[HopeydaFish]

In the circumstances described, if I have easy access to a gun (if it's under my pillow, for instance), I'm shooting the guy in the chest, repeatedly. It's all about self-preservation, and has nothing to do with me wanting to "protect" my stuff.

For all I know, the guy is mentally unstable and has every intention of killing me, regarless of whether I resist or not. I'm not going to wait to find out whether or not he's going to let me live. As soon as he enters my bedroom I'm assuming the worst and am protecting myself.

Now, if I'm in my house and I see someone outside breaking into my car, I'm not going out there and shooting him. I'm calling the cops. If I'm in my home and startle a robber and he runs for the door, I'm not shooting him in the back. I'm letting him escape. I'm only killing an intruder if I feel that my life is in danger, not to protect my belongings. I have insurance to recover my belongings.

And for those of you who think that it's a good idea to shoot an intruder in the leg, or the arm, this is not a practical solution. When you shoot someone (especially with a small caliber gun), it doesn't knock them down like in the movies. It usually takes a second or two for the person to realize he's been shot. If you pull out a gun, the robber is likely to charge at you to take it away from you, so if you need to be shooting to stop him dead in his tracks. If you shoot him in the shoulder, he'll keep coming at you with his knife, and *you'll* be the one to end up dead. You also stand a greater chance of missing if you aim anywhere other than centre of mass. And if you miss, you've escalated the situation to the point where the robber feels like he's fighting for his life, and will be looking to kill you.

You need to shoot to kill, or not at all. Things happen too quickly for you to try to get "cute" with a gun.