Home Invasion: Stalk or Wait?

[Frado]

As for a Home Invasion, No one in their right mind would want to try entering my home with my Dog Mr. Swuave on Patrol.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[dukalmighty]

Grab my Semi Auto Mossberg 930,call 911 report a possible home invasion,if they come down the hallway they won't be walking out unless they can run with 9 pellets of 00 buck in them,I'm not going to give away my position,down here a lot of home invasions are Armed Thugs raiding Drug Stash Houses,they have been known to target the wrong house

[OldVet]

Tacman605: "Firing at an intruder through a door or window can lead to a really hard time proving that you were threatened with bodily injury or death."

Indeed it could be so, but then each of us needs to know where individual state law falls on this. [My emphasis]

FL 776.013 Home protection; use of deadly force; presumption of fear of death or great bodily harm.—
(1) A person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another if:
(a) The person against whom the defensive force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if that person had removed or was attempting to remove another against that person’s will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and
(b) The person who uses defensive force knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was occurring or had occurred.

If one enters or attempts to enter a home illegally in FL, one voluntarily and legally puts one's life at risk of deadly force. "Forcefully" entering has been defined as opening an unlocked door. Note that this statute includes "entering" and "had entered" as grounds for self defence. One must not necessesarily be inside the residence.

[Supraman762]

I have been in this scenario. What I did was grab a tool and go hunting. It might not be the best answer but its what I did. Now I am a doberman pinscher breeder and the dynamic has changed.

[Camjr]

My German Shepherd has run of the house at night and does not let anyone within 3 houses of us without alerting. Our plan is to stay in place with the door as the only point of entry. If I start wandering about the house, the bad guy can use doorways against me. I'm manning the shotgun with a pistol next to me, and my wife has the phone and a revolver.

[Piratesailor]

My young daughter is upstairs, my bedroom is down stairs. There is no way I would let the person roam my house. I would attack immediately while my wife called 911. My wife and I have discussed this too. We have a tactical plan should this happen.

[Piratesailor]

Besides. My chihuahua would eat them alive!

[OldVet]

Besides. My chihuahua would eat them alive!

At least it would be tough for the BG to continue with his feet gnawed off at the ankles.

[Stan6406]

I already have a spot picked out. Judged were a miss would go (pretty much nowhere) and my warning would be the first shot fired if he came close enough.

[9MMare]

I am not trained to stalk anyone.

I live alone. Small farm, rural.

I have a safe room, my bedroom, where my guns live and there is a gun on a shelf of the nightstand always. Ammo, landline, in that room. Actual cover. House floor plan allows me to get there if anyone tries to get in the doors....they wont be between me and the safe room unless I'm in the kitchen...and I'm almost never in there, lol.

Cell phone on nitestand at nite too.

People try to break into home: dogs bark, call dogs to bedroom, close door, close interior bathroom door which is directly in front of that if they come in...They will still have no idea where I am at that point with that door closed. Coming further into bedroom could cut them off if I'm in there.

As soon as I heard them and called dogs, I yell I have called 911(and do) and they need to identify themselves. If they do not, anyone that comes thru the bedroom door gets shot, by me, behind cover. (door opens into short narrow hall with other door I mentioned. It's a bottleneck) I will defend my dogs as best I can but am realistic about that. I stay in that defensive position in bedroom until police arrive.

[Hodad]

Most posters seem to have the right idea. Stay in a previously identified defensible position, call 911 and let them take whatever
property they might want as long as they leave.

Who wants to shoot another human being for taking your stuff? Would you kill someone for a flat screen TV or even a car? Isn't that why you
have insurance?

If they obviously intend you or yours harm then the whole dynamic changes. At that point I become the aggressor (even if it is from a
defensive position) and react with sudden, violent and deadly intent.

[ballfroguy]

Ill let my dogs go then wait at the top of the stairs if they come up. Wife would be in the little ones room calling 911. Same goes if I'm gone but she waits at the top and the little one stays in the room and our alarm is on when I'm gone.

[wstrnrdr53]

I believe, as a number of posters, in a multi layer defense. We have a large chocolate lab who has proven herself during attempted daytime breakin. She will always bark at car in drive [500' drive] or animal/person moving about outside. 2nd line is a good alarm system including keyfobs with panic features. All windows have rods preventing their being opened, have to be broken to enter. Alarm system has glass break sensors in every room. All exterior doors metal with 2" throw dead bolts. Glass sliding patio door is triple paned with a bar in track preventing forced opening. Now a days seems most homes are built with Master on one end and the rest of bedrooms on other end. This does pose a dilemma for protection of children.Our college age daughter sleeps on the other end. She is in the National Gaurd and has trained extensively in building search and clearing, she has access to a weapon in her room. Never the less our family plan calls for her to take concealment in her room, while wife and I remain concealed in our room. Immediate call to 911 on speaker and armed with 9mm and 12 gauge. I also have had military training and LE training and can tell you attempting to clear even your own home by yourself can be fools journey, how many intruders, how they are armed, all come into play. Home defense is not a military op, putting yourself into the fray may not always end well. Do you know how to clear a corner or a staircase with out presenting yourself? our plan is to hole up, stay on line with LE, drop bag to LE on arrival [ bag contains key and basic floor plan with our locations ] and protect access to our safe areas. As soon as 911 called alarm remotely activated if not already. Let the LE responders who will work in pairs clear the house.We live in Tn and yes we have a good Castle Law, If an individual gains unauthorized or illegal entry then the premise, whether armed or not, is that the individual intends bodily harm or death. This Doctrine also extends to your vehicle, such as car jacking. Be smart and be safe no matter the legal ability, take the precautions and protect your family and wait for help. Another suggestion on alarm system is to have a 2nd panel in your bedroom, at least you may know where a threat origionates.

[ccw9mm]

Would you kill someone for a flat screen TV or even a car?

Nope. But many robbers/invaders would.

And coming near me and mine in my own home, with intent, is absolutely where I draw the line. Thankfully, I live in a state that fully recognizes the absolute threat that entry into one's home entails.

[yz9890]

Nope. But many robbers/invaders would.

And coming near me and mine in my own home, with intent, is absolutely where I draw the line. Thankfully, I live in a state that fully recognizes the absolute threat that entry into one's home entails.

I think the quote below applies.

"The speed and direction of an enemy ship can be irrelevant, because both can change quickly. What counts is his position, his capability and what I believe to be his intention." -Admiral Sandy Woodward answering for ordering the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands Conflict.