lol Toad
Maverick - I agree to some extent with what you say, but over here (where you are unlikely to find a gun in the average house), most burgalries occur when the occupants are not present, just like the States. Perhaps the crims. do this to avoid being identified or involved in a confrontation; in addition to the risk that they might get killed or injured by the householder, a confrontation might result in them injuring the same householder, which would make them more traceable from evidence at the scene (blood, fibres etc).
StSanta - I've never said it, but your grasp of English is superb! I just wished they taught foreign languages to any decent degree of depth in British schools, instead of relying on everyone to speak English. I remember what Eddie Izzard said about Holland, where virtually everyone speaks English well (apparently) - he said asking people if they spoke English was like asking them if they could count to two, going by the reactions they gave.