P95Carry

Dave - re peep hole deals - what worries me about those is if dark outside (or darker) it is sometimes possible to see someone on inside peeping. That betrays your presence plus - in unlikely event someone was gonna blast the door with a firearm - they'd be able to line you up!

I mentioned earlier the desirability of some type of access visually to doors from other region of house - or if not then vid cam on those areas.

The shottie would not be too useful locked up - but there are ways to keep it secure and still be moderately handy. Better still IMO is carry piece always on the person - can't get more instant than that plus - best for security. At night if needed, a quick combination bedside safe.

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Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

Rob72

BL, pretty much everything covered, to this point. Check in over at www.totalprotectioninteractive.com Look under "The Castle" for some tutorial-style posts, and some advanced thoughts.

Edit to add: The "Big PIcture" is important. When you get a few serious potential homes, or as you shop, draw out the floor plans and yard. You're looking at the home as though you are an invader- what blind-spots do you see? Internally, what choke-points are there for the invader? For you? Etc., etc..

crookcatchr

If you have a sliding glass door or a lot of glass next to your front door. They make a window film that is pretty tuff. It will stop a brick from going though the window and the glass will not break if someone shoots the window. Like I said pretty tuff stuff.

Home alarms system was the first thing that I bought when I got my house. I still need to install the motion lights. but I have them here I just need to find a long enough latter to reach my flood lights.

The CCTV option is something that I have been thinking about for a while, but I have not made a decision about that yet. But its a good thing to have.

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Crookcatchr

Theres no such thing as owning to many guns.

Rocnerd

Another good tip is with landscaping. Choose the nasty thorny bushes for around fences and under windows and such. If the BG chooses your house he will think twice before crawling through a hedge with inch long thorns sticking out everywhere. Bougainvillea works great for along fences if you are in the south.

lkqsjh

Been reading here for a while and decided to make this my first post since I have similar interest. I bought my house that I still live in 3 years ago at the age of 18. I knew the area was not great because it was right in the middle of a city that is getting worse every day. At the time the only thing I had was my Remington 1100 12 guage and because of age I could not buy a pistol. While I have never feared anyone entering my house I did have some bums and so forth knocking on the door asking for money and stuff. The first year I had 3 cars broke in to and stereo stuff and vandalism done on each. I went to harbor freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47546) and bought a 2 of there cheap camera setups. You can also pick up a time lapse vcr cheap now off ebay since no one hardly uses them anymore. Wire it into a tv in the bedroom or even in the livingroom. If I hear a noise with the push of a button I can see whats going on outside my house. Only hassle is changing the tapes, but it becomes habit. Second thing I did was bought an AKC registered Great Dane. He is 1 year old and about 130 lbs with a year to grow. When on his back legs he stands at about 5'7" and is the best deterrent I have seen. While I don't think he would actually bite anyone his size and bark is enough to make anyone think twice. Hope this helps.

P95Carry

lkqsjh - welcome

Sounds as tho you have things planned out - and the K9 certainly must be enough to make any suspect folks think twice

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

tegemu

An unexpected security device I have is a "Help I've Fallen and Can't Get Up" Button hanging around my neck. I am well along the down end of life with some serious health problems and I live alone with a cat so dumb she can't be trained to dial 911. It struck me the other day that in the event of a home invasion or a like catastrophe, one press of the button a LOUD screeching alarm followed by a VERY LOUD voice asking me if I am OK, the voice listens through a very sensitive microphone for sounds of distress. If I don't tell the voice that everything is OK, in about 3 minutes Paramedics followed by an Engine Crew followed by Cops will come crashing through my front door. Not siuch a great idea for a new family but it's a good idea for us older folks.

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People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in their behalf. - George Orwell

dr_cmg

Dogs are always a good investment. They don't necessarily have to be big. All three of our dogs are in the 40 to 60 lb range and are extremely loud and protective. Another thing about dogs is that some that you would not thing of as guard or watchdogs can be the best to have. Most people would not think of a Bassett Hound as a good dog to have for home protection and they would be wrong. There are several characteristics of the Bassett that make them good for home protection. 1) Loyalty 2) Most people think that because they are long and low that they are small. Bassetts are classified as large dogs. They can easily weight 65 lbs. 3) Bassetts are not slow. They look slow, but don't be deceived. I found a quote I was looking for "Because he is a true dwarf - with a normal-size bod but short legs - the Basset Hound appears clumsy as he gallops. Even so, he can still outrun all but the very fastest humans." Know Your Dog by Bruce Fogle, DVM. Unless you can run 100 yards in 10 flat the Bassett will catch you. 4) They have excellent senses of smell and hearing. 5) Bassetts are good with children. I have a Bassett/Bull Terrier mix that I would not want to meet in the dark. He's not real big, but 55 lbs. at less than 2' high will take your legs right out from under you.

The 12 ga. shotgun has been mentioned and there is nothing scarier than hearing a round being jacked into a 12 ga. I have been giving consideration to the Taurus 410/45 pistol. .410 000 buckshot puts out three pellets about the size of a .38 bullet. It is also easy to keep with you when you are in the house.

Just my thoughts.

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George

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein

.45acp

If you go with a professional alarm system I'd suggest the following:
1) More than 1 control panel so that you can set it off from different areas in the house manually if need be.
2) This is an option with some alarm companies but worth it. Have a secret number that if someone forces you to give the deactivation code you will give them this special code which will force the lights and beeps to act like the system is deactivated but will send a silent alarm to the PD

Bud White

I forgot about the secret code thing our alarm has that guy told me how to change code for it so it will set the alarm off quitely