Boobytraps and the American Legal System

[Mike Duvos]

tcmay at got.net (Timothy C. May) writes:

 > Agree, very foolish to ever plant boobytraps in one's own
 > home.

The problem that I would have with boobytrapping my home is that
there are numerous people (police, firepersons, maintainance
workers, etc...) who might have a legitimate reason to try and
gain entry.  An automatic device cannot anticipate some
complicated scenario which might play itself out while I was
away, such as someone with a medical emergency trying to get to a
phone, or public service personnel needing to gain entrance to
fight a fire or to search for people to evacuate in case of a
biological or chemical accident.

The other reason I wouldn't do such a thing is that I do not own
anything that I consider worth death or serious injury to another
human being.  I recognize that this is a personal view, and
others opinions on the value of their possessions may differ from
mine.

Regarding the topic of children with guns, I recall a classmate
of mine whose father gave him a loaded rifle to keep in his room
for "protection" when he reached the advanced age of 12.  That
very night, he got scared when he thought he heard an intruder
sneaking up the stairs, and emptied the gun into his dog.  He
really loved the dog, and the whole experience was very
traumatizing for him.

Statistically, guns in the home are far more likely to be used to
shoot someone in a domestic dispute, or to be taken away by a
criminal and used against the homeowner, than they are to be used
to defend the homeowner against injury.  I can see very little
purpose for guns in densely populated urban settings, where
people tend to be paranoid, and stray bullets can hit almost
anyone.

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     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
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