Home Invasion Protection Tips

[Common Sense Party]

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - In the wake of the home invasion and shooting involving an 82-year-old Jackson man, police are reminding residents of how to respond if they find themselves facing an intruder inside their homes.

Jackson Police Deputy Chief Eric Walls says, "Residents should call 9-1-1 first, they can't call us enough." Walls says one should never enter their home if they believe a burglar could be inside.

If you come in contact with an intruder and you're armed, police say avoid a confrontation if at all possible, but protect your family at all costs, which includes using deadly force.
...

If you do buy a gun to protect your person and property, police say it's a good idea to get training on how to use it. If a weapon is ever taken from you by an intruder, the best thing is to get away as fast as possible.

All sound and sensible suggestions. Any other tips? (other than: don't be a known drug dealer with a stash in your house that rival drug dealers want to steal...that happened down our street last year)

[TheWraith]

1. Another one: don't go hunting an intruder.

If you KNOW someone is in your home, find a defensible spot, and stay there. In two story houses, anything with a view of the top of the stairs is good. That way you have the advantage.

[Common Sense Party]

3. Meaning that it's better to be upstairs, looking down?

Or downstairs, looking up? Or does it matter?

My situation and quandary would be that my wife and I sleep in the basement (and the gun is in the basement). Our three children sleep upstairs on the ground floor, which is where an intruder would enter. My first instinct and priority would be to make sure that no intruder harms my children, so I would have to go upstairs and protect them. I'm not intending to "hunt" the intruder, but I need to protect my family.

Any suggestions?

[Kennah]

6. Whether looking up, or looking down, it's always better to be the one who is ensconced

[MADem]

2. Have an angry macaw at your side.....

http://www.wtnh.com/dpps/news/strange/bird-saves-owner-from-robbers-ob11-jgr_3946711

An Arkansas man says his pet macaw, Charlie, saved his life during a home invasion.

Jack Dukes says two men rang his doorbell Monday morning and he let them in, thinking one was a neighbor. But he says the men began to beat him and demanded that he give them hydrocodone.

Dukes says Charlie went crazy, screaming and biting the would-be robbers, and that's when they took off.


...or learn how to deliver a sturdy "field goal kick" to the balls:

http://www.kmbc.com/news/28714890/detail.html

"You don't mess with the grandkids. That's the mother lion instinct," she said. "I didn't think if he got us in the house with a gun that we would come out."
She said the burglar pistol-whipped her, breaking her arm and cutting her forehead. But she said she didn't back down, attacking the man in a particularly sensitive spot.
"I threw myself in front of the door and decided at that point I was going to make a field goal kick in his groin, and I did," Thomas said.
With the man gone and her grandchildren OK, Thomas said she hopes people in the neighborhood will keep their eyes open. She said she believes the man lives in the area.

"We can join together and help each other, look out for each other," she said.
She said the intruder didn't get away with much.
"Sore balls. Sore balls is all he got from here, and a limp," she said.

[safeinOhio]

4. Lots of cheap things.

Replace all screws in door hinges and strikers with 3 inch screws. Put stops in all windows so they can only be opened a few inches and then lock them. Get a yappy dog. Take a walk in closet and turn it into a safe room. Strong door, gun safe with fire arms inside and a phone to call 911 with. Cheap alarms to alert you in time to get to your safe room.. When you call 911, tell them you are armed and in your safe room. If the intruder tries to inter you will open fire to protect your self. Motion lights on all sides of the house. Even if you don't have an alarm system, you can still put up stickers saying you have one.

[Common Sense Party]

5. I like the 3-inch screw idea. That is cheap and easy.

I don't really have a place to make a safe room. I'll also get the alarm sticker.

[ileus]

12. I have a chime on my outside garage door that goes off if it's opened.

It's plugged in at the laundry room and turned all the way up. No one is ever supposed to use that door, and beside the garage doors (vehicle) and a 8ft window it's the only entrance.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Security Protocols & Awareness

Make a physical security plan and get everyone who lives in the house to follow it. It can be as simple as closing windows and making sure the garage door is locked as you leave. With that kind of regular approach comes enhanced security and situational awareness which will help you notice if something is not quite right.

Alarm systems. Low cost and can go to your cell phone. The industry is not that big on DIY, but it can be done. Avoid the free systems with an expensive monthly service contract.

[Kennah]

8. Couple of random thoughts

All your locks should be deadbolts, but consider adding flip locks. They are primarily a childproofing thing--since they are up high enough little fingers can't reach them--but they also provide an additional anchor point if someone tries to kick the door.

If there is glass near your door--in a position where someone could break the glass then reach in and unlock the door--consider either getting rid of that glass or getting a double keyed lock. Double keyed locks do present a potential hazard since you could be locked in during a fire if you can't find the key. Some local fire codes don't allow them.

You may want to fortify the door frame by installing several 3" screws along the frame and doorstop so that the frame is secured to studs all around.

Adding a storm door is one more lock and one more door an intruder would have to break through to get in.

Sliding glass doors are usually more vulnerable. You need either a a wooden dowel or a Charley Bar, but you also need something to secure the door from being lifted out of it's track.

I find some window locks to be flimsy, but a wood dowel can solve that.

Trimming back bushes from around windows takes away the chance for someone to hide while breaking a window.

Lock your locks. I know it sounds dumb, but most break-ins are actually walk-ins because the criminal went through an unlocked door or window.

Don't stash a spare key. Instead make friends with a neighbor and establish enough trust to have each other's spare key. That added trust means more watchful eyes on the neighborhood.

Phone lines can be cut so it's a good idea to keep a cell phone plugged into a charger on the nightstand.

When you call 9-1-1, the first thing you should say is your address and repeat it.

"123 Maple Lane, Mayberry. 123 Maple Lane, Mayberry."

If the line gets cut, or the line drops, or the last drop of power in the cell phone dies, you have given 9-1-1 your address. 9-1-1 hang-ups tend to get a high priority. I'm not saying stage one, but if the line drops you have given your address so that the police can respond.

Also, this technique is taught to cops, firefighters, EMTs, etc. The 9-1-1 dispatcher might alert to this and think you must be a cop, firefighter, EMT, or other trained professional and thus you're calling for a VERY good reason. The call can get higher priority, even if "man with gun breaking into house" gets garbled.

After you give your address, and repeat it, give the emergency succinctly.

"Someone is breaking into my house, and I am armed."

Because you have a weapon you perceive a threat. Again something to raise the level of priority of the call.

While I have a preference for handguns in close quarters, once ensconced a pump action 12 gauge shotgun is among the most formidable weapons out there for the sound alone.

Person A spins the cylinder of their .44 Magnum and snaps it shut. Cute little noise.

Person B inserts a loaded magazine and racks the slide of their .45 ACP 1911. Little louder but still a cute noise.

Person C racks a pump action 12 gauge shotgun chambering a round of Federal Tactical 00 Buckshot. OK, now someone is seriously shitting their pants.

Chambering a round in a pump action 12 gauge shotgun is one of the most unmistakable sounds on Earth. That level of firepower could PREVENT a confrontation.

[PavePusher]

10. All excellent advice.... except the last 5 lines.

That "sound" meme is a bad movie trope. In a real-life situation, you may very likely be doing it behind a closed door/different floor/several rooms away while competeing with the sounds of pets, kids, spouse, traffic, shouting people amped on drugs and/or adreneline, etc. And you'd be suprised how many people don't know what a gun being loaded sounds like.

In short, don't put much credence into it, and for the love of ghod, don't depend on it.

And please, please, please, don't spread the meme.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

13. Don't put much value in the "sounds of guns"

A) I've heard a 12ga shotgun racked literally thousands of times in my life and have yet to winess anyone defacate themselves.

B) Not everyone knows what the sound of a rifle or shotgun might actually be.

c) I prefer the subtle click of the safety as opposed manipulating a noisy action.
I see no reason to give anyone an advantage in knowing the shitstorm they just walked into.

Plus... a regular IIIa vest will stop handgun and shotgun slugs.
There's nothing quite like having a 30 round mag full of 7.62 rock & roll B-)

[Kennah]

15. Have you heard a 12 ga shotgun racked that was about to be used against you?

I would not depend upon, but if I'm tucked away with the wife and kids, and I've called 9-1-1, and someone is coming, do they really want to head into darkness when they heard a shotgun racked?

[gravity556]

20. All racking a shotgun is doing is pulling a live round out of the chamber.

"GET THE FUCK OUT! I HAVE A GUN AND CALLED THE COPS! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" is a better sound to make. If they hear a gun noise in my house, it's only going to be the quiet click of the safety on my AR.

[Kennah]

21. How about the best of both worlds?

"GET THE FUCK OUT! I HAVE A GUN AND CALLED THE COPS! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! <shuck><shuck>"

[PavePusher]

23. If you are yelling at intruders while holding a gun that isn't yet loaded....

You are doing it wrong...

[Kennah]

24. So I got the order reversed

"<shuck><shuck> GET THE FUCK OUT! I HAVE A GUN AND CALLED THE COPS! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

It was a stressful situation.

[PavePusher]

25. Heh. I was trying to find a funny picture to add to it....

Stupid government computer networks... Too many restricted sites.

[Kennah]

27. I feel much calmer now

[RSillsbee]

26. It depends

Did I also just hear you say 'Oh Shit!!" because you panicked and short stroked the shotgun?

[Euromutt]

35. I know a retired Coast Guard petty officer who would disagree with you

Walt did more than his share of raids on floating meth labs back in the 1980s and 1990s, and he decided fairly early on to trade in his standard-issue M16A1 for a pump-action 12-gauge, mostly because the size of the muzzle was way more intimidating but partly because the sound of the action being pumped definitely tended to make the cooks nervous, especially in narrow passageways. For every person who can't tell what the sound of a pump-action being racked actually is, there's at least one other who thinks shotguns throw a 25 yard-long cone of death.

[DWC]

9. Many excellent suggestions - with one proviso

The only exception I have is "faking" having an alarm system. Solid, reliable, monitored alarms (not cheap / freebies) particularly those with cellular communications can significantly enhance defense against such attacks.

Activation of the alarm system can cause the criminal or crazy to stop the attack before you must face or deploy lethal force. If you are assaulted and can't call 911, the alarm system has communicated the emergency for you to emergency responders automatically.

Anyone who is serious enough about home defense to own a defensive firearm but does not have a reliable, monitored alarm system should seriously reconsider their priorities. IMO it takes both.

General assumptions about how alarm systems communicate and response time of emergency responders check out:

http://www.usacarry.com/alarm-responses/

which explains how alarm responses are prioritized.

Semper Fi,

[MicaelS]

11. If you have guns for self defense, start thinking tactically

Know the fire angles in your house. Know when and WHERE to shoot from, and toward, and not shoot.

If someone attempts comes in door A, where the best place to shoot from? Door B? The garage?

Analyze the construction of each interior door, floor or wall in your house, as well as exterior doors and walls. Bullets will penetrate Sheetrock, particle board, plywood, 2 x 4s or lath and plaster. They won't easily penetrate brick, stone or concrete, or heavy steel doors.

In other words, if you needed to, could you PHYSICALLY shoot through the wall in room A and hit someone in room B? If you were in the basement, can you shoot through the basement ceiling / ground floor floor and hit someone on ground floor? If in a multistory can your shoot through the first story ceiling into the second story floor?

If you point a gun at intruder, and he drops behind cover such as couch, sofa, bookcase, armoire, etc, choose the best angle and shoot THROUGH the furniture. If he ducks around a corner wall, and it's not brick, stone or concrete, shoot THROUGH the wall. If you and your family is all in the basement, and you can locate the intruder on the ground floor by his footsteps, shoot THROUGH the basement ceiling.

Make DAMN sure your family is secure in another area before firing blindly, though. Blind firing can be very risky, so think it over carefully before you decide to use such tactics.

Replace all exterior doors, the door leading into the garage, and the door(s) leading into your primary bedroom, with steel framed, steel construction doors.

If you're handy with tools, you might construct some homemade Fox Police Locks. There were two types, the door mounted and the Floor Mounted. The floor mounted were the most secure, and they actually had a cutout into the floor where the bar fit. The original company is out of business, but you could make ones for each door if you have the talent. Some companies make copies. Google "Fox Police Lock".

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/thecity/27lock.html
http://www.nokey.com/foxstylpollo.html
http://www.nokey.com/orfoxstflmop.html
http://www.sears.com/abs-cwlocks-2723-original-fox-style-police-lock-double/p-SPM3744613801P

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

14. .308 Winchester: "Why shoot around corners when you can shoot through walls?"

[MicaelS]

17. If I were to use a shotgun for home defense, I'd use

Ddupleks Monolit 32 steel shotgun slugs. http://www.ddupleks.lv/EN/ddupleks_products/show/Monolit32

Of course they're about $3 a round with shipping.

[gravity556]

16. Keep your cell phone with you.

Your cell isn't bothered by power outages, nor can someone cut the line. All modern phones are equipped with E911, allowing the dispacher to get a positional fix on the phone. That way even if you don't get the address out verbally, they have an idea of where you are. If you can, put the phone on speaker so that you have both hands free. It also benefits you because 911 records all calls-"Don't come in here, I have a gun and called 911" and "Stay out of here! I have a gun" and "DROP THE WEAPON!" followed by a gunshot are things that may well save your ass in court.

Draw a mental line and decide that when someone crosses it, you will fire. Shooting someone is not something a gunowner wants to do-it's not something that ANY normal person wants to do. But hesitation in a situation like that will get you dead. Mine is the hallway to my bedroom. Anyone coming into that hallway is going to know that not only have I called the cops, but I am armed as well. If they choose to test that barrier, I can only assume that they are confident that they can confront an armed individual and are willing to do so. If they just take my TV, while wishing upon them a thousand agonizing deaths, I will not be leaving my bolt hole to go chase crooks, even in my living room.

Make sure your family members are clued in on the plan-either all stay put and lock their doors and hide or all go to the same room. That way you don't have to worry about shooting an innocent who crosses your imaginary line because you know where everyone is. If multiple people through the house have cell phones, have them call 911 as well, that way you know that the police have been called, even if someone is injured by the shitbag home invaders.

If feasible, keep a gun with you all the time. Oh, I can't even imagine the derision the pro-criminal safety bunch will pile on. "Uh uh uh-paranoid-uh uh uh (imagine the "uh uh uh" as a caveman-esque grunt) "uh uh-you afraid of dark too?-uh uh uh", all while tittering at their "cleverness" and "sophistication", but I digress. Seems simple, doesn't it-carry a gun with you all the time. Even if it's just a mouse gun (P3AT, concealable even in boxers! keltec should hire me for slogans) it's better than harsh words or compliance. "But", you ask, "what about in the bathroom?" To which I reply, "Don't drop your gun in the toilet!". Home invaders and other assorted shitbags don't *only* break into houses in the middle of the night. They figure that with numbers and guns it doesn't matter if there's anyone home, because they can just overpower or kill an unarmed individual if they need to. And since action is faster than reaction, you're already behind the curve. That sweet 870 with the sidesaddle shell holder, tritim sights and Surefire forend that's sitting in the safe in your bedroom on the other side of the house, and you are playing Angry Birds on the shitter, between which are several armed malefactors. Even if your "everywhere" gun is just a .380, a gunshot and one of them taking a hit will hopefully send them packing-nobody wants to get shot and they were ready to deal with an UNARMED victim. Not someone capable and willing to defend himself (or herself) with deadly force. That is why you carry a gun with you everywhere.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

18. Cell phones can be jammed. just sayin... n/t

[gravity556]

19. Hard lines can be cut.

But I'm betting that wire cutters are more common than cell jammers... :)

[Kennah]

22. One more: Paint your house teal

[Common Sense Party]

28. The knee-jerk gun haters have unrecced this heavily for some reason.

I guess they don't like discussions of honest citizens defending themselves against criminals.

It's nice to know which side they're on.

[DWC]

30. Question

Where are these unrecs. Maybe I just don't know where to look.

Semper Fi,

[Common Sense Party]

31. I'm just counting the net number of Rec's. At one point yesterday, this

thread had 9 recs. Several hours later, it was down to two.

[ileus]

32. I forgot to Rec it....sorry.

[Common Sense Party]

33. No problem.

I just find it interesting how they don't like the topic.

[Union Scribe]

29. Great thread, k/r

[DWC]

34. Basic guidelines for a defensive perimeter

1. Harden the site = solid physical barriers to entry.

2. Make the site hostile = physically and psychologically aggressive defense.

Simple concepts but require study, training, and some funds to accomplish. Peace of mind is easy and cheap. Actual security is neither.

Semper Fi,