If I choose not to answer my front door and some bozo takes that as an OK to B&E, he'll just have to deal with consequences. I refuse to model my life and time around the expectations of criminals. If criminals don't know if you are prepared to defend your home or not, it may deter them from entering, as in they may be walking into a very bad place to be caught trespassing.
This is in the vein of the same advice that we should get better locks to keep the bad guys out. Like we have to live in cages while the animals are loose.
How about keeping the bad guys away for a long, long time instead?

@Chupacabra: You echo my own thoughts. 'Nuff said.

I agree with both of you. I have no issue whatsoever with defending my home in whatever way I see fit. If some idiot decides that he has a right to enter my home with the intent of taking things that have been bought with our hard earned money, then they will have to deal with the consequences. End of story. The more of us that take the attitude of protecting our homes, the less crime that might take place in our city. If MVPD and the City Council want MV to become a "sanctuary city", and the gangs realize that they have little chance of ever being caught or tried for their crimes, then it's up to us, the average citizen, to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and our property. It certainly seems as though no one else is. Just look at the skyrocketing cases of all types of crimes taking place here. It's up to us to take care of ourselves. And that is exactly what I'm prepared to do.

So there are two witness you saw the perpetrators and we can't even get a description? It sounds like The Voice is playing the race card again.

Count me in on the home front, too. I have no compunction about watching out for myself and my neighbors. Used to live way out in the country and didn't lock up all the equipment every night. Didn't have to. Even the most addled meth-head realized it wasn't worth it to get caught. The sheriff was an hour away at best.

Sounds like the same MO from previous burglaries.

Ha. Don't pretend you're not home? Why? So home invasion robbers can bulldoze you with your own front door and tie you up?

I will continue to pretend I'm not home, and burglars can pretend nothing happened after eating some .40 hollow points or some Winchester PDX 12ga.

Seeing our politicians insist on our city to be a sanctuary city, if my house is broken in to by illegal aliens, I am going to sue the city.
Our City Government is breaking the law by allowing these illegals freedom of our city.
Maybe I am jumping the gun but these robbers usually have Spanish surnames.
Close the Day Worker Center and we will all be happier and safer.

Thank you, my fellow Mountain View folk, for your words of unity and solidarity. I feel safer knowing you are my neighbors. I've got your back, too. You can rely on that.

Interesting that the crime rates have dropped in certain cities.
See Web Link

Guns: Surveys of convicted felons — people who have good reason to fear the police, since they’ve been caught, convicted, and incarcerated — have shown that the fear the criminal element has for the police is eclipsed by that held for civilians who have firearms.

It could be that even in their larcenous little brains, the bad guys realize being on the wrong end of an 870 is not too healthy. And you probably wouldn't survive three tries at it.

Odd that the authorities are kind of quiet about the crime rate here. Of course, we have the newest Buck Rogers Shot Spotter whizz-bang to catch the criminals AFTER they shoot. Kinda late then, isn't it, Champ? Maybe a cop or two on the street is a better investment. I don't know, but it doesn't get the same "Oh Wow" press that some crap that rarely gets used in the real world does.

Keep on keepin' on.
And watch your 6.

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one feeling like we're caged. I'm more than happy to keep my eyes wide open for suspicious circumstances in my neighborhood, but I will not answer my door if I don't feel safe doing so and frankly, I'm tired of seeing the following: articles on burglaries followed by "MV police advise residents to do X"- essentially blaming the victim. Is it too much to ask that we can leave our houses locked (or mostly locked) mid-day and return to actually find our belongings still there?! What has become of this city?
As an aside, I did see a police car drive down our quiet street the other day and was glad to see it. now we need more.

More neighborhood patrolling and less speed traps and revenue raising off of citizens rolling through red lights! I'm tired of watching the motorcycle cops set up traps instead of cruising the neighborhoods. Most of the time it's for minor infractions with heavy fines to line the city's coffers. I never see the cops cruising my neighborhood. The police are basically telling us that they view drivers of vehicles as the criminals rather than the ones that are snooping around houses and trying to break in.