Home Defense is more than choosing a munition

[TheKlawMan]

While I am jsut getting used to the 870 I picked up for HD and have been wrestling with the best ammo for my my circumstances, last nights events caused me to think that something else needed to be dealt with; a plan needed to be developed so the entire family would know what to do should we have an intruder.

The problem was brought to light when my daughter told me that she went downstairs in the middle of the night because she thought some of the sounds generated by the Santa Ana winds may have been made by an intruder. She is a perfect example of how a family member might have been mistaken for an intruder and shot, had I heard her and mistook her for a bad guy, but that is not what this thread is primarily about.

It caused me to think that every member of the house needs to know what to do shoud they suspect that there may be an intruder. That means developing a plan just as you develop a plan for how to react in case of a fire.

I ceertainly don't want anyone going downstairs. If they think there may be an intruder, I want them to get me up. I then wan't them everyone to go to the what passes for the safe room and to stand by ready to dial 911. I doubt that I will even take the risk of clearing the bottom floor. I certainly won't go downstairs if it sounds as though we indeed have an univited guest. If it seems that there is nothing to be alarmed about, I will walk through the house before telling everyone to go back to bed. Should anything suggest there indeed is an intruder, I am geting back to the second floor and calling 911. That may not be a good plan, but the point of this thread is that there should be a plan and so far I have head about what the homeowner and his wife would do, but nothing about what the rest of their households plan to do in an emergency.

I may also tell everyone to lay on top of the master bed, so any rounds shot from the first floor would have to penetrate two pieces of drywall, plywood sheathing, carpet, carpet padding, and the mattresses, before hitting family members.

One advantage of knowing where everyone is located in one area is I know in what direction I want to avoid shooting or draw shooting towards.

[Jimmy310]

Good tactical plan, another good idea is to get a dog if you can or dont already have one.

[xenophobe]

Not one mention of a particular firearm or gadget setup. I approve of this thread.

[Moress]

I like your thinking, most people forget that our brain is our most powerful weapon. It's our single advantage as humans over the other inhabitants of this planet, and if we don't utiliaze that advantage, then we're totally screwed in any situation.

Like the above poster mentioned, a K9 or home alarm system will greatly increase your level of preparedness(sp?).

[kel-tec-innovations]

Great thread. Yes stay upstairs, it seperates your family from the intruder. It would be very difficult for an intruder to advance up the stairs if your guarding the stair well from a safe position. You have the upper hand. If an intruder is indeed in the house I'd have other family member call 911 describe YOU so cops don't get the wrong person and where you live etc. while you guard the stairwell.

[BANG BANG]

If you don't have a home alarm or dog then a small motion sensor with alarm is needed like this one ..

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-198-80350-mace-remote-alarm.aspx

I live in a 2 story town house and have one of these mounted in a central area on the 1st floor where it will have to be tripped if someone walks around wants to come up to the 2nd floor.

If it goes off, round up everyone and guard the top of the stairs and call 911 if there is a threat

[IEShooter]

Home defense

The are all great thoughts. I feel the same way about home defense. If there is an intruder in my house, they'll almost certainly trigger the alarm. The first floor is well covered by motion sensors, glass break sensors, etc.

If someone does break in, we'll retreat to the master bedroom, lock the door, arm ourselves and dial 911. They can ransack the house and steal my stuff. Stuff can be replaced, but securing my wife and children in a safe room is our #1 priority.

I really like your scenario because reality is never as simple as what I just described above. What if the alarm doesn't go off, but you hear movement outside and THINK someone may be trying to break in? Do you arm yourself, advance downstairs and check it out? If so, do you wake up your family and send them to a safe room? Do you call 911 at that point or try to confirm what you think you heard?

Every situation is different and there is no, one size fits all solution.

For me, the key thing I take away is to openly discuss these scenarios with your family, make decisions on how you all will respond, and always take the approach that your family's safety is #1 and protecting your 'stuff' is way down the list of priorities.

[BigDogatPlay]

My alarm is a 65lb Belgian Malinois who knows that the house is his.

This thread is a very good one to have, and (depending on how it rolls) might be a consideration for a sticky. Home defense doesn't begin or end with filling the tube on your shotgun of choice, throwing it in the closet and going to bed. We get deeply into equipment here because this is a gun forum and everyone here likes to talk about guns and gun gear.

We all need to spend time considering the situations and places in which we live and how we will respond in the event of a sudden emergency. We all need to plan and practice, with family members practicing as well. It all needs to be second nature so that your plans (and it's best to have more than one) can be put into action without having to think about what to do next. That is how our military and (many, not all) law enforcement trains.

[Bagelthief]