Suggestions

[VegasGeorge]

Home Defense Suggestions

(I don't claim to be an expert, so temper what you read here with your own good common sense.)

I've done quite a bit of reading on the subject of home defense. To start off this forum Topic, I thought I would share what I've learned so far. I'll try to be concise.

1. You need to have a weapon handy. A gun that's too far away, or locked up so that you can't get it in a hurry, is no good. The "handy" gun at night, may be impossible to get to during the day. So, plan ahead.

2. Shooting inside your house doesn't necessarily stay inside your house. Or, inside the room you're in. The issue here is penetration. In a best case, your bullets stay in your gun, or in the body of the bad guy. But, what if you miss with a shot or two? What if your bullets pass clear through the bad guy and keep on going? High powered rifles are a poor choice for home defense where family members or neighbors might be at risk. Frangible or hollow point pistol bullets would be much better. Lower velocity and #1 buckshot shells would be better in a shotgun. And, a lowered shooting position to angle shots up and away from possible problems might be a good idea.

3. The safest thing you can do is call for help, barricade up, and force the bad guy to come to you. The most dangerous thing you can do is go hunting the bad guy, clearing the house by yourself. Clearing the house inevitably results in turning your back on uncleared spaces. But, I realize that clearing may be necessary if your family is in danger, and that most of us will elect to clear the house when we hear a bump in the night, but are unsure what caused it.

4. Plan ahead by practicing clearing your house, and let your family know what you will be doing when and if that time comes. When practicing, pay attention to "slicing the pie" when entering rooms, or crossing openings. Be careful not to telegraph your presence by leading with the gun barrel. The bad guy could see you first, or even make a grab for the gun. The low ready position is the recommended technique. Pay attention to where the light sources are, and make adjustments as necessary to prevent being silhouetted by back light. Go slow, and use all your senses, including smell.

5. Flashlights, tactical or otherwise, are a questionable asset. It may be necessary to illuminate a figure for identification to avoid shooting a loved one. On the other hand, if you know your loved ones are safe, and you are in your own home, your night vision is probably more valuable than your flashlight. I would have a light available, but only use it if I felt I had to. Even a brief flash of light will alert the bad guy to your presence, and destroy your night vision.

Well, that's about all I've learned so far. I'm sure there's more, and different information out there that I need to know. I'll be looking for your input as we work on this problem together.

[Stubob]

I like your posting - We also have a Plan. We have talked about it, and the family knows to go to the master bed room and group, or my office depending on the situation. From there we will order the dogs to go down stairs infront of me to help with the situation.

A plan and dogs make a great addition to any home defence. :shock:

[VegasGeorge]

A word about lights.

I have recently installed self actuating, motion detecting security lights on all four sides of my house. These are double flood, outside lights that are hard wired to whatever inside or attic circuits were handy. The lights themselves are only about $20.00 per unit at Costco. If you pay for installation, then that cost needs to be considered. But, it's a simple job to tie into an existing circuit at any live junction box. I suspect most of you younger guys could do it yourself.

The lights really work, and it's reassuring to see them come on when I step out the back door, or when someone comes up the front walk at night.

I consider these lights more as a deterrent to crime than any sort of tactical aid. But, if a bad guy is stupid enough to stand around under one of my lights, well then ....

[pioneer461]

I saw a TV program a few years ago, which offered a rare look into the home of the late Col. Jeff Cooper. Talk about a hard target! That man was prepared. He even had a wrought-iron garden gate installed in his hallway, that cut off the sleeping end of the house from the rest.

My home isn't quite that secure, but close. In our lockable bedroom, I've converted a walk-in closet into a fall-back room. (I hate the term "panic room.) That's the one which contains my 3 gun safes and ammo cabinet.

Oh, yeah. They'd also have to get past our Shepherd/Chow/Wolf.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb294/pioneer461/Jessicasprom016.jpg

Best advise, as given above, hunker down and make them come to you. Call 9-1-1, preferably on a land-line, but keep a cell phone handy as a back up. Keep the phone line open until the cops tell you to hang up. Everything is being recorded and will help you as long as you do it right. Communicate with the cops, and with the bad guy. Make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that you are armed and will shoot to defend yourself and / or family. Give the bad guy plenty of warning and a chance to escape. It makes you look good in court. If you have kids, or others who you will need to gather up, it would be a good idea to get some professional training.

If it comes down to it, make sure of your target. You don't want to shoot a member of your family who may be trying to sneak back home. Lasers are great for shooting, but they don't help ID the target. Get an expensive LED tactical flashlight and keep it with your gun. It helps ID targets and temporarily blind bad guys at night.

[Hoot]

Wow, Pioneer, that's a mighty fine dog.

[BrianDeschenes]

I agree with what George said, especially in regards to flashlights. In a low light situation inside a house, a flashlight is one of the most important tools you can have. I used to have a glock with a weapon mounted light, but I think that was more influenced by my military experience. In the Army, you point your weapon in the direction of threats as a deterrent and to help identify those threats. In the civilian world, pointing your weapon at someone raises that confontation very quickly. I now carry a handheld Surefire E2D as part of my regular carry setup, since you don't always point a weapon at something you haven't identified. I also agree that high powered rifles are a poor choice in the home, and my AR stays unloaded. I'm currently looking for an AR variant in a pistol caliber to address that. I know a lot of people don't like ARs, but I have 10 years of muscle memory from handling that weapon and that's a strong selling point for me. I think an AR in 9mm, or an Olympic Arms AR in .45 would make outstanding choices. Luckily, my house is very easily defended. All the bedrooms are upstairs, and my bedroom is near the top of the stairs. If somone made it in, I could just hold up at the top and wait for the law to show up. Anyone in the military will tell you that room clearing and operations inside houses are some of the most complex things to get proficient at. Practice practice practice.