This is a discussion on Home Alone During Home Invasion within the Home (And Away From Home) Defense Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; In your case, you are home alone, #2 sounds best IMO. If they grab something inside the front door and run off,good all around. If ...
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In your case, you are home alone, #2 sounds best IMO. If they grab something inside the front door and run off,good all around. If they come after you, maybe the bad guy should fear you instead of the other way around. Many people get this backwards.
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Guys, number two should definitely be out also. No one should be running away and hiding in their own home. Number three is the only option. He has no business in your home, and he should be treated accordingly. If anything, there should be an option four, which would be (state laws permitting) taking the fight to him. Shoot through the door or just open the door and blast him. As others have mentioned, being a victim in your own home should be completely unacceptable.
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^^^^ Absolutely first.Originally Posted by OldVet
Then a choke point (the funnel) is the correct plan. Ideally at this point you have your cell phone and a shotgun you are proficient with. After you have established this defensive position, and you have the opportunity, call 911.
Do not leave that position until LE arrives, even if you shot the intruder - there may be other hostiles.
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Great responses! Several have mentioned points I hadn't thought of.
To clarify a few things:
1) I have already taken the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course (2 day class) and read half a dozen books on related topics (Massad Ayoob and others). I will be taking the PPOTH course when it's time to renew my CC permit again. I'm a big believer in training.
2) I'm familiar with the MS statutes and Castle Doctrine case law. (Dan Rather did an excellent HBO special on the Castle Doctrine in MS, if anyone is interested. My instructor is in it.) I have no legal concerns about shooting a strange man who is forcing entry at my home; this post was to discuss 'tactical' considerations.
3) When I said 'get my gun', I meant a REAL gun.My pistol is on my hip around the house, right up until bedtime. In the scenario I described, I would get my HD gun (pump shotgun that's loaded with the defensive 'disc' style ammo). I have seen the ballistics on long guns vs handguns and I am aware that handguns just don't have much stopping power (especially the smaller calibers I carry). What's that saying about a handgun being used to fight your way to a shotgun?
I was leaning towards staying in a more open area just so I'd have more options. It would be a very.bad.deal. if I were trapped in my small safe room and my gun jammed when BG crashed in on me.But I see a lot of people advocating use of safe rooms. I'll have to have some construction work done to make mine safer.
One other consideration I haven't mentioned is my home alarm. I can hit the police panic button to immediately summon police (who will arrive sometime in the next half hour), but I think it sets off the siren also, which means I wouldn't be able to hear a darn thing. Hmm.
Very good point about there being additional BGs. You never know...
"...people who carry a gun understand that they are arming themselves against a very unlikely event... People who arm themselves are not confused about the odds. They are concerned about the stakes. -Kathy Jackson
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There was actually a case where a woman did just that not long after the Castle Doctrine took effect in MS. She was living in one of the rougher neighborhoods in Jackson and was getting ready for work when someone started trying to kick her front door in. (There were a lot of crash-and-grab burglaries going on at the time). She yelled and shot at the door to scare him away, which apparently worked. Shortly thereafter, a passerby stopped to ask her if she knew there was dead guy laying on her porch? I don't know what kind of gun she had, but it was effective. I'm pretty sure she was never even charged.
"...people who carry a gun understand that they are arming themselves against a very unlikely event... People who arm themselves are not confused about the odds. They are concerned about the stakes. -Kathy Jackson
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Actual incident : pretty much what your scenario describes ..... she did what she needed to do to protect herself.
Cushing, Okla .... 2009.
911 caller, woman shoots intruder...wmv - YouTube
Full 911 call : http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6bb_1260253115
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You sound well prepared. I am aligned to just about everything you have detailed in this post with one reservation.Great responses! Several have mentioned points I hadn't thought of.
To clarify a few things:
1) I have already taken the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course (2 day class) and read half a dozen books on related topics (Massad Ayoob and others). I will be taking the PPOTH course when it's time to renew my CC permit again. I'm a big believer in training.
2) I'm familiar with the MS statutes and Castle Doctrine case law. (Dan Rather did an excellent HBO special on the Castle Doctrine in MS, if anyone is interested. My instructor is in it.) I have no legal concerns about shooting a strange man who is forcing entry at my home; this post was to discuss 'tactical' considerations.
3) When I said 'get my gun', I meant a REAL gun.
I was leaning towards staying in a more open area just so I'd have more options. It would be a very.bad.deal. if I were trapped in my small safe room and my gun jammed when BG crashed in on me.
One other consideration I haven't mentioned is my home alarm. I can hit the police panic button to immediately summon police (who will arrive sometime in the next half hour), but I think it sets off the siren also, which means I wouldn't be able to hear a darn thing. Hmm.
Very good point about there being additional BGs. You never know...
I don’t know the specifics of the disc ammo you referenced, but I have not seen - for what I’m guessing is a .410 - sufficient penetration. You must get to the vitals. The accepted benchmark is a minimum of 12” in ballistic gelatin. In this scenario, I would be comfortable with more than that. If you are in a cold climate and heavy clothing is worn, you can make ammunition adjustments for that.
Shoot to stop and the only guaranteed immediate physiological stop will be neurological – upper spine, brainstem, etc. So you need the penetration to reach that.
As an aside - DO NOT shoot through a closed door.
Keep training and stay aware.
PS edit:
I missed this part of your post and I will add it to my other concern:
Please see my (and others) previous post about a choke point.
Last edited by 2700; October 25th, 2012 at 01:30 PM. Reason: See PS edit at bottom
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The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.
-Albert Einstein
Forget phone. Have gun on you ASAP and watch that door. As soon as it opens I'd fire
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My immediate reaction would be #3, however, this depends on the laws in your state regarding stand your ground, castle doctrine and so forth. The most prudent thing to do wiould be #1, immediately followed by #2. Shouting out that you're armed and ready to shoot, will give you a moment while he considers his life choices. In that moment, break for the safecore/safe room with your gun and cell phone, and call 911. secure yourself first and foremost. Property can be replaced. The truth is, you don't know if he's alone, or has friends circling the home and looking for a back entrance, if he's wearing body armor, if he has a shotgun, or what. Your chances of survival greatly increase if you run away, so to speak. Facing off with him is your last resort. It should always be your last resort.
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Option #1 is not an option, in my opinion. It might be helpful to get a reputable home alarm, even as a deterent to would-be BGs. Should that not work, then Option 2 or 3.
Get smart on your state's laws and statutes, and do your research. Also, spend some quality time at the range and get used to carrying while you in the house....even carry when you run simple errands in/around the house. Having to "run to find your gun" is not an option.
My opinion, as a new CCW and first-time responder.
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Carry and keep your SD weapon on you at all times while home. Identify choke points ("fatal funnels", whatever term you feel more PC using) within your home. Remember, you have "home-field advantage" in the situation, since you know your homes layout; the intruder (more than likely) doesn't.
Reinforced doors, established choke points, SD weapon on you at all times while home, and safe room = tough feces for the BG. Call the authorities after the shoot.. or the coroner.
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Make sure his body falls completely inside the building.
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When home, you can use a bottom of door brace to slow down kicking:
OnGARD Security Door Brace
Nightlock Security Lock Door Barricade
If you have an alarm like Simplisafe, you can hit the panic alarm (which I might assume sounds a siren, not sure)
If you have a locked hefty storm door that opens outward, that would have to be opened first.
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Yes, it's a .410 shotgun, and this is the defensive ammo I mentioned: http://www.winchester.com/Products/N.../pdx1-410.aspx I haven't seen any ballistics on it, but it rips a pretty impressive hole in the ground when you shoot coke cans with it. (Fun times)
I also have a 20-gauge pump (that's what I hunt with) which could be used with buckshot if that would be a better option.
It never gets very cold here; probably the heaviest clothing someone would wear is a leather or denim jacket.
I agree that shooting through the door is a bad idea. Even though it probably wouldn't result in charges, why shoot someone when there's still a chance you won't have to? Goal for me is to survive unscathed and have my life back to normal ASAP.
"...people who carry a gun understand that they are arming themselves against a very unlikely event... People who arm themselves are not confused about the odds. They are concerned about the stakes. -Kathy Jackson
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Don't want to hijack, but a question for all the people offering the "shoot through the door or unload as soon as it opens" advice...
In MrsHB's scenario, she had already seen the man and did not know him. What about a situation where you were not able to know who's on the other side? Obviously it's unlikely that someone trying to kick in a door has anything but bad intentions, but I just have a hard time saying that I would shoot without identifying my target. Can you guys expound on that?
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