[Pro2A]

I had a dream last night and it dawned on me it could be a potentially real and life threatening situation.

Lets say you just woke up, you're obviously still a little sleepy and groggy. You may be wearing sweatpants or underwear.... whatever you wear to bed. You get out of bed, it's early. You go down to the kitchen put on a pot of coffee, go back to use the restroom, then you notice the back door is cracked open, and the handle broken.

You look around and notice some stuff shuffled around. Someone has broken in. Then you realize there is a silhouette of a man in your living room with a knife, gun or other weapon in his hand... he must have been hiding when you were moving around before you noticed the door. He is the only way between you and your handgun and phone sitting on your nightstand in your bedroom.

My couple of points are this. First it's early, you aren't on top of your game, second you are in your sweatpants. I don't know about you but generally I don't get up first thing and change into something so I can strap my gun on especially if I'm getting ready to take a shower or something, I do that after the fact. Third I'm not the type of person to carry a gun around in my hand at home.

Given the above scenario what would you do?

 

[grady]

Given the above scenario what would you do?

Draw from my SmartCarry and defend.

Your scenario is another reason I like the SmartCarry. I am wearing one now over the sweatpants I slept in. I put the SmartCarry on when I stepped out of bed. The scenario you described will not happen to me as long as I continue this routine.

It is possible to be surprised in one's own home. Even if one has dogs and/or a security alarm, doors can be kicked in and one can be facing an intruder before one has time to go to another room and retrieve a weapon.

If one chooses not to carry in the home, that's their choice. I've heard of too many home invasions where there was no notice until the perp was inside.

I'm armed for the duration. It requires very little behavior modification on my part. I intend to be ready if that moment ever comes to me and my family.

Maybe your dream was your subconscious noticing a vulnerability.

 

[shooterX]

One way to deal with this would to have weapons strategically placed in various places around your home for quick retrieval.

 

[SteveinNEPA]

I always put my pants on upon waking and on goes the EDC, weather or not Im fully dressed doesnt matter, Im still armed. Also just throwing it out there, when showering I keep EDC on the counter in the bathroom holstered, arms reach away. Also like shooterX said, a few around the house is never a bad Idea.

~Steve

 

[randomorbit]

The only time I feel vulnerable is when I am actually in the shower naked with the water running and the shower muting my hearing. Otherwise, I am never further than a step or two from a loaded gun. I am single and have very few visitors, and those are all adults, so having a loaded gun laying around on almost every flat surface of the house is not an issue to for me. Now I know you may be thinking that a bad guy could just pick up one of my guns to use against me, but the fact is, although they are laying around all over the house, you would have to look kind of close to actually see one of them.

 

[DaveH]

100% of "home-invasion" happen at home.

Stay armed!

 

[Arko]

I've been thinking of this more lately myself, and I like Grady's idea, or some similar approach. I may go that route.
Right now I have one gun at the bedside, one in the kitchen. Unless someone uses a ladder, they can only make entry from the basement or the front door using the same hallway.

 

[searcher 45]

Last night about 9pm we are talking with the TV on mute and hear noise in back side of house garage area.

Sounded as tho something had fallen, hard to tell what it was.

Wife and I went to check it out, house and garage are connected by locked door.

Turned on light in garage and opened door with pocket carry P3AT in hand and ready.

Nothing there and never found what had fallen, but it was a lesson for me and wife on why to carry at home.

It could have easily being a home brake in or worse, or just a box or something fallen over.

You never know until you check it out and going to get firearm from gun safe may take way to long.

 

[98LSWON]

One way to deal with this would to have weapons strategically placed in various places around your home for quick retrieval.

It's also a good way to get them stolen if your home is broken into while you are away. Trust me on this one.

 

[UpOn2Wheels]

Your best weapon is the one between your ears...

I'm guilty of selectively carrying while at home, although I've been more careful as of late. There is no room in my home that doesn't contain SOMETHING I can use as a weapon. Would it be as effective as my Glock 36? Probably not, but anything is better than nothing in a sudden encounter.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

One way to deal with this would to have weapons strategically placed in various places around your home for quick retrieval.

This is the method I use....yes, they could get stolen if the house is broken into, but I am willing to take that chance for peace of mind while I am at home.

I also hope my 130# GSD might provide some deterence & cause the bad guys decide to break into another house besides mine.

 

[packinnova]

I had a dream last night and it dawned on me it could be a potentially real and life threatening situation.

Lets say you just woke up, you're obviously still a little sleepy and groggy. You may be wearing sweatpants or underwear.... whatever you wear to bed. You get out of bed, it's early. You go down to the kitchen put on a pot of coffee, go back to use the restroom, then you notice the back door is cracked open, and the handle broken.

You look around and notice some stuff shuffled around. Someone has broken in. Then you realize there is a silhouette of a man in your living room with a knife, gun or other weapon in his hand... he must have been hiding when you were moving around before you noticed the door. He is the only way between you and your handgun and phone sitting on your nightstand in your bedroom.

My couple of points are this. First it's early, you aren't on top of your game, second you are in your sweatpants. I don't know about you but generally I don't get up first thing and change into something so I can strap my gun on especially if I'm getting ready to take a shower or something, I do that after the fact. Third I'm not the type of person to carry a gun around in my hand at home.

Given the above scenario what would you do?

Laugh my butt off as the BG get's eaten by the live-in guard dog that he missed...(which happens to be an overprotective pitbull)... Then get out the mop for the mess on the floor.

Seriously...get a good dog of a breed of known reputation of protective/owner guarding habits. Basically prevent the situation from happening in the first place.

 

[cj]

In that scenario, I'd do my best to pretend to still be sleepy and wander back towards my nearest weapon. At this point, he's got a high level of potential control, and I can only hope he's trying to avoid confrontation.

If your ONLY weapon is blocked by him, a hasty retreat may be in order to another location with a phone.

 

[sigmanluke]

Get a dog, carry at home. I personally dislike the idea of leaving/hiding multiple guns throughout the house. It is an unsafe practice.

 

[farronwolf]

Between the dogs outside and the alarm system, hopefully I won't ever be in that type of situation.

If it ever did happen, I would be looking for the nearest weapon if a firearm was not available.

 

[crankshop1000]

One way to deal with this would to have weapons strategically placed in various places around your home for quick retrieval.

I would retrieve my 1911 from inside my kitchen clock and commence fire.

 

[tiwee]

Inside dog. Can't be poisoned. Goes nuts if someone gets close to the house. Can't imagine the noise if someone tried to break in.

My kids are grown. I have some handy shotguns around the house. Also, always have a pistol in my pocket if out of bed.

 

[1911V10]

2 bully breeds on the main level, 1 up in the bedroom, pretty much makes somebody sneaking in a non issue. I wouldn't want to be the person half in half out of the window when the dogs get there! though if they somehow got past the dogs without me or the dog in the bedroom (who comes down with me in the morning) knowing and they were between me and my bedroom 870 the next move would be a chef knife and a fight to the death if I'm not home alone, if I happen to be alone, without my gun against an armed intruder I'm tucking my tail and running like forest gump, clothed or not.


link to a MN home invasion site
http://www.mnhomeinvasionwatch.com/

 

[limatunes]

Go for one of my stashed guns and/or knives.

At one of our defensive classes the instructor gave the recommendation of shifting the intimidation. Robbers, in general, (whether they are home invaders or just street thugs) depend a great deal on your fear and their level of intimidation over you. Pretending you are not afraid (even though you may be terrified) and trying to intimidate them may go a long way to either end the confrontation or at least buy you prescious time and distance.

In class he gave an example of walking down the street in a state that did not allow carry. He was young and a bit reckless. He was surprised by a man with a drawn knife. Without putting too much thought into it he drew two knives, got in a warrior stance and said, "Okay, Buddy, let's go."

The guy took off running.

He said in hindsight he would not have done the same thing but it taught him a valuable lesson about handling seemingly hopeless sitatuons. When you are cornered, can't run, don't have the ideal tools and the only option is to fight, then swallow your fear, grab whatever tool is available and act like you are the greatest fighter in the world with that particular tool. Make them not want to fight you. And if it comes to that, fight with everything you have.

Then he said what I have put into my signature, "because even death is a poor excuse for not fighting back."

If I can't get to a specific gun or knife there is a whole tub filled with nice hard bath toys. My sons tug boat would make a fabulous bluddgening tool. There's a heater in the bathroom I wouldn't have a problem using as a projectile. Toothbrushes can be nasty when weilded with a purpose. There are two five lbs weights sitting on the floor outside of the bathroom that I would not want to be hit with. My sons books hurt when they get up speed. I could go on but I'm sure you get the point.

I'm going to fight with all I have until he decides it was a really bad idea to come into this particular house and mess with this particular mother.

 

[PastorPack]

In your scenario, I'd have to pull a knife out of the block on the kitchen counter and then "open up a can..."

I had half of this scenario happen about a week ago. 4 am--wife hears the dog get up and walk down the hall--she follows thinking the dog needs to be let out. Only she gets halfway down the hall and the dog is now already outside and barking! That means an exterior door is OPEN. I had to grab the gun, clear the house, then retrieve the dog.

It turns out the back door had been shut but didn't quite latch and the wind blew it open. Dog was chasing a neighborhood cat.