The average burglary runs approximately 4 to 10 minutes. More organized criminals will find out how long it takes for the police to arrive on scene on a GOOD DAY. They'll aim for that time, minus 2 minutes. In, out, and gone in a few minutes. If I had anyone else in my house and someone walked in, be sure to God I'd do everything to stop them. Friends, girlfriends, wives, siblings, children, parents, &c. I would make sure that bastard would at least be in pain after commiting a crime.
I consider my stuff above a criminal; a criminal is no more important if they stoop to that level to enter someone's house they forfeit all rights as a person.
The US legal system is quite frankly ****ed up. A burglar broke into a woman's house, stepped on a shard of broken glass, and successfully sued the woman who owned that house! That burglar should have been put in jail for life! Instead, he got a slap on the wrist and millions of dollars!
And now we get into the whole death penalty debate. Do you get to take away somebody's life, simply because they want to take your things? If there's a bully in your kid's schoolyard who takes your kid's lunch money, (You or I may not have kids, but this is just an analogy) then should you show up in a car and pop a cap in his face? Think what has to happen to somebody before they want to break into someone's house. Doesn't that person deserve sympathy, instead of your bullets? Do you treat a person as an inanimate object, simply because they made a mistake? I can't speak for the US justice system, and I doubt your story (has that woman ever heard of a lawyer?), but a burglar does not get life without parole in any justice system I've ever heard of.
Has she ever heard of a lawyer? Definately. Have you ever heard of children? I am not going to disclose the names of my friend's family, beyond the children are named Anthony and Alex; I know Anthony quite well and I've met his sister a few times.
The whole death penalty debate. There is a differance between home invasion and a common bully. I would say something to the administration or teach my kid how to fight (as in karate, which I already practice). If a man walked into my home for less-than-friendly reasons, force will be used to protect myself, my loved ones, and my stuff! If that person must resort to crime to get money, ought he be on social security or something else of the sort? A serious criminal was a person who gave up his or her humanity. They did make a mistake; they could have done quite a bit to avoid it.
Burglars can be rehabilitated easier than most. Still, if they walk into my family I would fully plan to make sure they're carried out on a stretcher.
Note: The story is true though vague from two things; i don't give out the full names of friends and families online and I last heard the story about a year ago. Still, it is completely true from my memory.
Wait, so children acted as witnesses for the burglar's case? Or were children lawyers for the woman? Or the burglar's children were injured by the glass? What are you trying to say? I'm not calling you a liar, now I know that it was an experience of someone you knew well, but I just want to know how this could have happened.
Also, if a Swiss man tried to shoot his neighbour with his government-distributed rifle, half a dozen knife blades and assorted implements would be sticking out of his back before he could raise his gun. They don't sell foreigners real Swiss army knives. 
I know how it is in Switzerland; I want to move to Switzerland after I finish college. I am a quarter Swiss, quarter German, quarter Austrian, and the other quarter is other assorted American blend.
Two different stories...
The first was of what happened to my friend and friend's mother. She was a stay-at-home mom then, if you remember her husband is involved in New York State law enforcement (I won't say the specific one, same reasons as before). The second was of another case before then where a man breaks into a woman's house. During be burglary he stepped on a shard of glass that went through his sneakers, while in the act. He is disabled by the glass, caught, treated, then goes on to sue the woman whose house he broken into. He successfully won for damages; either he bought off the jury or they were ALL high.
Anyways; I like the idea from Switzerland. Excellent military-training for all civilians--to teach about using guns, properly, in High School would be an excellent way to both train future military (iirc military service is mandatory; though the military is simply for defence. I've had many great Uncles who have served.)
