Question About Family Safety While You're Gone

[Dan Roman]

We have a big dog, a Glock under the bed and a Remington 870 in the closet.

Bad idea with kids in the house, perhaps the shotgun with birdshot in it would be the way to go. The thing to remember about a gun, besides being potentially lethal to kids in the house, is if there is a breakin and a wife home alone does have a gun, she has to be prepared to use it effectively , there is no guaranty the bad guy won't get it from her. It's essentially throwing a gun into a her vs. the intruder(s) contest with the victor getting the gun.

Can't go wrong with a dog and a good neighborhood watch.

 

[stb]

Couple of cheap ideas.
1. Go to a security company and buy some "This house is Protected/Monitored by...." yard signage.
2. While there buy some small window stickers that say the same thing for all your windows.
3. Get a door brace for large sliding glass doors. About $25 at Lowe's or Home Depot. Put it 4'-5' off the ground so it can be visible from outside the home. Broom stick in the slider rail does the same but the burglar is already at your door. You want visible deterent.
4. Motion detection lights outside your house.

Front door advertisements or business cards left at the door is a mark for the house. If left in on the door for 24 hours, more than likely no one is home and no dog. Someone has to let the dog out if there is one in the house.
Same goes for things left on the driveway, newspapers, empty garbage cans etc. Sometimes bottles and cans are left very convenient for home owners to pick-up in the yard if they are home.

The new approach is the paper advertisement in a baggie with rocks thrown on the driveway by a car. Same concept but the crooks dont have to walk the neighborhood less conspicuous, it is faster and cover more neighborhoods.

If someone wants in your home, they will get in. The key is to make your home not as easy as your neighbors.

 

[Floatplane]

1. Dog-Akita or German Shephard.
2. 12 gauge Shotgun.
3. Phone by bed.
4. Alarm system.
5. Motion sensor exterior lights.
6. Video monitoring with recording. (Pictures are worth a thousand words!)
7. Hand gun. 9mm or 357.
8. Neighborhood watch.
9. Lock your doors and windows.
10. Shoot first and then ask why the hell someone is in your home!

 

[cynic]

get a dog

 

[MrSky]

My personal system:

1. Lights, motion and landscape.
2. Locks, not the cheapo kwikset crap.
3. Teach spouse not to open the door if you don't know who's there. Get a good through door viewer.
3. Alarm System and Signs. Con's look for the security signs
4. Gun's, Loaded & easily accessible to Adults.
5. American Flag, Con's equate people who fly Old Glory to people who are ARMED (just look around your neighborhood, I bet the people that fly it will or can, shoot you if you enter their home uninvited).
6. Cell phones are useless in an emergency, most dial the local Highway Patrol. Get an Old Fashion phone from Ma Bell for $20 bucks a month, you need one for most security systems anyway.

Remember, Cop's are just there to do the paperwork, they cannot help you, at least not in time. You need to defend yourself!

 

[Dan Roman]

I forgot, another factor to consider if you are thinking about guns, if the intruder(s) are armed, it could mean a shoot out. No guaranty your wife would win.

 

[Patriot328]

1. Big, loud dog.
2. The Judge - handgun for home defense - shoots .410 shotgun shells so aim doesn't have to be that good to do the job.


http://www.taurususa.com/video-theJudge.cfm

If you're going to get a pistol, get a decent one.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm


The Judge has HORRIBLE self-defense characteristics...

Same thing with the people advocating using bird-shot. While I wouldn't want to get shot with ANYTHING personally, birdshot does NOT provide adequate penetration to stop an attacker. If you want to stop an attacker, you are going to need something that will unfortunately be able to go through drywall. Simple physics. Plan your shots carefully and know your background.

And the racking the slide? If the intruder is lucky, he might hear the safety clicking off.

 

[A1FlyBoy]

FYI... Alarm companies wont' 'sell' you a yard sign unless you are a paying customer. Don't waste your time or money on buying a 'bogus' alarm sign online from a fake company. Criminals know alarm companies in your area and will know if it is bogus. As Stiffer's Mom receommended, take a yard sign from a well known local company from a neighbor's yard.

A real alarm company sign in your yard is CHEAP protecton.

 

[Hawker800]

As an ex instructor on this subject for many years as well as ex law enforcement, I still recommend a shotgun loaded with #4 or 5 buckshot. As was previously mentioned it will reduce the chance of going through rooms and injure your family members nor through exterior walls and hit your neighbors. Heavy stuff like 00 and slugs will. 18-20 inch barrel length depending on your state laws. Learn to use it properly. Good dog with a nasty bark is good. Also take your car keys and put them on your night stand. Pushing the panic button on the remote will cause a noise disturbance and attract attention. Home security system installed. Your choice to survive or become a victim. The bad guy made the decision to commit suicide. He knows the risk. Good luck and stay safe everyone.

 

[dillfer]

If you're going to get a pistol, get a decent one.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm


The Judge has HORRIBLE self-defense characteristics...

Same thing with the people advocating using bird-shot. While I wouldn't want to get shot with ANYTHING personally, birdshot does NOT provide adequate penetration to stop an attacker. If you want to stop an attacker, you are going to need something that will unfortunately be able to go through drywall. Simple physics. Plan your shots carefully and know your background.

And the racking the slide? If the intruder is lucky, he might hear the safety clicking off.

They also make the judge in 3 inch now as well. I always thought the judge with birdshot for the first shot and .45 long for the rest would be decent. Alot of people can't hit anything under pressure and at least with the first shot you'll hit them and it'll probably hurt. Just getting a shot off might be enough to scare someone anyway, without killing your neighbor while he's sleeping in his bed. And if the intruder keeps coming, he's probably on drugs and you can get him with the .45. A lot of people don't like the judge though.

 

[SpaceBall 1]

With the security systems, make sure they are monitored and the Mrs. uses it! Most systems are equipped to put a code in, as if you were disarming the alarm, that will send a silent alarm to the monitoring company. That would be helpful if an intruder got to you just before or as you entered your home.

A dog with a mean bark. Ours is a 40# lab mix, but he has a big bark. He's scared of his own shadow, but somebody rattles a door knob and he sounds ready to rip someone a new a#*hole.

Outside Motion activated lights. A well lighted neighborhood does wonders, but bad things happen there as well. In rural areas, a outside security light.

Install a single sided deadbolt in addition to the regular dead bolt. You can't pick what you can't get to.

Some kind of firearm. I like shotguns. Great for the Mrs. Can the lady at home really take the time to accurately aim a pistol/rifle in a stressful situation? A 12 gauge auto is my choice. Forget the slide racheting sound. The only sound I want them to hear is BOOM!

When out and about, a Concelled Carry Permit and a good PDW.

 

[cynic]

FYI... Alarm companies wont' 'sell' you a yard sign unless you are a paying customer. Don't waste your time or money on buying a 'bogus' alarm sign online from a fake company. Criminals know alarm companies in your area and will know if it is bogus. As Stiffer's Mom receommended, take a yard sign from a well known local company from a neighbor's yard.

A real alarm company sign in your yard is CHEAP protecton.

Steal an alarm sign from your neighbor?

 

[Critter717]

Floatplane mentioned it and I could not agree more. A video system or an inexpensive game camera (discretely placed) is a great way to see who has an eye on your house.

 

[Simon Says]

If you don't have a home security system here is a free alternative.

If you have a car that has a remote key entry then chances are that it also has a panic button that makes your car honk its horn. Keep the keychain next to the bed. If the wifey gets uncomfortable at night and thinks someone is breaking in, hit the panic button on the key chain. Your car will start making a racket. Then call the cops. Makes it easy for them to find your house, plus the noise will probably chase the intruders away.

That is what my wife does when I am away.

 

[SBD]

We adopted a police dog(German Sherpard) retired. She's about 7 years old but still a deterent when it comes to people just walking by our house. Great with our 2 year old son. As far as everyone else said, "Shotgun is the way to go." Took the wife to firearm course at ShootStraight here in the ORL area. Wife is ready and armed when I leave for my trips. Security for your family is #1 when you are away.

 

[Tweaker]

BRAVO!!!!

You guys gave nearly two pages already of 24 carat quality advice! I have not much to add, but one correction and one comment to reinforce.

12 Gauge shotgun ammo - The ex-cop bolloxed it up. #5 buckshot doesn't exist. He was also in possession of the finest piece of advice yet offered in regards to shotgun defensive loadings.
#4 buckshot NOT #4 BIRDSHOT offers the most desirable balance of death dealing vs. minimal interior wall penetration. You will have the best chance of stopping a human threat to you while giving those on the other side of a drywall structure minimal damage in the event of shot thru projectiles. Federal makes a load specifically for this purpose, and they do it one better by COPPER COATING THE PROJECTILES. They will better survive the trip down the barrel without deformation and improves the downrange results. GET SOME, YEAH!

Birdshot - That crap is one of the most common and most incorrect of all defensive firearms misconceptions.
1-You will hit without needing to aim - FALSE. At interior firefight distances, shot patterns from all shotguns but a Judge will be so small as to completely miss a target that is not properly aimed! A .50 caliber Desert Eagle fires a 1/2" single boolit. A shot pattern does not get bigger than your palm for over 10-15 feet! How big is your biggest room? Exactly. Accurate shot placement is the first and most important requirement.
2-Birdshot will hurt them - True, but insufficient. You are shooting to end a threat to you and yourn. Not to kill, and not to scare or wound! Birdshot will nearly never stop a threat soon enough to prevent a determined attacker from continuing to do you harm. If you have to wait for shock to wear off, or him to bleed out, HE HAS MANY MINUTES TO CONTINUE HIS ATTACK!
3-I don't WANT to kill someone, but I will most likely face less chance of complications after a "good shoot" if the attacker is no longer among us. Dead men tell no tales and whatnot. Birdshot will not accomplish much in this regard. No warning shots are EVER a good tactical decision. Shots that do not contribute to the goal of stopping a threat then, must be in the same category.

 

[Captain X]

When it comes to home defense weapons, you'll get 1000 different options. Here's one more:

12 Gauge -- Remington 870SP or Mossberg 500 with
Federal or Hornady Home Defense ammo (2 3/4" #1 Buck, or 00 as a second option)

Closed-hammer 9MM revolver with
Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P ammo
(Crimson Trace Grips would be a nice addition unless one pulls the trigger frequently for practice)

Lastly, both weapons need to be charged and readily accessible and not require a light on to do so. If you need to hit the lights to rotate the dial on the safe, you've just signaled an intruder to your presence and illuminated yourself as a target. If your safe has a keypad with sounds, disable them.

A high-power xenon or LED flashlight is another excellent "weapon" in terms of disabling an intruders vision. Surefire makes excellent ones with serrated ends too. Or you can add one from GG&G (www.gggaz.com).

Training with all of the above.

A dog.

A plan (exit strategy, phone, etc.)

See if there is a local range that does a women's defensive firearms class and then find a local club that does IDPA shooting.

 

[av8tor4239]

A couple of notes from experience that have not been mentioned yet.

When installing lights on my homes exterior I found it expensive and complicated to get the wired lights... I bought motion activated solar powered LED flood lights from Lowes for $99 each. Two of them light up my driveway and front yard well.

Be aware of Dog Signs.. I have two of them

A cheap alternative to a camera "system" is a Game camera.. the kind deer hunters use to photgraph deer in the woods where they hunt. Sporting goods store for around $100. These cameras use SD cards and are motion activated... work great...

Ihave also invested in a driveway alarm... I built a house for the motion sensor using a modified bird feeder from Lowes and installed it under a tree near the entrance to my driveway. Turn it on at night and if anyone comes within 20 or so feet of the motion sensor it rings a bell on the base station in my house.

I put the decorative lights along the walkways and on the rail post to my front steps (solar powered).. the more lights the better!!

I also purchased a storm door for the front of the house from Lowes that is made by a company called Larson. The plexiglass storm door is a "securtiy door" that is guarenteed to be un-breakable (the will pay you up to $1000 if it is broken into).. it is pretty heavy duty with triple locking mechanism.. $400 installed by Lowes.

9mm Glock, Mossberg 500 pump, Winchester 308, and few others... but they are in a locked gun safe because of the children so it probably would not be too effective in a home invaision...

English, Pit, Boxer mix with a nasty bark and growl.. who can clear a room with his farts...

Our biggest problem in the past has been car break ins in our driveway, and in our state you can not shoot someone that is not in your home... even if they were in your home and are running away you can NOT shoot them dead, so I invested in "Dog The Bounty Hunter" style pepper spray.. the big canisters with handles and trigger mechanism.. effective spray about 100 feet.

I have not invested in this yet, but I have thought about a paintball gun with pepper balls for when they break into the cars in the driveway... cant shoot them with bullets but can sure pepper them with pepper balls... (no pun intended).

Call the local police and tell them to patrol your home twice a day.. they actually have a list of homes to patrol, you just have to tell them to put you on their list.. I do this every time I leave the house on an extended trip.

I think it is essential to have a plan... if there is someone in the house you and your wife need to know exactly what to do without having a discussion about it... it is like engine failure at V1.. make it a memory action item...

One more thing... get a couple pair of cheap size 15 work boots from walmart scuff them up and keep them outside by the doors... makes it look like a big MO FO might be home!!

 

[Hawker800]

Yo Tweaker. I have some #5 buckshot for Pheasants. Are you saying they don't make it anymore? Good call on that new home defense ammo. I had forgotten about that.

 

[Ticker]

Lots of fantastic recommendations here.

For the immediate future, any decent gun shop with it's own shooting range will likely have staff of instructors that will most likely include female instructors. The ones by me have a ladies night once a week or a couple of times a month.

My wife and I both grew up with guns all our lives. My wife lived in a state where she was allowed to get a carry permit at age 18. Her dad gave her a revolver when she moved away for college. She and her girlfriends came in the house one evening to find a burglar. Her friends never knew she carried. They found out when she sent the scumbag running from the business end of her gun. She knows how to use it. He's damn lucky he chose flight vs fight.

We now have 3 small children in the house. Every gun in my gun safe with the exception of my black powder rifle is loaded with a round in the chamber and the safety on. The wife and I each have a GunVault pistol safe...each with our own pistol loaded and chambered. It reads your finger print, opens from the front and fits under the bed. They ain't cheap ($300ish) but I would have zero chance of getting to the main safe when SHTF. There was a company that made an under the bed long gun safe that would fit a shotgun and had a spring loaded drawer a few years ago. Apparently out of business now. Too bad. Great idea.

I do not believe in combination (any type) locks or key locks on my immediate access safes. When the door is being beaten in and your adrenaline has spiked, the fine dexterity in your fingers is gone. At that point, your gross motor skills are all you can count on. There is one interesting way to keep your shotgun secure and relatively accessible. Stack-On makes a small safe that mounts in the wall, between the joists and fits nearly flush. Unfortunately, you still need a key to open it. Stack-On In Wall Safe.

Each of our children are regularly exposed to firearms and and allowed to touch/hold them unloaded if they ask (they rarely do after the 1st-2nd time). Takes away the mystery. When they are old enough (one is just this year), they will be able to shoot if/when they want to.

Start a neighborhood watch. You may only get one or two takers but with the break in's you describe, you may get more. You can set up a meeting with your neighbors and your local Law Enforcement and have an informal meeting right in your living room or neighborhood clubhouse (if you have one). Also, you can get started and research here...USAonWathch.