Almost Shot and Killed AirBnB Guest

[Kathy842]

   My neighbor bought a North Dallas home for short term rentals. In addition to the 3 rooms he rents, he converted the garage to a 4th rental in this home.  He chooses not to maintain the outside of this home. His fence is rotten and falling down and it seems he will not cut the weeds until he gets a notice from the city. 

   March 22, I was watching TV in my sunroom when a man entered  the gate in my backyard wearing a mask.  He saw me through the window, then turned around to exit the gate. He stayed by my garage for about 15 minutes, walking around looking for a way to enter my home. He repeatedly tried the keypad on the garage.  

   I called 911. My door was unlocked because I had the TV antenna hanging outside.  I was afraid to open the door to retrieve the antenna to lock the door with him outside. I had my .38 loaded with the trigger back in case he entered. If I had stepped away, preventing him from seeing me, I'm afraid he would have entered the home and he would have been shot and killed.

   After the police left I  reviewed the cameras and deducted this was my neighbors AirBnB guest. My neighbor will not post pics of his rotten back fence, so his guest have no idea what to look for when taking the alley to find the property they booked. The neighbor only sends a pic of his garage door with an arrow pointing to the gate not shown. This picture looks like many other garage doors in the area. Navigation directions will not pinpoint the correct address when entering the alley. I have reported this to AirBnB but they will not get involved to encourage him to post pictures of the back of his property for guest to identify. AirBnB is on notice that this is a serious safety issue and a guest might get killed if they enter my home. I do not want to kill anyone. I don't want this trouble. I will be detained/questioned and sued at the minimum. If someone enters my home I will not have time to research if this is a meth addict or AirBnB guest. I hate being in this position.

   Background: A mile from my home, Dallas is having a growing population of people pitching tents, living in the city and begging for money at the busy street intersections. I hope to never have to take a life but will do so to protect myself and family.

[Melodie-And-John0]

True @Ute42  , wandering aimlessly in many places is not that smart and can get you in trouble.    The same situation in upstate NY exists as Texas as far as guns go, nine out of ten households are armed and ready to respond where I live, its not a great idea to roll the dice and hope you got the unarmed house if your a piece of garbage intent on doing bad.   We have very little crime except in the cities where it is a shooting gallery.   

I think @Kathy842 was probably well within her rights to be concerned and react as she did, being prepared and not having to respond is the best case scenario.    

[Debra300]

@Melodie-And-John0,

I don't believe the there is any dispute about @Kathy842's 2nd Amendment rights.  However, I do believe that if she had shot the Airbnb guest (and appears by the title of her post that she meant kill them once she discharged her firearm) that she would have been found somewhat culpable for the guest's injuries/death, because she knows that her neighbor hasn't fix his fence, or put up any signage to distinguish his property from hers.  Since she is aware of this, then it is her responsibility to put up signs to highlight the different properties.  In the event that she would be put in the position to shoot someone, there would be less likelihood of the person being a lost Airbnb guest.

[Fred13]

You guys make me feel conscious about my machine-gun emplacements surrounding my place.

Do you think this is a tad over the top?

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Fred13 ,  Ma Deuce 50 would be over the top but your on an island so a little outreach would be desirable, at least its a light MG though (I prefer my MG's 100% American made personally).   it would be nice if you gave these guys a little overhead cover and concealment and a small beverage fridge, at least be civilized for gosh sakes.  

[Fred13]

You recognized the gun (Mg-42 circa 1942 Afrika Corps). 

[Elaine701]

@Fred13 

We've been looking for some surface to air missles to protect our place. I tried the local army surplus but they looked at me like I was crazy. Got any ideas? 

[Fred13]

Hahaha. @Elaine701 

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Ute42 

The guy just seemed to  try to find an Airbnb.

If there is nobody outside waiting you under the porch to welcome you or distinctive information showing this is the right place, it is not unusual to come in and look for the key box and sometimes to knock at wrong door.

This should not be considered as a Threatening behavior whatsoever even if you can write to your neighbour that he must improve his hosting not to bother you any longer.

Call the police and be willing to shoot an harmless tourist means that there is a serious problem and a disturbing misrepresentation of reality.

@Ann72  is right.

Historically, the right to own guns in the US was written to protect the population and the young democracy if a dictator takes power through a coup.

Not to shoot civilians.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 , actually we do have the right to defend ourselves even using lethal force when necessary.  We are also legally permitted by law to own many types of firearms, thats the law today on 50 states books not just when the 2A was written.  You would be hard pressed to find a politician or law enforcement officer that doesn't agree with what I just said and most of them are well protected by either their own armed force of security or their own firearm.    To be perfectly honest, owning and operating a gun is no more dangerous or less responsible than propelling a ton or two of steel down the road at any speed.  

[Ann72]

@Melodie-And-John0  We have those laws because of poor interpretation of the original intent, as you well know.

The second amendment is not in any way considered more important than the first amendment, as you well know.

The gun owners I know are highly responsible, like yourself, but that still doesn't mean every individual should have one.  As you well know.

I respect your beliefs - and your rights - but there's no point making straw men out of them so you can win an argument.

The fact that this is all perfectly legal doesn't make it palatable.  

[Sarah977]

@Melodie-And-John0  One of the frightening things in the US, where it seems everyone feels they need a gun, is that "defending yourself" or "protecting my family" is far too often based upon not an actual threat, but a perceived threat. 

The OP's post is a perfect example. She was ready to shoot to kill an innocent person, and considered that it would be justified, based on a perceived  threat, rather than an actual threat.

This is why innocent people of color,  perceived to be dangerous and threatening because of someone's prejudice, get shot and killed with alarming frequency.

You asked what would happen in Mexico to someone who murdered someone. They go to jail.

And few private citizens here have guns. The only place you can buy them is from the army, and they are highly regulated.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Sarah977 The Murder Rate in Mexico is nearly 4 times that of the US, what is it they kill people with in Mexico if not guns?  

[Sarah977]

@Melodie-And-John0  The majority of those homicides are cartel members killing other cartel members (and most of those guns come in from the US). Not private citizens shooting each other.

And you can kill someone with a knife, a machete, there's all sorts of ways to murder another person without a gun, no?

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Melodie-And-John0 

It may be different in US but here self defense is autorised if someone is killing you.

And you must prove there was no other possibility to behave differently.

To Kill someone who just enter the garden is not Self defense.

Even a burglar IN your house that you surprised and who runs away is not self defense.

Why ? 
because none of those behaviours showed that the person wanted to kill you.

[Elaine701]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 

I would add that it's perfectly legal to own a gun here, too. But we don't have the same "need" to have one. 

And if you want to own a gun, you can. As long as you have no criminal record, have passed an exhaustive theoretical and practical test proving you know how to use it, know and understand safe use of it, and are absolutely clear about the law covering the use of it. You lose your right if you violate any if it.

Furthermore, the type of gun you wish to own depends on your intentions. For hunting, shotguns are the most popular, and only requires the aforementioned. However, a high powered rifle requires much more intensive scrutiny.  Handguns are only available to certified professionals, such a private security and so on.. Tightly regulated. 

Assault weapons, sorry, you'll have to be in special forces.