Burglary and sexual assault in Woodley Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

That is not true.

Quick-access safes have been around for decades are both reliable and fast.
http://www.gunvault.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/v/gv1000s_1.png

[Anonymous]

And yet my DH still insists on leaving windows open and unlocked. Ugh!

He thinks he can take on anyone that breaks in and I shouldn't live in constant fear.

[Anonymous]

This was a big problem several years ago in Glover Park. I remember talking about it with my sister who lived there at the time. Happened to multiple women. Maybe around 2007.

[Anonymous]

DH here.

Lived in Glover park in the early 90s with a room mate. There was an active "peeping Tom" at that time and he peeped on my roommate & her partner (on Valentine's Day no less).

The police were aware of the guy and were trying to catch him. Not sure if they succeeded.

Seems like the area lends itself to creeps, with the park and all the woods right there.

[Anonymous]

GP. Yes. There were also some rapes, sexual assault on Glover Archibald trail---in the afternoon on a weekend. I remember one when I lived in Georgetown at 4pm on a Sunday. Pulled a girl off the trail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, these neighborhoods are seen as "soft targets" and residents have become fairly negligent to their own safety.

Last week, my FIL's car was rummaged through by a thief. As were the cars of 5 neighbors on the block. This is in a part of Bethesda where houses sell for $1.25-1.75mn. How did the thief gain access? Everyone left their car unlocked so the thief did not attract attention.

Thieves are mobile, especially in the DC area. My guess is that the yuppies buying $900K rowhouses in Columbia Heights, Bloomingdale, and Capitol Hill have wizened up. The thieves are moving on to easier targets.

+1 on the suburbs becoming soft targets for crime. We are seeing a real spike in property crime in great falls over the last few months. Police held a meeting with community members a few weeks ago. I think there was a lively thread on the gf, McLean crime on dcum recently too. Sorry for the victim of the Woodley crime.

Think we all need to be aware ---situational awareness all the time and share w/LE if appropriate. Look aware and notice what is different and so forth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Double

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

That is not true. Quick-access safes have been around for decades are both reliable and fast.
http://www.gunvault.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/v/gv1000s_1.png

So do you carry that safe around the house with you? Or do you just have several of them located in every room of the house, so when an intruder grabs you, you can knock him down with your cool kung-fu moves, and then quickly open the nearby safe for your loaded gun before he recovers?

The only way a safe like that makes sense is in a situation where you actually hear the intruder breaking in, and have time to get to the safe in advance, and then also have the training and opportunity to shoot the intruder. IMHO, if you actually hear the intruder breaking in, a better response is to run out of the house and call the police.

I say all this not as some anti-gun crusader. I own three guns myself, and I learned to shoot before I was 12. I just don't think it's realistic at all to believe you're going to successfully use a gun for personal protection unless (1) you've had lots of special training, and (2) you are routinely in the particular sort of situation that might require you to use the gun for personal protection. For example, if you are a security guard in a rough neighborhood, then I could see a gun being helpful as a self-defense tool in your professional capacity. If you live in an area where you routinely need to be alone in remote locations and therefore might be an easy target for criminals, then maybe you might benefit from knowing how to use a handgun. If you're a suburban housewife or white-collar worker who's worried about home break-ins in Chevy Chase, I don't think you benefit from having a gun in the house, and you likely are creating more risk than you're removing. If you want more protection, get a dog or maybe an alarm system with a panic button. Don't get a gun.

[Anonymous]

Can the headline be edited? As mentioned, this didn't happen in Woodley Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

That is not true. Quick-access safes have been around for decades are both reliable and fast.
http://www.gunvault.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/v/gv1000s_1.png

So do you carry that safe around the house with you? Or do you just have several of them located in every room of the house, so when an intruder grabs you, you can knock him down with your cool kung-fu moves, and then quickly open the nearby safe for your loaded gun before he recovers?

The only way a safe like that makes sense is in a situation where you actually hear the intruder breaking in, and have time to get to the safe in advance, and then also have the training and opportunity to shoot the intruder. IMHO, if you actually hear the intruder breaking in, a better response is to run out of the house and call the police.

I say all this not as some anti-gun crusader. I own three guns myself, and I learned to shoot before I was 12. I just don't think it's realistic at all to believe you're going to successfully use a gun for personal protection unless (1) you've had lots of special training, and (2) you are routinely in the particular sort of situation that might require you to use the gun for personal protection. For example, if you are a security guard in a rough neighborhood, then I could see a gun being helpful as a self-defense tool in your professional capacity. If you live in an area where you routinely need to be alone in remote locations and therefore might be an easy target for criminals, then maybe you might benefit from knowing how to use a handgun. If you're a suburban housewife or white-collar worker who's worried about home break-ins in Chevy Chase, I don't think you benefit from having a gun in the house, and you likely are creating more risk than you're removing. If you want more protection, get a dog or maybe an alarm system with a panic button. Don't get a gun.

Check out the Washington Post today. Interesting article on Japan and Guns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

That is not true. Quick-access safes have been around for decades are both reliable and fast.
http://www.gunvault.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/v/gv1000s_1.png

So do you carry that safe around the house with you? Or do you just have several of them located in every room of the house, so when an intruder grabs you, you can knock him down with your cool kung-fu moves, and then quickly open the nearby safe for your loaded gun before he recovers?

The only way a safe like that makes sense is in a situation where you actually hear the intruder breaking in, and have time to get to the safe in advance, and then also have the training and opportunity to shoot the intruder. IMHO, if you actually hear the intruder breaking in, a better response is to run out of the house and call the police.

I say all this not as some anti-gun crusader. I own three guns myself, and I learned to shoot before I was 12. I just don't think it's realistic at all to believe you're going to successfully use a gun for personal protection unless (1) you've had lots of special training, and (2) you are routinely in the particular sort of situation that might require you to use the gun for personal protection. For example, if you are a security guard in a rough neighborhood, then I could see a gun being helpful as a self-defense tool in your professional capacity. If you live in an area where you routinely need to be alone in remote locations and therefore might be an easy target for criminals, then maybe you might benefit from knowing how to use a handgun. If you're a suburban housewife or white-collar worker who's worried about home break-ins in Chevy Chase, I don't think you benefit from having a gun in the house, and you likely are creating more risk than you're removing. If you want more protection, get a dog or maybe an alarm system with a panic button. Don't get a gun.

Check out the Washington Post today. Interesting article on Japan and Guns.

Good thing the WaPo do not have a blatant bias against our rights protected by our 2nd Amendment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Recon Marine here. Feel free to drop by my house any night you'd please.

Not a marine, but if you do come into my home at 4am you better have a good game plan or else it's one shot to your chest with a follow up through your head. I'll then call 911 and tell the police to send over the crew to take the trash out.

Too many Clint Eastwood (Magnum 44) movies for you.

Agree. The tough-guy gun owners don't seem to realize that if someone breaks into your house with the goal of hurting you, he is not going to wait for you to take your gun out of its locked case and load it. You will come out of your bathroom after taking a piss, or maybe just be lying in bed asleep, and that's when you will get grabbed. The alternative is to keep your gun loaded and easily available at all times, which is crazy foolish if you have kids or anyone else ever in your house. You are living a fantasy in your head.

That is not true. Quick-access safes have been around for decades are both reliable and fast.
http://www.gunvault.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/v/gv1000s_1.png

So do you carry that safe around the house with you? Or do you just have several of them located in every room of the house, so when an intruder grabs you, you can knock him down with your cool kung-fu moves, and then quickly open the nearby safe for your loaded gun before he recovers?

The only way a safe like that makes sense is in a situation where you actually hear the intruder breaking in, and have time to get to the safe in advance, and then also have the training and opportunity to shoot the intruder. IMHO, if you actually hear the intruder breaking in, a better response is to run out of the house and call the police.

I say all this not as some anti-gun crusader. I own three guns myself, and I learned to shoot before I was 12. I just don't think it's realistic at all to believe you're going to successfully use a gun for personal protection unless (1) you've had lots of special training, and (2) you are routinely in the particular sort of situation that might require you to use the gun for personal protection. For example, if you are a security guard in a rough neighborhood, then I could see a gun being helpful as a self-defense tool in your professional capacity. If you live in an area where you routinely need to be alone in remote locations and therefore might be an easy target for criminals, then maybe you might benefit from knowing how to use a handgun. If you're a suburban housewife or white-collar worker who's worried about home break-ins in Chevy Chase, I don't think you benefit from having a gun in the house, and you likely are creating more risk than you're removing. If you want more protection, get a dog or maybe an alarm system with a panic button. Don't get a gun.

Thank you for the rational and well-reasoned argument - even if I do not agree with every point you raised.

I do agree with you on the need for additional training IF you plan to own a gun for self defense in the home (an idea that even Joe Biden endorsed, though he limited his advice to owning a shotgun).

I feel as if far to many American gun owners are under the illusion that simply owning a gun = protection. Practice is needed. Training is needed. A plan is needed. But, these same needs apply to many household emergencies other than criminal break ins (from someone who is not nearly as prepared as we probably should be for typical DC area emergencies: like the ones .gov discusses here: http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan

[Anonymous]

Recon Marine here. Don't get a handgun. Get a 12 gauge shotgun and learn how to use it. Poke it around the corner and point click and shoot. If you hear anyone in the house just the sound when you pump it will send almost anyone scurrying away. The idea of shitting in a bag for the rest of your life will do that to a man.

As I said, I'll leave the light on for you.