TexasGal wrote: The terror on that poor mom's face makes me feel sick inside. I have often tried to get other women to realize the need for personal responsibility for self protection and protection of their children. Many just get that look of denial and fear that means it is too unpleasant to think about--so they aren't going to. This horrible story reinforces why I have large dogs and sleep with a gun under my pillow.
My mother in-law refused to listen to me about the reality of home invasions and needing a gun. UNTIL, she was woken up one night by the sound of an unlocked sliding glass door opening in the dinning room. She walked in expecting to see my brother in-law, coming home early from an all night fishing trip, only to find a man looking for something to steal. He ran as soon as he saw her, thank goodness, and everything turned out okay. The fact that this person knew there were people home (4 cars in the driveway, and lights on in the living room and front porch) and didn't care, convinced her to see my point. My brother in-law took both of her dogs with him that night, so there was no line of defense at all. Now, aside from 4 dogs (2 younger pups on defense duty now), there are at least 5 guns in the house and one shotgun for HD is ready to go in case of an emergency. It's a shame we can't live like we did in the 40's and 50's, but times change. A "safe" neighborhood is just a reason to raise the value and the taxes. It's not any safer than the "unsafe" neighborhood a half mile down the road.
In all this is a tragic event that potentially could have been stopped had the family been more prepared and armed. I pray for the father, who now has to live with the inner turmoil of this tragic event. I do believe that LEO's did what they could considering the information that they had on the situation. However, the fact that the police were powerless during this event, confirms my belief that we have to protect ourselves first.
