I don't go camping but if I did i would try and stay away from areas with known predators. If legal I might bring a firearm, however in the darkness and confusion I doubt I could do more than use it to make noise by firing it into the air.
Breaking into a home is "burglary". Breaking into an occupied home is a "hot burglary". Most burglars do no carry guns. Burglars who commit hot burglaries don't want to disturb the occupants. They break in on a side of the house away from where the residents are (i.e., break into bedrooms while the family is in the living room or kitchen), rifle empty rooms for valuables and leave. Burglars and hot burglars are wary and make every attempt to avoid homeowners and their family members. People who carry guns and break into an occupied home are usually doing so to because the home owner is wealthy. This is a "home invasion robbery". A robber confronts the person or persons he's going to victimize. Home invasion robbers are looking for expensive jewelry and wads of cash. They are not druggies looking for a few bucks for their next hit. They are usually part of organized groups like gangs. In a few cases, the group includes one or more employees of the wealthy homeowner.
Home invasion robbers are there for the jewelry and cash. Unless they have some kind of personal grudge against a victim, they are not going to murder anyone. They'll tie up victims, etc. but they aren't killers. They don't want that kind of heat from the police. Will some victims be killed sometimes? Sure, especially uncooperative ones but it's a rare thing.
I've camped a lot and have never gone armed - except for a small ax which I've used to whack down brush to put under my drive wheel when I've gotten stuck. Bears walk around my yard at all hours of the day and night, mess around on my patio and sniff at the windows at night. Every once and a while a mountain lion walks through. Coyotes are common. Why should I be worried about them when I go camping?
But I'm not paranoid and you are.
I can tell you from experience that by the time you know you should have a gun, it's too late to pull it out and use it effectively. Unless you want to walk around with a gun in your hand, ready to take aim and shoot, a personal firearm is generally useless for your own protection under normal circumstances. If you see someone else being robbed, there's no way you can aim for and hit the robber without risking the life of the victim.
Stop trying to live out your personal hero fantasies and join the rest of us in the Land of Reality.
Here's what you'd do: If you see someone breaking in, then they must still be outside your home. You yell bloody murder and they know they've been seen and they take off.
Actually, mr. troll, most robbers do NOT carry a gun. The reason is quite simple. The difference between "robbery" and "armed robbery" means a MUCH harsher prison sentence.
Also, most robbers will make sure the house is unoccupied before breaking in. No witnesses that way.
Finally, if a robber makes a mistake and breaks into a house that is occupied, 99% of the time the robber will flee, rather than confront the homeowners.
The situation YOU'RE describing is not a robbery, and also a situation most people are unlikely to ever face - gun owner or not.
Let him take some money and whatever else he wants. He is a "robber".. Let him be arrested. No one needs to die. You don't know him. He could have kids that he is trying to feed.
lets take a forinstance...you seen someone breaking into your house, you know he has a gun...most robbers do....your wife and family in the home...obviously he is there to do damage, you can call the cops, but they will not be there in time to save you and the family....you don't have a gun, are you going to run to get a golf club? stick? how do you protect yourself, talk nice to him? I asked this question earlier...interesting no answer. You like to camp, take your family with you, you are going unarmed?
