A homeowner shot and killed a man and then wounded a woman who were reportedly trying to steal tools from his pickup early this morning at a home in northwest Houston, police said.
There were some interesting comments in the comments section of that story, though. “Oh teh noes!!! He killed a man over property! Killing over property is bad, hmmkay?”
There was one that read, “You don’t know that man or woman: you don’t know the circumstances that drove them to commit what seems at best some petty theft, and to express pleasure at the death of a complete stranger says a lot about your own moral code.”
Could be, but I for one don’t give a damn about these people’s circumstances. If they didn’t want to get their asses shot they shouldn’t have been stealing from hard-working, law-abiding people. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Tags: miscellaneous
Live from the Alamo City 
December 26, 2010 at 15:53 |
Mattexian (68.206.14.33)
Killing over anything is bad, that’s why there’s the taboo over it. It is sometimes necessary, hence the police investigation of any killing, and our laws that allow for its “justifiable” use, and *that* dates back to Biblical times. Are they gonna argue with that? And at 0-dark-30, you can’t see into someone’s heart (or under their jacket for a weapon) to see whether or not they just want steal your belongings, or if they’re willing to kill you too so you can’t stop them from taking all of it!
December 31, 2009, 5:57:17 PM CST – Like – Reply – Edit – Moderate
Bob S. (76.185.52.118)
Stealing tools from a truck? Sounds like someone who made their living with those tools.
If that was the case, then those two weren’t just stealing “property” but the food, shelter and medicine from that man and his family. They were stealing his livilihood— they were trying to kill him slowly.
December 31, 2009, 6:22:31 PM CST – Like – Reply – Edit – Moderate
hobbitt (66.211.55.242)
Yea but what were they doing while reportedly stealing? Threatening? Running? Rummaging through the truck?
We had a prowler in our truck cab. He was where he wasn’t supposed to be, and held at gunpoint until the police arrived.
January 1, 2010, 9:14:43 AM CST – Like – Reply – Edit – Moderate
Firehand (99.31.27.12)
Can’t remember where first read it, someone pointed out that when someone steals, they don’t just steal your stuff; they’re stealing the time and effort that went into you making the money needed to buy those things. And as pointed out above, if these were tools the man used in his work, they were stealing what he needed to make his living.
I don’t like the idea of killing someone; neither do I like this “They just needed the stuff” excuse-making.
January 1, 2010, 11:56:17 AM CST – Like – Reply – Edit – Moderate
mike w. (64.206.252.211)
I love people who are against lethal force in defense of property.
I’m 24 and don’t yet own a house, so my most valuable possession is my car.
Shooting someone who’s attempting to take (by force) a possession that will cost me nearly $20K to replace is entirely different than shooting them for stealing a pack of cigs or some other inexpensive and trivial piece of property.
Imagine you’re a farmer and you catch someone trying to steal the one and only tractor you own, without which you cannot run your business.
If you can’t immediately replace it then they are effectively crippling your ability to sustain yourself.
You’d be mad to let them run off with your livelihood.
Of course there’s also the issue of learned, repetitive behaviors. If most criminals looking to take property by force know that people will just “give them what they want” then they have no disincentive to stop stealing.
In fact, promulgating such an attitude actually promotes further crimes by the perpetrators by pushing their risk/reward ratio in favor of the latter.
Imagine if you put up signs outside your home saying “Criminals, take what you want. Homeowner will not actively resist.”
I am reminded of the Ayn Rand QQTD seen here, particularly the 2nd half of it.
http://anothergunblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/necessary-consequence-of-mans-right-to.html