PLEASE READ THIS !!

[coppersmythe]

good afternoon all from the mild , sunny ( finally) deep south . 2 days of slow rain . i thought i would relate a crime that happened one block away from us . we pretty much live in " mayberry" . please take heed , this could happen ANYWHERE . a single man in his early 60's used to walk around our block a few times everyday . i would see him often , wave , and when close to the road , have a minute or two of idle chitchat. he had suffered a mild heartattack , he walked for health reasons . nice guy, no enemies , good neighbor . one morning his body was found out in his front yard , shot . he was selfemployed , his safe was opened and a large collection of guns and cash were gone . It really shook our neighborhood . it took two or three weeks for the police to figure out how it had happened , the murder / robbery did not seem like it was random . Turns out , he had shown his collection a few times to his trusted nephew . Good kid , never in any trouble , he idolized his uncle . The nephew was at a party ( he was 14-15 years old i think ) in a city about 25 miles away from us , and as kids do , was telling some of his buddies how "cool" his uncle was . A miscreant ( 18) close by overheard the conversation , and with three other people , hatched a plan a few days later . When the uncle was coming home from his morning walk , they caught him off guard , forced him inside and made him open the safe , then shot him . the criminals left the scene , came back and stole some more things , then took off . they where caught at , of all things , the mexican border , i guess they watched too many western movies , and were arrested . one or two was underaged , it was just terrible for everyone . you can never be too careful about certain things in your life , coppersmythe.............

[Steve-N-Tn]

Sad. Appreciate the heads up as that is more the norm than the isolated incident these days. Everyone stay aware (and safe!)

[T-Mo]

Yes, that's a sad story, and I have a feeling the nephew is feeling pretty torn up about it since he probably thinks he's in someway responsible.

In our area, drugs, meth and prescription drugs, are the main cause of break ins. It's not the same as it was years ago. They break into cars to steal batteries or whatever else they can find. They break into pole barns and houses to see what they can steal to resell to support their habit. And they do it to relatives, parents, grand parents, uncles, etc.

[randallc]

Sad, this world has sure changed. Guess we should carry at all times.

[coppersmythe]

Sad, this world has sure changed. Guess we should carry at all times.

Very true . he had a CCW , but never carried around here . the other comments above say it , i guess no place is "safe" anymore . one of my first thoughts , i hope the nephew can see that he should not feel guilty . I rarely locked my shop door , with 30-40 sheets of copper 3'x10' inside ( my state trooper neighbor called copper " methhead gold ")
. when meth/crack hit our area , that changed , and I also installed a security system recently . I will not live my life in fear , but have become more aware of my environment . coppersmythe........................

[Donegal Cub]

Yep its a sad reflection on the modern world. Growing up our door was never locked, however in modern times in Ireland, with the curse of drugs etc, everything has to be locked down securely. we grew up in simpler and safer times.

[Eugene]

Had a burglary on the acreage quite a few years back. Lost over a $1000- in tools and equipment. It was the boy friend of a neighbor's daughter.

Now have security system installed, cameras, and motion detector lights.

[Indy4570]

i carry all the time, mostly if I am home its because we have a lot of bear, coyotes and an occasional mountain lion. once in a while I neglect to put my pocket gun in my pants. I find myself realizing I am unarmed at times and feel naked. God forbid I ever have to use it but I have had a CCW for many years in a few different states. I have always liked the line from Lonesome Dove when Capt. Call says "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

this story just takes the wind out of my sails. it is depressing to know how far away from any sort of values a percentage of people in this country have become

[SamsFarm]

Sad, this world has sure changed. Guess we should carry at all times.

You hit the nail on the head there!

And as fun as it might be to share " toy collections" with the younger generation, it is best not to let them see it all and where it is!!!

[SamsFarm]

"better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

I agree 100%