Home Defense Strategy points to ponder

[mercop]

Face it, we all have visions of how a real home defense situation is likely to happen in our own homes. There are only three types of defense locations: home, transit, and other locations. We expect to sleep peaceably in our homes at night, safe and secure with our families. Hopefully, we have a strategy based on our particular environment and needs. The following are some points not often considered during home defense strategies.

During a recent class of about 10 people, I asked how many people had a pair of shoes next to their bed. Only one out of the ten did. So, in the middle of the night you hear a crash downstairs, you hop out of bed and grab a pistol or long gun and decide to investigate. Imagine if you -

Get to the top of the steps and step on a Lego or dog toy causing you to fall down the steps with a loaded firearm in your hand. This is especially an issue with a long gun, or if you have a light in one hand and a gun in the other.

After making it down the steps, you detect movement and step forward. The crash you heard was a glass that the intruder had knocked off your kitchen counter after jimmying the door. The small shards of the drinking glass cut into the bottom of your bare foot.

Do you sleep without a shirt on? Do you put one on when you get up? Do you prefer a long gun for home defense? Have you ever fired that gun bare chested? Do you think it will effect your response?

More about your strategy, a little about the use of tell tales. Tell tales are very useful in many situations. I break them into three categories: security seals, placement, and lighting. They are a great tool for a layered defense.

Security seals- usually done with sewing thread or scotch tapes depending on the situation. These are most often used when out of your home but can be used when leaving your home for a period of time. Say you are leaving on vacation for a week and do not expect anyone coming to your home. Some gray or tan thread can be used to string across the entrance to your back yard, about waist high so as not to be disturbed by animals. You can also take a few pieces of tape and put them in the lower corners of all exterior doors. Now if you come home and the string across the entrance to the back yard is broken it should make you suspicious, then you walk around to the back door and find that the tape you put in place is ripped. Act accordingly. The tape also works well with your vehicle when leaving it say in an airport parking lot. Doing the hood, trunk, and doors only takes a minute but can give you a huge piece of mind when you return.

Placement- when I go to bed at night I button up by closing all doors, pushing all chairs in, locking all doors and windows. Now if I come downstairs and anything is out of place it draws my attention. You can do this with any items, even say on a desk.

Lighting- my strategy is to work from the darkness whenever possible. In my own home, I am better at negotiating my house in the dark than an intruder is. When I go to bed, the only lights left on are exterior lights. The house is completely dark. When leaving your house, it is your choice to leave a light on or not. Leaving a light on allows you to see silhouettes inside the house.

There is more to home defense strategy than tools and tactics. Consider all things.- George

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[retsupt99]

Good points to ponder...


Glad you're online...I've tried to contact you, but your mailbox is full.
No room to PM.

ret

[chrise2004]

great posts these are definitely some things i know that i've looked over and things to keep in mind. thanks for the post.

[mercop]

Best way to get me is e-mail George@moderncombativesystems.com:)

[Ram Rod]

Good post!

[C9H13NO3]

Good post. Reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go somewhere for a while, I would use a small dot of torque seal paste on the lower hinge of my bedroom door so I'd know if my sister went in. Never thought about doing that at home now though. I do always have a pair of combat boots next to the bed. I doubt I would take the time to throw on jeans and a shirt though, even if I did have them at the ready.

[puffer]

I Teach a NRA PPIH class & some of your "tips" I would like to add, if I may

Puffer

[mercop]

I Teach a NRA PPIH class & some of your "tips" I would like to add, if I may

Puffer

Information not shared is worthless

[searcher 45]

Great info, I will start doing some of these ideas, and work toward all of them. Thank You

[Hopyard]

Great point about having shoes quickly and easily available. Hadn't thought about that one. In "The Gravest Extreme" there is a brief comment about 'putting your pants on' before meeting the threat. With a moment's reflection it is clear that shoes are equally essential if not more important. Hadn't thought about the "broken glass" defense a BG might use.

[Kenny256]

never thought about that stuff, I will now!

[H8SPVMT]

Instead of tape, (hard to remove when you return) try using your spit to glue a hair across the jam of the door. A hair is much harder to see but you know where to look.

Your hair style is too short, try a piece of thread colored to the door color, or, a hair from the wife.

This can be done to all drawers if you like and shouldn't affect the wood finish. Works well on windows too if you have children that are sneaking out at night.

With unlocked gates, lean or lay an old (smaller the better) stick from a branch across the bottom of the gate well enough that the gate has to be opened to distrube it. NOT foolproof but an indicator.

A locally grown nut (acorns are common) under the front and rear surface of a tire will indicate the movement of a auto in your absence.

Another good chance of catching someones movement around you property is to place decoys. A bell hanging on the gate draws their attention away from the stick. A post-it note on the door or some object placed on a sill of a window... you get the idea.

[mercop]

I use Scotch tape because it is clear. Good stuff on the bell and stick.

[qdoggydogg]

Thanks for the post. Gives me some things to think about and maybe change in my nighttime routine!

[Rob99VMI04]

I have a question, why are you trying to clear your own house?

I would not advise somebody to attempt to "clear" or go searching through their own home in the middle of the night looking for danger, unless there was an immediate threat to an unarmed family member.

I have a gun pointed at the door.
I would have my wife call 911 requesting assistance.


After the dispacther said help is on the way I would have her leave the line open (911 is recording everything) and have her point her gun at the door. If needed (in my case is not because its just us) I would go secure any other family memers. At that point I would announce "Police are on their way, I have a gun and will defend myself" Again this will be recorded by 911.

I have a a big piece of wood with the words POLICE HOUSE KEYS
hooked to a glow stick. My bedroom window faces the front yard so I can toss those out the window so I don't have to replace my door when the police show up, and they can get in faster.

If I have a chance to get to it, I have an emegency kit with, some stuff in it in a bucket.
Electronic ear protection (I can hear a mouse in the backyard with these puppies + I will not loose my hearing if I have to shoot)
Spare ammo and magazines
a set of clean undies for him and her, and some pj's.
a spare surefire and batteries
and a fire excape letter next to that.

I've now created a bottle neck gaining a huge tactical advantage.
While 911 is recording everything NOW we play the waiting game, and I leave all the house clearing to the cops.