Gun banner to deter would-be intruder?

[kingpin008]

when would-be intruders stop by your house and see gun posters on front door, they move on to next house, why is this so hard to understand?

It's hard to understand because it's not true. It's well known that criminals often scout locations to break into ahead of time to ensure that the occupants aren't home. And if they're not home when a criminal breaks in, guess what they can't use to shoot at the criminal? That's right, the GUNS! So, simple logic dictates that such houses are actually more likely to be chosen as targets for thieves, given the almost-guaranteed chance of an easy score within.

Of course, if you've got sources that prove otherwise, I'd be happy to have a look at them.

let me ask you, if you play the role of burglar, you need money and want to break in houses to get valuables, how do you scout and find potential targets?

Once again - I look for the house with the most obvious chance of something valuable that I can get rid of quick. In most cases, guns fit that bill perfectly. If I'm a criminal and I see a bunch of gun company stickers or a shot-up target posted on a house, odds are there are guns in the home. All I have to do is sit back, watch the house for a bit to determine the patterns of whoever lives there, and then boom - in the house I go. If there are guns and they happen to be really well secured, well, I still have all the rest of the stealable stuff in normal homes to fall back on, don't I?

 

[9MMare]

That's a great pic NS66, but I'm pretty sure the criminals arent afraid of the guns if there's no one home to shoot them. And most wait until the home is empty.

And if home invaders choose to break in, then I DEFINITELY want that element of surprise.

 

[9MMare]

And if they're not home when a criminal breaks in, guess what they can't use to shoot at the criminal? That's right, the GUNS!

LOL

I should have kept reading.

 

[MachIVshooter]

i would go with alarm company stickers...

And surveillance system stickers/signs and cameras. I've mentioned it in another thread, but feel it bears repeating: Many burglars (excluding those who case your house for days; Rare) will approach the front door and knock or ring the bell a few times to make sure no one is home, and they're not gonna be wearing a ski mask when doing so; they'll be posing as a solicitor or someone who is lost, etc. That's because in the event that some is home, they'll want to be able to just slip away without garnering extra attention/suspicion. If you have surveillance and warnings of it, they'll realize that they're anonymity has already been compromised, and the effect is very often the same as if someone had been home. They're not too dumb to realize that you now have a picture of their face, height and build, and that they'll instantly be a suspect.

i think in any house, guns are usually least valuable and usually locked, i don't think burglars will go for gun specifically unless that's what he needs,

In most locales, guns (especially handguns) rank second or third as most sought after/stolen by burglars, right after cash and swapping places with jewlery. They're easy to resell and bring a decent chunk of cheddar. Street value is often more than twice what a gun costs to buy legally.

Most common criminals don't realize how steep the penalty for stolen guns is vs. normal felony larceny. They are also rarely caught; most stolen guns go unrecovered.

 

[Hardtarget]

Just reproduce the old "Don't Tread On Me" flag. Its history!

Really, I'm in the "keep it concealed" group. While I love range trips, I don't like to carry gun cases to the truck...and I can't get it in the garage to load in secret.

Mark

 

[paramedic70002]

Good point about lepers. I suppose a sign, handwritten or professionally done, that warns of some sort of highly contagious disease, would be a great deterrent.

Also consider this. Had a talk with a Deputy last week. A major burglary ring that covered several counties from SE VA and up I-64 was busted when the perps drove around the back of a target house and got their vehicle stuck in mud. Couldn't get out and they were found sitting there pondering their next move.

Most burglaries are daylight hits when everybody is at work and school. Do your kids get home before you do, or is it possible that they would leave school early and come home? What if you come home during the day?

My back yard is fenced. The only way they are driving in my back yard is to open the gate. Maybe I should padlock it. Lightbulb! OK back to my train of thought. Burglars don't want to be seen loading up the loot. Restrict access to the back yard and reduce your chance of being cleaned out.

 

[cambeul41]

How about a sign saying, "Please do not disturb the snakes."

 

[Resto Guy]

In my county there is a little country store that serves hot food all day. There is a separate seating area reserved for law enforcement folks. Any particular morning I can drop in for a cheese biscuit and find 1-4 cop cars out front. The owner's son and daughter-in-law are both LEO, btw.
As you enter, you can't help but notice that hanging on the opposite wall is an old door mat with the image of a large revolver. Stitched into the mat are the words "I don't call 9-1-1. I call .357".
It was hanging there about 10 years ago when the owner had to shoot and kill an armed robber at the register. I'll never forget the news story that night. They showed the image of the door mat hanging on the wall while giving the details. That was followed with the Sheriff in the store parking lot giving a statement. He said it was an obvious case of self defense on the part of the store owner. It was as good as saying "Case Closed!!".
Unlike many of the our other rural stores, they have not had a robbery there since.

 

[ns66]

how about something to the effect of "CCW, armed when I am home, no gun for you when I am away"?

 

[mljdeckard]

I think this can vary depending on where you live. Some places it's understood that just about every home is armed. (And they have, as a result, very low burglary rates.) Others it may be less guaranteed, but not inflammatory to see gun-related items like a pigeon thrower or like items on the premises.

I don't go overboard, but I think that the NRA stickers on my vehicles in the car port, along with stickers showing membership in a branch of the military should be sufficient warning without advertising too strongly. If I lived in Massachusetts, I might act differently.

 

[ns66]

found these signs

 

[mljdeckard]

Exhibits A, B, and C.

 

[Tommygunn]

i would go with alarm company stickers...

Well, that would work against some but to those who know how different security systems work, you're only telling them what system you have so they can tell if they can defeat it or not ... or how.

I agree; no signs about guns or anything. Let surprise reign supreme.

 

[Rail Driver]

Hate to bust your bubble, but a private citizen can't check the serial number on their own.

Hate to bust *your* bubble, but many states and localities have stolen gun serial searches, and there are also a few nationwide ones that are coming into more use. Of course, the efficacy of these tools relies on the original owner reporting the gun stolen, but it is possible in many places.

Try googling "<your locality here> stolen weapon search", you may find yourself surprised. Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a tool like that and I've found it indispensable.

Back to the topic of the thread, I keep a small NRA sticker at the corner of my front window and one on my car, but nothing more. I work and attend school from home, so it's very rare that I or someone else is not here.

 

[Ignition Override]

In Memphis many burglars wait until about 10:00 AM.
They want people to be at work or school etc, and they prefer homes with no garage, or a car port.

A large number of exceptions involve people who often start in the afternoon or later (airlines, Fedex, UPS etc).

Back in December of '09 or so, at about 1900 (7:00 PM) we left and were gone for one hour. They had probably watched from a distance.

The house was the only home which was dark. They went behind a bush in front, and yanked out the thick power cable. The first visit is usually the master bedroom. Why look elsewhere for jewelry or guns, as the lookout scans the driveway for your return?

 

[klutchless]

My dad had a sigh on the front window when I was a younger that said" I'm old I'm retired and I have six boys who can shoot whats your chances.We shot alot out back at all hours of the day and night due to coons, coyotes and other vermin never got broken in to.

 

[kingpin008]

Hate to bust *your* bubble, but many states and localities have stolen gun serial searches, and there are also a few nationwide ones that are coming into more use.

Point taken. However, as you mention, it's only effective if you reside in an area that has such a service, and the gun has been reported stolen. So while you make a good point, my overall point stands.

 

[MarkDozier]

I advertise I have guns. I use the Flash, Boom, Thud method.
Muzzle Flash
Boom of weapon report
Thud of perp hitting the floor

 

[Mr White]

Guns are probably our third line of home defense.

1 - 3 big and very territorial/protective dogs.
2 - My 14 year old son (5-11, 180#) is a black belt and I was a step away from black belt when injuries forced me to give up martial arts.
3 - Gun

My thought for a banner is:

"You want to break in? Go for it. Getting shot is the BEST outcome you can hope for."

 

[mgkdrgn]

I have one of these at each likely entry point. I consider it "fair warning" ... I'm a "work from home" computer consultant and FFL.

 

[bhk]

Certainly not an issue in my rural area - EVERY house has guns. It would be a really rare one that doesn't. We still have burgleries, though, and they hit during the day when no one is home. No bad guy bent on stealing stuff around here is stupid enough to break into a rural residence when it is ocuppied.

I would guess that, in our area, advertising the number of guns you have or value of your collection might increase your chance of a break in. Maybe a Mossberg sticker on your door would lower your chance of a break-in, and a Browning (or other high-dollar maker) would increase your chance of a break-in. It certainly won't happen when you are home, so the threat a sticker/decal might only confirms gun ownership and poses no risk to the burglar.

I like being retired and being home most of the time. Less to worry about.

 

[model67a]

I have always seen signs like "beware of dog", "beware of armed homeowner", etc. and have wondered how a "beware of snake" sign would work. I would bet it would be a lot more affective than something they could hear coming and would probably get rid of a lot of solicitors too!!!!

 

[Tomcat47]

I am with the ones that rather not advertise or give a scheister lawyer something to use against me.

I do how ever have Private Property, No Trespassing, & ADT signs outside!

I have Motion detectors, driveway alarm, and a few dogs near or over 100 lbs.

We do leave lighting on timers and TVs on with curtains pulled when we are away! We have 3 or 4 vehicles in driveway ( we each have a spare beater car) SO one always wonders who is home??

The only guns they could steal the wife or I would have on us when away! And I will confess there is one of those "not worth dying for type stickers" on my gun safe....so if they make it that far it will be "after the fact" and they will either stay several hours in a feeble attempt to get inside a Liberty safe with dogs chewing on their butt, or give it up deciding they may be coming home and nothing here worth dying for!

PS: There is an "Article 6" proclamation from SC framed on wall beside gun cabinet!

A BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 6, CHAPTER 11, TITLE 16 SO AS TO ENACT THE "PROTECTION OF PERSONS AND PROPERTY ACT", TO DEFINE THE TERMS "DWELLING", "GREAT BODILY INJURY", "RESIDENCE", AND "VEHICLE", TO AUTHORIZE THE LAWFUL USE OF DEADLY FORCE AGAINST AN INTRUDER OR ATTACKER IN A PERSON'S DWELLING, RESIDENCE, OR OCCUPIED VEHICLE UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS, TO PROVIDE THAT THERE IS NO DUTY TO RETREAT IF THE PERSON IS IN A PLACE WHERE HE HAS A RIGHT TO BE, INCLUDING THE PERSON'S PLACE OF BUSINESS, AND THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE IS NECESSARY TO PREVENT DEATH, GREAT BODILY INJURY, OR THE COMMISSION OF A VIOLENT CRIME, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON WHO LAWFULLY USES DEADLY FORCE IS IMMUNE FROM CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AND CIVIL ACTION AND MAY NOT BE ARRESTED UNLESS PROBABLE CAUSE EXISTS THAT THE DEADLY FORCE USED WAS UNLAWFUL.

It looks very nice in 8 x 10

 

[ns66]

i'd think a banner will show you are less aggressive in court since you at least put up some warning to prevent shooting from happening to begin with, instead of shooting without any warning

 

[quatin]

A home camera system would be much more of a deterrent than any sign.