'When has it ever become legal to shoot someone because they’re pulling off in your car?'

[sixthson]

He should have aimed for the tires. Personally, nothing material that I own is worth the life of another human being.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I don't own a gun and won't own a gun. My home was broken into twice in Albuquerque, and I stopped a thief on a third time when he thought my home was empty because it was for sale.

But, I lived next door to a thief. I saw his lifestyle every day. I saw what he stole. I saw what he didn't do with his money, which is feed his kids.

I cannot imagine me ever getting to the stage I bought a gun, but it is for good reason. I'd have no problem shooting a thief in my home. True, I wouldn't be running after one down the street, firing away.

I'd rather not become a killer, but it's not because I wouldn't be able to do it. I've lived long enough and seen enough sloth, lying, cheating, stealing, and scummy living that I don't think those people should be the ones reproducing. The less of them, the better.

Did I mention they run the light across you at the intersections? Did I?

 

[NotHardUp1]

I've been arguing the generic question without even reading the link. Now that I've read the linked article, it is even worse. The surviving sister is arguing that the fireman who shot her brother was judge and jury.

No. That is not what it is. He was a property owner.

She described it as if he didn't play the game right. The brother got the Jeep, ignored the demand to get out, and then attempted to just make it away with the car. It's not a game. It's real life. The owner doesn't have an onus to presume innocence. The driver of his Jeep is not "the alleged thief." He's the actual thief. He's in the driver's seat that you just got out of a moment ago.

I saw a car theft right at the gas station a few years back when a lady was buying gas and the thug pushed her away and grabbed the keys and took her crappy little Neon. She was hysterical. She was terrified.

Whoever starts down that road of theft needs to know that he is rolling the dice every time he does it. It's just like drinking and driving. "Well, he was only 17." Well, he's old enough to know that kids do kill others drinking and driving. He's old enough to play Grand Theft Auto and know it's a dog-eat-dog fight when you're a thief.

It may be a shame that he grew to that age and made those choices, but the sister's wrong. It's not injustice. He planned on outsmarting the car owners, on bluffing his way out, on getting away with easy money. He played and lost. Game over. Maybe tragedy. Maybe not tragedy. But he wasn't innocent. And he wasn't tried. He was stopped in the act.

Don't steal. Don't put yourself at risk of death just for some quick cash.

And it's not about the gun. The fireman could have pulled him out if he'd gotten a grip on him and he could have died that way too. It's more likely with a gun, to be sure, but he's a thief being stopped in the act. He has no rights as he does it. There are no rights that protect thieves as they steal.

 

[Kahaih]

Wasn't horse theft a hangable offense throughout North America not all that long ago?

For a lot of people, still, a car is vital to keeping a job, getting food, getting family members to medical appointments, etc. A car is more than just a thing.

 

[Nealm1]

I'm not saying having a gun is a positive thing (in fact its bad). If someone was driving off in your car, you'd be feeling very annoyed, and if you additionally had a gun in your hand, you would be a saint not to shoot at the perp

 

[mikey3000]

Ok, now I read the article. Personally I feel it unrolled the way it should. The kid took his chances and paid the price. He was given the oppourtunity to stop and save his own life, but he didn't. That's the wild west attitude of the day.

The liberal, legal way is that the kid should've seen police and been areested, but the world is a changing place. Crazy. I love and need my car too. If I had a gun and caught someone stealing my beloved car, I'd likely shoot em too, but not shoot to kill.

 

[peeonme]

When has it ever become legal to shoot someone because they’re pulling off in your car?
The way the question is phrased carefully leaves out 'stealing' your car. Because we all know it's not legal to steal a car.
Personally, I wouldn't kill unless mine or a loved ones life was in danger.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Wasn't horse theft a hangable offense throughout North America not all that long ago?

For a lot of people, still, a car is vital to keeping a job, getting food, getting family members to medical appointments, etc. A car is more than just a thing.

It's not that the car isn't replaceable, even though it won't be at no cost to the owner.

It has more to do with working to earn our things. It's not just a car. It's the second most expensive thing most people ever buy after a house or an education. It represents many hours of toil.

In the abstract, it is commendable not to kill trivially, although I don't consider theft trivial. If one takes it to the next level, how many people would let a man set fire to their home even with it empty, and just be content with the possibility of prosecution and replacement? Few, I think.

It's more than just stuff.

As for the hanging offense, I'm sure that thieves have been hung by many a country in the Americas and Europe in times past. It was not just a think in the US.

 

[Alistair]

When has it ever become legal to shoot someone because they’re pulling off in your car?
The way the question is phrased carefully leaves out 'stealing' your car. Because we all know it's not legal to steal a car.
Personally, I wouldn't kill unless mine or a loved ones life was in danger.

I've had my car stolen. The 2 years the guy is spending in jail is enough for me. I think I'd only kill if a loved one was in danger.

 

[sixthson]

Well, whether you or I think a car is not worth it, the owner indeed has the choice. And, to be considered, if you live where there is constant crime like this, it may be a final resort to deter others from coming back and taking the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing.

Talk to people who live in the midst of these hoodlums. See how besieged and beleaguered they feel.

And people carry insurance on their cars because replacement is so damned expensive. But, guess what? Most of us carry it against the odd chance we'll have a major accident. If you know someone will steal it, you know your rates will keep going up, you'll keep paying the deductible, which is quite something on replacing the car, and you'll keep pissing away that money you worked for.

How is that the right thing to do?

And it doesn't matter whether it's a 14 year old, a 20 year old, or a 40 year old. When you see your car driving away, you don't have time or need to do an age verification. Theft is theft. And Grand Theft Auto is both a game and a sport.

And now his vehicle is a crime scene with broken windows and whatever other damage the bullet caused not to mention being splattered with blood. Either way, it's an insurance claim.

 

[mikey3000]

But where does stealing stop? First your lunch money, then your bike, then your car, then one day your house and your lice. It has to stop somewhere.

 

[johaninsc]

But where does stealing stop? First your lunch money, then your bike, then your car, then one day your house and your lice. It has to stop somewhere.

rest easy, Mikey...I believe your lice are fairly safe from kidna- um...licenapping


when you tire of them, a good shampoo might be helpful

 

[mikey3000]

Lol!!! Life. I meant life. I got rid of my lice long ago, no matter what rareboy says.