ttbn,

I don't want to see everybody toting a gun, all that I want to see is people being able to defend themselves; as it is now even mild non-lethal items are banned if the purpose of having them is self-defence.

Have a read of this;

"Police in Perth have decided not to charge a 77-year-old man who shot an intruder during an alleged burglary at his home in Herne Hill.

Police say two intruders forced their way into the home of Eugene Valenti and his bed-ridden wife last Wednesday night.

They say Mr Valenti armed himself with a shotgun, locked himself and his wife in a bedroom and warned the men he was armed.

The men forced their way in and, in the ensuing struggle, a shot was fired, wounding one of them.

Police believe Mr Valenti used reasonable force defending himself and his invalid wife and say his version of events is supported by forensic evidence gathered at the scene."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-02-23/elderly-man-who-shot-home-intruder-will-not-be/305300

Of course, the better outcome for some would have been for the intruders to bash the elderly man and rape his invalid wife and then murder them.

What is the country coming to when elderly folk can defend themselves and get away with it?

Paul and Belly,

What would you have done?

ise miserable question
Is the intent of current laws and terms of imprisonment not a method of saying we the community want this crime to end
Does it work
Maybe not always
As sane answer raise your blood pressure how about we are [as it seems you and other want]arm the elderly
Put a bounty on the heads of anyone younger than say 40?

Belly,

"Is the intent of current laws and terms of imprisonment not a method of saying we the community want this crime to end
Does it work
Maybe not always"

No maybe about it, but that is deterrence, what would you do in the face of an immediate attack, as the axe smashes through the door?

"As sane answer raise your blood pressure..."

Don't know, try me with a sane answer.

ise mise best you know a few things, competitive posts aimed at me rather than thoughtful discussion is time wasting
When, in any post in this thread, did I say we should not be able to defend ourselves
Did not happen your post has me grinning, that 77 year old did what I would want to do
See only in your mind is this thread other than a social commentary on the increasing crimes against the defenseless
To it screams my discontent with revolving door justice
It questions our very system of law when the costs of confinement seem to over rule victims rights

Belly,

See it wasn't hard, you've finally said what you would do.

"Did not happen your post has me grinning, that 77 year old did what I would want to do"

Congratulations.