how many live in areas where you dont lock your car

This may be an area with a faltering economy, but one of its advantages is that it's prettty much like "Leave It To Beaver" when it comes to locks. Both my vehicles and my house are unlocked, with (knock on wood) no problems. Of course, now 6inarow will probably come out from SD and try to steal my 235 speed equipment.

 

AMEN! Grew up in East LA (Whittier & Atlantic Blvds). Dad raced midgets at Ascot. SoCal Timing Assn meets were THE place to be... and t-shirts, rolled up Levi's, shoes and SOCKS! were the order of the day.

 

I do. It's just everything's always missing out of it when I come back.

 

I lock everything up tight!!!!

 

When I grew up on Long Island (same town I now live in), the house was largely unlocked from 1952-1973. My mom had the key on a blue jay key ring and it hung on a hook by the phone. We only locked the house if we were on vacation. Cars were left open of course, but my dad was a fanatic about keeping the garage and shed locked up. Both secured by $1.99 Master locks and hasps.

Bob

 

I live in Mississauga, Ontario. (population 600,000) Since we can't be bothered prosecuting theft anymore and Canada customs doesn't believe it's their job to prevent stolen property from LEAVING Canada (i.e. no tax implications), yeah it's getting bad. They stole the iron Roman style planter off my front porch and a 10 year old CCM bike out of my garage, so YES, I lock everything up. They steal 30-40 cars a night here.

Daily drivers have been rummaged through the ODD time we forgot to lock them up. My garage door has locking security bolts and an alarm. I chain my $250 bikes together in my locked shed. My 4 year old knows not to leave his stuff lying around.

I hide the keys to my '49 Ford (in locked garage) since I highly doubt it would be of interest. If the kids could get it started, find reverse and drive away I'd be amazed. Everything else in the garage is fair game though.

Before 1/2 the third world moved into the Toronto area, you didn't have to worry. When I was growing up, we hardly ever locked out house doors and I can't remember my dad ever locking the car.

 

There are tweakers in all parts of the country, rural or metro. I have never left anything unlocked in 25 years.

 

Here's a nice list of unlocked stuff. Real smart, guys...

 

The doors on everything get locked, house and garage has major locks and alarms and I got two very large bulldogs who love people only if we are around! Too much highschool bullshit goes on around here now days. Just look at the news last night, some group of kids going through Staten Island NY streets just busting car windows for nothing!

 

Could we get a list of addresses and photos of belongings?

Why wouldn't you lock up your stuff. Most doors are equipped with locks that are really easy to use. Shit, if someone's gonna take my stuff..they're gonna have to work for it.

 

Not only do I not lock my cars, my daily drivers has had the key in the ignition for the last 5 years regardless where I go. It's stuck and won't come out. The car is such a POS I don't worry about someone taking it.

 

Just shave the door handles it will confuse the crap out of a hoodlum....

Lock your stuff up tight no matter where your at, Our shop is six telephone poles off of the street. Lock it.

 

I haven't locked a car in years, I live in a town with about 5000 people and I haven't seen too many problems with guys getting there cars messed with, every now and then someone would get a stereo ripped off but thats about it. Although I did catch a 11 year old kid trying to steel my knock -offs once...........but I did the same thing once so I figure what goes around comes around!!! JOKER JASON.

 

Crime is rampant in Jackson but I live about 25 miles away out in the boonies.I lock my shop but never the cars.Me and my neighbors are always outside shooting guns,target practice or snakes and turtles in my pond out back.Everybody around here knows we're kinda trigger happy.Never had anything stolen in 20 years I've lived here.

 

Sounds like a wonderful place to live.




Moving down to Charlotte, NC I thought I would be moving into a less crime ridden city but I was mistaken. I think it's comparable but since there are just a lot more people in this city the crime is always going to be more common.

I live in a pretty safe town where the Chief of police lives right in my neighborhood which is private. He normally posts a squad car at the entrance to our community which is nice. I also lock everything up that I can, and have locks that need keys to get in and get out through out my house. I have special locks that seal the garage up and create more hassle for anybody to get them off. We also have a security system that is linked right to a main system where it's watched 24hrs a day. On top of that we have 2 65lbs American Pit Bull Terriers (one actually is a guard dog the other is far to sweet) and an Loaded Semi Auto AK-47 sitting close to the bed at all time.

I feel as safe as I possibly can and I can leave my garage open while I head to the store and even leave my keys in the truck over night. I'm super crazy about making sure everything is locked down but at the same time I am trying to keep my family safe so I have taken measures that greatly increase my chances of safety.

Since moving down south I am a firm believer in guns. Everybody else has them so why shouldn't I? I actually need to get my concealed weapons permit for when I take my '52 Merc or '35 Ford into work and it breaks down in the ghetto.....which sure as shit it will.

 

we lock every thing because its only the first thing that stops them. if my car is locked and yours isnt, guess who stands a better chance of seeing it in the morning...

oh and the guy that i bought my car from didnt have any of the keys for it. he had it for five years and drove it to tijuana like that. the first thing i did was spend a massive $31 for the key to be made for the doors and a new trunk cylinder as he used a screw driver.

Nice!

 

Used to not lock anything! Now lock house and shop. Keep my projects and tools in shop and garage. Other vehicles are a hit or miss issue. Besides my wife is Sheriffs Deputy, when not on duty her car is parked prominently in drive just in case somebody is casing place. And I am lucky enough to live in a state that allows me to protect mine and my neighbors property with deadly force. If you come to my house to steal, you may come in vertical, but you will leave horizontal. ;-)

 

Rural communities, I've seen it often. Ex GF lived in a town of 300, she once had a blood trail through her parents house. Had the sherrif over to investiage it. Turned out her grandpa cut himself in town and the nearest place he could think of where to clean it up was at his nearest family members house. The neighbors didn't care because they KNEW he was family. If he wasn't I'm sure the neighbors would have acted differently. In rural ND, most people look after each other, and most know how to shoot. I wouldn't recommend planning a crime spree just because doors are unlocked.

 

same thing i thought reading this..real bright

 

I live the the burbs.... We built this house 2 years ago, middle class neighborhood, clean quite professional almost white collar (except me, I bring the noise) My car has been broke into 3 times and a few houses have been broke into.... We now have security cameras out towards the street to watch. 6 of us neighbors spent some cash on this but we'll get them. We need proof. Cops say they know who is doing it but can't do anything until the catch them in the act. .. .. Now my trail blazer sits in the driveway with 3 cameras on it at night and all my neighbor cars are inside.... I have a old GPS hung on the dash for bait.

 

Seriously, an AK 47 as a home defense gun? That's a battle rifle. If I were your neighbor, I'd be scared. That's far too hot of a round for home defense.

 

Didn't have to when I was growing up but we do now. Too bad things have gone that way.

 

agree in close quarters the 12 G shot gun with buck shot in it is your best tool of internal home defence..saw the barrel down short so you can swing it fast and get an 1100 remington or an 870 pump
you cover a larger area, and little to no threat of going thru the wall and killing your kid or wife on the other side, or for that matter going thru an apartment wall and killing your neighbor, or out a window into the home across the street..
and a point blank or 10 foot shot with a shot gun will send the perp 10 feet back so you can move

 

So I here. I am not a gun aficionado really. I know how to shoot them and work my way around them but I don't get drooling out the mouth for them. I ended up taking this gun in when my father passed as it was his at one time. I know that it'll pass right through my walls and into my neighbors walls no problem, but for right now until I get a 9mm I have this. Not that that a meth head cares but the sound of that think loading up is pretty frightening.

I need to get a Shotgun or a 9mm pretty soon though because you are correct. Way to hot for a defense weapon.

 

Sounds like the right choice for me!!!!

 

Jeffery, don't get rid of the AK, they're a lot of fun. Mossberg makes a shotgun called the Defender, I think. Less than $200.

 

A friend of mine gave me some good advise once....Don't lock a convertible.He just had a new top put on his and some punk cut a slit in it to unlock the door to get at a pull out stereo.It would have been cheaper to have left the doors unlocked and let them take the $100 stereo instead of ruining a $300 top and still get the stereo.

 

OO buck and 9mm will go through plenty of sheet rock and wallboard too. Especially if the hollowpoint on the 9mm gets full of sheetrock and doesn't expand.
The main thing is to be aware of what is behind where you shoot.
I used an AK in self defense it worked well and I was glad to have 29 more shots at the ready.
Back on topic, I lock my house and garage even though I probably don't need to. I do leave my bike out in the drive lots of nights and am suprised sometimes when it's still there.
Someone here quoted their Dad once, "If you leave your toys out in the street, don't cry to me when they're gone."

 

Sounds like a good deal and the name is fitting. Oh the AK is definitely fun and because it was my father's it's not going anywhere.

Noted.




I always wondered if it was better to leave the car unlocked so that they could get in and get was they wanted without fucking up the car too bad. I had my silverado broke into at work one day a year ago and the fucker took a screwdriver and pried my lockout distorting the metall all around it. From there I thought, fuck I may as well left the thing open and they could have just made a mess but not fucked up my door. Luckily they were not Hot Rodders since they left my two Ansen 5 spokes in the truck.

 

We just purchased a house in a town of about 350 residents. My father in law is the only cop in town. I will still lock my house and garage for one simple reason: it will keep honest people honest. I'll still lock my cars too, just out of habit. Why invite problems?

As far as home defense goes, look for "Glaser safety slug" rounds for your pistol, they are designed for close quarter combat with reduced chance of ricochet or wall penetration. A 9mm will go through quite a bit, maybe not as much as a rifle round, but still enough to potentially cause harm to someone else. I guarantee if you hit someone with a .45 Glaser that they will not be going anywhere or doing much of anything, and you won't have to be overly concern with collateral damage.