Practical Home Defense Discussion Thread.

[ChuckDizzle]

Embedded:

Thank you sir.

[BennyAdeline]

Agree.

It is a quite a challenge, but one that needs to be done to the best of your ability.
Sometimes, like you said, it is a natural thing that happens as a reaction (I am on the ground, guy is on top of me beating my face in... hey, all three parts!).

The trigger for me to look into this in detail was having a guy (didn't know him) threatening to kill us while beating against a cheap window (apartment living for ya!) that a person could step through if broken or opened.

I woke up, I was armed. The cops were on the phone and on their way.
I told the guy to leave, only made him more irate.

He kept threatening and banging on the window. All I could do was stand there and wait. Spooky feeling for sure.

Cops eventually showed up and took the man away. He was on something and had the wrong apartment.

Trying to prepare yourself, on the spot, for the unthinkable is a lot to take in. I knew what I would do if I had to.
Afterword though, when I had time to think about it, it was unnerving. Just waiting there preparing to do something that I had never considered before.

I think this will be a good thread, I look forward to reading more replies.

Geez man, that's no fun at all. Thank you for sharing. Did the thought that you might have to actually fire ever cross your mind?

Closest I've came is very similar. Two drunk guys pounding on my door (this was in Hollywood) at about 2am. They covered the peephole and were asking for some girl. They didn't leave after I told them they had the wrong place and pounded harder. I had my 20 gauge pointed at the door. Wifey was in the bedroom with the AR, crouched behind the bed. I was shouting for them to leave.

The scariest point is when they jiggled the door handle. I was shocked by how "real" the feeling was and how in shock I was that this scenario was actually happening.

After 10 minutes or so they kicked the door hard and left. I then heard them knock on my neighbors door and be let in. Cops finally showed and they were arrested. Their explanation..."it was a prank"

After that, I took the idea of mental training more seriously. I wasn't scared of them per se, but I was very scared of the situation.

[bazineta]

A lot of good info here. I'd add, make sure that your house number is readily visible from the street, particularly at night. LE brings numbers, armor, high-volume weaponry, and if you're lucky, dogs. These are all great things in such a situation; don't make it hard for them to find you.

[Corpral_Agarn]

Geez man, that's no fun at all. Thank you for sharing. Did the thought that you might have to actually fire ever cross your mind?

Yes.
Afterword I was glad that I was capable of thinking clearly during the 'event' but also unnerved by the 'line in the sand' that I established knowing full well that I would have responded.
I was also unnerved by the fact that should he have skipped straight to breaking the window and coming in, I would have probably have hesitated because it was not something I had ever considered.

Closest I've came is very similar. Two drunk guys pounding on my door (this was in Hollywood) at about 2am. They covered the peephole and were asking for some girl. They didn't leave after I told them they had the wrong place and pounded harder. I had my 20 gauge pointed at the door. Wifey was in the bedroom with the AR, crouched behind the bed. I was shouting for them to leave.

The scariest point is when they jiggled the door handle. I was shocked by how "real" the feeling was and how in shock I was that this scenario was actually happening.

I hear you.
The moment when somebody tests the barrier between safety and danger, it gets real. Fast.

After 10 minutes or so they kicked the door hard and left. I then heard them knock on my neighbors door and be let in. Cops finally showed and they were arrested. Their explanation..."it was a prank"

Glad it turned out okay.

After that, I took the idea of mental training more seriously. I wasn't scared of them per se, but I was very scared of the situation.

+1,000

[Citadelgrad87]

Someone else said it, I want to highlight it.

Make your home one that doesn't look like a target. You don't need Fort Knox, you need to be the toughest nut to crack. Let them go elsewhere.

LIGHTS. Porch lights at all doors. Leave them on all night, mine are on timers that replace the switches. On at dusk, off at dawn. If you're worried about cost, replace incandescent with led.

Yard lights to eliminate dark areas to hide. Cut back bushes for the same reason. You cannot stand in any hiding place in front of my house at night. Every time I speak to cops in my yard, granted, only a couple times, they glanced around and said, guess whose house isn't going to be broken into. My neighbor's cooperate by turning out all of their lights when they go to bed. My house looks like a German POW camp during an escape. All night, every night.

A light on my flagpole. I fly old glory because I love her, but I also read that criminals know that houses flying the flag likely contain an armed owner.

Put a couple interior lights on random timers.

FENCES/GATES. Hang a "beware of dog" sign on them, visible from front, and LOCK THE GATES. Will they jump the fence anyway? Maybe, but again, my neighbor's don't lock theirs, so they don't have to.

DOG. Get one that barks.

Door locks, invest in good ones.

Alarm. Alarms will pay for themselves with a 10% discount on your homeowners policy, they give you signs to put up, and will give you more if you ask. I have signs near every door and at the property line in back. I paid extra, but my entire house is hard wired, no window or door can be opened without tripping a sensor. When I'm away on a business trip, I don't worry about my family.

Plan. Plan ahead. Talk about it, fire, earthquake, intruder, etc. figure out what you'll do in various situations before they happen. Play what if with yourself. Play what if with your family, get them thinking.

As an example, we have a code word that means grab some floor, whatever is happening, lay down, daddy's getting ready to lay down some fire. My daughter thinks it's hysterical when I yell it, but she gets down. I'll never have to use it, but that's what I said about my life insurance policy, too.

[ScottsBad]

Won't go into too much detail (opsec), but everyone knows how to shoot what's avalible, the Wife is a second degree blackbelt, we have a mean looking dog (when he's awake), and some very good neighbors. The only ongoing hd issue that we have are critters going after the chickens. That said, there is an array of electronics watching the place.

We live in one of the safest areas in kali imho. Thing would be a lot different if our home was in the suburbs or city.

Hey that's funny my wife is a second degree black belt too. So are my two teen age daughters. I'm the only slacker, we'll not get into that.

1. Everyone in the house is a shooter.
2. Two dogs
3. Bay Alarm
4. Security lights
5. We always keep the doors locked
6. Strategic pistol placement

I keep an featureless 5.56 rifle ready to rock, next to my bed. That's all.

[Mandalorian]

Tagged😜. Awesome thread!
Summer's around the corner, home invasion/burglaries/smasN'
grab spikes up. Be safe

[jet757f]

Someone else said it, I want to highlight it.

Make your home one that doesn't look like a target. You don't need Fort Knox, you need to be the toughest nut to crack. Let them go elsewhere.

LIGHTS. Porch lights at all doors. Leave them on all night, mine are on timers that replace the switches. On at dusk, off at dawn. If you're worried about cost, replace incandescent with led.

Yard lights to eliminate dark areas to hide. Cut back bushes for the same reason. You cannot stand in any hiding place in front of my house at night. Every time I speak to cops in my yard, granted, only a couple times, they glanced around and said, guess whose house isn't going to be broken into. My neighbor's cooperate by turning out all of their lights when they go to bed. My house looks like a German POW camp during an escape. All night, every night.

A light on my flagpole. I fly old glory because I love her, but I also read that criminals know that houses flying the flag likely contain an armed owner.

Put a couple interior lights on random timers.

FENCES/GATES. Hang a "beware of dog" sign on them, visible from front, and LOCK THE GATES. Will they jump the fence anyway? Maybe, but again, my neighbor's don't lock theirs, so they don't have to.

DOG. Get one that barks.

Door locks, invest in good ones.

Alarm. Alarms will pay for themselves with a 10% discount on your homeowners policy, they give you signs to put up, and will give you more if you ask. I have signs near every door and at the property line in back. I paid extra, but my entire house is hard wired, no window or door can be opened without tripping a sensor. When I'm away on a business trip, I don't worry about my family.

Plan. Plan ahead. Talk about it, fire, earthquake, intruder, etc. figure out what you'll do in various situations before they happen. Play what if with yourself. Play what if with your family, get them thinking.

As an example, we have a code word that means grab some floor, whatever is happening, lay down, daddy's getting ready to lay down some fire. My daughter thinks it's hysterical when I yell it, but she gets down. I'll never have to use it, but that's what I said about my life insurance policy, too.

I strongly agree with your post. I think lighting is the most important part of home security.

One thing I'm confused about. What did you mean "My neighbor's cooperate by turning out all of their lights when they go to bed." Why would you want your neighbors to do this?

[gogohopper]

Very good older thread with many home hardening tips. I keep it in my bookmarks.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=989774

[ScottsBad]

I strongly agree with your post. I think lighting is the most important part of home security.

One thing I'm confused about. What did you mean "My neighbor's cooperate by turning out all of their lights when they go to bed." Why would you want your neighbors to do this?

I think he means that the neighbors house is an easier target. Bad guys are more likely to go to a dark house to break in.

[ElDub1950]

In addition to all of the above good suggestions ...

Do a strategy walk through of your house. Note every possible entrance then check from every location you might be and be certain of what's beyond a potential BG. For example if the armed BG came through your family room window and you need to fire, is your neighbor's bedroom, or a busy street directly in the line of fire from the hallway? Can you limit the risks by changing locations. From all locations, where is your cover? If the BG broke in 20 seconds ago, where is he likely to be.

Does your family know what to do and what you will be doing? You don't need your kids running down the hallway yelling 'daddy what's that noise'. Go through scenarios where you might need to yell out instructions. Talk about what those might be and what you expect them to do.

If you have teens there is a real possibility that the BG you just heard break in is actually you son sneaking in after a party. Make sure everyone knows what orders you will be screaming the the 'BG' and how they must respond.

You can discuss this stuff with your family without making it fearful or paranoid, just like you would discuss what to do if there was a house fire.

Repeat during the daytime and nighttime.

[Citadelgrad87]

I strongly agree with your post. I think lighting is the most important part of home security.

One thing I'm confused about. What did you mean "My neighbor's cooperate by turning out all of their lights when they go to bed." Why would you want your neighbors to do this?

I don't, really, but it's true they won't leave their lights on. Since their homes are near mine, they provide an alternative, dark home to work on instead of mine.

In reality, I don't want anything to happen, and frequently walk the area late at night on weekends before turning in. But I can't get any of them to leave the lights on at night.

People mention it when leaving our house at night, both how quiet the neighborhood is, and how dark everyone else's house is compared to ours.

[Cody]

[Lonestargrizzly]

I want to reinforce my walls with kevlar.

[jet757f]

I don't, really, but it's true they won't leave their lights on. Since their homes are near mine, they provide an alternative, dark home to work on instead of mine.

In reality, I don't want anything to happen, and frequently walk the area late at night on weekends before turning in. But I can't get any of them to leave the lights on at night.

People mention it when leaving our house at night, both how quiet the neighborhood is, and how dark everyone else's house is compared to ours.

Ok I get it. Your post just made me buy some LED flood light upgrades for the house. These should be easier to leave on all the time.