Grandma shouts 'get ready to die'

[left-of-center2012]

Gun-toting grandma shouts 'get ready to die,' scares off would-be home intruder

Putnam County, WV —
A West Virginia grandmother scared off a would-be home intruder on Christmas Eve.

WSAZ reports self-described "tough old lady" Yvonda "Bonnie" Gatens woke up in the early hours of the morning to hear someone trying to pry open her bedroom window.
She called 911, grabbed her gun and set out to confront the suspect.

"I come up right here, real quietly (and said) 'get ready to die,' and he went this side, he just fell over," Gatens recalls, laughing.

She insists the gun was cocked and she was ready to open fire.
"Right at the foot of my bed? I mean, give me a break," Gatens said. "If you come in here, it's going to be you or me, and I'll see to it that it won't be me!"

Deputies searched the property, but the suspect had escaped. Gatens is encouraging her neighbors to keep a close eye out for suspicious characters while keeping a sense of humor about the incident.

"Maybe they break in to get one of my cookie jars, reckon? See if I had cookies in all of them," she said, laughing.

[unblock]

1. in a related story, christmas is canceled in west virginia after homeowner nearly shoots elf.

according to santa, "i just can't in good conscience send my elves out into such dangerous situations"

[aikoaiko]

2. She gave a verbal warning, showed restraint, and was ready to defend herself if needed

We need more "tough old ladies". I hope she votes Democratic.

[Siwsan]

3. The first time my parents left me hom alone, for a week, Dad taught me how to rack a shotgun

The gun wasn't loaded. He didn't even show me HOW to load it since I had a well established reputation for being accident prone. Why take the chance.

What he told me was if someone were to break into the house, all I would have to do is call 911 and rack that shotgun. He said that that sound, alone, would likely scare away the intruder.

Fortunately I never had to test his theory.

[Hekate]

5. I like that. It reminds me of the comedy routine about learning the "Karate Yell"...

The theory being the guy didn't think he needed all those karate lessons if he could shout "kiii-yai!!" and scare someone off.

[Runningdawg]

6. Well my gun was loaded

but I can attest to the fact that shouting "I've called the cops" and racking the slide will indeed remove someone from your porch in a hurry.
A guy I used to work with went into his kitchen for a drink of water in the middle of the night. There was a dude trying to break in through sliding glass doors. His gun was in the other room, but his key ring with a laser pointer were lying on the counter. He picked it up, put the laser dot on the guys chest and said "there is nothing here worth dying for". The guy ran away.

[Siwsan]

8. Great idea about the laser dot!

Then, if my cat, Sophie Stinky Toes, is in the room she will see that red dot and launch herself at the intruder, too!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Get it, girl.

[flamin lib]

7. For the price of her gun she could have purchased an alarm system

and the intruder would have been scared off BEFORE he damaged her home breaking in. That and not face the possibility of being disarmed and shot with her own gun.

[Girard442]

9. Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.

Grandma could end up living the rest of her life with an image burned into her memory of a 14-year-old kid missing part of his face and bleeding out on her living room rug. She might not like it as much as she imagines she would.

[left-of-center2012]

10. Better that 14 year old rape and murder her?

Then he can live with that memory.

[haele]

11. Most 14 year olds will just bust a window and grab what they can to pawn quickly.

"Rape and Murder" isn't on most of their minds.
Houses I've lived in been burgled twice - by neighborhood teens while living in "a good, middle class neighborhood" both times.
I've actually felt safer when living "in the hood" - if you were a known good neighbor, everyone looked out for you, even the gang-bangers.
And I've never owned a gun, walk around with a cane, and am a fat old white woman who doesn't give a f*** who or what you do if you need help, etc...

"Rape and Murder" from an intruder is statistically rare, with the exception of gang involvement with a member of the household. While it does happen, like most crime, it happens far less than reporting would suggest. It's pretty much a NRA dog-whistle.

Haele

[left-of-center2012]

12. Sadly we have more than our share of young killers here

Over the past few years we have had teens killing teens, killing homeless people,
killing their parents, etc
here in New Mexico.