I got burgled in Jan. My 3 year old daughter had been unsettled so the Mrs was sleeping with her.
I woke up at 3am and heard footsteps. Thought it was the Mrs and dozed off again. The footsteps were from the top of the stairs, that's how close they came to our bedrooms.
I woke up again ten minutes later and heard more noises, by the time I turned the light on grabbed the cricket stump behind my bed (yes I'm aware my choice of weapon needs updating), they had started the car outside and were off before I could even get to the window. They were only after the car.
Now, the Mrs doesn't know that they came as far as to the top of the stairs, that would really freak her out. The fact that she happened to be sleeping with our baby helped her to deal with it.
The anger I felt was incredible. But in that situtaion, if I'm standing there with a cricket stump in my hand, and they have both sets of keys to my BMW and I'm the only thing stopping them from taking it, they will get through me one way or another. And I have too much to lose. If they want the car, fuck it, take it! That's what Car Insurance is for.
A good mate of mine who is a BMW dealer advises his customers to always leave the car keys downstairs at night. Not in view, but easy enough to find because you don't want them coming upstairs especially if you have kids in the house.
My brother is a Probation Officer and a lot of the offenders he deals with are those that went to to a burglary, got caught in the act and it got really nasty. One 19 year old lad raped a 76 year old woman after she caught him, while her disabled husband, who couldn't move from his bed, heard everything. Horrific.
I think we should have the right to defend our homes to a degree. But in that situation again, I rather set the panic alarm off, disturb them and let them fuck off with whatever they have their hands on.