The other night my wife woke me up about 2:00 in the morning. I was half asleep as she told me the helicopter had been circling our neighborhood for a while. Since I was half asleep and because I didn’t hear any helicopter, my only comforting words to her were “okay.”
About five minutes later she asked me if I heard a noise in the back of our house. I did not and still didn’t hear a thing. She asked me a few more questions over the next few minutes and I’m pretty sure the only answers that kept coming out of my month were “uh huh” and “okay.”
However, what I was thinking was a little bit different. As I laid there in bed, although I truly didn’t hear a thing, I wasn’t worried at all about some criminal trying to break into our house that night. Why?
Well, it’s probably not what you think.
You see, when it comes to home defense you want to have multiple layers of security. And I know that both my doors and my locks are solid so it’s going to take quite a bit to get through those. Even if a burglar did manage to get through those, I have an alarm system, so I would immediately know if someone was entering my house.
Of course, I also have my firearms, which is my final line of defense and one I hope I never have to use. That line of defense includes a revolver for my wife, my Glock 19 and my Remington 870 home defense shotgun, which are only a few feet away from us.
I knew that if for some reason a burglar tried to get into my house that night I would have plenty of advance notice to grab my guns and take action. However, the important thing to remember is that I have this peace of mind, not only because of my layers of defense, but also because of the plan I have.
What I mean is…
Just because you have a room full of guns that doesn’t mean you’re prepared for a home invasion. You literally need to set your alarm for 3:00am one night and when it goes off you need to hop out of bed, grab your gun and either run to the top of the stairs… Or you need to grab your gun, lock the master bedroom door, and barricade yourself in, depending on your plan. The second plan is ideal if it’s just you and your spouse in your home or if everyone can be quickly and easily corralled into your safe room.
My point is, you need to have a plan and practice it, because if you do you’ll have the peace of mind that I had when the helicopter was circling my house last week. I wasn’t worried at all and I knew I had a plan in place and that my main home defense weapon – my shotgun – was loaded with 00 buckshot and could be ready in a moment’s notice.
So if you’re not prepared for a home invasion or you can’t quickly access your self- defense firearms in your bedroom, please change this as soon as possible, because with the way the economy is likely to continue heading, there’s going to be a lot of people with too much free time on their hands.
i dont know about his opinion on this
I think his reasoning is very sound and practical. I’m a retired peace officer after having served for a quarter of a century. My plan is very similar to his. The exterior of my home is well lit at night and all concealing bushes around the home have been removed. I’ve got excellent locks and a battery powered wireless motion detector alarm system so cutting wires or flipping the power switch does the crook no good. The bedrooms are all upstairs and in my bedroom is my own Rem. 870 with #4 buck shot (00 can be a community law suite waiting to happen). I’ve also got my Kimber Ultra Elite .45 with me at all times. A cell phone sits near the bed as well (very important) because you want the back-up troops rolling fast if there’s a real break-in.
I guess there are a million things you can add or change depending on the layout. The primary mission is to simply be prepared and the author has done an excellent job of doing so.
I keep #7 shot in mine. A few more pellets, won’t even come close to penetrating the walls so the law suit from a neighbor is now not a problem, and will still put a moron down for the count!
I agree with you about #4 Buck rather than 00. My first two rounds in my HD shotgun are #7 1/2, followed by four #4 Buckshot. Also, I have one of those “burn their eyeballs out” flashlights to make sure that I can properly identify any potential bad-guys before engaging them.
Very well put i also have locks deadbolt etc as well as reinforced trim on many doors on the house. Also the 357 on the bed stand.
I like the plan. It has worked well for my family …for about a half century now. Not easy to clean Blood from carpets. Wife found out while helping a neighbor. BTW use lots of ‘Cold’ water, towels and a wet vac.
A Career Repeat Law breaker was the antagonistic, combative violent… and ‘reluctant’ blood donor. He gave ‘his all’. Police showed up after… to string the yellow CSI tape. Take the armed ‘Defender’ from His home in cuffs ‘downtown’ to PD… for booking…the usual stuff you know.. Aftermath.
It’s good that your layered home defense plan gives you peace of mind. However, from your story it doesn’t sound like your wife gets the same peace of mind from it. If it were my wife she would have probably gotten up, grabbed the shotgun and smacked me in the head with the butt of it if I didn’t go check out the situation before going to check it out herself.
Even with the peace of mind I have in my home I would check out the situation especially if my wife wakes me up and says a helicopter is buzzing around the neighborhood. To me that equates to a possible felon in the area and you don’t ignore the threat just because the moat is full of alligators.
Cobra,
You make an excellent point with the cell phone. Like in the network security world, multiple layers of defense is your best approach. The cell phone though being one of the best. Mine sits next to the bed next to the regular cordless phone. 911 will be dialed from either but now I’ve eliminated someones ability to cut my cable or disconnect the phone. Meanwhile, if there’s reasonable suspicion I will be perched behind the reinforced bathroom wall with a perfect elevated shot down the stair case. While I hope that never to be the case, being prepared is the best option. I just have to remember that clearing the downstairs is optional, the best defensive position will protect my family until “help” arrives. Thats where sending the dogs down first makes sense!
Locked doors, two attentive, large, rather protective dogs, and my cell phone are my first, second, and third stages of defense. My favorite, though, is the dogs…they’re not just for ducks or dog-shows…..
I agree with your article, but it isn’t all that easy when you have young children in the home. You need to try to bring your weapon ready while safeguarding it from them as well. Plus the added concern of them in a home invasion, the what if they become a hostage.
Remember, some of those people with too much time on their hands will be military, coming home to no jobs.
i dont understand?
also, if an invasion happens,youre likely to find yourself defending your family and life in the darkness of your home. that gives u the home-field advantage. run the drill from the story in the dark. then,you can literally defend your family blindfolded. youll know the layout in the blind and the intruder will not.and,really important…pick your vantage point ahead of time. you dont want to fire a gun inside your house and have the round go into a childs room.or through a wall into a neighbors apt {if u live in apts or townhouse}. legally,you own that round until it rest. never,ever fire a warning shot,or shoot to just injure as you will be held liable for their injuries. if youre afraid for your life enough to pull your weapon,aim for the head.
All these plans are great, but if someone does get into your house, 2 things you can be sure of, 1. there is usually more the one person doing the home invasion, and 2, they will have guns. It is not something I look foreward to, but if someone gets into my house, there will be a shoot out. My Wife is to hide in the bedroom, lock the door and call 911 and hit the trouble button om our alarm system. She is not to open the door until she hears a code word we have set up. I am like most of you, I’ve worked too long and too hard to get what I have, I’m not going to just let someone walk in and take it. I do not like to hurt any one, but on the other hand they should not be in my home.