About twenty years ago, a friend and I were riding around in the country, when we saw a 57 Chevy sitting in a field. There was an old abandoned looking house across the road. Run down, porch falling off, no drapes, high grass, broken windows, etc. My friend owned a 57, and was looking for parts, so we decided to stop and take a look at the car. We walked out into the field, and were only there a few minutes, when a guy came out of the house with a double-barrelled 12 guage shotgun, and levelled it at us. We didn't do anything, just froze, since he was now closer to our vehicle than we were. He walked up to us and asked us what we were doing on his property. My friend told him that he had a 57 and was looking for anyone that had parts for sale. The old guy said that he had nothing for sale. Then he asked us why we didn't come to the house first and ask. My friend was a pretty charismatic guy, and cracked a joke. The guy laughed, and began to talk to us. He told us about the car, when and how he got it, etc. We stood there and talked for a good half hour, but never once did he lower the gun. Finally, we decided that it was time to leave. He mentioned that he didn't expect to see us again, and we left.
Now that I have cars of my own, I understand how that old guy felt. Someone who is simply looking at the interior, can just as easily be stealing a $500 radio. Someone who is just checking the engine, could instead, be someone trying to steal a $300 air cleaner.
You can see, by the majority of the responses, so far, how strongly people feel about their property. I started this post for several reasons. Partly, just to vent, but mainly to make people realize that unless both sides adhere to the law, any seemingly innocent situation can quickly get out of hand, and become a potentially tragic one. When tempers flare, rationality many times just disappears. Doesn't matter what the law is, or who is right. There are a lot of people in this world who have died, even though they were in the right. Many more have died because they were in the wrong. Not everyone you encounter in this world will be sane, lucid, logical, or see things from your point of view. It's true that your chances of getting shot are pretty low, but one in a million is enough, if that one is you. People win the lottery every day, against odds much higher than that.
That old guy with the 57 taught me a valuable lesson, and as a result, I've never again taken liberties with other peoples property. If I see something I'm interested in, I go to the house. If no one is home, I try again some other time, or I leave a note. If they call me back, fine. If they don't, I think about that old guy with the shotgun.
