I seriously thought about getting a gun

Anyone who knows me is well-aware that I'm not easily spooked, but while I watched this horrific story on the news last night I wondered what the average person can do to protect themselves against such an unbearable event. I'm still thinking about it. The case is even more bizarre because the killers, though they both had long rap sheets, had never been involved in violent crime - break-ins, car thefts, drugs, but nothing with weapons. What the hell happened to them? And the father - he survived, but how can he go living after this devastation? I'm against the death penalty in general, but it doesn't seem inappropriate in this situation.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2132349.ece

July 24, 2007
Times Online
Murder of doctor's family shocks suburban Connecticut

A prominent American doctor witnessed the murders of his wife and children during a brutal armed robbery at their home in a small affluent suburban town yesterday.

Dr William Petit Jr, a diabetes expert, was the only one of his family to survive the ordeal, which has shocked the residents of Cheshire, near New Haven, Connecticut.

His wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were killed, and their house set on fire.

Before committing their murders, two armed robbers were believed to have subjected the family to a reign of terror lasting hours which included one intruder taking Mrs Petit to a bank and ordering her to withdraw some money.