Subject: Re: She Had No Face
Do some of you get it, now?

Do you think that anecdote supports your position?

Note that the story begins with the person knocking on the sliding glass door before trying to enter. That's consistent with burglars' desire to avoid breaking into a house that's occupied. You don't knock to alert any occupants if you're indifferent to whether the house is occupied. You knock so that if someone comes to the door, you can just leave rather than risk a confrontation with an occupied house.

And of course this particular homeowner would have been much better off in this situation not having a gun. Had they had a gun, in their anxiety and fear they might have mistakenly used it - potentially killing someone who posed no real threat. That would have ended up irrevocably damaging their lives, not just ending the life of the individual at their door - probably murder charges and certainly legal bills for years and years. All while they were in no real danger.

Yes, it sucks that if you live in a major metropolitan area you have to lock your doors. If you don't, there's a chance that at some point someone will try the door to see if you left it unlocked and grab some loose items. But the police correctly assessed this situation. If someone knocks and tries the door and it's not someone you know, they're almost certainly not there to harm you and they're almost certainly not going to break in once you've alerted them to your presence.

The police are coming to help you - but only if you face an actual threat.