Va Beach - Why carry a firearm in your front yard?

[allingeneral]

Police have arrested a 29-year-old Virginia Beach man in a home break-in and armed robbery of two people.
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/man-arr ... n?cid=ltst

Adibio Ijahmid Potter, of the 3800 block of Chimney Creek Drive in Virginia Beach, has been charged with robbery of a residence, attempted robbery, burglary, use of a firearm, abduction and wearing a mask in public, according to jail records.

Early Tuesday morning, two people were standing outside a residence in the 300 block of Scott Lane when a man approached them with a gun and pushed his way inside the home, said Officer Margie Hobbs, a police spokeswoman. One of them fled and called police, she said.

When officers arrived, they found the robber inside the home and arrested him, Hobbs said. They also recovered $55 that had been stolen, according to a police report filed online.

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Let's discuss this for a moment. Say you're in your yard (carrying, of course) and a guy does something as described here - runs past you into your house. What if you chase after him into your house, go through your house and find him in your bedroom, rummaging through your dresser.

I suppose you would have to be in fear of your life before pulling/firing on the intruder - i.e., "You saw something shiny in his hand as he began to advance toward you..."

[ProShooter]

Let's discuss this for a moment. Say you're in your yard (carrying, of course) and a guy does something as described here - runs past you into your house. What if you chase after him into your house, go through your house and find him in your bedroom, rummaging through your dresser.

Right there, if you shot him at that point, you'd be guilty of murder, or some variation.

[wally626]

I think you want to do what they did here, leave and call the police. There is no advantage to chasing an armed crook anywhere. If he forces you in with him, then you may want to use the weapon if he is distracted.

[WRW]

If one were to shoot the criminal, the time to do it would be as he approached with a gun.

[zephyp]

I would be very hard pressed to merely stand there and watch a guy with a gun run into my house...this thing about family being in there and all that of course...when I work in the front yard Young is usually in the house or in the back yard...watching a scumbag with a gun run into my house is sufficient reason enough to follow him in order to protect family...

[LFS]

I would be very hard pressed to merely stand there and watch a guy with a gun run into my house...this thing about family being in there and all that of course...when I work in the front yard Young is usually in the house or in the back yard...watching a scumbag with a gun run into my house is sufficient reason enough to follow him in order to protect family...

That's exactly what I was thinking, DK. My first thought would be "Where is my family?" If I couldn't account for all of them, I'd go into the house to find them.

[Vahunter]

Let's discuss this for a moment. Say you're in your yard (carrying, of course) and a guy does something as described here - runs past you into your house. What if you chase after him into your house, go through your house and find him in your bedroom, rummaging through your dresser.

Right there, if you shot him at that point, you'd be guilty of murder, or some variation.

Maybe in Va. Beach or Richmond or some other PC location but I doubt if you'd even need a lawyer here.

[zephyp]

I would be very hard pressed to merely stand there and watch a guy with a gun run into my house...this thing about family being in there and all that of course...when I work in the front yard Young is usually in the house or in the back yard...watching a scumbag with a gun run into my house is sufficient reason enough to follow him in order to protect family...

That's exactly what I was thinking, DK. My first thought would be "Where is my family?" If I couldn't account for all of them, I'd go into the house to find them.

Precisely. Under any normal societal law I would think that to do anything less than follow him to look for and protect your family would be a crime...how did we as a nation get so far off track that the matter of protecting ourselves, our family, or our property could make us the criminal...THAT IN ITSELF IS CRIMINAL...

[GS78]

well in response to the OP, I think if you followed him into the house and saw him "rummaging through" your sock drawer, you could draw on him, but you can not give even an intruder the death penalty for simple robbery....IF HOWEVER, when you draw on him he returns the favor.....then you can.

[VBshooter]

Sadder is it;s the state of VA much more so than the country,,even the states with stricter gun laws have better Castle Doctrine and deadly force laws than us.. We absolutely need to clean out the Senate of the bleeding heart liberal cowards that infect it. To me if he returns the favor... it's open season!!!

[SlipknotG21]

If he runs into my house ...I an already in fear for my daughter and wifes life..I keep a nice big knife just in case he is not armed.....

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[davasmith]

Guys, simple solution. Step in front of the intruder at the door making him physically have to move or "threaten" you, then pull your sidearm and make hamburger out of the ass. Police are trained to physically challenge a suspect by stepping in front a person even in a vehicle and commanding them to stop. If they proceed in driving toward them, they can and will legally open fire for immenent fear of life. Same should apply to your home/family. Once you've stepped in front and commanded the intruder to stop if he does anything but comply, let the lead fly! (I heard that somewhere some years ago.)

[kerchaulk1972]

I would be very hard pressed to merely stand there and watch a guy with a gun run into my house...this thing about family being in there and all that of course...when I work in the front yard Young is usually in the house or in the back yard...watching a scumbag with a gun run into my house is sufficient reason enough to follow him in order to protect family...

This^. Bad guy has already shown poor judgement by running into my house with a gun. I have to assume he means any one in there harm.

[Kreutz]

My wife mocked me for carrying while mowing the lawn, I'm gonna show her this. Thanks!

[concretefuzzynuts]

Ill tell you a personal experience, the short version.

I was painting the outside of the house a few weeks ago. I was not carrying, I didn't think I needed to. A stranger on a bike came to my house and was very aggressive in his demeanor. He was obviously mentally ill. He came back two more times (by now I had armed myself) all confrontational but not physical.

Three days ago he was arrested for vandalism and harassing another neighbor. An 80 year old Alzheimer's lady. Turns out he broke into his vacationing parents house and trashed the place and also the 80 year olds place.

FYI, the police were called after my second confrontation with him.

Location? Ocean park area. Yes it can happen in a "nice" neighborhood.

[Racn35]

back in 1994 I lived on chimney hill parkway off Holland rd .... I came home with one of my dates at 3 am and found a guy up stairs going threw my room mates stuff.... when he came down the stairs I shot him in both thighs with my 357 ... as he crawled into the kitchen the girl jumped in her car and called 911 from mcdonalds ..

no cell phones or internet back then....

Va Beach PD ... never took my gun or asked a single question about shooting the guy

[Jollyrogers66]

Personally I'll feel bad for him when he runs into my two Pit Bulls standing at the front door... not.

[Mindflayer]

That's why if you can't secure the entrance with your body, you keep the damned doors locked. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass, but safety is worth a moment. It amazes me how many people don't lock the door when they are home, and have their guns locked away. Keep your gun on you and keep your damned door locked.

My father was overseas and I swung by to visit my mom one evening in a rather nice area of Marlbank in York County. Someone started to open the back door (again, that whole locked door thing) and come in. It just so happened that my mother was sitting where she saw it slowly swing open and the guy reach around and she started screaming. I was upstairs fixing something and came roaring down the stairs in time to catch a glimpse of the guy taking off. Scary.

Keep your damned doors locked.