REAL:Woke up to the "Front Door Open" sound 5:13 this morning....

[TN_Mike]

I think you reacted very well except for one thing I think I would have done differently. I would have woken my wife up and gotten the kids into the master bedroom before just taking up a position at the top of the stairs. I'd want everyone in one location accounted for if the crap hit the fan.

Other than that, I think I'd do much the same as you.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[1 old 0311]

You got up hearing the FIRST sound. Too many people wait to hear a SECOND sound that either never comes or is too late.

[gunslingergirl]

Me, I'd have no problem going back to sleep. Hear alarm, get up, shoot bad guy, drag him inside through the open front door, go back to sleep, dispose of body after breakfast. Happens all the time in my area. ;)

[smolck]

This is another example of why I like my alarm system. It has two ears, a black and red saddle, and really sharp teeth. He hears what I don't and his job is to alert me if something isn't right. And he has yet to give me a false alarm. Thanks Admiral!

christmasadmiral4.jpg

[daffyduc]

We have a dog as well. She is a 7 year old boarder collie. She was not even woken up by the beeps. She is so used to it since she hears it all the time.

She will get defensive if someone bangs on the door or rings the bell but she is definitely not a guard dog. :)

[ddclancy]

Moral of the story: Adrenalin sucks! Keep your home defense guns as accessible as you can. I am fairly sure I could not have tied my shoes in that state. Never mind work a safe's combo lock and load a magazine.

Good point! That is exactly why I keep a weapon accessable at all times. My house is small, there is no time for making noise and getting a gun from the safe.

[Blkandrust]

Glad to hear it was a false alarm. I had a front door falsie over the summer. My little girl and I had fallen asleep on the futon after watching some television.At approximately 2am I awoke to my front door(which is only 15 feet from futon)being violently opened.Upon hearing this, I immediately rolled off the futon onto the carpet in the prone position with my G17 at the ready.I had a fair view of the room and doorway due to the light eminating from the tv.I waited prone for a minute or 2 to collect my thoughts and shake the cobwebs as I was sound asleep only seconds ago.After gathering my thoughts and clearing the house,I came to the conclusion that the wind had blown the door open as all my deck furniture was in the front yard. Heck of a windstorm.I was impressed at the speed at which I was ready to engage,even though I can only guess as to how long the door was open.I dont believe it to be that long as my daughter didnt even stir while this was happening. Either I sleep with one eye open,or Doritos are like Xanax to 9 year olds.

[mulle46]

Had my own false alarm the other night right after wife got home from work. I was still awake though. One of the springs in garage door broke and sounded like a break in.took flash and G 21 and cleared house. Glad yours was false as well.

[Bubbiesdad]

Sounds pretty good except for the part where you had to rack the slide.

I know you have kids in the house but having one in the chamber at all times is probably a better approach.

and unlock the cell phone

[Bikemobile]

Kids in the house is an issue, but how about racking the pistol before you go to bed and having it immediately available and ready to go just in
case.

In the morning eject the round in the chamber, put it back in the magazine and secure your weapon.

Repeat the process every night. That way you KNOW exactly what you have to work with, exactly where it is and that it is primed and ready to
defend your family.

I don't have the "kid's in the house issue" anymore, but when any of my grandkids are visiting I unload my weapons (upstairs and downstairs)
before they arrive and put them out of reach.

If they are spending the night I go through the process I outlined above.

Make sure to rotate your "barney bullet" out every few months. You want the first one to go boom.

[ShrinkWhoCan'tThink]

[QUOTE
Moral of the story: Adrenalin sucks! Keep your home defense guns as accessible as you can. I am fairly sure I could not have tied my shoes in that state. Never mind work a safe's combo lock and load a magazine.[/QUOTE]

Glad you and your family is safe. Sounds like several good lessons for all of us. One I would like to point out is how adrenalin effects us in a true emergency. This book below describes the psychological response to a true emergency.

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why [Paperback]
Amanda Ripley (Author)

The key to surviving a true emergency is drills and practice. Just like hospitals have code blue or code red drills, schools (in Arkansas) have tornado drills homeowners should have fire and intruder drills. Mentally planning it out and physically going through the drill, even at night.

Thanks for sharing so we all benefit and glad it was only a false alarm. Think of it as a drill :-)



LesbianShrink a conservative libretarian, psychiatrist, and wife to the most amazing woman.
“We do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.” This quote has been attributed to both the
Talmud and Anaïs Nin (although an actual citation for neither quote can be found).
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Paymeister]

We have a dog as well. She is a 7 year old border collie. She was not even woken up by the beeps. She is so used to it since she hears it all the time.

She will get defensive if someone bangs on the door or rings the bell but she is definitely not a guard dog. :)

Need to talk to that dog. Border collies are supposed to replace the batteries for you.

[GH]

An excellent rehearsal for the real thing.

[shadow247]

It sounds like you had everything under control. Like others suggested, you should definitely get everyone into the same room before taking up a defensive position. This way if you have to retreat you are able to go back to the position where everyone is so you can defend them. It would be a good idea to have a "safe" word to let our spouse know the event is over and it is safe to let you enter the room. Likewise you could have a "situation not safe" word to let her know you are retreating to the predefined point and she needs to be prepared to fire her own weapon.

My wife and I have gone over our scenario a few times. My dog is really sensitive to the doors, so I am confident she will alert us to someone breaking into the house. At that point, she will gather the baby and her pistol and retreat to the bathroom, leaving the lights off so as not to alert anyone to where she could be. I will take up a defensive position at the top of the stairs, yell out to the intruders, "I am well armed and will shoot if you attempt to come up the stairs!" I have double level stairs, so they would not be able to make it past the first set of stairs before I was able to get a sight on them and hopefully neutralize the threat. My only worry is that we share a common wall with our neighbor, but I will essentially be firing into her kitchen, so I doubt she will be in that area at the time of a typical home break-in. Once I have confirmed the threat is neutralized, I will yell out the safe word to my wife, retreat to the bathroom with her, and wait for the police to arrive. By the time they get there, I will have unloaded my weapon and placed it back in the normal spot where I keep it at night.

[daffyduc]

Thanks for all the replies. The cell phone is work provided. It has a password however you can make an emergency call without unlocking it. This did not even register as i unlocked it on auto pilot.

I have changed my carry and storage situation now. I have been leaving the gun loaded overnight in my owb holster with thumb break. Strap it on in the morning, tucking back in at night. Never left UN attended. If i swap my carry for some reason it will be cleared as usual.