Death for Thieves?

[ParanoiA]

Well, the odds finally caught up with me and my family. We just got back from vacation early Saturday morning to discover we were robbed. They emptied my entire studio, every bit of it except for a couple of microphones still in the box that they apparently didn't realize were there. Turns out it happened the night we left. As we were enjoying the mountainous view of Colorado via Highway 160, our house was being invaded and my life's mission and purpose stolen.

 

They got my precious Ibanez SC420 Classic electric guitar, a rare model that isn't manufactured anymore. I took immaculate care of it. God it's almost like losing a child. I've had this pit in my stomach ever since I ran into my studio to see it gone. I keep replaying that moment in my mind, seeing my studio reduced to empty furniture. Luckily they didn't notice my back up drive, so I've still got my work from January 30 of this year. But that still sacrifices 5 months of work. I'm a busy musician and I can't really recreate this work. It's just gone. For good.

 

They completely trashed our bedroom and broke into our gun safe, which was a heavy duty Sentry safe. Luckily I only had my old Remington 20 guage in there. Thankfully they didn't trash my CD's in there as they are my only media record of my late Sister, other than pictures on the wall.

 

I toggle from depression to anger over and over again. It's not just merchanise. I'm a musician first and everything else second. They stole my ****ing heart man. I'll never be able to replace it all.

 

Everything you own has story about how you obtained it. Whether it was working your ass off to pay for it a little at a time - or a loan that took you years to pay off. Or maybe it was a gift from someone. Maybe you spent lots of time and energy to locate it. When these things are taken, all of your life associated with it is stolen as well.

 

These things serve as cues for memories, and all of that fades when you have no catalyst, no record or symbol of your life's energy or work. This particular guitar was a gift from my wife - the first quality instrument of my life. When she was struggling with my love of music and giving me space and time to do it. This guitar was a symbol of her acceptance and support. It cost her every dime she had at the time, and we were just barely getting by in those days.

 

Which brings me to my subject. Honestly, I wouldn't care if it was a father of starving children, I think I would shoot him dead to keep him from leaving with my guitar. I don't say it proudly. I'm kind of shocked at how cold I feel right now. I can't say that about the other thousands of dollars of equipment, jewelry and TV's they stole - just my precious.

 

Can anyone relate to this? Am I a horrible person because I wouldn't hesitate to shoot these idiots dead if I had a chance to guard my "property"?

[Horza2002]

Rage and shock do strange things to otherwise logical people. It think it would be natural that if someone stole what you held most dear that you would want to punish them for doing it.

[JamesNBarnes]

Well, you may feel that way, which is not a bad thing. As long as you don't actually carry it through. Ultimately though, its just stuff, just possessions. It was wonderful gift from your wife, but that's all it is... its a guitar. The important thing is that you have your wife, not the stuff she gave you. You can get new stuff, make new memories. It much better to look forward, not back.

 

Assuming that you were insured, now you can go out and pick a new guitar, one you chose together.

 

You cant get it back, so don't dwell on it.

 

You still have your sisters stuff, that's what really matters.

 

Sorry that you had to go through it all, but try and remember that all is not lost

[ajb]

Can anyone relate to this? Am I a horrible person because I wouldn't hesitate to shoot these idiots dead if I had a chance to guard my "property"?

 

Is it not actively encouraged in Texas? What about the rest of the US?

 

I do not think you are a horrible person, but I do think that society as a whole is pretty horrible to the individual.

[Phi for All]

Honestly, I wouldn't care if it was a father of starving children, I think I would shoot him dead to keep him from leaving with my guitar.

Right now it seems so personal, like the thief knew exactly what he was taking from you and did it anyway. I'd be willing to bet though that if you knew it was impersonal, if you talked to the guy and made just that much contact with him as a person, you wouldn't call for his death. You'd probably still want to chop off a hand, but death for theft would probably be off the table.

[rigney]

Joe Arpaio, head police Honcho in Maricopa County, Arizona; has the best word to be used on a guy like this who steals your stuff. He calls them an "Inmate". Hope they catch the "crud"

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Damn. That's terrible.

 

Check around local pawnshops and stuff; I find it hard to believe a rabid guitar enthusiast raided your house just to get a rare guitar. They probably thought "hey, a nice guitar, I can sell that for a few hundred." Since it's rare, it'll definitely stand out when they try to sell it. Keep an eye open.

[StringJunky]

I think I can identify with you on the loss of your guitar...it is what you express yourself with and it takes along time to to understand its strengths and weaknesses and get it to sing with the voice you have in your mind. It's like losing a wife or husband to divorce and have to go through all that learning/familiarising process with someone else again.

 

I had an acoustic guitar made with money left by my Grandparents so there is a strong sentimental value attached to it not to mention the countless hours it's taken me to find the voice I want from it...having to do all that again does not bear thinking about...it's a year at least before the luthier get's round to making mine and that's just for starters!

 

Like you my immediate response, thinking about it, is a visceral and physical one but I do hope you can reconcile with yourself philosophically somehow with what has happened and emerge stronger than you were before.

 

If financially possible, spoil yourself and have your next one made for you...it's a great journey..make the final outcome positive.

[CharonY]

Maybe you could also check craigslist and ebay.

[ParanoiA]

Hey thanks all.

 

I think I can identify with you on the loss of your guitar...it is what you express yourself with and it takes along time to to understand its strengths and weaknesses and get it to sing with the voice you have in your mind. It's like losing a wife or husband to divorce and have to go through all that learning/familiarising process with someone else again.

 

I had an acoustic guitar made with money left by my Grandparents so there is a strong sentimental value attached to it not to mention the countless hours it's taken me to find the voice I want from it...having to do all that again does not bear thinking about...it's a year at least before the luthier get's round to making mine and that's just for starters!

 

Like you my immediate response' date=' thinking about it, is a visceral and physical one but I do hope you can reconcile with yourself philosophically somehow with what has happened and emerge stronger than you were before.

 

If financially possible, spoil yourself and have your next one made for you...it's a great journey..make the final outcome positive. [/quote']

 

Yes, someone who understands the dynamically intimate nature of man and his tools. There's a lot I can identify with in your words here.

 

You do bring up an interesting option. Right now I don't have the strength to look past what I lost, but maybe after some time I can just let it go and maybe do what you're talking about and have one made, or at least customized. I'm still operating under the delusion that I may eventually recover it.

 

Of course, even if I did, it would likely be all scratched up because they didn't take the case - idiots. I would rather they have taken the case so it would possibly stay in mint condition. Hopefully they don't know what they've got and they'll sell it for beans to a young, aspiring musician that does know they've got and needs to catch a break. I could live with that.

 

As far as philosophically, yeah I don't know. I can tell you that last night was the first time I could stand to even play my cheapy acoustic (took with me on vacation otherwise they may have gotten it too) and the first words I could think of were a string of profanities aimed at the societal migraine that stole my heart.

 

Check around local pawnshops and stuff; I find it hard to believe a rabid guitar enthusiast raided your house just to get a rare guitar. They probably thought "hey, a nice guitar, I can sell that for a few hundred." Since it's rare, it'll definitely stand out when they try to sell it. Keep an eye open.

 

Maybe you could also check craigslist and ebay.

 

Yeah, I have printed the pictures of my little home studio and put them on a nice flyer and included a list on the back and have been circulating them at the pawn shops. I search Craigslist daily - although I don't know why I didn't check e-bay. I'll have to check that one now. Hell, they may even lie about their location thinking I won't suspect. Thanks for the tip!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Also, pawn shops are legally required to hand over stolen goods for free, I think, so if they won't return your goods, bring in the police report and evidence that the guitar is yours.

 

Good luck.

[PaulS1950]

I don't know about getting thing back from pawn shops for free... My brother had to buy back his gun even though it had been on the "hot list" before the shop gave the jerk money when he pawned it. That was the word from the police department - pay for it if you want it back.

There are more crooks out there than the one's who steal it in the first place!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It may vary from state to state. Many of them require stolen goods to be returned though.

[ParanoiA]

Yeah, that would piss me off. According to the pawn shops here in Kansas City, they must share their inventory on a weekly basis with the police departments. Supposedly, there is an investigator or two that looks for matches between what is reported stolen and what is submitted on that list. And, they claim it works a lot. I'm not all that confident about it, and I find it hard to feel good about it.

 

The thing that surprised me the most was the positive reception by these pawn shops. They've all taken an interest, sympathized and repeated to me how they work with the police - some even holding items for 30 days to be sure it doesn't come up stolen before putting it out on the floor to sell. And they all took my flyer and at least acted like they'll keep on the lookout.

 

I really didn't expect them to be helpful or the least bit cooperative with someone who is looking for their stolen merchandise; a threat to their money. Of course, maybe that's because of what Pauls1950 said above and they plan on charging me for it. I guess I'll find out.

[Royston]

So sorry to hear that Paranoia, for what it's worth, I'd feel exactly the same way if my beloved studio equipment was stolen, albeit it will be a bit more drawn out than just shooting them

 

I think I've found your next purchase, hopefully it'll put a smile on your face...

 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Colombia-Dispatch-7-Turning-Guns-into-Guitars.html

[Moontanman]

I'm really sorry to hear this, there is no excuse for this kind of shit. I have no sympathy for someone who violates another persons home or person.

[Sisyphus]

Wow, that is seriously awful. I can only imagine how violated and purely angry I would feel if that happened to me. I hope they catch them soon.

[padren]

Really sorry to hear that man.

 

Your feelings are entirely understandable. We live in a society with civil laws and weighed punishments and trials because without them we would be left with nothing but our emotional responses - but those emotional responses are still there when these things happen.

 

What kind of neighborhood do you live in? Was it obvious that you guys were away on vacation? If it happened the first night and it's a odd area to hit, it could be the brainchild of someone close enough to know you were gone and had valuables. A horrible thought but it does happen.

 

I really hope the items and especially your work is recovered, and secondarily that the bastards are caught.

[iNow]

My sister was robbed like a week ago. She got home Friday from work, and when she walked in looked across the room at the desk where the computer she'd just bought a week prior was sitting... and saw that it was not sitting there.

 

After thinking, "Oh crap, I've been robbed," and grabbing her kids in case they were still there, she saw that her daughter's Wii was gone, our great grandmothers earings, a bunch of other stuff, too... All of her underwear and bras were scattered about and her room torn apart. Oh yeah... and when she went into the kitchen she saw that they had stopped to eat some pop tarts and mac and cheese, the remnants of which they'd left on the counter. It was obviously someone who knew her patterns, and knew she'd not be home for a while... otherwise, they'd not have stopped to eat.

 

She felt pretty scared, living alone. She was afraid for her kids, and just felt dirty and violated, especially after they had been playing with her underwear. Not to mention that she'd lost her job, and bought that computer on credit to help her look for a new one.

 

Interesting how this world is changing as there are more and more of us and fewer and fewer resources.

 

 

Sorry to hear of the losses, man. I would be righteously pissed myself, and would have no compunction putting a few bullets in their knee caps and blowing off their thumbs so they'd never walk right or be able to grip anything properly again for coming into MY house and taking MY stuff.

 

Good luck with it all. As others have said, gonna have to just get over it and move on. Sucks, but otherwise it'll just eat you up inside.

[ParanoiA]

She felt pretty scared, living alone. She was afraid for her kids, and just felt dirty and violated, especially after they had been playing with her underwear. Not to mention that she'd lost her job, and bought that computer on credit to help her look for a new one.

 

See, I find that the most insulting. Picking on a single mom, working folk, that have to sacrifice to have valuable items of any kind. It's not like we're talking about the have-nots taking from the haves. This really challenges my belief that people don't do things they think are wrong, that they must lie and convince themselves they are justified in their actions. Maybe that's all bullshit after all.

 

What kind of neighborhood do you live in? Was it obvious that you guys were away on vacation? If it happened the first night and it's a odd area to hit, it could be the brainchild of someone close enough to know you were gone and had valuables. A horrible thought but it does happen.

 

Well, it's Blue Springs, Missouri. Last I looked, the crime rate was a 70. In comparison, Kansas City was 440 at that time. They brag about their schools, and the neighborhoods are family oriented, mostly owners, but there are a couple of rough patches, like any city. Average home price is probably around a hundred grand. Predominantly white, but there's a lot of racial diversity exploding right now, or at least it seems like it. All good folk. (stuck up and superficial, but honest and respectful).

 

It wasn't obvious we were on vacation because it happened the same night we left. So it's not as if our mail overflowed, or newspapers piled up - the classic signs. This is why we think they know us.

 

They chose the window over the chair as opposed to the already partially broken window just 5 feet away directly over a glass desk - both windows were completely covered from the inside. They had no way to know the lay out of the room unless we already knew them.

 

They also didn't get the guitar case for my Ibanez. This is highly odd, because they should have grabbed it since it was only a foot away from the stand - or at least suspected another guitar was in it. Yet, it wasn't disturbed - it was still snapped shut. Again, this suggests to me someone who already knew I didn't keep my Ibanez in that case, and that there was nothing in it, obviously. Otherwise, I would think it would open, laying on the floor, something - just like the rest of the house.

 

Sadly, I'm fairly convinced it's someone we know. My son uses the studio for his band and has brought numerous kids over this past year. He's torn up about it because he thinks it's his fault, but it's not. You can't be responsible for failing to read bad intentions in people. It's just not realistic to place that kind of expectation on yourself.

 

I think I've found your next purchase' date=' hopefully it'll put a smile on your face...

 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...o-Guitars.html[/quote']

 

Mission accomplished man.

 

Now I'm wondering if there's a small business to be had out of all of this. Maybe I could start my own temporary storage vault business. Would have been nice to have left my guitar in a bank vault for a week.

[padren]

See, I find that the most insulting. Picking on a single mom, working folk, that have to sacrifice to have valuable items of any kind. It's not like we're talking about the have-nots taking from the haves. This really challenges my belief that people don't do things they think are wrong, that they must lie and convince themselves they are justified in their actions. Maybe that's all bullshit after all.

People have a hard time "doing wrong" to those they identify as within their "group" whatever social fabric they are apart of. Humans have an exceptional capacity for remorseless predatory behavior as well as selfless ideals of common good.

 

The most dramatic examples of human indecency usually have elements of disassociation which, unfortunately are pretty easy to rationalize once a person starts heading that way.

 

 

Sadly, I'm fairly convinced it's someone we know. My son uses the studio for his band and has brought numerous kids over this past year. He's torn up about it because he thinks it's his fault, but it's not. You can't be responsible for failing to read bad intentions in people. It's just not realistic to place that kind of expectation on yourself.

That's highly probable. Did the police check for prints? I am not sure how much work police actually do in a lot of these cases, but considering the value I would hope they did some investigative work.

 

The other thing is even if prints didn't match, if it was some younger individuals who opportunistically started B&Es they may not match yet, but chances are they will turn up sooner or later - there's far more young criminals than old ones on the street.

 

 

Now I'm wondering if there's a small business to be had out of all of this. Maybe I could start my own temporary storage vault business. Would have been nice to have left my guitar in a bank vault for a week.

 

Why not bring the vault to the client?

 

"Crotchity old man with a shotgun house-sitting service.... sleep well on vacation - just remember the password when you come home!"

 

Don't actually know how old you are but it's the sort of service one could grow into

[Genecks]

More than likely, you'll want to quickly review pawnshops, craigslist, and ebay.

Attempt to see if any locals are selling your stuff or something similar.

Maybe keep at it each week.

 

I think it's odd someone was quick enough to steal from you.

The person was probably reviewing your actions often and determining if you were going to leave soon?

 

Oh, yeah. Death for thieves if you can get them while they steal.

[Mr Skeptic]

I was robbed when I was a kid. My mom had done a house sale in Paraguay, I guess she didn't know there was a problem letting strangers wander all over the house. Anyhow, a couple of days later all our Legos were gone. They were on a porch enclosed only with screen. Me and my brothers went asking around, and fortunately found the Legos due to honest parents. However, they were all busted up already.

 

I was also robbed at gunpoint by a bunch of scared kids. I guess there's a reason not to walk while texting. All they took was my cell phone. The police took me for a ride, didn't find anyone, and when I got back they had some random people to see if I could blame them. However, I have no idea how they looked despite them not wearing masks. I was in a bit of a daze.

 

None of my stuff has enough significance that I'd kill over it. Probably because I'm a pretty boring guy, too boring for anything to have that much significance too me. However, I just might shoot a thief if caught in the act -- there really is no excuse possible for stealing from someone who themselves have very little. And if someone knew me well enough to know a possession had such sentimental value but stole it anyways, I'd probably want to hunt them down too.

 

There is a chance that you'll get some of your stuff back, and you definitely should have the police check for prints. I wish you luck in your search. But remember that in the end, its just stuff and has only as much significance as you give it.

[Genecks]

There are different types of theft.

If I have insurance on something, maybe I wouldn't kill.

 

But if it was grand theft or item was of extreme value, then I'd probably blast the fool.

If someone was attempting to steal one of my computers, oh yeah. That fool would get blasted.

 

I wouldn't have to do a headshot, as that's pure and simple murder. But since I know how to use a gun, I'd shoot them in the legs or something. Some thieves do carry guns these days, so some people would be tempted to blast them. Not too many thieves carry guns, because they know it increases the possibility of them actually getting killed while stealing: If they attempted to pull a gun or it bulged out somehow, then yes, the person of the household would more than likely not be afraid to use a shotgun.

 

I'm in Chicago now, so I don't have that ability.

In my hometown, though, I have that ability.

 

In my hometown, not too many people walk into homes and rob them, though, because plenty of people have pistols, shotguns, and more. In general, it's a bad idea to steal in Rockford, IL. Stealing in certain areas is like the poor stealing from the poor; and the poor will have none of that.

 

I guess it's just a sign of the times.

[ParanoiA]

There are different types of theft.

If I have insurance on something' date=' maybe I wouldn't kill.

 

But if it was grand theft or item was of extreme value, then I'd probably blast the fool.

If someone was attempting to steal one of my computers, oh yeah. That fool would get blasted.

 

I wouldn't have to do a headshot, as that's pure and simple murder. But since I know how to use a gun, I'd shoot them in the legs or something. Some thieves do carry guns these days, so some people would be tempted to blast them. Not too many thieves carry guns, because they know it increases the possibility of them actually getting killed while stealing: If they attempted to pull a gun or it bulged out somehow, then yes, the person of the household would more than likely not be afraid to use a shotgun.[/quote']

 

Yeah, to me, property is not worth killing over for the most part. But there are some types of property that are worth it - like sentimental things, irreplaceable symbols of time, work, energy, creativity - man can appropriate surprising depths of affection for his tools.

 

I still don't buy into the dismissive notion that it's all just "stuff". That would fly if everyone was allocated stuff, regardless of personal investment in that stuff. But it doesn't work that way. We work and expend parts of our lives - time we can never retrieve or get back - to acquire property. When you steal my computer, you're not just stealing some arbitrary "stuff" - you're stealing the work and time I spent to earn the money to buy it. You're stealing the hours I spent building it and fixing the little issues. You're stealing every moment I spent augmenting its power and utility. You're stealing, literally, years of subtending creative work that uses the tool.

 

All of our property can be described this way. Thieves didn't take my stuff. They stole part of my life. I don't have much concern to take all of their's in return.

 

I have a new home defense weapon. My wife and I are taking the concealed carry classes here that start in early July. We will conceal and carry small arms to the letter of the law. I have no issue with killing anyone who breaks into my home. I won't bother asking why they're there. I'm done intellectualizing about it.