Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Lots of re-posts from Drudge on here today, so will add one more of local relevance....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pol ... ml?hpid=z4

Expected. They always think about charging the shooter.

I have issue with the article.
Caleb Gordley, 16, sneaked out of his home in Sterling after he was grounded for not cleaning his room. He went to a party with some friends, where he drank alcohol.

AND

He was well liked and had never been in trouble, his family said.

Don't match. Grounded. He drank so much he couldn't find his way home. Broke into a home. But he is a good kid, never been in trouble.

This is why you should only get plastered within the confines in you own home. Honestly have no idea how you get so drunk you attempt to break into someone else's home but I guess some people have a lower tolerance for alcohol than others.

I got pretty wasted, pretty often, when I was a teen. Still, I was always able to find my own house.

But, then, I was the only one in the area with a Church next door, and tombstones in the backyard.

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I clicked on the link at the bottom, if current the intruder was 5ft9 and weighed 155lbs....that doesnt bode well for the homeowner (unless the homeowner is a senior citizen).

Methinks at the very least a civil lawsuit is heading the dudes way.

Also, aren't warning shots generally frowned upon by prosecutors?

The parents seem to be forgiving :

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/19/va ... e-shooter/

I don't think he was that drunk simply because you really can't be that drunk. I've been so drunk I couldn't walk, couldn't get dressed for bed, went to play a game only to realize there was no disc in the tray, and so drunk that I thought I could sleep with one arm on the floor to keep myself from rolling out of bed (didn't work). But I don't think you could be so drunk as to not recognize your own house.

Here's what I think happened: This kid snuck out to go drinking with with his friends. After knocking back a few, in a drunken stupor, he and his friends thought it would be a funny idea to break into his neighbor's house. Now regularly they would not because they had some sense or caution but the alcohol had removed their inhibitions. Thus the rest played out, he climbs in the window (assisted by his friends), meets the owner on the stairs who tells him to leave firing a warning shot. Now the kid suddenly thinks he might be able to wrestle the gun from this guy and continues on, and the owner kills him.

Sound about right?

@ Kinetic: Yep. That sounds plausible.

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thekinetic wrote:I don't think he was that drunk simply because you really can't be that drunk. I've been so drunk I couldn't walk, couldn't get dressed for bed, went to play a game only to realize there was no disc in the tray, and so drunk that I thought I could sleep with one arm on the floor to keep myself from rolling out of bed (didn't work). But I don't think you could be so drunk as to not recognize your own house.

Here's what I think happened: This kid snuck out to go drinking with with his friends. After knocking back a few, in a drunken stupor, he and his friends thought it would be a funny idea to break into his neighbor's house. Now regularly they would not because they had some sense or caution but the alcohol had removed their inhibitions. Thus the rest played out, he climbs in the window (assisted by his friends), meets the owner on the stairs who tells him to leave firing a warning shot. Now the kid suddenly thinks he might be able to wrestle the gun from this guy and continues on, and the owner kills him.

Sound about right?

Sounds just about how my investigation would look. We all know what happens once liquid courage kicks in. Exact reason why we need the Castle Law

Kreutz wrote:I clicked on the link at the bottom, if current the intruder was 5ft9 and weighed 155lbs....that doesnt bode well for the homeowner (unless the homeowner is a senior citizen).

Methinks at the very least a civil lawsuit is heading the dudes way.

Also, aren't warning shots generally frowned upon by prosecutors?

The comments I read after the posted article said he was 6' 180 pounds. Wonder which stats are true? Bottom line - he didnt belong there and the home owner, especially having just been awakened by an intruder, did what most of would have done. Myself, being close to 70 years old may not have given a warning shot! Need to find out what he was drinking so the distillery can be sued OR the homeowner where the party was OR...

spatcher wrote:

Kreutz wrote:I clicked on the link at the bottom, if current the intruder was 5ft9 and weighed 155lbs....that doesnt bode well for the homeowner (unless the homeowner is a senior citizen).

Methinks at the very least a civil lawsuit is heading the dudes way.

Also, aren't warning shots generally frowned upon by prosecutors?

The comments I read after the posted article said he was 6' 180 pounds. Wonder which stats are true? Bottom line - he didnt belong there and the home owner, especially having just been awakened by an intruder, did what most of would have done. Myself, being close to 70 years old may not have given a warning shot! Need to find out what he was drinking so the distillery can be sued OR the homeowner where the party was OR...

Well said Spatcher, instead of going after the guns go after the providers that impaired the ignorrant kid that made him think breaking into someones house was cool

I don't know why people get hung up on height and weight so much. My husband is 5 foot 6 inches and 200 lbs. Short stocky swarthy Italian build! A person his size could do a ton of damage. I am 5 foot 4 inches and lets just say that I am of average build for a woman that has had 4 children. If a person my size had a weapon they could do a ton of damage. It is intent not size that matter especially in a home invasion.

Look if the kid was really that drunk then I am sorry for him, but if you play stupid games you win stupid prizes. If he had other intent then he got what he deserved. The homeowner cannot know whether the person in the dark is drunk, lost, or has mal-intent. All he knows is that his family is under attack and is being invaded by an unknown. Sorry I don't think he should step aside and let the person of unknown intent upstairs into his daughters bedroom.

Lol @ stupid games/stupid prizes remark. I'm stealing that one.

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mamabearCali wrote:I don't know why people get hung up on height and weight so much. My husband is 5 foot 6 inches and 200 lbs. Short stocky swarthy Italian build! A person his size could do a ton of damage. I am 5 foot 4 inches and lets just say that I am of average build for a woman that has had 4 children. If a person my size had a weapon they could do a ton of damage. It is intent not size that matter especially in a home invasion.

Look if the kid was really that drunk then I am sorry for him, but if you play stupid games you win stupid prizes. If he had other intent then he got what he deserved. The homeowner cannot know whether the person in the dark is drunk, lost, or has mal-intent. All he knows is that his family is under attack and is being invaded by an unknown. Sorry I don't think he should step aside and let the person of unknown intent upstairs into his daughters bedroom.

Well Said

Starting to smell like the George Zimmerman case, i.e. a political show trial might be coming our way because the person shot was Black and the shooter wasn't (I'm assuming the shooter was white and I'm positive about the victim).

9MM92FS wrote:Starting to smell like the George Zimmerman case, i.e. a political show trial might be coming our way because the person shot was Black and the shooter wasn't (I'm assuming the shooter was white and I'm positive about the victim).

It is completely possible to be so drunk you can't find your house. I've been there many times as an adult and as a teenager. My problem with all of it is the warning shot.

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What is wrong with a warning shot? You are giving the intruder one last chance to get smart and leave.

Also, did he break a window and climb in, or was it an open unlocked window he came in? If he broke it, that suggests a crime in progress instead of a drunk trying to sneak back into their parents house, right?

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Glockem wrote:What is wrong with a warning shot? You are giving the intruder one last chance to get smart and leave.

Also, did he break a window and climb in, or was it an open unlocked window he came in? If he broke it, that suggests a crime in progress instead of a drunk trying to sneak back into their parents house, right?

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My primary concern with a warning shot is that you now have one less round in your firearm. Sometimes you need all you got to get out of the situation. In my primary weapon I can hold 6+1 in my gun. That is not very many. I am going to need them all. There is an additional problem of where you put that warning shot. I would be worried where to place one that would not pose a threat to my family or my neighbors. Now if you can afford to throw a round away or if you can have a place where a warning shot can go then there is the worry of the law......and IANAL. I don't know the laws on that in VA. Some places it is ok to do so, other places it is considered negligence.

Mercy is good. Mercy is what we all hope to be able to show. I feel particularly called to show mercy. However don't let your mercy land you in the slammer or allow your children to pay the price.

Contrary to some of the respondents, you can be that drunk. I came out of bottle club one night when I was 17 after sharing a quart of scotch and half a fifth of vodka with one other teen and cussed a blue streak because someone had stolen my steering wheel, which I found on the other side of the car. I drove home and parked sideways in the neighbor's driveway and tried my key in their backdoor. Thankfully, the key didn't work and I finally realized my mistake and moved my car and found my way to the back door of my parent's house. This alcohol was consumed over a 5 hour period and was the final straw for my drinking.

looks like the sheriff’s dpt is just reviewing what happened, SOP
I am training with Loudoun this weekend, sure this will be a topic