Shitposting

So if someone breaks into your home, you're gonna have a chat?

Yes, absofuckinglutely, how is that even in question.

Look. People don't just randomly walk into a someone else's home. There are not so many reasons why they might, and most of them don't in fact put you in more danger than you are bringing to the situation yourself.

Most of the time it's going to be someone who's confused or addled for some reason or other -- dementia, other mental impairment, poor reaction to intoxication, etc. So, someone in some degree of distress, and I sure as fuck hope that your default reaction to someone in distress isn't to just shoot to kill. You would not believe how effective it can be to just ask someone something like "are you okay mate?". I swear to God, if you find it in yourself, sit them down for tea. Yes, that takes human qualities that are not remotely a given. Still worth it if you can manage it.

Sometimes it's just plain opportunistic burglary. Research shows that burglars go into a state of focus not unlike artists as they try to maximize the value of what they can take while minimizing the time spent on the premises. (So, wallets and credit cards. No, not your TV.) Disrupting that focus generally suffices to interrupt the burglary. So, "wrong house, mate", or whatever choice of non-escalating words you prefer to signal that the gig's up. They'll be out so fast that sitting them down for tea won't even be an option.

And even if all else fails and you're determined to escalate, you could still fire warning shots. This is not God damn video game enemy. It's a person. Whatever reason brought that person into your home is never ever gonna be something they're happy about; you can see that, right?

Understand: having a fearful reaction is normal. But succumbing to that fear to the point you'd rather preemptively kill a human being is not. It's the negation of everything civilization is constructed on.