else who isn't as smart as you*, it's not for you. If you don't have the right type of home enviroment**, it's not for you. If you have kids, IT'S NOT FOR YOU!!!

*Sarah Brady bunch type of person.

**no garage, no fenced in area so a innocent guy might get hurt going for a walk.

 

[White Horseradish]

Here is my advice.

1. Get a garage.
2. Use it.
3. Buy 2 or 3 pieces of plywood.
4. Hammer lots of nails into the plywood.
5. Place the plywood in your garage so that any crooks who try to sneak into your garage will have some old fashioned acupuncture. *



*This might not be legal.

You've been watching Death Wish, haven't you?

In the real world this would constitute a booby trap which is A) illegal in most places B) likely to land you in a heap of excrement should anyone, crook or not, actually step on it.

 

[V4Vendetta]

"You've been watching Death Wish, haven't you?"

Deathwish 3 I think it was. It was on TV one day & I had nothing better to do. It worked though. I'm not doubting that you might get in trouble with Johnny Law, I feel it would be worth it in the long run. I refuse to live in fear of crooks. Whether they be in uniform or other. Read the last line of my signature.

 

[engineer151515]

Having had one vehicle stolen twice in California (late 1980's), I offer the following.

The better the alarms get, the more cases where perps just towed/trailered the vehicle away.

They are quiet and quick.

I've seen them grab 5 cars in one night in one apartment parking lot. (I was one of the five). The 6th vehicle was a full sized Ford truck - they just stripped it in place.

If you vehicle is a "hot" choice (either for parts or shipment to Mexico) and you get targeted, they will eventually get that vehicle. Car thieves will stalk you. If you are garaged, they will wait until you park at the local grocery store. When you come out .... gone.

The only way I found to combat this was to go "cold". Drive something that is not wanted. My choice was a VW Beetle. Sunroof would not lock. No lock on the trunk or rear (engine) hood. There was nothing secure about that vehicle. I pulled out the radio (left the wires hanging). Cars to both sides of that VW would be stripped to the ground but the Bug was left alone.

Ultimately, I had and took the opportunity to move. But that was apartment living in southern CA.

 

[Manedwolf]

what do ya'll think of these from www.pepperball.com

they're tail stabilized 12 ga pepper rounds. kind of a good compromise between the rubber shotgun loads and the paintball solution.

Bobby

Nope. Still fired from a shotgun, which is a LETHAL WEAPON to slick civil lawyer in the courtroom, you lose.

The shotgun would be exhibit A.

Go with pepperball's .68 caliber paintball-sized rounds. Pepperball's launchers are just rebranded Tippmans, I believe, so a good high-quality marker should do. Just NEVER use the marker you use for pepperballs to shoot paintballs, too.

 

[Bobarino]

ok, i'm thinking about the less lethal shotgun pepper rounds and i'm not saying i don't buy it, but i'm having a hard time buying it. here's my thinking:

we've seen many instances of police using bean bags, pepper balls, rubber pellets on crowds and individuals that didn't warrant the use of deadly force and they don't get sued or if they do, they don't lose over it.

search back through peoples' posts and you'll find people pick their defensive weapons and ammo based on what the law enforcement community uses with the rationale that if they get drug into court, they can say, "hey, good enough for the cops, good enough for me" and i believe they're right. so why is this different? i really really doubt that a pepper ball fired from a shotgun vs. fired from a paintball gun would be the breaking point. i just don't see it happening. what i'm hearing is that people think its NOT ok to employ the exact same methods that the police use when deadly force is not justified. i simply don't agree. the border patrol, Seattle police durring the WTO riots and countless others do exactly what i'm talking about and the only lawsuit i've heard about is one that was supposedly filed by Mexico against the BP and it was because they thought it was racist to use cayenne pepper against Mexicans illegally crossing the border. good enough for thee, good enough for me. no?

Bobby

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

You could have an auxiliary switch that wires the horn to the brake light sensor. Every time the cretin hit the brakes the horn would blare. That would be the last car they stole from you. Video capture and a quick phone call to your friendly law enforcement department will also get the job done.

One last serious suggestion I have is to install a motion sensor floodlight in your yard/driveway. Every time they get near your car it will light up the neighborhood. I work at Lowes and I can tell you we have some freakin' bright motion lights available for less than half the cost of your "less than lethal" option.

 

[nfl1990]

what do you think would be considered reasonable force?

Unfortunatly the law in your area doesn't agree but I would consider hollow-points from USP to be 'reasonable'.

 

[TallPine]

we've seen many instances of police using bean bags, pepper balls, rubber pellets on crowds and individuals that didn't warrant the use of deadly force and they don't get sued or if they do, they don't lose over it.

That's because they are cops...


Anyway, I just can't imagine living somewhere that you can't walk out into your own yard carrying a rifle or shotgun to check on something as long as you don't point it at somebody (until they threaten you)

And I thought people said that Washington was a "good" state...

Of course I live on 40 acres and can shoot off the deck if I want

 

[Bobarino]

Tallpine,

thats pretty much what i'm thinking too. WA is a pretty "good" state when it comes to self defense. a few months ago in the same county, come folks caught a car thief and beat him. he later died. no charges filed. i honestly do NOT think i would have any charges pressed against me if i pepper balled someone trying to steal my car even if i fired it from a shotgun. so far all i am hearing is speculation. no cases to back up any of this. once again the personal injury lawyers have us scared of our own shadows. granted i don't want to become the test case that proves everyone right and ends with me in a jail cell with a fat guy named Tiny and a bald guy named Harry, but seriously, i think i would be ok with this approach. as for others' opinions, it seems like my options are lethal force or nothing. i already have a motion activated flood light. that apparently just helps them see better while picking my lock. i also like the shotgun for the intimidation factor. they don't know it only has pepper balls in it and i think they would laugh at a paintball gun. a shotgun gives me a better chance to hold them until police arrive and i still have the USP on my hip in case it turns REALLY sour.

based on my experience, outside of the greater Seattle Metro area, the police are on the side of the good guys.

Bobby