I made a mistake. My father died and left me some money. So I thought "No rent or mortgage for me!" and bought a house outright. The only way I could do that was to buy a tiny (780 square foot) house in a terrible neighborhood in Echo Park, Los Angeles. I didn’t realize just how bad it was until I moved in. I saved all this money on rent (my apartment before was 80—rents are pricey in Los Angeles) but I spent all that on Burglar Bars, Burglar Doors, alarm system, motion activated flood lights, got a large German Shepherd from the pound that eats like a horse, and needs constant veterinary care. At least the house already had a chain link fence.
My property is OLD, and dates back to when people had vegetable gardens in the back, so the lot is really long, and has a falling down garage/shed that connects to an alley in the back. You cannot use the garage for cars because it was designed to hold something small like a Model T Ford or something. The Garage is very old, and can be crept into
I work in the San Fernando Valley, and come home late every night. I am an Elementary School Teacher. I get up at five, leave the house at six, prepare for the day’s lesson’s from 7 to 8 dismiss the kids at 2:19, I grade papers and lesson plan and clean my room until 4:30pm when they shoo us off campus (it’s a crime area there too). So the criminal element in my neighborhood is used to my house/lot being empty. And the people at the pound saw me coming. They unloaded a "Shiloh Shepherd" on me. A Shiloh Shepherd is a German Shepherd that has had all the good working characteristics like guarding or protecting bred out for size. So I have this gigantic big 115 coward of a dog.
Altogether, it means the criminal element in my area is very comfortable in my back yard, garage area and using my yard as a short cut from the back alley to the front street.
Last night the police chased a guy from the front street, who then hid in the back garage. You had the helicopter there, dozens of police, the dog, etc, etc. My dog was whining and barking the whole time in the house. He would not have protected me. He went to hide. And the Los Angeles Police Department is a big impersonal department, they don’t do things like knock on the door and explain what happened. They figure if you live in a ghetto, you are scum, and they don’t want to deal with you.
Anyway, I am the nervous type, and all this went on for nearly 15 minutes until they caught the guy. I keep a Walther PP .32 auto as my house gun, because I am a small man, and I am more likely to take it room to room when I do things. But I realized that I would be a lot better off if I also had access to my shotgun in a hurry. I have a 20 gauge double barreled shotgun. I am wondering what would be a good way to keep it. In the safe is too slow, but I don’t want it stolen while I am gone. And I don’t want to put it in the safe every day when I leave, and take it out every day when I come home. And the trigger lock I have doesn’t block the trigger. The trigger is too close to the trigger guard, and you can’t put the bolt of the trigger lock there. Also, I don’t want to keep it loaded, so they could use the shotgun on me. Also, I wonder what would be best to load it with, birdshot and wound the person, or buckshot. The only buckshot available, I think is 20 pellets of #3 Buck, which I think is .25 caliber. I am wondering how I shot handle this.
Swami
Americans are not free. Not if they are gay. We do not have equal rights. I am openly gay. That means I can do my chosen profession, (elementary school teaching) in three cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and West Hollywood. I am most certainly NOT free to move anywhere I like.