But that wasn't the case late last night at a Colorado Springs apartment at which police say a fire extinguisher was used as a weapon by a crew of goons.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, whose officers responded to the call in question at around 11:35 p.m. last night, a woman living in a complex on the 2500 block of East Cache La Poudre Street was home with her two kids when she heard some strange noises outside -- and it didn't take long for her to discover who was making them.
The front door was soon forced open and a man entered the apartment, armed with an extinguisher. He pointed it at her and told her to stay in the living room while three other men entered.
Hard to say what this thug planned to do with the extinguisher if she disobeyed. Splatter her with foam? Clonk her over the head with it? But she followed orders as the trio headed to a back bedroom, where they grabbed what are described as several pieces of electronic equipment. Then the quartet split along with a fifth man who'd stood outside the apartment as a guard.
The suspects are described as African-American males, most in the five-feet-six-inch to six-feet range, although the tallest reportedly stood around six-seven. One wore a gray long-sleeved shirt, another donned a red sleeveless basketball jersey. The rest chose dark clothing far less memorable than their nefarious use of a fire-fighting tool.
Thank goodness they didn't choose an ax instead...
More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Jason McEwan & Michelle White's party favors: Alleged kidnapping with sword, pit bull threats."