Posted on 08/15/2014 11:47:52 AM PDT by Vendome
This morning, the alarms in my house went off.
I immediately armed myself and went in search of the cause or person.
After thinking about it I think one fire alarm went off and then each and every alarm started as well, I believe, the actuall alarm system to the house.
Freaking loud as hell and brought me out of bed, with me grabbing a weapon and charging through the first floor, then running upstairs to ascertain if we had just been broken into, with a thought running through my mind that maybe there was a fire.
I didn't know.
On reflection, given what's been going on with LEO these days and their propensity to use SWAT for even the dumbest engagements, this could have ended, well...not good.
Not gonna lie. On reflection, it really troubles me that I think someone would have been unnecessarily injured or killed, if this were actually a SWAT raid or a simple burglary.
Read more below for my perspective
Yer welcome...
FYI, in many jurisdictions that would not qualify as self defense and get you charged. Especially if the perp turns out to be unarmed.
We try and keep an old dog and a young dog. When the old dog passes the young dog becomes the old dog and somehow a new young dog appears.
Good in theory but we’ve 4 dogs now. Two are huffing at the window as I type.
Good dogs give plenty of early warning.
I had similar incident a few months ago. I learned that I sleep on my wrists and my hands fall asleep. Took me forever to rack a round into my pistol. Freakin hands wouldn’t work. Had to rethink my response.
I agree, dogs are the best alarm..... but why are they not in your bedroom?
We have a burglar alarm, 4 dogs that sleep in our bedroom, guns in the room and we have a solid wood bedroom door that is locked at night.
If anyone should ask “what are you scared of?” my answer would be “absolutely nothing!”
There are exceptions...but broadly speaking revolvers are always ready to fire and are considered defensive pistols, whereas semi-autos are not always ready to fire but are considered offensive pistols. Adding to that, deringers are often considered ready to fire.
If you have a small area to defend, or if you are not a marksman when awakened at 4 am by your door being kicked in, then you might consider shotgun rounds in your wheel gun. These munitions increase your chances of getting hits (decrease chances of getting first-shot kills, though).
Likewise, there are pump and semi-auto shotguns for home defense...with both slugs and shot shells for munition choices. Ditto for breach-breaking double-barreled shotguns.
All of the above have advantages and disadvantages, and each weapon and each munition choice impacts what defensive tactics are most appropriate for what you have on hand when the bad guy comes calling.
The following items can improve your edge upon the above:
1. dog
2. bullet-proof vest (you can hold it in front of you like a shield...don’t even have to wear it for most defensive scenarios)
3. caltrops (useful for throwing out of your defensive position to deny ground to an intruder advancing on you). These are especially effective in a dark house at night...and if you don’t have any caltrops some poor substitutes would include marbles and pistacio shells (they make a crunch sound which is useful for locating a bad guy)
4. tear gas grenade (useful for clearing out the entire house)
You may not want, need, or be able to afford any/all edges. Heck, in some areas you might not be able to purchase them.
Sorry mate. The bad guys thank you, though.
Legos. Of course, if there are any parents on your jury they might give you 20 years.
“As for barring myself behind a door our tactics proved time and again how to defeat that.”
Really. Care to elaborate? Most burglars dont have swat training and flashbangs. Rather than running around the house with gun while the alarms are blaring I think hunkering down behind a locked door with a 12 G gives the homeowner a distinct tactical and legal advantage. Someone has to be pretty motivated to breech a door knowing a 12 gauge is waiting on the other side and its been a looong time since I pizzed someone off that much.
Your philosophy, not mine...
I don’t know of a jurisdiction in the country that would charge a home owner simply for hiding from an intruder, which essentially is all my friend recommended. He DID NOT say to open fire and kill everything in sight at the first opportunity. No, he gave me more credit than that. Likewise, I’m giving Freepers more credit than that.
Obviously, whether or not you are criminally charged for anything depends on what you do and what you intended to do once the intruder comes within view. There are many variables that come into play. First, are you even allowed to have the gun? Did you fire through a closed door and kill the eight-year-old neighbor boy (and your son’s best friend) who was walking in his sleep? Maybe you killed an unarmed burglar, or a uniformed officer who entered your master bedroom with his gun drawn? If you do any of those things, you could wind up as gruel for the justice system. Hiding from unknown intruders is never going to get you charged with anything. Using poor judgement might. You better have your head screwed on straight before you pick up a gun.
Just like “My Cousin Vinny” when Pesci and lovely Marisa are staying in the log cabin and the owl shrieks! He comes out ablazin!! LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.