OP lemme chime in from my perspective based on 8 years in law enforcement.

1) Get a restraining order immediately.

2) Convince you MIL to carry in her yard. Open carry if permitted by law is best as this is a detterent even for a person such as your neighbor.

3) You NEVER shoot to wound. You NEVER shoot to kill. You shoot to stop. This is an important difference here. Even if your shots to stop are two shots to center mass, which they always should be. Premeditated murder can still be commited even if it is an intruder if you shoot to kill, unless you live in one of the very few states with strong Castle Doctrine. Even then in a civil affair saying you shot to kill will likely loose the case and considering the few challenges to Castle Doctrine do you want to take that chance with felony charges should the DA choose to file? And you really need to know the laws where you live; in some states merely pulling a firearm is legally the same as shooting someone as it is all considered use of deadly force.

4) Less than lethal forces take training and more often than not require backup to be effective in their use and implementation. The type of less than lethal that really doesn't is a taser, but do you want this person to be within arm's reach of your MIL?

5) In an ideal world the courts could fix this douche with a shock collar that jolts his family jewels every time he crosses into your MILs property. :-) Oh well
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Id shoot the fuker or get him on the ground with some pepper spray and break his knee caps with a baseball bat.
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Beanbag rounds for this? http://www.taurususa.com/video-theJudge.cfm
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And be convicted of assault with a deadly weapon? Once someone is no longer a threat continuing to assualt the individual is a crime. Just sayin.

Not gonna stay in BP for long with that idea. :-)
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This is good advice. We had a situation a year or so ago where we had reason to be concerned about my son's birth father. We got a restraining order on him and let the local police know about the situation. They cruised our street rather regularly until he was incarcerated in the county mental health lock up.
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OH SNAP!! I didnt know they made them for handguns!! :-) :-)
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Well if she doesn't want the kinda thing I would use then she should at least have one of these.


Image

(Not involved with this company in any way)
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.357 mag. screw non-lethal
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:-) Now that's the best idea yet! :-)
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Interesting quote. Will go into the mental rolodex for later use.


Good luck, Albert... let us know how things turn out.
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I concur with the dog suggestion.

Also, I haven't seen it mentioned, but most of the professional home alarm systems have "panic buttons" that can be activated in emergencies, if things get really out of hand. Some of them even have direct in-home audio monitoring which links to a dispatch center so that the alarm company can silently listen in and send whatever help (fire, ambulance, police) is needed at the time.
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Please help me understand the dog option. Unless it's a trained attack dog I wouldn't want to count on a dog.

Don't get me wrong I love dogs and have two.
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I would go for a nice 8 shot pump shot gun using the bean bags in the shells; less then lethal(good knock down power) and still have the option of replacing the last 2 shells with something more lethal.

It is good to remember that what will work on a normal person, might not have any effect on someone with mental disorders.

I will keep your family in prayer.
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+1. Dogs generally won't bite on a consistent basis unless trained to do so.
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To add something else:
A gun is just a tool...the great equalizer in the hands of a 98 lb grandmother, trained and willing, able to use it it equals things out with a 240lb 6'.5" foot aggressor.
A gun equals the playing field.
This is the world we live in.
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Albert,the alternative is her being hurt or worse.

Non lethal means will probably only piss the loonytoon off more.
When and if he gets out,she needs to be packing heat and not a 22cal.

:-)
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Thank you guys for the advice!

First, the cameras are back in operation and she has filed the restraining order, the police and even the magistrate have been very supportive so far so those protections are in place.

A dog is an option but this guy would be the kind to figure out a way to poison it before making an attack, though he is disturbed and obviously an idiot, his acts seem to be somewhat thought out.

My FIL has shotguns and at least one handgun (a .38 and he isn't afraid to use them) but I think she is scared of them. After talking to my wife, I think if we found her a compact or subcompact automatic it and sent her to some training she would feel much more comfortable. I am also afraid of her in a close quarters attack with a tazer

He actually lives there with his girlfriend and they own the house so no chance of a landlord but if he stays in jail long enough maybe it will foreclose. She also told my MIL and police he is not welcome back but who knows how she'll act if comes begging back. Since they have come forward many other neighbors have been able to possibly link him to thefts and 2 B&Es, one where he lost his shoe. If the judge allows a search warrant he may be looking at much more serious charges.

She is out today to retain a lawyer to define her rights so I will keep you posted
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Any thoughts on the Glock 36, seems slim enough and a .45
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Yeah, I unfortunately had a childhood friend go loony (bipolar disease and refuses to take his meds) and he flipped out on a female cop while naked. She ended up pepper spraying him and then shoot him 6 times. I wasn't there and there were no witnesses, but the police report stated that he was still fighting with the officer until he went unconscious. He survived and I've since seen him and talked with him around the old neighborhood, but he is certified crazy. His parents ended up moving from the city out of fear of their own son, because he turned on them a few times (once while they were sleeping).

If this guy is certified crazy, the non-lethal option, may not be the best option for your MIL.
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And now she has to spend money to defend her rights. It's a sad world. :-)
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