MN Naive , lock em up and lock your doors.

[Momosa]

I was just told tonight of an incident that occurred over the Christmas Break at one of my relative's home.

.......down in our hometown for the holidays, kids all sleeping on the living room floor and the rest of the rooms in the house were full of sleeping adults.

At about 0300, there is a loud noise, chain link fence rattles and the front living-room door is kicked in. One adult sleeping in the middle of the house pops out of bed and rushes the front room to grab a shotgun out of the cabinet and confront the problem. The thugs that kicked int he door were already retreating up the block by the time the shotgun was out and ready.

Nobody was hurt, don't even think the cops were called but my point is......lock your doors first of all and secondly, get a gun safe folks. This particular residence has never had their doors locked , cause the man of the house grew up in the neighborhood and therefore feels it is unnecessary to do such things. He also keeps a full gun cabinet, unlocked & in the front room , that is easily seen thru the front bay window ....by any and all who walk the sidewalk in front of his home. stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!! I don't care how much you want to believe it can't happen to you, it can and eventually will.

I'm trying to offer my two cents worth to this stubborn relative of mine. I've offered free gun locks, helping move the guns and gun cabinet to a room in the rear of the home, out of sight..... and installing a deadbolt or two on the exterior doors. What it boils down to is that I will most likely have to bite the bullet and get this old fart a gun safe at the very least. This ain't the place we all want it to be but not locking your doors or securing your guns is asking for trouble.

[FJ540]

I agree.

As much as I'd love to have some nice hardware sported over my unused fireplace, I won't leave it out for prying eyes to see. It's also a really bad idea to provide an intruder with easy access to your defensive weapons. Sure, if you left the mossy loaded with an empty chamber and it was one of a dozen shotguns in the case - odds are they're not going to pick the right one (unless it's all blacked out with rails, lights, lasers, and sirens - then they'd probably grab that first ), but who wants to chance that?

Some of my neighbors know I'm a gun nut, but not all. I also try to be low key and swift when moving rifle cases in and out of the truck. No need to advertise there's multiples of anything stowed inside (the house or truck).

[tman]

Jesus Christ! If someone breaks into a house full of sleeping kids, call the frigging cops!

If you scare them from YOUR house, who's to say they won't just go to the neighbor's?

[Northfield 556]

I too have the problem that everyone in my town knows that I am a "gun nut". The things, that I have going for me...first, security dogs, you can't put a price on the piece of mind that you get from our K9 friends. Second...I couldn't hide the fact that I was moving a 800lb++ gun safe into my house, everyone knows that my guns are locked up.
I do not think that your interest in guns makes you a target for intruders, in fact, I believe that in this day and age, the type of people/meth addicts, that make up a good portion of intruders, will think twice about targeting your property.
I know that this week it is not really PC to tell everyone that you are into guns, but if you pretend that you have no interest in protecting your family with guns, next week we may not have the option.

[Momosa]

I wasn't there or it definitely would have made the police call log, at the very least. I can't explain why the call wasn't made.

I've always got something under my pillow , just for this sort of thing.....I pity the fools!

...at least one very capable and protective dog is a necessity too. My dog likes only 2 relatives of ours, anyone else comes over and we have to kennel him in the basement, because he has such a nasty attitude (we call it his "CUJO ATTITUDE") towards any company in the house. It's so wierd too cause our other dog was raised right alongside of him and she would sooner lick you to death.

& a good home security system ......$50/month for monitoring is cheap piece of mind when I am not home.

[t140]

It's so wierd too cause our other dog was raised right alongside of him and she would sooner lick you to death.

Pack mentality. One has to be alpha.

[LePetomane]

Our subdivision has had 6 break ins since it opened. None of the homes had a gun or a dog. The nice thing about a big dog, whatever their temper may be, is that they will let you know when someone is around. My 90 lb. Doberman Pinscher has a deep bark and growl that would hopefully scare someone off.

[george]

Perhaps something like this would be a alternative to the safe if he insists on keeping them in the open.
It looks like a fair safety system. If it works as demonstrated.

http://www.safetybullet.com/home.html

[Momosa]

I like the concept for the safety option , except for that I personally don't use any trigger locks because my stuff is in a gun safe except for the pillow gun, which goes into my pocket when i'm out of bed and it stays with me thru the day as my carry gun. .. I don't have any young kids around. Nobody even knows except family that I've always got a little love in my pocket at all times. Take the dogs out anytime around the clock & it's in my pajamas even. Haha!!

I just don't see the Mayberry mentality of not locking your doors and leaving your stuff for all the world to see and then plot to steal from you.

Guns are a family's defense and should be enjoyed by many generations, meticulously cared for, respected and passed along the family for sporting and hunting , or just collecting.

[photogpat]

I like the concept for the safety option , except for that I personally don't use any trigger locks because my stuff is in a gun safe except for the pillow gun, which goes into my pocket when i'm out of bed and it stays with me thru the day as my carry gun. .. I don't have any young kids around. Nobody even knows except family that I've always got a little love in my pocket at all times. Take the dogs out anytime around the clock & it's in my pajamas even. Haha!!

I just don't see the Mayberry mentality of not locking your doors and leaving your stuff for all the world to see and then plot to steal from you.

Guns are a family's defense and should be enjoyed by many generations, meticulously cared for, respected and passed along the family for sporting and hunting , or just collecting.

Where my family is from in small town MN - I still see car keys swinging from the ignition of cars at the local supermarket/cafe. I was just back there over New Years...same thing, doors unlocked...keys swinging in the locks...

[mnmike59]

Jesus Christ! If someone breaks into a house full of sleeping kids, call the frigging cops!

If you scare them from YOUR house, who's to say they won't just go to the neighbor's?

Absolutely!!!!! "stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!!"

[brewerbob]

Five months ago, an intruder walked into my mothers house. Unlocked door. Mom described him as "stoned out of his mind". She gets on the phone to 911 while screaming to the intruder to leave. My brother (who lives there) was useless during the entire situation. Intruder eventually leaves. Cops do not respond, even for a report.

She locks her door now. Uber-lib brother has bb guns and knives. Primarily to shoot pictures of republican congresscritters and other non-democrats.

[elroy]

Jesus Christ! If someone breaks into a house full of sleeping kids, call the frigging cops!

If you scare them from YOUR house, who's to say they won't just go to the neighbor's?

+1 !!!

[Momosa]

Great looking Dobie ! I once heard a guy recount how his docile , female Doberman .....that would never show aggression at all in the 10 years he had the dog.....was covered in blood one day when he come home. The front door of his split level home was kicked in, the entryway and stairs were covered in blood. The dog stood at the top of the stairs just like nothing happened but was covered in blood but nobody else was in the home. Matter of fact the blood was contained to that entryway and 1/2 flight of steps up to the main level of the home..... The dog was cleaned up and found to have no injuries, where did the blood come from? The guy filed a police report and then a few hours later he got a call from the cops saying they had arrested a man with severe dog bite wounds who showed up at the hospital and admitted he tried to break into a home with a Doberman. Didn't work out so good for the burglar.

Here's my Olde English Bulldogge with the "cujo" attitude. He ain't much for strangers....about 70 lbs of bad attitude.

I can't believe there are still people leaving their doors unlocked when addicts & criminals would do you harm for a $20 score, or less.

[SparkyJeff]

Where my family is from in small town MN - I still see car keys swinging from the ignition of cars at the local supermarket/cafe. I was just back there over New Years...same thing, doors unlocked...keys swinging in the locks...

While having lunch at the gas station in town during harvest.
8 guys from 5 different farms were eating at the only other place in town that had tables to eat lunch.
I was in a conversation about the key in ignition 'dinger' going off in a new f350 turbodiesel.
Guy wanted to remove the dinger, and was wondering if he should look for a fuse or just disconnect the speaker.
I said something like "I don't ever leave my truck without locking it, and taking the keys with me."
I didn't get laughed at, but I got a few curious looks.