I have a loaded pistol in the stand beside my bed. I live alone, and sleep soundly, so it’s not likely that I would hear anyone breaking in at night. But, if I did, I would almost automatically open the drawer, pull out my pistol, and rack a round into the chamber. Then, what would I do? What should I do?
The house-breaker, I know for a fact, is probably either a homicidal maniac (unlikely), a contract killer (highly unlikely) or a desperate drug-addict looking for a few dollars to feed his addiction (most probable).
Most likely, the sound of the racking of the pistol would cause the intruder to flee. If so, the weapon will have worked best, protecting without causing injury, which is why I have an automatic pistol, rather than the more silent revolver. If, after hearing the racking of the slide ramming a cartridge into the chamber, the intruder continues, my own assumption is that he wants my death enough to die for it.
I also know for a fact that the intruder is an unhappy, abused person. He has been hated, and is filled with the demons of hate that have kept him from taking advantage of his abilities and skills. If he kills me, and escapes, he will probably kill someone else. So, which neighbor do I love?
I have several neighbors to consider. The one who wants to kill me, and if successful, is likely to kill other, unknown neighbors. We may ask the question many evangelicals ask, “What would Jesus do?”
What would He do? Obviously, He could drive the foul demon of hatred right out of the person. Could we do that? What would we say?
How about this: “Listen, I am armed, and I have a gun. If you want to kill me, come in here, and I will give my pistol to you. Then, I will lie down in my bed, get under the covers, and allow you to kill me. You can shoot me in the head, put the gun in my hand, and make it look like I committed suicide. Then, I would only ask you to take what you want, and go, and sin no more.”
That might make us feel good, but it would certainly do the next person into whose house he broke no good at all.
Turning it into a Mexican standoff would at least give us a chance to reason with the person, but would also increase the likelihood that we would be killed, and so would another neighbor, later.
After pondering these alternatives, we may wish to consider a bit of advice from Hermann Goering: “Shoot first, and ask questions later.”
