On a neighborhood forum, people were commenting on a recent car break-in. One person said:
I think the sound of cycling an empty pump action 12 gauge might do the trick for a situation like this. You don’t even have to get very close for someone to recognize it and drop a deuce in their pants. I guarantee they’ll think twice next time However, for the home make sure it’s loaded.
Can we please stop with this?
- Sounds aren’t always what you think. Ever hear a sound that you weren’t expecting, didn’t hear it again, and you shrug it off because you can’t figure out what it is? Yeah, that would happen here.
- So rack it twice? No…
- If you must make noise, how about yelling (from a safe place), “Stop! Police are on their way!” (and hopefully you have called the police prior to making this claim).
- If the simple act of racking a shotgun is sufficient to make someone shit their pants, I’d hate to be in the Remington or Mossberg factory because the workers there must be knee-deep in it with the sounds of racking all day long.
- Yeah I know, hyperbole.
- Ever met a determined individual that has nothing to lose? Think a sound is going to deter them?
- Bluffing is what you fall back on if you have nothing else to offer. It’s not a good strategy to lead with.
- Having an empty shotgun is reckless. What good will it be to you if things go pear-shaped (and they can, and go there faster than you think)?
- It’s a vehicle break-in. While it sucks and I understand the emotion, and while Texas law may allow for the use of deadly force to protect property (under certain circumstances – if you don’t know what they are, go read the law code), just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Beer & TV time, people
Please people. Stop with this “just rack a shotgun, they’ll shit their pants”. It’s terrible advice.
Well said! I don’t rack a round in unless something is getting shot. I’ve always wondered what the caveats were for TX law that allow deadly force to protect property. I need to read into that rabbit hole this week.
This should help:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/PE/htm/PE.9.htm
Also, Texas Department of Public Safety creates this document, CHL-16, which is part of the CHL (now LTC – License to Carry) stuff. It contains all of the relevant statute regarding handgun licenses. So there’s a lot of administrative stuff in there, but a lot of other relevant stuff too (like when you can and can’t use it), etc.
And to top off the discussion — what many people think “racking a shotgun” is based solely on what they hear via entertainment.
Reality is more than slightly different.
I guarantee if an experiment was held in a dark house; half the people could not accurately identify the sound of a real shotgun being racked.
Bob S.
I don’t know what people think of it or where they get the notion. It’s not based in any reality… or even fiction of TV/movies.
Because to your last point — that’s exactly it. People just don’t know what that sound is. Some might, but that doesn’t mean people are going to suddenly crap their pants and run screaming into the night.
It’s just stupid advice… if one could even call it “advice”.
Pingback: Your Hump Day Reading List for May 18, 2016 – www.GrantCunningham.com