JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

Ah, okay. A "deterrence" gate.

First, I don't think she needs a pistol permit (depending on the
jurisdiction) if she's on her own property (or very close thereto). A
16-gauge shotgun is also an excellent choice. Be sure to tell her:
"When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!"

Second: For a deterrence gate, you'll also need a "Really Bad Dog"
sign. The sign, coupled with an infa-red or acoustic trigger for the
most inspiring growl you can find (taping the lion at the zoo comes
to mind) is also appropriate.

Third, don't neglect the concertina wire.


A shotgun's great if you're already in the house. But, nobody comes
home from the grocery store hauling a shotgun.

I do. I have a 20-gauge with a pistol grip in the car. I guess there are
some who don't...

If the gremlins managed to get in my house, thinking they could ambush me
[penetrating the burglar bars and alarm system], they would be attacked by a
brace of ferocious cats.

As a compromise, Ruger makes a weapon called "The Judge." It's a revolver
that fires .410 shotgun AND .45 long Colt cartridges. You can mix-and-match
your ammunition, say three shotgun and three pistol rounds.

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You may want to take your mom to see a new movie: "Taken"* starring Liam
Neeson. It illustrates the rule that if you leave a confrontation with
unfired bullets, you've wasted a resource.

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for
ransom, I can tell you I don't have money.

"What I do have is a very particular set of skills - skills I have acquired
over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like
you.

"If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. But if you
don't, I will look for you.

"I will find you.

"I will kill you."

I'm telling you, it's the "Bourne Identity" on ampheta-steroids. In one
scene, Neeson walks unarmed into a room with seven crazy, armed, Albanians,
and kills six of them. The seventh he ties to a chair, rams a spike in each
thigh, and hooks him up to the power grid ("I want you to focus"). I call it
the "tea-time" scene.

I'm generally ambivalent about chick-flicks, but this one is good.

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* Not yet released in the U.S. (I had to go to Paris to see it). Watch for
it though.