Crime moving out your way?

[square1]

Until recently I lived in a small economically depressed town in a economically depressed county within 90 miles of one, and 30 miles of another perennial "Top 10" crime cities in the US. My neighborhood certainly was seeing the influence of high unemployment and proximity to the Big Cities. It was nothing to look out my window to see a drug deal going down in the middle of the day out on a street corner.

To my extreme relief I was able to get out without losing my shirt about 4 years ago and jumped at the chance. I found a small town diner near my new residence that was convenient to stop in for coffee. I was living the dream, house in the country, city crime left behind....paradise on earth by comparison!

One Saturday morning I overhear this conversation at the "locals" table:

Local 1: (to Local 2) Hey, you live over (name of another nearby small town closer to my house) way don't you?
Local 2: Yeah, why's that?
Local 1: Better start locking your stuff up!
Local 2: Yeah? Why's that?
Local 1: I heard the (some family name) boys are getting outta prison and moving back home. That's by you isn't it?
Local 2: Yeah.....

I couldn't hear the rest of their conversations over the sounds of my own sobbing. My paradise of one month was over

 

[teejk]

- To keep yourself on the right side of the bars, you should always tell the intruder to "Halt", "Freeze", "Don't move", etc.
- If they run, don't shoot them.
- If they come at you, feel free to acquaint them with what a projectile at a few thousand feet per second feels like.
- Don't fire a warning shot, the MSM freaks out over where that bullet could end up. For some reason they aren't as upset if the first bullet goes into a bad person than they are if it's flying around the area.
- Once they're down, you're not permitted to finish them off unless they're still armed and trying to get you.
- Call 911 when it's safe to do so. If it's before they're inside, just leave the phone line open.
- I don't know of any state that requires you to render first aid to the bad guy. For your own safety, you should stay out of arms reach of them.

The beauty of the "Castle Doctrine" Dr-Zing...it shifts the legal burden to the "uninvited guest". Your advice to "tell the intruder to "Halt", "Freeze", "Don't move", etc." runs counter to all advice from the pros in our new wild-west world. Once in the house, an intruder should hear "bang" first.

 

[Ted Summey]

We lived here for nearly 25 years and never had anything get stolen with the exception of a gas can which I later found by the road. Somebody ran out of gas...

Then 4 years ago my daughter who was a senior in high school came home and the house was wrecked, the back door was kicked in and $20,000 of our stuff was stolen. A woman driving by saw the burglar and his car leaving the drive way. The police picked him up about a week later. He had stolen a WII game device and gave it to his girl friend's brother. When the brother plugged the WII into the internet, the police tracked him, got him to tell all on his sister's boyfriend.

The SOB has been in jail for four years for other break-ins in another county. I'm told the guy will be tried for the break-ins in our county when he gets out. Apparently he was a convicted felon before he broke into our house and he stole a firearm from me, it was loaded. I'm told he could get up to 35 years for the gun and ammo alone. I hope he stay is jail.....

Our county is about 20 minutes from Winston Salem, a larger city in NC. Seems like when the crooks want some cash they go out to the surrounding rural areas and make a "withdrawal". They then go straight to the pawn shops. We found some of our stuff in a couple of pawn shops. Those places are the dredges of society.

 

[teejk]

Until recently I lived in a small economically depressed town in a economically depressed county within 90 miles of one, and 30 miles of another perennial "Top 10" crime cities in the US. My neighborhood certainly was seeing the influence of high unemployment and proximity to the Big Cities. It was nothing to look out my window to see a drug deal going down in the middle of the day out on a street corner.

To my extreme relief I was able to get out without losing my shirt about 4 years ago and jumped at the chance. I found a small town diner near my new residence that was convenient to stop in for coffee. I was living the dream, house in the country, city crime left behind....paradise on earth by comparison!

One Saturday morning I overhear this conversation at the "locals" table:

Local 1: (to Local 2) Hey, you live over (name of another nearby small town closer to my house) way don't you?
Local 2: Yeah, why's that?
Local 1: Better start locking your stuff up!
Local 2: Yeah? Why's that?
Local 1: I heard the (some family name) boys are getting outta prison and moving back home. That's by you isn't it?
Local 2: Yeah.....

I couldn't hear the rest of their conversations over the sounds of my own sobbing. My paradise of one month was over

#1 I saw something that suggested "Blazing Saddles" will be banned soon (hint for anybody wanting to buy a 100 copies and sell them on the sly in 20 years or so)
#2 Based on #1 in the movie there was a town meeting where they sang a song about "our little town has turned to s**t"
#3 Michigan...doesn't look like you have Castle Doctrine yet...too bad...I don't relish the idea of ever having to pull the trigger on anybody in my house...having Castle Doctrine in place lessens the chance I'll ever have to do it. Crooks are cowards and the thought of getting shot is enough to keep them away....

 

[teejk]

We lived here for nearly 25 years and never had anything get stolen with the exception of a gas can which I later found by the road. Somebody ran out of gas...

Then 4 years ago my daughter who was a senior in high school came home and the house was wrecked, the back door was kicked in and $20,000 of our stuff was stolen. A woman driving by saw the burglar and his car leaving the drive way. The police picked him up about a week later. He had stolen a WII game device and gave it to his girl friend's brother. When the brother plugged the WII into the internet, the police tracked him, got him to tell all on his sister's boyfriend.

The SOB has been in jail for four years for other break-ins in another county. I'm told the guy will be tried for the break-ins in our county when he gets out. Apparently he was a convicted felon before he broke into our house and he stole a firearm from me, it was loaded. I'm told he could get up to 35 years for the gun and ammo alone. I hope he stay is jail.....

Our county is about 20 minutes from Winston Salem, a larger city in NC. Seems like when the crooks want some cash they go out to the surrounding rural areas and make a "withdrawal". They then go straight to the pawn shops. We found some of our stuff in a couple of pawn shops. Those places are the dredges of society.

Winston-Salem is hardly "the sticks" (RJ Reynolds land isn't it?). Crime is everywhere...ultra liberal Madison Wis is probably high on the list (as is St Paul Minn). I won't get into the politics about how/where crime takes hold.

 

[ultrarunner]

So why do you let your Fire Department dictate security to you? Double cylinder deadbolts can be smashed with a ram just as easily as a plain deadbolt; so their legal position doesn't pass the common sense test. Put it on the next ballot to have the "law" removed.

The area where I live is designated an urban/wildland interface and property owners are subject to mandatory, unannouced inspection at least once per year and we pay a special assesment for this on the tax bill.

The inspectors have no compunction about walking property, opening gates, etc... true... the homeowner can refuse entry to the home...

It's getting to be where the property owner has less and less control and at the same time all the responsibility...

 

[jaotguy]

reason why I asked about "schools" in the area ...

places were being broken into around one of them ... police got a description of "young " people ....
2 cruisers headed for the school and arrived a few minutes before the dark colored car showed up with the stuff still inside ....

they were doing B&E during their spares between classes ... and from well to do families .... they laughed at the police because they were "young offenders" .... they got a slap on the wrist.

 

[teejk]

You are Canadian...So as a public service announcement, would you care to share how your draconian gun control laws are working? And how is your healthcare system? From what I can tell politicians here are trying to emulate you and it's always nice to hear from the end-user.

 

[Ted Summey]

Winston-Salem is hardly "the sticks" (RJ Reynolds land isn't it?). Crime is everywhere...ultra liberal Madison Wis is probably high on the list (as is St Paul Minn). I won't get into the politics about how/where crime takes hold.

Winston Salem isn't the "sticks" but it is rural where I live. I don't live in town. The nearest grocery store is 8 miles away. My nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away. My point is the crooks come out here and rob us to pay for their wants and desires.

BTW Reynolds is very much on the decline. While still a big tobacco company, it is not the presence in Winston Salem it once was.

 

[jaotguy]

share how your draconian gun control laws are working? And how is your healthcare system?

healthcare ... basic needs are met , specialty stuff varies from province to province ( wait times from months to years , depending )

gun control ? ... legal this month , illegal the next, depending on the whims of the police and how they feel ...
the RCMP kicked in a lot of doors to "take" properly secured and registered firearms in areas not affected by flooding , even went back to a few homes and searched a second time ...