Jackonicko:
But your macho posturing about burglars is seriously worrying. Anyone who seriously advocates taking the law into their own hands in that way deserves to be put away, and anyone who actually does take the law into their own hands and murders a criminal deserves to go down for a long time.
I've already dealt with this point. The statistics speak for themselves; in the UK, 53% of burglaries take place whilst the victims are at home - with all the associated risks of violent confrontation with the burglar. In the US, only 13% of burglaries happen when the victims are in the house. The reason is obvious; American burglars are rightly more scared of armed householders than anything else.
No-one is advocating murdering burglars. I for one would advocate self-defence as a last resort, and deterrence as a first resort. Nothing to do with 'macho'.
Think about it: you're flying long-haul sectors. You're 6,000 miles downroute, you won't be home for a week. Your wife and kids are alone in a rural house. There have perhaps been a few burglaries in your area lately, one or two of them violent. You are glad you have a good burglar alarm and a cellphone, but the nearest police are ten miles away. Wouldn't you honestly feel happier knowing she had a gun, and was trained to keep and use it properly?
R1