Word, I'll take 1000 rounds.

I'm not arguing with your underlying premise. But not everyone who takes drivers ed knows how to handle a car safely, so I wouldn't bet that everyone how takes weaponry safety knows how to handle a gun safely. You have to factor stupidity into the equation.

Absolutely. And not everyone who takes Sex Education is capable of having safe sex. It's a risk we take, and erring on the side of wisdom makes better sense to me.

Arrggh!!!
 

Where I live, criminals are breaking into properties and trying to steal money and jewelry!!!

So I put up a sign that says:

http://www.saf.org/merchandise/images/armed.jpg

I have a Glock and other assorted "items". My house also is ADT alarmed. And I am of the belief that gun control is using 2 hands instead of one... And yes, I have been trained to use this weapon, properly.

My husband removed the sign... And the fools did not bust our door down, yet...

Then I get this email from my homeowner's association and I would like to know where my $250 in dues is going per month. In my state we are not allowed to gate up our communities.

What say you folks of GC?

What do you mean we can't gate up our communities? There are a bunch of gated neighborhoods/developments up here!

At least most of the crime in Western Washington are property crimes...particularly in Microsoft country where you live =) Yep, I'd put the sign up, just to keep the punks away, if it's that much of a problem where you are.

King County cannot have gated communities... Broodmoor is not gated... Has a guard shack and was gated, but was told to remove the gates.

Hmmm...I know of some places in downtown Bellevue with guard gates...maybe those are treated differently than the real gates that swing. But the gated communities I was thinking of are up in my bf's 'hood of Mill Creek, but that's just over the county line in Snohomish County. Didn't realize King County had that law.

You know how they are in King County... There are few places that have guard shacks, but no gates.

Anyhow, I'll try to find the law for you.

I say that having a gun in the home is less effective than having burglar alarms. If the burglar alarms notices don't scare them away, they will hopefully be scared away when the actual alarm goes off and the cops are on their way. If they aren't, they are sometimes diehard burglars who are trying to feed a drug habit so a gun notice outside your home won't be greater than the psychotic effect the drugs are having on them. I completely understand your position that guns + alarm = better safe than sorry.

Your neighborhood needs greater awareness of its surroundings just as your homeowner's association advised. Neighborhood watch signs and so forth have no deterrent effect if casual observers can tell that no one is really watching the neighborhood.

Plus, putting up "glock" signs around your home is good for a laugh from criminals and noncriminals. I know I'd be extremely entertained if I saw such a sign. A "beware of middle class people with guns who might not be prepared to shoot a human" sign doesn't work the same in practice as an "ADT sign" (or even a "beware of dog" sign). Being properly trained to handle guns safely and target practice isn't the same thing as being prepared to shoot a person if the time arises. But of course everyone who owns or wants to own a gun doesn't agree with this until they either freeze up or have their gun taken from them by an assailant (which won't happen to every person with a gun because many people are more than eager to actually use it on a human--but you still don't know when it will be you that it will happen to).

Are they breaking in during the day, when no one's around? I'm guessing so? In that case I guess a gun wouldn't matter, anyway. On the other hand, the security system is a deterrant for most young people that break in during the day looking for stuff they can steal/sell. Other good things you can do to prevent a break in is have good doors and locks, keep your windows shut and locked, have good lighting around the outside of your house, and get a dog (even nice ones know when something bad is up).

:)

One NEVER pulls a gun on some one they do not intend to shoot... That is the first mantra taught with gun safety...

It's the judged by 12 or carried by 6 way of thinking...

Don't know. I know we have an "anti-solicitation" sign in front of the complex. But I do know that "they" do not know what "solicitation" means and may have been casing the area by knocking on doors and visualizing who what they have in there...

We can say let the police handle it, but I have a right to protect my property and my self...

LOL. Tell that to the people who pull guns but aren't prepared to actually shoot. Also tell that to the people who are too shaken to pull the guns in the first place.

But as long as you know that the gun in your home is a response and not a deterrent, good luck to you and yours.

Who doesn't know what "solicitation" means? These probably aren't particularly crafty criminals but don't assume they are dumb people--even if they are teenagers or young adults.

Criminals and noncriminals case areas without knocking on doors everyday. It takes a simple drive through or walking a dog around your neighborhood to notice when people leave for work and when they come home. You notice that as a neighbor so nonneighbors notice the same. In fact, without knowing the structure of your community it isn't safe to assume that some of these people aren't your neighbors or associated with your neighbors.

The neighborhood and the police should handle it together. If you choose to have a gun, just be realistic about what the gun is doing and what it isn't doing. :)