Reply #52: It must suck to worry about things like that.

[hunter]

I don't play such scenarios in my head. I pretty much take things as they come.

The times I've resorted to some sort of violence to protect my property I've always felt sort of rotten afterwards, or extremely lucky that things didn't escalate into something I couldn't control. Believe it or not, when you are handing your wallet over a robber as calmly as you can, with an intense awareness of what's going on around you, than you are the one in control.

Other than that, I've practiced a sort of calculated avoidance of situations like that. If something happens, and it looks like I'm about to be victimized, I try to get the adreneline surge to work my brain rather than my muscles. I don't like blood at all, especially my own blood. I don't know how one might practice that attitude short of a Pink Pantherish sort of surprise ambush by Kato.

The problem with the shoot first mentality is that it makes bad situations more dangerous for everyone, and where I live it seems that having a gun only increases the chance of someone breaking into your house, because guns are what the most violent criminals are after.

People watch too much television. I think that explains most of these discussions.