What's your home defense plan?

2918 Views 26 Replies 15 Participants Last post by MattInFla, Nov 15, 2005

DirksterG30

Discussion Starter · Sep 25, 2005

For all you married guys out there, what kind of plans do you have with your wife as far as home defense? My wife and I are discussing this, and I think I'm making it too complicated (as I tend to do).

I want to have plans for when we're sleeping, when I'm working in the yard and she's in the kitchen, etc. I want to be able to cover all the bases, but I don't want it to have our plans read like the Federal tax code. So what do your plans look like?

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

500Mag

· #2 · Sep 25, 2005

My plan is to not get a wife. Does that put me ahead of the game?

KC135

· #3 · Sep 25, 2005

Standardize as much as possible, simple, so it does not require a checklist.

FortyFive

· #4 · Sep 25, 2005

DirksterG30, think this is going to be a very interesting thread. Perhaps you need to lay some groundwork, do both of you carry and participate in idpa or shoot at the range together? I think its a great idea to have alert plans as to movement within the the house so accidents don't happen. If either of you need assistance as in come here quick there needs to be a reason and alert to armed person in the house as an example. As this plays out others will come up with some help I am sure.

DirksterG30

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 26, 2005

Fourtyfive,

to clarify - when I am at home, I'm carrying a pistol + spare mag on me. My wife has a pistol that she has near her when she's alone. We shoot together at the range, but my wife hasn't had any formal defensive gun classes yet.

What I am looking for is what other people do in this area. Have you folks developed a defensive home strategy, and if so, what does it look like?

tanksoldier

· #6 · Sep 26, 2005

I only have one for night. Since I'm recently out of the body & fender shop I'm wearing pajamas most of the time, so I only keep my revolver handy during the day. At night I've got a good defensive setup for our bedroom, so it's a 12g pump covering the door from behind the bed while the wife dials 911. No kids yet, but when we do have them their bedrooms will be down the hall from ours and around a corner from the main house, so I can cover the whole family from my bedroom door.

Then there's the biological alarm system... a 100lb rottie/ ridgeback mix who takes invasions of "his pack's" territory very seriously.

gunthorp

· #7 · Sep 26, 2005

What a great thread. But there are a lot of variables. Simple is better.

If you're coming home and you find the door loose or something else tips you off that things aren't right inside, DON'T go into the house. Scan your perimeter as you get away and call. You're probably going to make a report sooner or later anyway.

If you're home when alerted, get to your safe room, dead bolt the solid core metal door, call, and stay on the line with dispatch. DON'T go searching, let any BG's do the searching. When the cops get there, the dog will find them.

So far, so good. Now, it will start to get interesting. Do you have an alarm system? Are there children in the house? What if you and spouse are separated. Will you both be armed? Do you have an alternate safe room on each floor? Do you both have cell phones? Where do you spend most of your time together? Individually? Where are the soft points in your home or environment to a BG's entry or attack.

The more questions you and your spouse discuss like this, the more answers to the problems will be revealed.

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P95Carry

· #8 · Sep 26, 2005

We have found a cut'n'dried strategy very hard to come up with.

I work bottom of yard out in office, wife sometimes away at work (so house locked then) - but, kids are in and out certain times, and not always totally predictable.

Overall we try and stay alert to inconsistencies - I am always armed and wife has recourse to her carry snub - tho darn it she is slack re keeping it close enough, plus another piece is concealed elsewhere.

We have no easy choice for a safe room - house plan is way too open in nature. Another PITA is - cell signal here is almost zilch, so if land line snipped we are SOL in that division.

There are houses around, tho not that close - but near enough that noise would be heard.

We discuss this quite often but as I said - a firm strategy for us is hard to pin down - much would have to be intuitive and this is why the alertness deal is emphasised.

My office is linked to three cameras and any movement within range of those alerts me to ''visitors'' so even tho in office I am a bit remote, it keeps me in touch with quite a bit.

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buzzg

· #9 · Sep 26, 2005

My wife and I have discussed this off and on for the past three years. We have had two break ins, but neither occurred while we were at home. The break ins however made us acutely aware that it could happen when we are there. The first thing I did was to purchase the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection in the Home. ( $10.00 from the NRA book store.)
LOADED with info. Overkill in fact, but a good source of ideas that may fit your particular home/location. One thing to examine is the location of areas outside the home that are not visible from within during the day. Could someone gain access from such a hidden area? Inside the home there are so many variables depending on the architecture that the possibilities are invariably unique to your situation. The book's a good start though.

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Rickstir

· #10 · Sep 26, 2005

My beautiful bride has a pistol and .410 shotgun within 20 feet of where ever she is in the house. At night, we have my "wardrobe" - 92 FS; Mosberg 16 ga shotty, and my best friend, an AK-47. Only the AK is 2 steps away. We also have a vocal outside dog, and three large inside dogs that can really put up a ruckus if anything out of the ordinary is around.

Tangle

· #11 · Sep 27, 2005

Well, this is a great thread, but I kinda wish you hadn't asked, because as "gunny" and tactical as I am, my wife is just not interested. She has no problems with me carryin' and being the protector, but that's about it.

So my plan is if something happens, I'm gonna have to handle it. I think I can get her to "watch my 6" though.

LPguy

· #12 · Sep 28, 2005

cell signal here is almost zilch, so if land line snipped we are SOL in that division.

P95, the phone company can mount a separate "in" line for a second phone in the house in a separate location and have it all on the same number. This way one phone in the house will always be working.

Mike

P95Carry

· #13 · Sep 28, 2005

Thx Mike - good point.

Actually, I do have a separate number and line down to my office so - in part at least, even if house was nailed for its line, mine would probably still be good. Better than nothing!

LPguy

· #14 · Sep 28, 2005

Chris,

Perhaps a second extension for your business phone on a wireless will give you some extra protection?

Mike

P95Carry

· #15 · Sep 28, 2005

Certainly Mike - you have given me some useful food for thought.

Mind you, we are pretty quiet round here - semi rural (farmer is harvesting corn in field out back right now) - but even so - the area has its share of drug idiots so one never knows.

MattInFla

· #16 · Nov 10, 2005

Home defense plan.

General strategy: make him come to me, then make him wish he had not.

Environment: Suburban Florida. Generally quiet area. Legal parameters give wide latitude. There is a statutory presumption that one is in reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm when confronting an unknown intruder in one's own home.

Specific implementation: the way our residence is laid out, the sleeping quarters are down a hallway from the main living areas. Dogs and alarm should provide adequate warning to take position at bedroom door, covered by wall, with view of approach hallway.

Tactical light will be used for target ID and disorientation. Subject in hallway will have limited mobility laterally, and be within very reliable range for effective fire.

What I do not plan to do is go engage the intruder in the living areas. If he takes the TV, well, it belongs to the insurance company at that point anyway. I am not going to kill to save my insurance company a few hundred bucks.

That, in a nutshell, is my plan and the thought process behind it.

Comments, critiques, even "well, that's just dumb" welcomed.

Matt

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BlueLion

· #17 · Nov 10, 2005

MattLarson said:
Home defense plan.

General strategy: make him come to me, then make him wish he had not.

Environment: Suburban Florida. Generally quiet area. Legal parameters give wide latitude. There is a statutory presumption that one is in reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm when confronting an unknown intruder in one's own home.

Specific implementation: the way our residence is laid out, the sleeping quarters are down a hallway from the main living areas. Dogs and alarm should provide adequate warning to take position at bedroom door, covered by wall, with view of approach hallway.

Tactical light will be used for target ID and disorientation. Subject in hallway will have limited mobility laterally, and be within very reliable range for effective fire.

What I do not plan to do is go engage the intruder in the living areas. If he takes the TV, well, it belongs to the insurance company at that point anyway. I am not going to kill to save my insurance company a few hundred bucks.

That, in a nutshell, is my plan and the thought process behind it.

Comments, critiques, even "well, that's just dumb" welcomed.

Matt[/QUOTE

Shoot, then invite the idiot in and while you are back clutching your 1911 or 870 with your knees knocking. He can just make himself a ham sandwhich. Any intruder that comes into my house has a fight on his hands. Nuff Said.....

joe/OH

· #18 · Nov 10, 2005

Matt - I'm with you. Secure family - first priority. Though honestly, once I rack a round into the 870 and he hasn't left the premises - I'm not so sure he's just after the TV.

MattInFla

· #19 · Nov 10, 2005

BlueLion said:
Shoot, then invite the idiot in and while you are back clutching your 1911 or 870 with your knees knocking. He can just make himself a ham sandwhich. Any intruder that comes into my house has a fight on his hands. Nuff Said.....

So you feel that a ham sandwich is justification to kill. Or maybe to be killed? I mean, I am sure we are all uber-tactical, never miss Rambo lookalikes, but the bad guys do get lucky sometimes.....

Matt

MattInFla

· #20 · Nov 10, 2005

joe/OH said:
Matt - I'm with you. Secure family - first priority. Though honestly, once I rack a round into the 870 and he hasn't left the premises - I'm not so sure he's just after the TV.

Copy that. I plan to announce I am armed - if he still comes down the hall, the presumption is he has more on his mind than a TV.

The announcement will be useful later on the 911 tape if the BG does come down the hall...

Matt

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