Last Tuesday night..

[Drich]

TRich and I were sound asleep, and we have two dogs that sleep in the family room. Every once and a while one of them will have a bad dream and let out a bark or one will scare the other and let out a yelp. But last Tuesday night both were barking like the house was on fire, so I jumped out of bed and started to run Towards the door to yell at them quietly... Then I thought, wait a tick what if they are barking at someone... so I went back to my night stand and got a gun.. I opened the bedroom door, and walkout and looked at the dogs, then Saw a blue led flashlight beam hit my kitchen window. (It over looks out screened in porch, no one should be in their at 3 o clock in the GD morning for any reason..) So i thought to my self this is real, and I'm about to shoot someone in my underoos.. So I go to the back door which has a big window in it and I see this a-hole bent over the propane tank of my gas grill, and I got really pissed.. I thought this guy is going to make me shoot him for a 30 dollar tank and 10 dollars worth of propane... Then I thought I've been out of a dead sleep maybe a total of 30 seconds maybe I should not shoot till I give him a running start.. (Didn't want to be on the news) so I took my .45 and tapped it on the glass of the door window and said in a deep voice, while pointing the gun/safety off finger on the trigger "get the fuck out of here before I put another hole in your ass!!!" (Because his ass was up and facing me as he was bent over my propane tank.)

Then the idiot shines his light in my eyes, so I duck back and hit the porch light and stuck the gun back in the window, and said leave or I will shoot!!! Then He said "Sherriff's department, put down the gun!" Then I stuck my head around the door to look and sure enough he was wearing, a polo shirt with the Sherriff's office logo on it, and wouldn't you know he brought his gun to our little show and tell... Then two of his buddies who were all dressed the same also had the same gun... (How embarrassing for them, they all brought the same gun to show and tell) so I put down my gun and placed my hands on the glass. Apologized, and the lead guy asked if I heard anything from my neighbors? I said no. He said someone called in a domestic dispute at 3am and they are not answering the door. He asked if they fight.. At that point I was so rattled I would have ratted out my own mom if he asked me to. So I said yes the fight like cats and dogs, and after really big fights there usally broken furniture out for collection on the following trash day, he said thank you and moved on..

I never did find out what he was doing with my propane tank.. The next day I saw the neighbor lady. She's a stout 6 ft 220, and he's maybe 5'5" 120 soaking wet. She had a light scratch on her right cheek and he look like he said something he should not have said to ray rice in an elevator..

[Aractus]

God what a backwards red-neck you must be.

[Jackalope]

Dude, shooting someone over a $30 tank and ten bucks worth of propane would be pretty stupid.

[ignoramus]

Yes, only in god blessed America!

[JeffofGallifrey]

Oh, wow...

Well, I'm glad you're safe. That could have turned out worse...

and I hope this Tuesday night is less eventful and you get more rest

[Sejanus]

Dude, shooting someone over a $30 tank and ten bucks worth of propane would be pretty stupid.

That's 'Murica for you.

[Alex K]

Good Lord. It's a miracle there are still any Americans left.

[Mystical]

Glad you're ok. Obviously don't you think if the dogs are barking at something outside, you might check more than one window to get a bearing on the situation if all the dude is doing is bending over your BBQ grill?

Another case of 'guns almost made a typical situation into a nightmare for citizen and policeman'.

Oh and I forgot 'for no reason'

Imagine how that same situation would have gone down in Australia? You would have been able to know that no guns are in the strangers hands, no guns in the cops hands, and no guns certainly would be in yours. Your dogs would've protected you and Mrs Trich inside the house, and all would be well.

[Drich]

Glad you're ok. Obviously don't you think if the dogs are barking at something outside, you might check more than one window to get a bearing on the situation if all the dude is doing is bending over your BBQ grill?

Another case of 'guns almost made a typical situation into a nightmare for citizen and policeman'.

Oh and I forgot 'for no reason'

Imagine how that same situation would have gone down in Australia? You would have been able to know that no guns are in the strangers hands, no guns in the cops hands, and no guns certainly would be in yours. Your dogs would've protected you and Mrs Trich inside the house, and all would be well.

Good point I should have obtained better tactical awareness before surrendering my position. Lesson learned.

I would assume in Australia it would go down like it would any place guns are bann. All the law abiding people would be disarmed, but the people who do not care to obey the law, would still arm themselves. In that case I would have probably turn my dogs loose before making a posturing threat and got the cops attention, and the cop would have tried and talked his way out of getting mauled, or whatever it is the do when their life is in danger..

Clearly the discretion of the invaded home owner would set the pace no matter if guns are involved or not.

[Anomalocaris]

Good Lord. It's a miracle there are still any Americans left.

If the lord was good then there wouldn't be any Americans like that left.