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Old 08-12-2011, 10:43 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Mr.Bill View Post
The problem with guns - the majority of police officers that get shot are shot with their own gun, which the bad guy wrestled away from them. The same applies to homeowners - most homeowners that get shot are shot with their own gun, by a burglar who was unarmed when he entered the house. When a person is on meth they can have almost superhuman strength.

Where my wife used to work at they discovered one morning that the air conditioning didn't work. When the repairman climbed up on the roof he found that someone had completely destroyed the air conditioner to steal the small amount of copper tubing in it.
I'd like to see a citation on the police comment. It's potentially believable with homeowners, both because they may not have the appropriate mindset, expecting the perp to run away at the sight of the gun rather to have to shoot them with it, giving the dirtbag plenty of opportunity to take the gun away. However, I haven't seen actual data on it.

It's certainly true that police officers have been killed with their own weapons, but I haven't found tons of statistics on it and nothing to support your statement.

For example, I found this article that says that 10 law enforcement officers in the US were killed with their own weapon in 2003 (I'm assuming from the "last year" statement in an article from 2004.) However, this article quoting FBI statistics for 2003 says there were 53 felonious killings of law enforcement officers, and 45 of those were killed with firearms.
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Old 08-13-2011, 01:41 AM   #22
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If your going to own a gun. You have to know how to use it. Hopefully never against another person, but when a "kill or be killed" situation presents itself you have to be mentally prepared. The people returning to your property are obviously getting bold.
If you don't have one, consider a security system. No it wont stop a theif leave, but it will draw attention of your neighbors and call the police for you. More than you can do when your hours away from home.
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Old 08-13-2011, 02:06 AM   #23
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Please forgive me if I don't mentally prepare myself for a "kill or be killed situation," nor do I plan to install something that will "stop a theif leave."

But .... in a few minutes I will have an empty beer bottle on the nightstand, and I will then be able to bash a brigand over the head should he appear.

I'm with DK-whatever below: If you are going to quote a statistic that seems hugely weighted to support your argument, please provide at least three reputable sources for it.

Kevin, I'm certainly with the whole "get a dog" crowd. I live & sleep with my doors wide open, including the sliders in the bedroom, and I might think twice about that if i didn't have that cheap, super-reliable, early-warning system sleeping a few feet away.
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Old 08-13-2011, 06:43 AM   #24
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Dog is definitely the way to go. Portable, reliable, universal. Even if a thief/criminal/dirtbag is not afraid of your canine friend, A barking dog can be quite a distraction for a perpetrator. The last thieves that broke into our old house entered through a bedroom window in broad daylight. Neighbors heard the dogs barking, but did not think much of it. However, everyone was surprised when the alarm system went off as the thieves decided that it was better to use the door to escape rather than the broken window. once the alarm was triggered, their getaway car departed and left them standing on our porch for everyone to see. The bandits ran off on foot, leaving our possessions in the front yard.

While not everyone is in fear of dogs, there will be fewer thieves that will want to deal with you. We had our dogs with us when we lived in Nigeria. Initially we were apprehensive about bringing our pooches to such a dangerous place. Ironically, we soon discovered that that the vast majority of folks there share an unnatural mortal fear of all things K9. I would bring one the hounds with me wherever I went, and trained them to bark whenever someone approached the car. We must have been stopped a hundred times at a security "checkpoint" at night, and were never once shaken down for a bribe as we were waved on without even rolling down the windows.
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Old 08-13-2011, 12:36 PM   #25
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Summer', you may be safe from humans, but not from bears. Many of them seem to come in through screen doors, so those open sliders are an invitation. The more energetic will climb through a window screen. No sources except every time I watch local TV news about a bear home invasion, that's how they get in.

Guns are debated endlessly. DKB's statistics seem to say 22.5% of police get shot with their own gun, still a large amount for professionals. As for civilians, even if you get to keep your gun, can you really shoot another person? It is easy to say "yes" but even soldiers when we had a draft had a tough time shooting the enemy. Long ago I had a friend who had been in Vietnam and was faced with a situation where it was him or the other guy—my friend killed him and had nightmares for the next 10 years about it. I talked him down from suicide one night, but never saw him again and heard he had moved far away. That was more than 30 years ago; who knows what happened to him? We are taught from childhood how bad it is to kill someone and many of us cannot pull the trigger when faced with a threat. Those that pull the trigger may aim for a leg rather than shoot fatally and miss—at that moment, they are very vulnerable to the other guy grabbing the gun.

Some have posted on various threads they have a gun in their trailer, but imagine someone in a campground shooting—the bullets may go into another trailer and kill an innocent person. Bullets can easily travel the length of a campground, or though a neighborhood. Police officers are trained not to shoot in crowded places. A civilian will have a problem aiming while their hands are shaking from the shock of a break in.

Prevention is the best approach and sometimes that doesn't work as the OP knows. We also live in a rural area and are far (35 miles) from the sheriff's dep't and doubt they are of much use anyway given ours and other neighbors' experiences. When a now deceased neighbor shot out our mail box, the sheriff's deputy wouldn't even come out to look at it—the entry and exit holes pointed right to that guy's house. Fortunately, nothing else has happened here to us. A shoot out in our front yard would probably do more damage to our property than anything else.

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Old 08-13-2011, 12:57 PM   #26
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The practice of a veterinarian I used to work with was broken into years ago. The robber tried to flee police (responding to the tripped alarm) by crashing through the window. He sustained injuries and died next to his car. Sad end to a life but dang it - thievery sucks! Robbery Suspect Bleeds To Death Escaping Crime Scene - News Story - WFTV Orlando

Sorry - no help to your problem but a fitting story???? maybe???

Laura
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Old 08-13-2011, 01:28 PM   #27
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I thought the worthington tanks came with unique identifier numbers on them?

And easy and unobtrusive method of locking the tanks would be to drill a hole through the bottom collar that lines up with a hole in the tank rack, put a medium shank padlock through the holes, two padlocks per trailer keyed alike. They would be hard to cut off if you installed them from the under side of the tank, but not too hard to unlock when the tanks need refilling.

We have been having a rash of thefts on our farm too. Put up a game camera to see if we could get any ideas. Couple of clowns got their pictures taken trying to hotwire my wife's 1963 Dodge Sweptline PU. They took a battery out of one of the tractors, pulled the wires out from under the dash, and even poured gas in the tank. Joke was on them, the carburetor for that truck is in my shop on the workbench waiting for me to rebuild it

Showed the pictures to the sheriff's office, comment was "we wondered what those two clowns were up to, we haven't seen them in a while" They are now facing attempted theft auto, criminal trespass and a few others, this time it will probably be felony charges.

Aaron
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Old 08-13-2011, 02:22 PM   #28
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Like someone above stated - I drilled a hole in the bottom collar of each tank and then used heavy duty stainless locks (keyed the same) to lock them to the tank holder ring. I'm sure a determined crook could cut through the lock shanks but it would take awhile.
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Old 08-13-2011, 05:11 PM   #29
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Greetings tkasten!

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Originally Posted by tkasten View Post
Like someone above stated - I drilled a hole in the bottom collar of each tank and then used heavy duty stainless locks (keyed the same) to lock them to the tank holder ring. I'm sure a determined crook could cut through the lock shanks but it would take awhile.
The owner of my favorite Airstream dealership tried to describe the method that you have employed on your coach. I will be off to one of the big box stores for a pair of stainless padlocks for my tanks on the Overlander . . . and when I purchase new tanks for the Minuet, these locks will also be purchased for it as well.

There are identification numbers stamped into the Worthington tanks, but it is a process to track them down and I think that I have encountered a deadend. I had hoped that the recertification numbers and tank ID numbers might be on paperwork at the dealership since it wasn't on the invoice from when the dealer handled OPD valve installation and recertification. I have now recorded the identification numbers on my Airstream tranks, taken digital photographs, and recorded the numbers in my owner's manual.

I will say this, Ace Fogdall RV (Cedar Falls, Iowa) went the extra mile for me and looked up all the paperwork from 2003 when they had gotten the tanks recertified for me.

Kevin
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Old 08-13-2011, 05:17 PM   #30
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Just a thought...Put the locks in the back to limit the use of bolt cutters.
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Old 08-13-2011, 07:31 PM   #31
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The owner of my favorite Airstream dealership tried to describe the method that you have employed on your coach. I will be off to one of the big box stores for a pair of stainless padlocks for my tanks on the Overlander . . . and when I purchase new tanks for the Minuet, these locks will also be purchased for it as well.
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Just a thought...Put the locks in the back to limit the use of bolt cutters.
I haven't tried this, but why not use one of those double sided hitch locks instead of padlocks?
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Old 08-13-2011, 08:44 PM   #32
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Greetings tkasten!
I owned a 64 Overlander and sold it 20 years ago before I knew what I had. O man I wish I still had it.
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Old 08-14-2011, 04:54 AM   #33
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I haven't tried this, but why not use one of those double sided hitch locks instead of padlocks?
Master Lock Trigger Style Coupler Lock for 1-7/8" and 2" Couplers Master Lock Locks 605DAT

I like those, if the shackle is long enough. It would make it all but impossible to cut them off.

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Old 08-14-2011, 07:58 AM   #34
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I like those, if the shackle is long enough. It would make it all but impossible to cut them off.

Aaron
Egg-sackly. I think I'll grab one off the shelf tomorrow, and do some "science-ing".
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Old 08-18-2011, 11:58 AM   #35
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My statistic about most police officers being shot by their own gun was from a training class I took when I was a Military Policeman, long, long ago. Things may have changed (or the instructor may have just been trying to scare us). This is a strange new world we live in - who would have ever thought that someone would break into your house just to steal the copper wiring out of the walls?
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