Some people think that garden gnomes are totally useless. However, a growing number of homeowners are considering the use of these quirky little statues as items to provide personal protection instead of using pepper spray or other more lethal deterrents.

If you detect a threatening character on your doorbell camera monitor you can yell out, "Stay back! -- Don't try anything, I have a garden gnome and I'm not afraid to use it!" That proclamation should send anyone with half a bit of sense scurrying on their way.

Some time ago a grandmother in Wadebridge, England, who was alarmed by the sound of an intruder on her roof reacted instictively to protect her property. "I grabbed the first thing that came to hand — one of my garden gnomes — and hurled it at him, and hit him," she recalled.

The culprit was blind-sided, and as he lay there screaming in pain, the woman went into the house and armed herself with a rolling pin, since she didn't want to damage another gnome. The police were alerted by neighbors and the offender was arrested.

As evidenced by this incident, one can see the logical sense of having garden gnomes protecting your house. Intruders are likely to think of gnomes as mere whimsical, silly and somewhat tasteless garden decorations, rather than granny-guided missiles.



