yeah it's a pretty awful feeling. I got wiped out two months after finishing college. Lost all of my meager possessions and did not have renters insurance. I felt very violated knowing a stranger had gone through everything I owned.

I understood the point that my husband was making. At that time we would have felt differently than now. Now it is all just stuff. Things change. Cancer, deaths, huge events have happened to us since we were very young.

You are right. That is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which can occur after a battlefield experience, a burglary or robbery, a house fire, etc.

However, if you walked into your house and saw a burglar, the best thing to do is run back outside and call the police.

IF you were carrying your handgun and pumped 9 rounds into his "10" ring effectively neutralizing him forever - just imagine the PTSD from that event. Chances are you would move from that house - and would have to disclose it to the realty agent.

Best advice - get a professionally installed alarm system and use it!

Know how it feels. Woke to someone standing next to my bed gong through my wallet, years ago in San Francisco. To this day I wake up very startled at the slightest sound.

Good point. I would hate to hurt my resale value. Not to mention the cost of bullets.

Do people have home alarm systems in their homes?

Yes. And many of us are camera'd up too.

"Iam not certain how I would react" is a true and honest answer to walking in on a couple of burglars. Some of the posts I have read in this thread are ridiculous. Pulling out your gun (if your carrying) and start shooting is one of them. The truth is we can say "this and that" but you really don't know what you would do. In this instance, the burglars ran out the door. Nobody was hurt---all is well.

All I can tell you is what happened to us ,when we were living on our boat- @ marina in the vicinity of Jupiter, a young man boarded our boat from the water, he was attempting to climb on our sun deck from the ladder that was on our swim platform- this was @ 4 AM- the laser sight on my revolver caught his attention-I told him if he decided to get on the deck, "I will kill you"- I was screaming for other boat owners to call 911-the Martin County deputy-told the young man-he was very lucky-that he did not die.

I do not think that you will have much chance of pointing your gun at any burglars here... I guess it could happen.


You never know. Last year we had a bunch of breakins, but the LEO's caught most of them. This year I have heard of two. Last year only one set of homeowners was home. And thieves didn't wake them.


No need to get all excited....at this point. Don't borrow trouble.

I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Think about it.

I would certainly think about it if we lived in some nasty crime ridden place. Good grief.

Not so sure. From what I have read, your savvy burglar caries some meat or other form of tasty treat to throw to the dog after they break in.

Shocking to see how naive people here seem to be concerned only about break-ins to steal material possessions/money.

Duhhhhh....there are vicious attackers that break in to rape and beat/stab victims to a pulp, too! That causes lifelong mental trauma, unlike material things that can be replaced and for which we have insurance.

A man I knew, a former member of the French Resistance, while awaiting his boat's turn to go through the Panama Canal, was confronted by two pirates off Colombia attempting to board his boat. He blew them away with a shotgun. Kudos to him!