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Stupid wrote:You always wait in darkness till bad guys come to you, my friend. I am not stupid enough to search for unknown enemies in hiding.

Why do you do this?

I am going to try to explain this in more detail.

1. It's not always dark. In my house, it's dark only at night during power failures. When the indoor lights are out, the windows are lighted from the outside. Anyone standing near a window is visible.

Criminals also operate during the day. Burglars in particular like to break in when people are at work.

2. If your dog is barking, or someone is banging on your door, or you hear a window break, the goblins aren't inside yet. You can repel them better from inside if they're outside. They may run away when they realize the house is occupied.

3. Not everyone lives alone. As others have said, the primary defender of the house has to secure everyone who belongs there.

4. If you hole up, the goblins likely will come to you. Most burglars search the house for people before looking for things to steal. Then you're cornered. As I said earlier, they can shoot through doors or walls, or start a fire.

Stupid wrote:On the other hand, if you forsee that much trouble (guns involved, 911 called), why do you go there alone with no backup???

Go where? It's my house. I'm here 90% of the time. (I work at home.)

I also have backup. My wife shoots. In fact, we went to the range this morning.

[Later] The tactic of staying in your bedroom because there might be goblins in the house leads to the absurd conclusion of never leaving your bedroom. Someone might sneak in at any time. They might have poisoned your dog or disabled your burglar alarm before quietly opening a window.

- Jim

Stupid wrote:Having said that, for those who don't understand what "defense" is, going to investigation mode with a gun and flashlight is NOT something a sane man would call "defense", right?

If you are in your home, and your dogs are barking or you hear a window break, do you call 911 and stay in the bathroom until the cops come?

Surely you know the police response time for some areas of Texas is over an hour, especially if your call is about barking dogs.

If the goblins know where you are, they can break down the door, shoot through it, or set your house on fire.

I think it's entirely appropriate at times to investigate. Though it is dangerous, it may be less dangerous than staying put.

- Jim

G.C.Montgomery wrote:It was a wonderful time, an innocent time, ... no one will know what it's like to grow up like that again.

Actually, I know someone who will grow up like that. (I know his parents, of course.) There are a few such corners of Texas remaining.

I pray (literally) that the meth dealers and other human rubbish don't find them.

- Jim

I've seen that kind of behavior. It's scary. Maybe the dog had rabies.

- Jim

Venus Pax wrote:If dh & I hear something, we pick up guns & investigate. This usually occurs at home, and its usually dogs outside or one of the cats or our dog tearing up something inside.

What tactics do you employ when two armed people are searching the same house?

- Jim

Thane wrote:My lack of foresight gave me two options that night - kill the dog, or dance with a shopping cart and an aggressive canine and risk getting bitten. Neither option was very appealing.

How about throwing him the cat food?

That's a short-term solution and doesn't eliminate the threat for the next shopper the dog harasses, but you wouldn't have to deal with the police or an emergency room.

Your cat would be annoyed, of course.

- Jim