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I'm the person who would have the gun taken from me and get shot instead.... We don't own a gun and won't so this won't be an option. There is a baseball bat in the room and a dog who is big enough to maybe look like a threat (she's not just don't tell the robbers)

Well, the problem with the mentality of shoot first, ask questions later is that you have a high probability of shooting a family member. Home invasions are rare -- if you are startled by someone in the middle of the night, it is possible something like this will happen over shooting an actual intruder: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colo-teen-killed-by-stepfather-who-thought-she-was-a-burglar/

I know how to shoot, but we don't keep guns in the house especially with kids, so it isn't an option.

Agreed with @MrsSCB: ... it's all too easy to accidentally kill someone you know!

We have guns in our house due to my husband's profession.
We were in this situation about 2 weeks ago - a teenage guy just walked in our kitchen through our back door while I was nursing LO! I had no idea what to do, so I screamed "What are
you doing in our house?!" I wondered for a split second if I should get a gun. Turns out it was our neighbors mentally handicapped son trying to tell me our dog got out. We have a sign that says don't knock or ring the doorbell - baby sleeping. So in his mind, that meant come in. I could've shot him if I hadn't checked!
So now I would really, really think about it first.

After working in the Sex Crimes Unit in a DA's office, I would shoot after announcing I have a gun, and to get the eff out. If I had time to do all of that.

Also, did that 20/20 story take place in DMV? That just happened this year. Drunk teenager accidentally snuck into his neighbor's home instead of his own, and neighbor shot and killed him. I believe the neighbor was a fireman or police officer. Left the community torn and divided.

@Mae: well aside from the potential of shooting a family member, I do think you have a responsibility to at least provide a verbal warning. Let's say someone broke into my house unarmed. I don't think they deserve to be killed for that crime with no warning. A human life is worth at least an attempt to say, "I'm armed, get out now." This is all a moot point for me because I've never even shot a gun before, but I just can't get behind a "shoot first" mentality for a number of reasons.

@Mae: Me too, but in this case I think the thief just dropped to the floor in pain and threw up his hands immediately. My friend (who is an expert with a gun!) would have been able to handle it further but I'm glad that he wasn't put in that situation! I would kill someone if they were threatening the life of one of my family members but I would never ever want to live with the knowledge that I'd ended someone's life. Not a fun thing.

@Mae: I'm with you on all points! We keep our doors locked; there's no just wandering through our door. However, my husband did say something along the lines of what yours did... It's not in all states, but where we live it's like that too. You have to be able to reason why you feared for your life. (So if the person was unarmed or something and you gave a warning they would probably run away.)

@grizz: perfect example of why ideally anyone should try to think clearly before just shooting!

we don't have guns & never will, so i guess this would never come up. i'm confident that i am safer for it.

@Mae: if you heard them break in, got your weapon, loaded it, went to the intruders and they wanted to shoot you, i really believe you'd already be shot, they'd be expecting you & ready, you wouldn't be ready, so unless you are sitting there, weapon loaded & waiting for them, they'd beat you to any attack. i'd rather take that time to dial 911, gather my loved one & hide or escape if possible. most burglars are addicts, they want to grab something to sell for drugs, they don't have an interest in hurting you. if we spent more money treating to addicts, break ins would go way down. even if someone is breaking in to steal your laptop to sell for heroin, i don't think you get to kill them for it. if you are in immanent danger of being assaulted- physically or sexually, that's a different story, but that's not as likely.

i've had multiple attempted break ins, a stalker (who was found in my laundry room, porch, and the entry way, so within my home where, according to some, i would have been within my right to shoot to kill), and an unstable family member who has come verbalizing their intent to hurt my husband, attempting to break in, destroying property & slashing my tires when i was home alone- not for a second do i think i would have been better off with a gun. the numbers just don't support it.

The moment we bought a gun, I told my family and I said we have a gun, do not come over and go "boo!". I would think there's a clear difference between someone with a key coming in and saying hi, and someone breaking in with ill attempt.. I think I'd warn them I had a gun, then hope I have the guts to shoot if they are a clear danger. I'm not taking any chances and waiting until I'm in true danger, by then it may be too late.

@Mrs.Someone: agree with you and @mrs. bird: completely.

I'm not morally personally comfortable with taking someone's life simply over the possibility that they may have caused me harm.

Honestly, I think people overestimate the time they would have to "think" when there is a crisis situation. I haven't been in many myself, but I can tell you when there's a disaster, normally level headed people go crazy (9.11, a fire in my office bldg for example) and no one knows what to do, no matter how well trained they are.

So, if you have a gun in your home, and it's locked, with the ammo separately, I highly doubt you have as much time as you think and the moment to do something probably already passed if you are startled by someone intruding.

@looch: good point. Assuming you keep your gun locked up, which I hope all gun owners, especially those with children, do, I think if you were to be woken in the middle of the night by a homicidal maniac, they would very likely get to you before you gathered your wits, grabbed the key, unlocked the gun case, and prepared to shoot. If someone dilly dallied in your house long enough for you to get your locked gun, it's unlikely they were there with the intent to kill you and given the chance to escape (by you calling out that you're armed and they should leave) I'd think they'd take it.

We don't have a gun (obviously, we're in the UK!) but we have plenty of serious kitchen knives etc that I could use in self defence....but I can honestly say that, no matter what somebody was doing in my house, no matter what they threatened to do to me, I could never, ever take a life.

I just don't get it. Exodus 20:13 states clearly - thou shalt not kill. There is no provision for self-defence. There is no asterisk indicating a get out clause. It's not "thou shalt not kill unless you are exercising your constitutional right to bear arms". I'm not religious myself but plenty of Christian people have guns at home..... How do these things go together? I just don't understand.

I never want a gun in our house, and like others have said, don't think I can decide to kill someone for breaking and entering, much less if it was an accidental neighbor/family member situation. My dad always said he doesn't own a gun because if he did he'd be tempted to use it when other solutions exist, and that's how I feel as well.