Poll of the Day > What's the first thing u would do if someone broke into your house...

(+) Yeah! (+)

The scenario: A burglar you don't know breaks into your house, and the two of you lock eyes. You don't know why they're there, or what they want. They're not brandishing a weapon, though you don't know if they have one concealed. What's the first thing you would do?

I feel really torn on this one. Personally, my first instinct would be to attack with intent to kill, but since I live in Canada, I don't trust the justice system to take my side, and would probably end up in prison for a long time if I did that, over some idiot.

Tell them to get out. Anything past that would depend on the context.
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"hey buddy, whatcha doin?"
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The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home. What you're describing is pretty much a home invasion situation, which is also incredibly rare to be carried out by a single person.
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depends on the exact circumstances. and if say with a gun, always aim for center mass, not for lethal intent but simply because its the easiest target. and a situation like that you will likely not have the best aim to begin with rather it be because your scared or its dark. so yeah go for center mass.

but yeah, say i'm home alone I'm betting I won't be willing to kill someone but say my niece is over or my mother, fucker is dead. though with my mother likely she'll be the one doing the killing. she used to be on the riot squad for a prison and she has vastly superior gun experience than me
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shout to alert others and be ready to attack
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pull down my pants and present my b-hole
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Call the police.
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jramirez23 posted...

Call the police.

well I guess atleast it will be recorded for statistics. and possibly get them arrested. good luck getting your stuff back though. if they are a criminal who knows what they are doing they can be in and out in the average police response time and wipe you out in the process. ever watch the show I think called "it takes a thief" or something like that. dudes would go break into high dollar homes almost all with alarm systems and they would be in and out in under 10 minutes and sometimes made away with 20k worth of stolen items

edit: i'd call the the police too but I wouldn't simply just let someone steal my stuff either. i'm definitely at least gonna try scaring them off
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ssj4supervegeta posted...

"hey buddy, whatcha doin?"

"nice weather today"
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You should have included "get killed" as an option, because that's what would happen to all the libs here who don't own guns.
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Metal_Mario99 posted...

You should have included "get killed" as an option, because that's what would happen to all the libs here who don't own guns.

meh maybe, maybe not. not all burglars have a weapon on them. and not all libs would refrain from violence period. a good baseball bat hit to the back of the head will put the average man down quickly
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Kill them
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Invite them upstairs.
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minervo posted...

Just stare at them and do nothing

well, the FIRST thing I would do is that, but not the only thing. the next thing would be to speak loudy saying either "what the fuck are you doing?!" or "get the fuck out of here!", etc.
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I'd attack them with lethal intent, but make sure I did so in a way that I could argue it was self defense. Sneak up behind them and alert them at the last minute so the attack comes from the front or something...
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

I'd attack them with lethal intent, but make sure I did so in a way that I could argue it was self defense. Sneak up behind them and alert them at the last minute so the attack comes from the front or something...

check the laws of you area so you know how to go about it. some areas even self defense isn't good enough for some stupid reason. I lived in a state that legit had a law that stated you couldn't shoot an intruder with a gun of a larger caliber than what they had. "hey criminal is that a 357? yeah? shit can't use my 45 better go get my nine"
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mooreandrew58 posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

I'd attack them with lethal intent, but make sure I did so in a way that I could argue it was self defense. Sneak up behind them and alert them at the last minute so the attack comes from the front or something...

check the laws of you area so you know how to go about it. some areas even self defense isn't good enough for some stupid reason. I lived in a state that legit had a law that stated you couldn't shoot an intruder with a gun of a larger caliber than what they had. "hey criminal is that a 357? yeah? shit can't use my 45 better go get my nine"

That's kind of a good point, but it's unlikely to occur anyways (fingers crossed). My house is annoying to get to and the neighbours on three sides have easily triggered dogs (ugh, but at least there's one benefit, I guess). In all honesty, the best way is probably to use a weapon that looks as improvised as possible, like a long kitchen knife, and aim for something vague but deadly, so you can claim it wasn't strategic. Accidents happen and when you don't even have as much as a speeding ticket to your name... I'd rather nobody break in and not have to deal with it, but it's honestly been something I have given a ton of thought to since I was a kid.
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

I'd attack them with lethal intent, but make sure I did so in a way that I could argue it was self defense. Sneak up behind them and alert them at the last minute so the attack comes from the front or something...

check the laws of you area so you know how to go about it. some areas even self defense isn't good enough for some stupid reason. I lived in a state that legit had a law that stated you couldn't shoot an intruder with a gun of a larger caliber than what they had. "hey criminal is that a 357? yeah? shit can't use my 45 better go get my nine"

That's kind of a good point, but it's unlikely to occur anyways (fingers crossed). My house is annoying to get to and the neighbours on three sides have easily triggered dogs (ugh, but at least there's one benefit, I guess). In all honesty, the best way is probably to use a weapon that looks as improvised as possible, like a long kitchen knife, and aim for something vague but deadly, so you can claim it wasn't strategic. Accidents happen and when you don't even have as much as a speeding ticket to your name... I'd rather nobody break in and not have to deal with it, but it's honestly been something I have given a ton of thought to since I was a kid.

I still can't believe I think some politician tried arguing a person shouldn't be allowed to kill someone in self defense because it robs them of a fair trial. I mean but its ok for them to rob me of life?
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How cool am I feeling on that day?

"Hello. You know, Kroger is hiring."

If I've learned anything from how to catch a predator it's that anyone can have a seat right over there when caught with their pants down.

mooreandrew58 posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

I'd attack them with lethal intent, but make sure I did so in a way that I could argue it was self defense. Sneak up behind them and alert them at the last minute so the attack comes from the front or something...

check the laws of you area so you know how to go about it. some areas even self defense isn't good enough for some stupid reason. I lived in a state that legit had a law that stated you couldn't shoot an intruder with a gun of a larger caliber than what they had. "hey criminal is that a 357? yeah? shit can't use my 45 better go get my nine"

That's kind of a good point, but it's unlikely to occur anyways (fingers crossed). My house is annoying to get to and the neighbours on three sides have easily triggered dogs (ugh, but at least there's one benefit, I guess). In all honesty, the best way is probably to use a weapon that looks as improvised as possible, like a long kitchen knife, and aim for something vague but deadly, so you can claim it wasn't strategic. Accidents happen and when you don't even have as much as a speeding ticket to your name... I'd rather nobody break in and not have to deal with it, but it's honestly been something I have given a ton of thought to since I was a kid.

I still can't believe I think some politician tried arguing a person shouldn't be allowed to kill someone in self defense because it robs them of a fair trial. I mean but its ok for them to rob me of life?

Agreed. The system protects the guilty because when our related laws were established, the aristocracy had just been blaming poor people and getting away with whatever they wanted. Everything initially heroic lives long enough to become villainous, as it were.
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Attack with lethal intent, using whatever deadly weapon I can grab within a few seconds from my bedroom: pillows, an alarm clock, running shoes, TV remote control...

On a serious note, I did once get burgled while I was asleep and living on my own. Freaked the living bejeesus put of me so much (they actually opened my bedroom door while I was asleep -- I know that because they left it open) that for several weeks afterwards, I slept with all the kitchen knives under my pillow.
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Funkdamental posted...

Attack with lethal intent, using whatever deadly weapon I can grab within a few seconds from my bedroom: pillows, an alarm clock, running shoes, TV remote control...

I know your joking here. but they do actually make a bedroom nightstand that comes apart to form a bat like weapon with the table top becoming a shield
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Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home. What you're describing is pretty much a home invasion situation

Pretty much. If it's just a burglar, they're going to bolt once they notice me. If they don't, then I've got a huuuuuge problem on my hands.

But who knows. I have such a miniscule presence they may not notice me even if they look directly at me. It already does happen to me on occasion. Geeze, it happened today.

A tip I remember though, (may vary depending on location) if you're attacking the person, do not attack them from behind and shoot to kill. If you kill them when they have their back facing you, the police may think that you were attacking them when they were running away and clearly harmless. And a dead man can't defend himself in court. Oh, and don't fire any warning shots unless you fully intend for them to get away. They'll rule that if you had time to fire a warning shot, you had time to run.
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Mario_VS_DK posted...

Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home. What you're describing is pretty much a home invasion situation

Pretty much. If it's just a burglar, they're going to bolt once they notice me. If they don't, then I've got a huuuuuge problem on my hands.

But who knows. I have such a miniscule presence they may not notice me even if they look directly at me. It already does happen to me on occasion. Geeze, it happened today.

kinda similar with me but only if they aren't looking my way, I have a knack for being able to walk up and literally have my chest less than a inch off their back and them not know i'm there, and thats without trying to be sneaky. used to scare the shit out of a co-worker all the time because of it, and I wore boots at that job.
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mooreandrew58 posted...

Mario_VS_DK posted...

Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home. What you're describing is pretty much a home invasion situation

Pretty much. If it's just a burglar, they're going to bolt once they notice me. If they don't, then I've got a huuuuuge problem on my hands.

But who knows. I have such a miniscule presence they may not notice me even if they look directly at me. It already does happen to me on occasion. Geeze, it happened today.

kinda similar with me but only if they aren't looking my way, I have a knack for being able to walk up and literally have my chest less than a inch off their back and them not know i'm there, and thats without trying to be sneaky. used to scare the shit out of a co-worker all the time because of it, and I wore boots at that job.

I used to do that. I've had to actually work on learning to walk louder so it happens less. >.> I've had people get genuinely angry at me for it.
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Mario_VS_DK posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

Mario_VS_DK posted...

Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home. What you're describing is pretty much a home invasion situation

Pretty much. If it's just a burglar, they're going to bolt once they notice me. If they don't, then I've got a huuuuuge problem on my hands.

But who knows. I have such a miniscule presence they may not notice me even if they look directly at me. It already does happen to me on occasion. Geeze, it happened today.

kinda similar with me but only if they aren't looking my way, I have a knack for being able to walk up and literally have my chest less than a inch off their back and them not know i'm there, and thats without trying to be sneaky. used to scare the shit out of a co-worker all the time because of it, and I wore boots at that job.

I used to do that. I've had to actually work on learning to walk louder so it happens less. >.> I've had people get genuinely angry at me for it.

I don't care if they get angry, I find it funny, and i'm not altering the way I naturally do things to please someone. only person I know i've been unable to scare doing that is my mother, but she works in a prison not much scares her. she'll just turn around and say something like "i'm gonna kill you one day"
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Let them do what they are doing, dont want to get done for attacking them obvs.

Yell, act crazy, and grab the nearest weapon to attack them with.

I have a pocket knife on my nightstand, mostly for fruit and open packages. I have one of my long bows in the living room, too, but I doubt a burglar would politely wait for me to string it. Oh, I do have a 'pocket hunter' slingshot that can fire arrows too, but damned if I can find it.

Home invasion? Attack to disable, permanently, with whatever is handy. Since I'm a martial artist, lots of weapons and potential weapons in my house.
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

shout to alert others and be ready to attack

This is the correct response. Make lots of noise and shout at them to get out.

If you're lucky, they will bolt at this point. If not, you will need to be ready to defend yourself.
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darkknight109 posted...

Krazy_Kirby posted...

shout to alert others and be ready to attack

This is the correct response. Make lots of noise and shout at them to get out.

Yeah, that worked out real well for Uncle Ben, didn't it? Why are you people always telling women to blow their rape whistles or wet themselves when they could be shooting the scumbag in the head?
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I would probably panic: I don't take surprises well. If I could talk, I'd tell the person to get out. Otherwise, I might run, hide, and call the police.
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Apologize to them for what was about to happen.
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My primary concern would be the safety of my wife and children.

I'd get my wife and kids out of the house, either through a door or a window, and have my wife call the cops.

More than likely I would stay with my family, but it would depend on the circumstances.
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Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home.

Pretty much. Odds are, I wouldn't really have to decide what to do, because the second we locked eyes they'd run away, unless I was blocking the escape route.
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Fart into a cup of milk and them offer it to them
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adjl posted...

Kana posted...

The extreme majority of burglaries are ones of opportunity, and burglars will not generally stick around if they see someone is home.

Pretty much. Odds are, I wouldn't really have to decide what to do, because the second we locked eyes they'd run away, unless I was blocking the escape route.

odds are true. but that is those idiots who don't bother wearing a mask then panic when they are seen and have that "omg he saw my face I can't let him live" mindset. never heard of a case with a home but seen cases of idiots doing this in stores
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Metal_Mario99 posted...

Yeah, that worked out real well for Uncle Ben, didn't it?

Yes, that poor fictional character in that fictional story. Clearly, relying on a fantasy story is a great bolster to your case for a real world scenario.

Metal_Mario99 posted...

Why are you people always telling women to blow their rape whistles or wet themselves when they could be shooting the scumbag in the head?

Because:
a) No guns were ever mentioned in the topic, and since it's a self-poll it's immaterial anyways, because I neither have a gun nor would I ever willingly allow one to be kept on my property.
b) Even were that not the case, if you're in the same room as a burglar and your gun is not already in hand, it's already too late for you to use it. In the time it would take you to retrieve the gun from whatever container or holster you keep it in, draw it, get the safety off, and point it at your assailant, he will have had ample time to run over and attack you. The standard rule of thumb the police go by is the "21 foot rule" - if your attacker is closer than that, they can reach you before you have enough time to draw and fire your weapon, and that number was created based on studies of police: trained professionals who work with firearms on a regular basis. The idea that Joe Average could draw and fire accurately faster than a cop, especially in a high stress situation, is laughable.
c) A gun is an escalation of force which risks it being met in kind. A burglar may get scared off by the attention (after all, he presumably came to rob you, not murder you); but if he sees you trying to draw a weapon and he is similarly armed, he may feel the need to defend himself from an imminent threat on his life and draw his own weapon too.
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I would like to think I would pull out my .45 or my raven (whatever I'm closer to) and blow them away.

Idk how I would react tho.
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darkknight109 posted...

Metal_Mario99 posted...

Yeah, that worked out real well for Uncle Ben, didn't it?

Yes, that poor fictional character in that fictional story. Clearly, relying on a fantasy story is a great bolster to your case for a real world scenario.

Metal_Mario99 posted...

Why are you people always telling women to blow their rape whistles or wet themselves when they could be shooting the scumbag in the head?

Because:
a) No guns were ever mentioned in the topic, and since it's a self-poll it's immaterial anyways, because I neither have a gun nor would I ever willingly allow one to be kept on my property.
b) Even were that not the case, if you're in the same room as a burglar and your gun is not already in hand, it's already too late for you to use it. In the time it would take you to retrieve the gun from whatever container or holster you keep it in, draw it, get the safety off, and point it at your assailant, he will have had ample time to run over and attack you. The standard rule of thumb the police go by is the "21 foot rule" - if your attacker is closer than that, they can reach you before you have enough time to draw and fire your weapon, and that number was created based on studies of police: trained professionals who work with firearms on a regular basis. The idea that Joe Average could draw and fire accurately faster than a cop, especially in a high stress situation, is laughable.
c) A gun is an escalation of force which risks it being met in kind. A burglar may get scared off by the attention (after all, he presumably came to rob you, not murder you); but if he sees you trying to draw a weapon and he is similarly armed, he may feel the need to defend himself from an imminent threat on his life and draw his own weapon too.

I want to bring issue on getting the gun thing. chances are its night and you are in your bedroom, unless they entered your bedroom window you have plenty of time, the idea is you hear something that sounds suspicious you grab your weapon then proceed carefully. and read the news sometimes plenty of people have successfully defended themselves from home invasions with guns, several cases being mere teenagers like age 14
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mooreandrew58 posted...

jramirez23 posted...

Call the police.

well I guess atleast it will be recorded for statistics. and possibly get them arrested. good luck getting your stuff back though. if they are a criminal who knows what they are doing they can be in and out in the average police response time and wipe you out in the process. ever watch the show I think called "it takes a thief" or something like that. dudes would go break into high dollar homes almost all with alarm systems and they would be in and out in under 10 minutes and sometimes made away with 20k worth of stolen items

edit: i'd call the the police too but I wouldn't simply just let someone steal my stuff either. i'm definitely at least gonna try scaring them off

The poll asks "what's the FIRST thing you would do, not the 'only'". The first smart thing is obviously call the police, and then get something to defend yourself.

Many people who voted clearly misunderstood the question. It takes 2 seconds to call 911 and tell them your address.

mooreandrew58 posted...

I want to bring issue on getting the gun thing. chances are its night and you are in your bedroom, unless they entered your bedroom window you have plenty of time, the idea is you hear something that sounds suspicious you grab your weapon then proceed carefully.

The OP didn't specify this was the case, though. All he said was that "someone broke in" - never said it was night, or that you were in bed, or that you'd had time to arm yourself. You can assume all of the above if you like, but it's just that - an assumption.

mooreandrew58 posted...

and read the news sometimes plenty of people have successfully defended themselves from home invasions with guns, several cases being mere teenagers like age 14

Sure. That doesn't mean it's always the best available solution, though.
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darkknight109 posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

I want to bring issue on getting the gun thing. chances are its night and you are in your bedroom, unless they entered your bedroom window you have plenty of time, the idea is you hear something that sounds suspicious you grab your weapon then proceed carefully.

The OP didn't specify this was the case, though. All he said was that "someone broke in" - never said it was night, or that you were in bed, or that you'd had time to arm yourself. You can assume all of the above if you like, but it's just that - an assumption.

mooreandrew58 posted...

and read the news sometimes plenty of people have successfully defended themselves from home invasions with guns, several cases being mere teenagers like age 14

Sure. That doesn't mean it's always the best available solution, though.

yes but the question gives no context of circumstances. and also it doesn't take simply 2 seconds to call the police. to dial maybe, but they tend to want to hold you on the line. i'll call them after as they won't make it to my place before the criminal would be gone rather I deal with him or not. all they'll be good for is taking a report and trying to hunt them down after the fact.
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OP specifically said "they're not brandishing a weapon" and "you've locked eyes with them". it's "what do you do in that moment where all you know is they're there, and they know you've seen them".

IRL it depends largely on what *they* do. this is why I said I do nothing at first. if they do nothing too, then I start yelling, and if they continue to do nothing I get a weapon (depending where I am, the getting a weapon part may have started earlier). ultimately, either they attack and a fight ensues, or they flee and I secure the door/window and call the police.
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mooreandrew58 posted...

and also it doesn't take simply 2 seconds to call the police. to dial maybe, but they tend to want to hold you on the line. i'll call them after as they won't make it to my place before the criminal would be gone rather I deal with him or not. all they'll be good for is taking a report and trying to hunt them down after the fact.

Why are we suddenly talking about the police? That wasn't in any of my posts.
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darkknight109 posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

and also it doesn't take simply 2 seconds to call the police. to dial maybe, but they tend to want to hold you on the line. i'll call them after as they won't make it to my place before the criminal would be gone rather I deal with him or not. all they'll be good for is taking a report and trying to hunt them down after the fact.

Why are we suddenly talking about the police? That wasn't in any of my posts.

my bad quoted you and forgot it was another dude who brought up the police. i'm sure he'll see this anyways.
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seriously though the people who act like calling the police first is always best course of action just ain't gotta clue, I live in a rural area down a dirt road thats easy to miss if you don't know its there. no street sign even. (used to be one but some dickweed kept knocking it down and they eventually stopped replacing it)

it would take the cops 20 minutes bare minimum to get here unless I got lucky and one happened to be literally around the corner. cops never come down this road unless they are called to come out here.
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