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I've pondered something similar. Say you hear someone breaking in and can gather your weapon and take a defensive stance before an actual confrontation. All of our bedrooms are upstairs so this is a real possibility. If you are armed and in a position to defend yourself, do you give the thief one last chance to leave before going Dirty Harry on him? If not racking your shotgun, maybe yelling that you are armed, the police have been called, and if they do not leave immediately they will be killed?
As much as we talk about defensive confrontations, the last thing most of us want is to be in one. I don't want that on my conscience, I don't want that in my carpet. In the above scenario I would be armed and covering my stairs, the one way that they can get to me or my family. Short of a professionally trained assassin breaking in to steal my tv, the odds are on my side. Frankly the average thief is a coward who takes the path of least resistance, and I'd be willing to guess that 95%+ of them would take the option to escape. Personally I would give them the out if faced with that scenario.
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