Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2361377)

Great post!

It does (in an indirect way) point out a very definite problem regarding crime in The Villages and its increase--and let's not kid ourselves, it WILL increase. Villagers are by and large very law-abiding folks, but those apartment buildings we see springing up like mushrooms are not built to house Villagers but to house the people who work in and for The Villages: younger folks, from a variety of life backgrounds, and many with children of their own. Such a demographic will, by its very nature, have more crime than a bunch of a group of 150,000 older folks and retirees.

We're very lucky here in TV with the level and quality of law enforcement that we have: things that get routinely reported here as crimes, and followed up on by law enforcement, would probably be met with a loud guffaw if reported as crimes in the areas that many of us hail from. We see story after story after story in The Online Paper That Shall Not Be Named, of law enforcement chasing down and apprehending thieves who have taken what in many (most?) other states would be considered paltry sums; shoplifters who have taken maybe $100 worth of merchandise for example. Many stories of people being stopped for minor traffic infractions such as stopping at a stop sign with the front of their car over the thick white line, vehicle windows with too heavy a tint, improper turns, things like that, which are often followed by a K-9 being called which "alerts" to the possibility of drugs, which are then found in the vehicle. The cops obviously know who the troublemakers are and do an excellent job of keeping the pressure on them. But all too often such police work is negated by a criminal justice system that slaps the miscreants on the wrist (if even that) and sends them on their way. The rap sheets of some of these characters fill pages! In other words, such crime carries very little risk, and even if caught the penalty is really nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

The question is, will policing TV and surrounding areas continue to be adequate in dealing with an influx of crime that is sure to come? I hope so. But if not, will things escalate to a point where law-abiding folks will take matters into their own hands and "beat the ****"" out of miscreants who have obviously not had it beaten out of them during previous times and misadventures?

Let's hope not.

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith (Post 2360767)

This is a tough situation. I hate to see anyone die unnecessarily but when a crook breaks into an occupied house/car they just let me know they value their life less than what they are after. If this happens to me I hope I have the wherewithal and time to assess the situation to gage whether they are violent before I start shooting. It could be a fairly innocent act, someone lost or out of their mind.

Originally Posted by JMintzer (Post 2361999)

What about states that don't have a "state permit class"?

Many states hve gone to "Constitutional Carry" and no longer offer a class...

That said, I do believe anyone who carries should take the NRA Concealed Carry Class. But there are better classes out there for self defense training...

Originally Posted by mraines (Post 2362188)

Breaking into your car is not a threat to your life.

Originally Posted by eyc234 (Post 2362000)

Wow then I must be a criminal since I lived in apartments a lot throughout my life, along with many of my life long friends. It is no wonder older people get a bad name you loose all realities of life. No different than listening to that Devil Music Steppenwolf effected my life, living in an apartment and section eight housing did not make my wife nor I bad, criminal or anything else other than open our eyes about people.

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith (Post 2362195)

I wish there were some sort of enticement that would convince people to get training and practice. Here and Tennessee, where our other home is, have recently adopted 'constitutional carry' and its pretty concerning.

Some folks just aren't ready to own/carry and that's a risk to us all. A few months after my dad passed away my mom called in a panic, she had just found his revolver and shot her bread making machine trying to unload it. There's still a divot in the kitchen counter where the bullet hit before ricocheting into the bread maker. I'm afraid the bread maker did not survive.

Originally Posted by dougjb (Post 2362200)

Moreover, many homeowners with guns find that their guns are used by their children or grandchildren who find them and play with them. The number one cause of death for an infant is not fever, contagion, SIDS or any other health reason. The number one killer of infants is death by the discharge of a gun.

Originally Posted by JMintzer (Post 2361999)

What about states that don't have a "state permit class"?

Many states hve gone to "Constitutional Carry" and no longer offer a class...

That said, I do believe anyone who carries should take the NRA Concealed Carry Class. But there are better classes out there for self defense training...

Originally Posted by Two Bills (Post 2362214)

Posters etc. keep referring to the wee hours.
My wee hours are about 1am, 3am, and 5-6am.
Being more specific would help.
Thank you.

Originally Posted by Two Bills (Post 2362214)

Posters etc. keep referring to the wee hours.
My wee hours are about 1am, 3am, and 5-6am.
Being more specific would help.
Thank you.

Originally Posted by Two Bills (Post 2362214)

Posters etc. keep referring to the wee hours.
My wee hours are about 1am, 3am, and 5-6am.
Being more specific would help.
Thank you.

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2362211)

We had firearms training in high school (optional class--just about everybody took it).

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith (Post 2362238)

Can you imagine if someone even suggested this today, heads would spin till they fell off. :faint:

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2362258)

Lol! that they would.

Interestingly enough though, one of the fastest-growing sports in high school is.....skeet shooting! As in kids with 12-gauge shotguns pulverizing clay targets on the fly. I think it is THE fastest H.S. sport in the state I used to call home (Minnesota). But it is not just Minnesota, but nationwide.

This, from sports events media group dot com:

As one of the fastest-growing sports among young people, disciplines such as skeet and trap shooting are finding a whole new generation of advocates.

Need an example? Take the 2023 Minnesota Trapshooting Championships in Alexandria, Minn., last summer, which hosted more than 8,500 teens representing 240 high school teams from across the state.

That’s a huge leap from the 30 participants who made up three Minnesota high school teams during the 2007-08 school year. Since then, the sport has seen a dramatic increase in the number of schools at the high school and college levels adding it as an extra-curricular activity.

Fast forward to 2021-22, there were 49,337 participants on 1,647 high school, college, and homeschool teams, says the USA High School Clay Target League. The league’s annual impact report shows an addition of 13,815 new student-athletes participating in league activities in 2023, along with 198 new teams added.

Next year, the USA Clay Target League anticipates 53,000 student-athletes on its rolls as part of its goal to reach 100,000 registered student-athletes by the end of 2025.

Lots of good things happen when people aren't fearful of guns.

Originally Posted by dougjb (Post 2362200)

Most guns that are in a house wind up being used on the homeowner!

Why is this?

If its a confrontation with an intruder, a fumbling homeowner might miss or otherwise poorly handle the gun. In that case, the gun is simply taken by the intruder (who may not have otherwise had a weapon) and perhaps used on the homeowner.

But, statistically, guns in a household are used on a homeowner or the spouse either in a domestic argument situation or for suicide. The numbers are startling. Very few homeowners with guys ever use them on an intruder. A huge percentage is used on the homeowner or spouse...many times in a drunken rage or despondency.

Moreover, many homeowners with guns find that their guns are used by their children or grandchildren who find them and play with them. The number one cause of death for an infant is not fever, contagion, SIDS or any other health reason. The number one killer of infants is death by the discharge of a gun.

I have a neighbor who is very conversant with the use of guns. He practices, he knows about guns, he practices good guy safety (meaning his bullets are not in the same location as his gun). But, he readliy admits, in the case of an intruder, he would have to take some time to arm the weapon for use (discharge or threat) to the intruder.

Please use some good sense before you arm your household...for the benefit or your spouse, your neighbor, your children or grandchildren. The loss of some property is simply not worth the risk.

For those of you who think the law is on your side. Perhaps....but do you really want to get caught up in the system...which may or may not find you guilty of a crime and if not a crime perhaps liable for damages. Its fine to cite the statute. But, how much is it going to cost you to prove you were right?

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2362211)

Florida does. I live here.

Carrying firearms in public has already been deemed a state rights issue, so I have no control or interest in how other states manage firearms carry and regulation. I have no plans for living in any other state at this time. However, if and when I do, I will make it a point to learn their laws before I'd carry in public.

The point about the the NRA is a good one. Many people have been so conditioned by media that just the word "NRA" strikes fear. In actuality the NRA does offer a lot of educational opportunities and has for decades. We had firearms training in high school (optional class--just about everybody took it). Additionally the NRA offers the "Eddie Eagle" program, which is the only program I can think of that actually trains young children (preschool and elementary) just what do do if they find a gun. Far better that, than fear of the educator.

Originally Posted by JMintzer (Post 2362354)

Good for you. But FL doe not deem it necessary in order to carry a weapon.

And of course you should leanr the locals laws wherever you live (or intend to carry)...

I'd love to see gun safety taught in schools. But it'll never happen in many states, due to their irrational fear of anything that goes "BANG"...

Originally Posted by Normal (Post 2360676)

It doesn’t hurt to have an alarm system and defensive weapon available in your home in The Villages.

“A husband and wife in The Villages were terrified when they were awakened in the wee hours and the husband found an intruder in their home.

The couple had been asleep in their home in the Village of Pine Ridge at about 4 a.m. Monday when they were awakened by the sound of the garage door opening, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. The husband got of a bed to investigate the situation.

He entered the laundry room and found 37-year-old Barry Ray Wilbanks of Wildwood…”

https://www.**************.com/2024/...in-their-home/