If an intruder came into your home what would you do?

[Skid Row 89]

Say "please don't shoot me, I have so much to live for" in an unconvincing monotone voice.

 

[TheSkaFish]

Fight. I never look for trouble, but when you have no choice you have no choice. I'm not going to let someone do whatever they want to me, my family, my friends or my property.

Well that's one good thing about being broke haha...if someone did want to rob me, they'd get all of the princely sum of a dollar and my change bank. Don't spend it all in one place!

And haircut coupons. So the thief could save a little coin on a slightly less expensive haircut...

 

[blackdot]

Dance! Dance!


I've thought about this before in terms of what if someone came in to kill me. If I was watching a show I liked I figure I would invite him to sit on the couch while I wait for the show to be over. I wold hate to die before the end of a good show. That would be the ultimate cliff-hanger ending.

 

[Outcast]

If a robber breaks in, I'll just pretend to be one too and we'll laugh and hug and he'll leave because I have first dibs.

 

[MTrip]

The article about the old guy with Alzheimer's getting shot is indeed tragic, but one example does not an argument make. Most home invasions & murders are not committed by elderly, brain-damaged people. In fact the most likely intruder(s) would be young males of the same race/ethnicity as you. The guy who killed that poor old man really should've observed more closely before acting, however. It's better to take out an aggressor before he gets in your house, tactically speaking, but a split second more & the old man's condition might have become obvious.

Also, I find the various "I'd run &/or hide" & "try to reason with him" replies in here utterly hilarious.

 

[alwaysreading@home]

Get the bat and protect my kids first. Then call 911

 

[Groucho]

Also, I find the various "I'd run &/or hide" & "try to reason with him" replies in here utterly hilarious.

Dialogue can be particularly influential. A person breaking in is shitting their pants about getting caught and cornering them just triggers cornered rat psychology. Allowing them the opportunity to flee grants them a way out without getting injured (and a better chance for them to escape) and grants you a way out without being injured.

Of course if they opt the aggressive route then a handful of sand (or dirt, sugar, salt, fine gravy granules, baking powder, flour... list is endless) to the eye coupled up with an appropriate blow to the solar plexus will hopefully convince them otherwise.

 

[MTrip]

Also, I find the various "I'd run &/or hide" & "try to reason with him" replies in here utterly hilarious.

Dialogue can be particularly influential. A person breaking in is shitting their pants about getting caught and cornering them just triggers cornered rat psychology. Allowing them the opportunity to flee grants them a way out without getting injured (and a better chance for them to escape) and grants you a way out without being injured.

Of course if they opt the aggressive route then a handful of sand (or dirt, sugar, salt, fine gravy granules, baking powder, flour... list is endless) to the eye coupled up with an appropriate blow to the solar plexus will hopefully convince them otherwise.

That's psychology textbook theory. It may be true for a first-timer, perhaps. If it's a kid who's graduating from petty theft to more serious crimes like B&E then yeah, he might be nervous; perhaps you could reason with him. But these days home invasions are trendier--their mode of operation is surprise & force &/or the threat of it, as opposed to stealth & caution. With either crime, if it's a professional you're dealing with then he's decided to victimize you in advance. For him to listen to you, he must first consider you worth listening to, which he does not. You're just prey to be taken advantage of, to such a creature.

Frankly, I disagree with the premise of giving him any consideration whatsoever. A person who breaks into your home already has no regard for your property or life. If you catch him running out of your house with the stereo then let him go; the law doesn't permit you to kill a fleeing thief as property is considered less valuable than human life, in most legal codes. But inside your home, with you? Far as I'm concerned, in doing so he has forfeited any consideration from me. Why not take out that cornered rat & improve your part of the world?

 

[Groucho]

That's psychology textbook theory. It may be true for a first-timer, perhaps. If it's a kid who's graduating from petty theft to more serious crimes like B&E then yeah, he might be nervous; perhaps you could reason with him. But these days home invasions are trendier--their mode of operation is surprise & force &/or the threat of it, as opposed to stealth & caution. With either crime, if it's a professional you're dealing with then he's decided to victimize you in advance. For him to listen to you, he must first consider you worth listening to, which he does not. You're just prey to be taken advantage of, to such a creature.

Frankly, I disagree with the premise of giving him any consideration whatsoever. A person who breaks into your home already has no regard for your property or life. If you catch him running out of your house with the stereo then let him go; the law doesn't permit you to kill a fleeing thief as property is considered less valuable than human life, in most legal codes. But inside your home, with you? Far as I'm concerned, in doing so he has forfeited any consideration from me. Why not take out that cornered rat & improve your part of the world?

In the context (and understanding) of UK law, self-defence only goes so far (and often, people legitimately defending themselves have gone to jail). The judge determines what is 'acceptable force' (you're only allowed to defend yourself with a capability similar to that of the intruder: so if he has a knife, a knife is a 'reasonable' response: you can't just put out a shotgun and blast away as it's deemed 'overkill').

Also, self-defence tutorials generally teach that taking a route that isn't direct confrontation is usually the best way for everyone to avoid injury (if say, they're only after the cash they may take the cash and flee: which is worth less than your life, of course). The easiest battle to win is the one you don't have to fight. When people assume fights, everyone assumes the combatants are the same in either physical capability or knowledge.


It might turn out the guy knows a few moves himself or is concealing an additional weapon. Once fight or flight kicks in (panic) his (her?) strength will greatly increase - keeping them calm has the advantage of allowing the adrenal boost to cool off. Most countries you can't pull out a gun to blast someone away with, so chances are it'd become a very drawn out scrap unless you know what you're doing. And chances are they're physically stronger having done it more regularly.


If they are really that bent on going for you it'll become obvious dialogue isn't an option of which it'd become a heat-of-the-moment battle of wits, which is where a grasp of the deadly and unpleasant application of available items, as well as a weak points (eyes, throat, solar plexus, groin, back of kneecaps) come in handy.

In-fact, some self-defence moves require cooperation up until you get into a position to seize the weapon (in the case of pistols and rifles: close enough to actually grab the weapon). Risky, however, but maybe a surprise they're not expecting.

 

[MTrip]

That's psychology textbook theory. It may be true for a first-timer, perhaps. If it's a kid who's graduating from petty theft to more serious crimes like B&E then yeah, he might be nervous; perhaps you could reason with him. But these days home invasions are trendier--their mode of operation is surprise & force &/or the threat of it, as opposed to stealth & caution. With either crime, if it's a professional you're dealing with then he's decided to victimize you in advance. For him to listen to you, he must first consider you worth listening to, which he does not. You're just prey to be taken advantage of, to such a creature.

Frankly, I disagree with the premise of giving him any consideration whatsoever. A person who breaks into your home already has no regard for your property or life. If you catch him running out of your house with the stereo then let him go; the law doesn't permit you to kill a fleeing thief as property is considered less valuable than human life, in most legal codes. But inside your home, with you? Far as I'm concerned, in doing so he has forfeited any consideration from me. Why not take out that cornered rat & improve your part of the world?

In the context (and understanding) of UK law, self-defence only goes so far (and often, people legitimately defending themselves have gone to jail). The judge determines what is 'acceptable force' (you're only allowed to defend yourself with a capability similar to that of the intruder: so if he has a knife, a knife is a 'reasonable' response: you can't just put out a shotgun and blast away as it's deemed 'overkill').

Also, self-defence tutorials generally teach that taking a route that isn't direct confrontation is usually the best way for everyone to avoid injury (if say, they're only after the cash they may take the cash and flee: which is worth less than your life, of course). The easiest battle to win is the one you don't have to fight. When people assume fights, everyone assumes the combatants are the same in either physical capability or knowledge.


It might turn out the guy knows a few moves himself or is concealing an additional weapon. Once fight or flight kicks in (panic) his (her?) strength will greatly increase - keeping them calm has the advantage of allowing the adrenal boost to cool off. Most countries you can't pull out a gun to blast someone away with, so chances are it'd become a very drawn out scrap unless you know what you're doing. And chances are they're physically stronger having done it more regularly.


If they are really that bent on going for you it'll become obvious dialogue isn't an option of which it'd become a heat-of-the-moment battle of wits, which is where a grasp of the deadly and unpleasant application of available items, as well as a weak points (eyes, throat, solar plexus, groin, back of kneecaps) come in handy.

In-fact, some self-defence moves require cooperation up until you get into a position to seize the weapon (in the case of pistols and rifles: close enough to actually grab the weapon). Risky, however, but maybe a surprise they're not expecting.

Great responses. I still maintain that when it comes to self-defense you should not hold back, but yours is a nice perspective. Obviously the best fight is one that you don't get into. That's why I don't usually hang out in bars, & if I'm somewhere & it looks like trouble is brewing, I leave. That's true no matter where you live. I'm in the US, not the UK, but despite differences in our legal codes, people have been sent to prison unjustly here also. That's the downside of self-defense, with or without a firearm: Over here, what you say or do after the fight matters as much as what happened during. The old saying in the States is "Better to be judged by twelve & carried by six", which is true...but it's even better if you never wind up in court to begin with!

The problem here (& I suspect in the UK as well) is that laws regarding protection of oneself & one's home were & are written by lawyers & clerks, sitting in plush offices, often with security guards at every entrance to the building. Such people are usually from well-to-do backgrounds, have gone to good schools, & are from intact families. They know their legal theory but as far as violence goes, most of them haven't been involved since a scrap in the schoolyard during 5th grade. They honestly don't know the behaviors they're trying to legislate because they've never been in a situation where such behavior is required.

I've heard more than once that British law is more restrictive when it comes to defending your own life. That, among other reasons, is why I'm glad I don't live there. Your shepherd's pie is wonderful, you have some great beers, & I've met some friendly & cultured Brits...but I'm not going for citizenship.

 

[9006]

I'd kindly ask them to steal both sky boxes, then watch my aunt go crazy unable to watch the soaps and reality garbage.

 

[Groucho]

Great responses. I still maintain that when it comes to self-defense you should not hold back, but yours is a nice perspective. Obviously the best fight is one that you don't get into. That's why I don't usually hang out in bars, & if I'm somewhere & it looks like trouble is brewing, I leave. That's true no matter where you live. I'm in the US, not the UK, but despite differences in our legal codes, people have been sent to prison unjustly here also. That's the downside of self-defense, with or without a firearm: Over here, what you say or do after the fight matters as much as what happened during. The old saying in the States is "Better to be judged by twelve & carried by six", which is true...but it's even better if you never wind up in court to begin with!

The problem here (& I suspect in the UK as well) is that laws regarding protection of oneself & one's home were & are written by lawyers & clerks, sitting in plush offices, often with security guards at every entrance to the building. Such people are usually from well-to-do backgrounds, have gone to good schools, & are from intact families. They know their legal theory but as far as violence goes, most of them haven't been involved since a scrap in the schoolyard during 5th grade. They honestly don't know the behaviors they're trying to legislate because they've never been in a situation where such behavior is required.

I've heard more than once that British law is more restrictive when it comes to defending your own life. That, among other reasons, is why I'm glad I don't live there. Your shepherd's pie is wonderful, you have some great beers, & I've met some friendly & cultured Brits...but I'm not going for citizenship.

That, and I don't want to encourage people to kill others. Material goods can be replaced (especially if insured), people's lives cannot. As you say, easiest fight to win is the one you don't have to fight in the first place. The law is unsympathetic, and if you're able to say 'Oh hey, I tried to reason with him by letting him escape but he still came at me' would look better than 'I jumped him with the element of surprise'.

But it varies from situation to situation. If it's easier to escape, then escape, if it's easier to reason, then reason. If it looks like it's going to be a fight then defend yourself.

Not everyone has the physical ability to engage in one to one. So some cases defense might be going into the nearest room and blocking the doorway with heavy furniture and yelling 'I'M CALLING THE POLICE' or 'I HAVE CALLED THE POLICE' (even if you don't necessarily have a phone: they don't know if you have or haven't and in the age of mobiles they're more likely to assume you have).



For me I'm one of those people who assess the entire situation in advance and would swiftly resolve it in a few moves. Lead them up the stairs, blind them with some salt or sugar to the eyes, push them back down the stairs with a swift kick - incapacitation within the fewest moves. Stairs act as a natural bottleneck, if anyone is following behind them - the first one down topples on top.

 

[Unbinilium]

I'll take out my gun (Not that I have one). Tell the intruder to leave. If he or she leaves, I will call the cops after taking many photos of the fleeing intruder. If he or she does not leave, well, that's when the gun comes in. However, if the person shows signs of mental incapacity for whatever reason but is not acting violent or aggressive, I will back out and leave the house with my family before calling the cops to handle the situation.

 

[dax]

Shoot first and ask questions later, lol

 

[Badjedidude]

Depends on who it is. If it's someone I know, I'd ask what the **** they're doing in my house. And I'd kick 'em out, I guess. Unless they were homeless.

If it's someone I don't know... I'd "lethally motivate" them to leave my house and then I'd call the police.

 

[painter's radio]

Ideally I'd sit them down and get us both horrifcally drunk and make them listen to music with me and we'd become the bestest of friends/lovers but probably I'd challenge them to a fight and get my ass kicked and or deaded.

 

[beautiful loser]

I'm in the minority, I have a few guns. Bersa .380 in the nightstand drawer. Rest are in the gun safe. Hope to never have to use them, but living in Florida its almost a likely scenario. Hell, not too far from where I live, three punks beat up a man, in his 80's, in his own driveway...they were attempting to steal his car. Geez, I want to get the hell out of crappy Florida.