Pete C. wrote:
Pat wrote:

Shooting someone who is threatening you is one thing. But shooting
someone in the back as they are stealing your generator is something
totally different.

Who said anything about shooting someone in the back? Exactly how fast
do you think someone stealing a 200# generator is going to move? 99%
Probability that the sound of a warning shot and the sight of the bullet
impact in the ground a few feet in front of them will send them running
*without* the generator. Also, unless the thief is some sort of
neanderthal goon, a person carrying a gun can easily outrun and get in
front of the thief trying to carry a generator.

If the thieves are anything like you, they'd drive up in their pickup.
Then you'd fire a "warning shot" and they'd reach into their truck,
pull out their guns, and you'd have a good old fashioned fire fight
going on. If they were on foot, they might also be armed and there'd
be more of them than there are of you.

If you run down in front of them, and they aren't armed, you have three
choices if they decide to keep going (a) let them go (which is what you
would & should do); (b) shoot people you know are unarmed, in the
front, at short range; (c) shoot them in the back as they run off.
Which did they teach you to do in shooting school??????



You might feel all macho now and call me a wuss, but first off, there
are very few people who could pull the trigger in that circumstance.

Certainly not those who think shooting the thief in the back is the only
option. They also likely couldn't hit the proverbial "broad side of a
barn" either the way they would be shaking.

See, there's where you are wrong, and possibly fatally wrong. You make
bad assumptions. Grab your pistol collection and come on up to NY and
we'll have a shooting contest. We'll do everything perfectly legal and
perfectly safe on my range. You'll see you don't have a chance. Why?
Because we are doing it legally and I'm willing to bet you couldn't
legally possess a handgun in NY. And with an attitude like yours,
that's probably a good thing.


But if you did, your world would change forever. 3 year later, me and
the wusses will have recovered, but your wife will be filing to
bankrupsy, the family of the guy you shot will have a lien on
everything you own and will have an auction scheduled, your beloved
generator will be an the evidence locker, your family will be on
welfare and you will be in jail.

Nope. Only in your fantasy world.

Go talk to your sheriff or DA about the criminal penalties for what you
are proposing. Even if you got off, you'd go broke defending yourself.
Plus there's civil stuff. Go ask O.J. I think you're the one living
in a fantasy world. Sounds to me like you've watched 1 too many John
Wayne movies.

Your biggest setback will be when they find your NG postings and find
you've planned doing this. You'll go away for a long, long time if you
ever shoot a thief.

BTW, I don't know what state you are in, but I am in NY. State laws
vary to some extend, but in NY it is nearly impossible to use lethal
force to defend property. Other states may not be to that level, but
they aren't to the wild west level that you think you have, either.


IF you ever get out, you won't be
able to vote, you won't get a decent job because of your record, you'll
be destitute and you'll be banned for life from owning guns. The
family of the person you killed will still be grieving, but at least
they'll have all of your money. It's cold comfort.

See above.


All of this is, of course, assuming that you killed the guy with your
first shot and they he didn't pull out his gun and kill you. If he's
coming for your generator, what makes you think you are the only one
with a gun -- or even the best shot?

If he has a gun there won't be any questions for me from the police or a
court. As for the only one with a gun, those of us who actually own guns
(unlike you probably) and periodically practice at a range with them
know enough to assume any criminal is armed until proven otherwise. We
also actually know how to use and aim our weapons unlike trembling
dweebs who are more likely to drop them.


So if your dead, wounded, or in jail; it doesn't seem like it's worth
it for a piece of metal and a few hours of electricity.


Keeping myself and my family safe is *always* worth it.

Pete C.