Dogs wanderring in for a visit without anyone noticing, drunken neighbours climbing in through windows, girl scouts selling cookies at 3:00am:D Where exactly do you guys live?
I have solid doors and locks and state of the art alarms. Anyone that comes in unannounced is a professional no good and we will act accordingly. Police take 20 minutes if they're in the neighbourhood (not a dig at them, geography)

If someone broke into my place, first they would be met by a large Akita, who likes to sneak up on people real quiet like and isn't real freindly with strangers. Unless i hear someone calling my dog by her name, trying to calm her down (as even drunk neighbors will remember neighborhood dogs names), they would be met by me with a .45 or the 12 gauge "GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" is all they would hear....if they hit the ground or head for the door fine, any other movement, they eat a few rounds. My house is locked at night for a reason, anyone that gets in, does so by force. When i have kids, obviously my current approach won't work as there are too many variables.

i will cock my 12 gauge defender shotgun, the one like you see in the front of most police cars. with my wood floors the sound is amazing resinating through the house. very scarry, unless its in your hands. i have this gun for no other reason than home protection, it is usless for anything else really.

if dude makes any move except the way he came i would shoot in a minute, would not even say anything. the cocking of the 12'er is the only noise i will make, if he/she wants to keep coming so be it. i even load the shot in such a way that the 1st 3 rounds are small pellet shot, rounds 4 through 7 are single 12 gauge slugs. i was told when i bought the gun to use target shot indoors, it does not go through more than one wall most of the time. that makes the intruders guts clean-up the hardest repair, a little joint compound should patch any holes from shot.

and a last bit of advise, as told to me by the salesman, wait until he gets all the way in the house before you shoot. you don't want the perp to be blown back outside, you want the puke to bleed out inside the house. this is strictly a legal sort of issue. how can you be in danger if hes not "in" the house.

i hope i never have to use it though really, but it might be cool to scare the S outta someone...

BRILLIANT! I think the very fact that they are in your house means you are physically threatened.

Funny gun story;

Maybe 20 years ago in Reno, Nevada my wifes cousin Mark was dating a police captains daughter. The cop was a real redneck and one time he pulled his revolver on him in his house. After several frightening and silent moments, the cop informed him he wasn't going to shoot him, but he wanted him to know what might happen to him if he mistreated his daughter.

Later, after the gun was put away, without harsh words or provocation, Mark attacked the cop and beat him senseless. He told him he should know better than to threaten someone with a weapon. Of couse the cop never reported the incident, and Mark never dated the girl again.

I didn't believe the story the first time I heard it, but years later the cop's daughter confirmed it at a party. Reno is a crazy town. So close to Hell you can see Sparks.

I'm a gun advocate, but I'm also a realist. You guys who shoot first and ask questions later have been watching too many cowboy movies .....

<i>"Pre-emptive self-defense, cases in which one kills another because they suspect the victim might eventually become dangerous, is considered criminal, no matter how likely it is that they were right."</i>

Might want to look at the full definition of justifiable homicide here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justifiable_homicide

Note that you will be charged with a crime until the evidence indicates otherwise. And if you get out of the criminal charges, you may be sued in civil court by the victim's survivors. Your homeowners insurance is unlikely to cover either defense costs or any potential award.

What if there's no body? I suggest keeping a shovel handy.

Curt is spot on here. A person can't just shoot someone because they are in their home.

Not saying I agree, but that's the law in most places.

There used to be a text on the subject (about 20 years ago)
by Massad Ayoob called "in the gravest extreme". It was only applicable to an American reality and if it hasn't been updated may no longer be valid. It's probably still around on Amazon books.

It's companion piece "the truth about self protection" was quite good on home security and awareness on the street, quite funny today on the subject of clothes and cars (Ayoob was an advocate of the big American barge and Miami Vice fashions :D ). An updated version might be interesting.