Are you prepared for a burglary ?

Sorry Geezer you have had to endure losses already but, seems your current ideas are pretty good.

Most have seen me post pics of my guns and I have other copies of these which have a serial number added. Those SN pics are saved to a CD, of which there are two or three copies. I also have a text file printed out which gives again - SN info but also next to that approx market value.

Over time of course odd changes occur and I try and update but - generally my last CD or text printout is only inaccurate to tune of one or two guns, so main haul is logged.

Fortunately in the house itself, to be honest we really have very little of huge value but yeah - pics of specifics are good to have tucked away of anything that has value, sentimental or otherwise.

Some long time back - I had a marker pen that I used on many things - left an invisible result but when viewed by UV light it showed up. Not sure whether I can still get similar or not.

I was burglarized last year before Christmas. Two of my other neighbors were hit the same weekend. They beat in my front door and tossed my entire townhouse. It wasn't hard to tell I wasn't home, considering we had reserved parking spaces. The cops said they chose end units in the back lots, and were looking for anything of value that was small and portable, which explains why they didn't take the TV, the DVD player, music equipment, or my computers. I guess you draw too much attention carrying a big TV down the street. They didn't take my CD collection, but I guess they didn't like ACDC and Joe Satriani. I had my jewelry very well hidden, so they didn't take those. They did steal my vintage art deco watch that was given to me by a sweet old lady I knew. I think it's in a pawn shop somewhere and was enough to get a crack rock.

They found my gun safe and pounded away at that for a while, using my dumbbells to knock a crater in the top and a bayonet to pry at the door. They knocked the knobs off but couldn't get the safe open, and I thank the Cannon safe company for making a good product and delivering free repair service.

The burglars went through all my ammo but I don't believe they took any, though they did feel the need to rip through half of the paper-wrapped 7.62x54R packages I had - I guess they looked like packages of drugs. They imbedded my loveseat in my coffee table, but they carefully placed my glass of water on the carpet before opening the coffee table (large chest).

They went through my underwear drawer, all the closets, the water heater closet, under the bed, and tossed the seat cushions. They left the kitchen alone and skipped the office, probably because of my tarantulas or because they found the safe and concentrated on that. They used my bathroom and left the light on. They did not deliberately break things out of spite - I could've easily had 30 gallons of aquarium water on the floor, or thousands of dollars worth of broken computer equipment that I make a living on. I guess they were trying to be quiet, but pounding on a safe is not discreet.

I think something scared them away, because they left out the back door (they closed the door, though) and tripped all over my patio furniture.

What I learned:
• A 12 gauge shotgun is a great burglar alarm, but only if you're home to use it.
• A simple $100 Radio Shack alarm system probably would've scared them off. I bought one afterwards, but I don't live there anymore. I have one of those ADT-type systems now.
• If you can afford $700, buy a gun safe. I'm really glad I did. $700 may be a lot of money, but keeping your handgun out of a thug's waistband is priceless. Get a safe, and bolt that sucker to the floor and back wall. You can also do what my dad did, if the location permits: entomb it in cinder blocks filled with concrete and rebar. Get a fireproof safe so you don't lose your firearms like my editor. :frown:

I keep a list of firearms and serial numbers.

Good Reminder

Good reminder all 'round.
I really should photograph all of my guns & put the pics onto a CD.
I don't know what I'm waiting for. :chairshot
I just have not done it yet.

I (of course) have a nice gun safe originally made by Detroit Armor Corp. Since my house was also built by a dentist who had his dental offices in the house...there is also another safe that is very secure & fireproof.
We are alarmed by Guardian Protection Services with a "call in" to local Law Enforcement.
The alarm ALWAYS goes on on those rare occasions when there is nobody home.
Our LEO response time is Lightning Fast in my area. So...I am pretty good concerning security.

Betty's story should act as a "Word To The Wise"
It is never fun to have your personal space "intruded upon" by total strangers who are never up to any good.
If you cannot afford a safe then make a good hiding place for your personal, valuable, & sentimental stuff that you do not want hocked for a crack rock.
If you rent then buy renters insurance that will cover you for theft & fire.
Things are only going to get worse as more druggie type people get addicted to crack.

I rely on the "avoid the path of least resistance" principal. There's must much I can do, but I have reinforced my back door with a 2x2. You'd have to break the glass or else break the frame of the door to get it. My window I have crap stacked in front of.

I picked up a residential security container, the heaviest one I can personally haul with an appliance dolly. Now I realize that means if I can haul it someone else can, but it's much heavier with some barbell weights in the bottom not to mention all my junk. Due to where I am, I'm not the unit you'd want to hit unless you were just a dumbass. There's not a fast escape route, a police car is parked nearby, and I am usually home a bit early (right at 5 PM). During the day the maintenance guys are almost always about 30 feet from my door smoking and goofing off, and half the time your approach is blocked by moving trucks. At night I'm usually here. I picked this apartment and not another unit because it wasn't as vulnerable as the other one.