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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!clyde!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece
From: preece@uicsl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Re: qubix!steven in Re: Re: Human Li - (nf)
Message-ID: <3224@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Oct-83 00:02:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.3224
Posted: Thu Oct 20 00:02:53 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Oct-83 06:07:06 EDT
Lines: 41

#R:ihuxs:-40200:uicsl:5400034:000:2144
uicsl!preece    Oct 13 14:41:00 1983

	I suppose scott preece's idea of a 'responsible gun owner' would crawl
	under the bed and whimper.
----------
My idea of a 'responsible gun owner' would do everything possible to avoid
the situation. The most obvious action being to place a locked barrier
between the intruder and everyone in the house, if that can be arranged.
I wasn't saying anything about the behavior of the responsible person, if
you'd look at my note again; I said that the behavior described by
another writer as responsible, namely ascertaining whether the intruder
is friend or foe, places the homeowner at a tactical disadvantage, given
that the intruder knows everyone is the enemy.

Obviously there are situations where I would use a gun if I had one. The
person trying to batter down the bedroom door is obviously not a friend
(well, I guess I have had friends who were that boisterous, but that's
another story).  Clearly there are situations which cannot be avoided.
Someone who has put you in a situation you can't run from and is clearly
both hostile and dangerous is a fair target. But I sure as Hell wouldn't
buy a gun just for that kind of situation. (I should say that the note
with the four scenarios, which prompted this string of responses, never
made it to this site, so I may be talking at cross purposes).

Crawling under a bed might be useful; whimpering is counterproductive --
it would give your position away. There's nothing shameful about
avoiding an unnecessary fight, calling for help, hiding, or otherwise
escaping the need for violence. There IS something shameful about killing
somebody who wanted to grab your toaster oven and get away without ever
seeing, let alone harming, anyone.

If I knew someone was downstairs in my house, I would move my wife and
myself to our kids' room, lock the door, and call the police. I might
also announce that I had done so. I'm not really worried that the
intruder would then come upstairs just to make trouble, even though I
know that that does, occasionally, happen. I also don't worry too
much about meteors killing me in my bed (or is that meteorites?).

scott preece
pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece