Putting a sign in my front yard warning I have guns, good or bad idea?

[Bruce]

The people who are going to "break into your house" knowing full well that you own firearms, with the specific intention of "stealing your guns", are certainly not your typical burglars.

In almost every case, I will bet real money that the "intentional gun thieves" know your home *intimately*. They know with absolute certainty where your firearms are (and/or how to get at them) and where *you*are. Even then, they are not going to rob you of your firearms without being armed themselves.

As I said - not your typical burglars.

I think what happens is much more commonly that run-of-the mill burglars, who would otherwise have avoided your home altogether if they suspected you owned firearms, are "pleasantly surprised" (by this, I mean: scared to death) when they stumble across your firearms - they probably then move a whole lot quicker to get the heck out (with your firearms, if they can) once they find them!

I don't "advertise", but that is not becuase I don't think such would 'work in your favor' as a deterrent to crime. I guess you could say that I prefer my private business not be "advertised" to my nosy, snoopy, (but, as far as I know) non-criminal neighbors.

However, I'd prefer if somehow the would-be burglars out there thought I was one of those "wacko pro-second amendment survivalist-type freaks" who rig their homes with home-made shotgun booby traps.

If "letting people know you own guns" will increase the likelihood of your home being burgled - then cops (who are ever seen in uniform around their home) must get robbed, like, once a week then!
.

[Roland of Gilead]

Originally Posted by bob308

the only time a bad guy should know you are armed is when he has the barrel stuck between his eyes and he watches the hollow points going around as you cock the hammer.

There you go . . .

http://melis.bbaron.sk/wav/gorila.wav

.

[slinkwc2k]

What ever happened to looking out for our neighbors, rather than seeking to gain an advantage by putting others at a disadvantage? All of us law-abiding citizens are supposed to get each other's backs and defend against those bad guys with ill-intentions. Be a sheepdog, not a wolf.

To the OP; do not advertise your armament(s). The element of surprise holds a huge advantage, do not wastefully give it up.

[tlgpa]

This sign might work better

[dlclarkii]

Originally Posted by slinkwc2k

What ever happened to looking out for our neighbors, rather than seeking to gain an advantage by putting others at a disadvantage? All of us law-abiding citizens are supposed to get each other's backs and defend against those bad guys with ill-intentions. Be a sheepdog, not a wolf.

To the OP; do not advertise your armament(s). The element of surprise holds a huge advantage, do not wastefully give it up.

This post was joke and meant for a lol.

[bogey1]

Originally Posted by BTA88

It's a bad idea anyway. You'd be advertising to the criminals that they can break into your home while you're out, and be well armed for their next heist.

And yeah, that pic is shopped.

how would they know nobody's home?

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by bogey1

how would they know nobody's home?

by casing your house and learning your routine.

does the "typical" burglar actually do this type of pre-operational recon? maybe not.

but, by having an "I have guns" sign in your yard/on your house, you make yourself a prime target for those who do.

[GunLawyer001]

Originally Posted by LittleRedToyota

by casing your house and learning your routine.

does the "typical" burglar actually do this type of pre-operational recon? maybe not.

but, by having an "I have guns" sign in your yard/on your house, you make yourself a prime target for those who do.

Yep, it's pretty easy to map out the schedules for a typical family. If there are kids, they go to school weekdays, probably 7 AM to 3 PM, September through June. At least one parent leaves for work and is gone 9 to 5 plus commuting time. If the other parent is there, they may work; if not, when they get in the car and leave, the house is vacant.

Self-employed people are harder to predict, but if someone on PAFOA posts that he and his family will be at a certain event that's 50-100 miles away, what could a thief do with that info, if he knows your real name and roughly where you live?

All the guns in the world won't protect your home if you're not there.

There's no law that I know of against posting a sign on your own door that claims that you have an illegal shotgun man-trap; the downside is that if your house catches fire, the firemen will let it burn and watch from a block away.

[LittleRedToyota]

i usually post a link to "lawyers, guns, and burglars" for the purpose of showing how gun control increases home invasions (and causes burglars to target occupied homes while lack of gun control causes them to target unoccupied homes).

however, there are a couple of messages in there. one is that burglars in the united states actually do seem to pay very much attention to whether or not there is anyone home in the houses they target.

American burglars tend to "work" at hours when persons are unlikely to be in the home. [FN59] Consistent with the desire to avoid a personal confrontation, burglars prefer houses, such as those on corners, where the risks of being observed by a neighbor are reduced. [FN60] Two hours are spent on the average suburban burglary; most of that time is spent "casing the joint" to ensure that no one is home.

One burglar told of watching a particular house and noting that the occupants all went to church for four to five hours on Sunday morning. [FN61] Another explained, "You just knock on the door to see if they're there. You bang, you *354 bang, you look through windows, nobody's in bed. I mean, you gotta make sure they're not home, make sure they're not home." [FN62]

...

Thus, careful burglars must (and most do) take care to avoid entering any home where a victim might be present. Because about half of all American homes contain a gun, burglars tend to avoid all occupied American homes.

in the US, the vast majority of burglaries happen when no one is home because the burglars fear being shot by homeowners. but, they don't try to avoid being shot by targeting houses where non-gunowners live. rather, they just target houses where no one is home.

btw, the entire paper is very interesting if anyone wants to read it:

http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/L...nsBurglars.htm

[GunLawyer001]

Originally Posted by LittleRedToyota

i usually post a link to "lawyers, guns, and burglars" for the purpose of showing how gun control increases home invasions (and causes burglars to target occupied homes while lack of gun control causes them to target unoccupied homes).

however, there are a couple of messages in there. one is that burglars in the united states actually do seem to pay very much attention to whether or not there is anyone home in the houses they target.

Quote:
American burglars tend to "work" at hours when persons are unlikely to be in the home. [FN59] Consistent with the desire to avoid a personal confrontation, burglars prefer houses, such as those on corners, where the risks of being observed by a neighbor are reduced. [FN60] Two hours are spent on the average suburban burglary; most of that time is spent "casing the joint" to ensure that no one is home.

One burglar told of watching a particular house and noting that the occupants all went to church for four to five hours on Sunday morning. [FN61] Another explained, "You just knock on the door to see if they're there. You bang, you *354 bang, you look through windows, nobody's in bed. I mean, you gotta make sure they're not home, make sure they're not home." [FN62]

...

Thus, careful burglars must (and most do) take care to avoid entering any home where a victim might be present. Because about half of all American homes contain a gun, burglars tend to avoid all occupied American homes.

in the US, the vast majority of burglaries happen when no one is home because the burglars fear being shot by homeowners. but, they don't try to avoid being shot by targeting houses where non-gunowners live. rather, they just target houses where no one is home.

btw, the entire paper is very interesting if anyone wants to read it:

http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/L...nsBurglars.htm

So, it really does appear that the death penalty, when applied swiftly and surely, is a deterrent to crime.

Wow, who'd a thought it?