Seriously?!

I live in a (pretty) nice neighborhood in a small country town of about 1000 people. my yard is 7/8 of an acre, with a 30'x32' garden , several vehicles, and a 15x15 dog kennel we are cleaning out to turn into a chicken coop. My property line starts 20' off the railroad behind the house. We have several No Tresspassing signs in plain view at all sides of the yard (peopke like to come lookat the clasdic cars and my dogs yank my arms off.when i walk them and people are randomly in the yard).

Earlier today, a man was picking up cans from the railroad. We have a large pile of cans inside and beside the kennel that are going to end up buying our chickens. Man (who is in a polo shirt with pressed jeans and a very large belt buckle) sees my cans and immediately begins trudging through the blackberry thorns into my yard towards them. Neighbors dogs are going beserk.

I step outside in a bright yellow shirt, slamming my door. He sees me and goes back to the railroad.
I pick up my garden rake and head out to my garden so i can pull dirt to my plants and keep an eye on the guy. I notice he goes back to a brand new dodge truck with dealer tags on it.

I finish pulling dirt and head inside to finish making lunch. Within twenty minutes, neighbors dogs and mine all go beserk barking. I go into the kitchen and see the same guy pulling cans out of the pile and bagging them. He is now over 30 yards into my property. Now, this county has a very "dont care unless youre dying" attitude. It takes cops over 30 minutes to get here in an emergency-and theft isnt an emergency. (i caught a guy cutting copper pipe off a neighbors house-i kid you not, dispatch suggested i go tell him to stop so they wouldnt have to send units to my town.)

I am 4'8" and 120lbs. i am alone. The guy looked me in the eye not twenty minutes prior-he KNEW i was home. Something aint right with this guy, but im not letting him run off with over $150 in scrap metal.

I grabbed a hunting rifle and slammed my door again. He started towards me intil he saw the gun. His excuse?

"im cleaning the railroad."

I told him he was in a dog kennel, not a train-and he was a long way off the railroad. I expkained that he had walked directly past two No Tresspassing signs and was on private property. He left when i told him that ny rifle shot rounds that now cost $1.07 a piece and im not wasting my money on a warning shot.


Now, im mad. i prop the gun up inside the door and resume my lunch, irritated but thinking that he learned a lesson despite getting some of my cans. I ate, put on a load of laundry, and started getting ready to shower and work out. A half hour later, i heard the neighbors dogs again. I looked out my window and the guy was BACK IN MY YARD.

When i shut the door, he never even looked up. When i chambered a round less than ten feet from him, he booked it. His bag got ripped on a stick as he ran. I got my cans back, plus a few.

I am beyond livid. it is broad freaking daylight. He not only knew i was home, but knew i was ARMED and DTILL he had the nerve to try and steal directly out of my back yard?! TWICE?!

i called the sherrifs dept to let them know someone is stealing scrap. they said theyve been getting a ton of calls like this.
I said theyll get one less if i catch him again.

WTF is wrong with people nowdays that they look you in the eye while they steal from you?! In broad daylight?! And the prospect of a bullethole doesnt dissuade them?!

If he needed money to eat, he should have knocked on the door. id have given him lunch and all the cans in return for cleaning out the last half of the kennel. I worked my butt off digging that stupid thing out-theres no way you profit off my hard work (and wadp stings. and mosquito bites. and blisters.)

It really bothers me that walking outside and showing him someone was home was not enough-that a gun was not enough until i loaded it and pointed it at him. Nobody should be so bold that they would wager their life on whether a gun is loaded.




Also? I dont care what your personal gun feelings are. Im protected by Castle Law-if im defending myself or my property i have the right to use deadly force. Im not about to get in a fistfight with someone twice my size-nor will i hide in my house while they rob me blind.

This IS about cans. Thats what it comes down to.

Yeah, a realist.

Tagging to read tomorrow. Too long to read right now.

Im still at a loss for how some of you would have preferred i handle it!
Just walking outside didnt work.
Its like 90° outside. Should i have offered him ice water while he stole from me?
Asked him politely to leave?
Ignored him and counted a $100+ loss?

You dont touch the trigger unless youre prepared to shoit.
You dont prepare to shoot a person if you dont mean to kill them.
You dont take a life unless your own depends on it. Period. No gray area.