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Abraham wrote:So, if a criminal/criminals come onto your property, but do so without exhibiting threatening behavior, he/they can steal at will while you stand by looking out your window while calling the police?

Do I have that right?

Without I hope sounding like a sourpuss, this approach reminds of what the U.K. is all about and other socialist countries that don't want the citizen to defend themselves be it from bodily harm to theft.

And yes, if you bail out at 3:00 in the morning to check out what's going on on your property, you're taking a risk, but the alternative just irks the devil out of me.

We have become closer to those socialist countries than many of us want. Some of the sentiment on this thread appears to be recognizing the reality of that, not condoning it.

As was called out in the thread summation, most of us don't shy away from defending ourselves from bodily harm In fact, it is that exact sentiment that makes me want to avoid a confrontation over "things". If I'm safe in the house, why risk my life over something that I can replace? I do understand the "irks the devil out of me" feeling. Someone stealing my stuff takes me way beyond "irked".

I just finished reading two excellent books. "Deep Survivor" and "The Unthinkable" both deal with the mental aspect of survival but from different perspectives. The fascinating part was the balancing of our emotional responses to our cognitive ones. In some cases, each is correct.

There are several other ways to keep track of your property at 3:00am. IR cameras are one. I have a buddy who picks off coyotes on his remote property with a night scoped rifle. That's another.

I didn't vote. None of the choices seem to fit for me. I don't have anything, including our vehicles, that is worth $20K. I'm with Bald Eagle in that if they are inside or coming inside my house, lead will be coming their way. Outside I think that it might boil down to what my threat assessment is. If I can retreat safely, that is my first choice. If not, it is going to depend on, at that instant, how much of a threat I believe the situation is to me.

I'm reading "The Unthinkable: Who survives when Disaster Strikes" The description of denial is very sobering in light of this conversation. I worry about whether I will really perceive a threat for what it is. According to the author, that isn't usually the case. I'm not sure that I could add an evaluation about property into that equation at that critical moment.