From: jerryc@Athena.dal.fsd.mot.com (Jerry Culp)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Killing burglars.
Date: 20 Aug 92 15:36:54 GMT
Organization: Motorola Field Service Division - NTSC, Dallas TX.

In article <LOWRY.92Aug19174710@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.191133.18443@cc.gatech.edu> duggan@cc.gatech.edu (Rick Duggan) writes:
> > In article <1992Aug19.163045.374@informix.com> davek@informix.com (David Kosenko) writes:
> > >I think it would be sad for someone to spend time in prison for kiiling
> > >a theif.
> > 
> > I agree with the discussion about not depriving a ``thief'' of
> > his (or her) rights to a fair trial.  However, the main point is that at
> > 2:00 in the morning, I know nothing about the motive of the invader
> > in my home.  It is merely prudent to worst-case the scenario and
> > assume you (and/or your family) are going to be harmed.  Yes, 
> > it would be sad to kill a thief (and if I *knew* he were only 
> > going to take my TV, I wouldn't shoot to kill).  But the point is 
> > that I don't *know* that.
>
>Gee, you might better blast away at that person who's running toward
>you down the dark sidewalk at 2:30am.  Heck, you don't *know* that
>he's not about to knock you out and take your money.  Or for that
>matter, the motorist who's speeding toward the intersection you happen
>to be crossing *might* be intoxicated and about to run you down, as
>opposed to simply being an aggressive driver with late braking habits.
>So you'd better off them too.

  	This is not a good comparison, comparing a motorist to an intruder
is like comparing apples to golf balls. 

>
>You play the odds.  The intruder is not likely to intend you or your
>family harm beyond depriving you of some articles that are probably
>insured anyway.  They *might* be after more than that, but to assume
>the worst is ridiculous.  At some point you have to weigh the odds and
>the consequences of your various choices of action.  If, upon
>discovering the intruder, you call the police and let them take care
>of the situation, you risk exposing your family to untold horrors at
>the hands of this intruder who, as it turns out, is a psychotic serial
>murderer.  Likelihood: extremely low; potential consequences:
>extremely severe.  If you take your gun out and blow the intruder

	How long does it take the police to get your house after you call
them ???? Can they get to your house and get inside before an intruder
can walk into you childs' bedroom???? Are you willing to risk your
childs' life on this. If the intruder had any morals, he wouldnt be
breaking into your home. They dont have to be psychotic either, just
being seen or discovered is enough reason for some criminals to kill
you and the entire family. Also if they break in to steal your car by
getting the keys and then kill every one in the house, they assure 
themselves more get away time before the car is known to be stolen.
This seems to be an increasingly common occurence in the Dallas area.

>away, you risk killing a person who meant you no physical harm, you
>risk going to jail on manslaughter charges, and you risk that the
>weapon you're stupidly keeping in your home will accidentally be used
>against a family member or friend rather than an intruder (incidents
>of the former far exceed those of the latter case).  Likelihood:
>extremely high; consequences: severe to extremely severe, depending on
>which consequence and how you view these things.
>
>It seems clear to me that blowing away the intruder is far more likely
>to leave you in very bad straits than letting the police deal with the
>matter.
>
>Reasoning by worst-case scenarios is very rarely useful as a guide for
>decision making.  It's mostly useful when you want to put a bound on
>the damage or cost you risk incurring.  That is, you use it to
>understand your risk, but not as a basis for deciding a course of
>action.  Generally, if you want to maximize your benefits, think in
>terms of likely scenarios, not worst-case.
>--
>Andy Lowry, lowry@watson.ibm.com, (914) 784-7925
>IBM Research, P.O. Box 704, Yorktown Heights, NY  10598

	Were not talking about an investment plan here, were talking 
about lives. If I get hurt enough that I cant work, then my family is in
dire straits. If I get killed they are even worse off. Putting our lives
in the hands of a complete stranger , that has allready broken the law
by breaking into my house is not a good idea. For your sake, I hope the 
worst never happens to you. For your families sake, I hope it never happens
to them. For a burglars sake, you are easy money.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Culp   Motorola Computers       |   My employer disavows all knowledge 
National Technical Support Center     |   of any opinions expressed by me
                                      |   on this or any subject.