Thanks for this thread, Vendome...
Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
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
We were all in the same room taking turns caring for a sick dog.
They stayed in place, as is their disposition. They ain’t going to check on nuttin, particularly if I’m here. LOL
When SHTF I am going to be the leader. LOL
YEP
YEP
When my alarm goes off, for fire, intruder or stupid no-reason, all I hear is “BARK, BARK, BARK!!!”
Got lil piggy dogs.
they’re old. One doesn’t hear so well. I think the other is outright deaf.
LOL...Uhmmmm
Wow!
Best response and I didn’t even think about that!
LOL
I’d like to have a safe room and will do that in the next house.
That is a decision that will get quickly quashed in this one...
Roomies are not armed. They hate guns.
The current plan is “Getting killed is my responsibility and then they’re next...I guess”.
Caltrops?
Never thought of that.
Maybe I could install come claymores .... mabe. “Yeah, that’s the ticket! My wife...Morgan Fairchild can hide them with embroidery or something”.
I let my alarm out to poop this morning (part of it’s maintenance package). Part of that alarm’s function is to offensively deter any intruder, which is a delay tactic to give me time to ‘get set’ with the main offensive. Unfortunately, that feature is quite likely a one-time thing, and an intruder may very well disable that alarm permanently.
I have some degree of uncertainty as to what I will do when, having heard the alarm go violently silent, I am faced with the man who did so, and he is wearing a badge...
And my son is LEO.
Bamahead’s illustration is my problem and I agree with him.
We had two “Medical Marijuana” business owners a few years back.
Now, mind you, the gated community where I live is very upscale.
Most of us make a lot of money.
Not important except that these business owners were eventually arrested, on some charge having nothing to do with their marijuana business.
Our gated community, income and lifestyles did not prevent LEO from doing their Yob...
BS - it can happen anywhere, to anyone:
DEA agents traumatize family during raid on wrong house
Drug Enforcement Agency officers busted into a suburban home in Michigan around 2:00am, rounding up the family of a retired military translator.
Also: Should we not worry about the SWATting of innocent people living in the ghetto?
My alarms are losing their hearing due to old age.
I don’t know what kind of violent allergic reaction I would have to someone hurting them but, I do have an extremely long memory...
Caltrops are what you throw out of the room you are taking cover in, to deny the near ground to anyone advancing.
Caltrops are not recommended if you choose offensive mobilty instead of taking cover as your tactic.
No, I know what they are. Just hadn’t thought about them for slowing the advance of “Undocumented Guests”.
Time to get a new one going... they take a while to program properly. I like a redundant alarm, but I install them approximately every seven years or so, so that when the older system is starting to develop problems, the new system is at it's prime, fully programmed. It also helps me emotionally to have the secondary around when the primary ceases to function, and that secondary (now primary) system is invaluable in programming a new system.
I don’t know what kind of violent allergic reaction I would have to someone hurting them but, I do have an extremely long memory...
I hear you - In that moment, in full defense mode, with aggression at it's ultimate peak, and adrenaline pumping through my system, I am running on something very akin to instinct... I do not know if I would care to stop myself... That, I think, is the point of the spear. If I had the time to think it through, I doubt I would take the same decisions, but what I am capable of in that very moment is another thing (similar conditions have happened before).
Read all the comments and didn’t see some issues addressed.
I personally have a tendency to what are called “night terrors,” which are sort of like a nightmare that continues for a while after I wake up. My staggering armed through the house while possibly still partially under the influence of a night terror is NOT a good idea. To the point that when I suggested some time ago getting a gun to keep in the bedroom, Mrs. Logan said that if I did, she and the kids would be leaving, and I can’t really blame her!
I disagree with the pro-active shoot and scoot, track em down and kill em guys. The notion that the guy who isn’t moving is dead is based on his being a non-moving shooter. A non-moving, non-shooting guy in a dark house is essentially invisible. BIG advantage. Not to mention that a quiet seated shooter is a LOT more likely to hit what he’s aiming at than someone doing the roll across the floor and shoot TV thing.
Of course, once the shooting starts, the advantage of stillness vs. movement is likely to change a lot.
Think ambush, not assault. It’s your home (literally!) terrain, use it to your advantage.
The purpose of home defense is DEFENSE. Of your family, IMO, not the building. Keep your priorities straight.
It all depends on the layout of the home, but you should have a defensive position between likely intrusion points and the people, most critically children, being protected.
Move to the defense point and wait behind cover. Meanwhile you can call for reinforcements. (Don’t shoot them when they arrive.)
You might want to put together a killing field in front of your defense position. Stairs are a problem for attackers. If it’s dark, prepared spotlights can suddenly blind them, while you put on sunglasses before hitting the switch.
Others have mentioned caltrops. I would think oil or detergent/water on a hard surface stairwell could be useful. Teargas or a homemade equivalent (high-test ammonia, for example) might give you a real edge. Especially if you’re in an appropriate respirator. (I wonder if they make respirators with built-in night vision?)
You should always have a planned fallback/escape route, familiar to the whole family.
Aggressive dogs may not stop an armed intruder, but they’ll likely keep him busy for a while.
Infrared or night vision goggles can give you a huge edge. Just don’t ever shoot based on an IR image. You really can’t tell who/what you’re shooting.
There is nothing in my house which is worth as much as my life or the lives of my family members.
My home has six entrance points. Assuming that my wife and I are the only ones who are supposed to be in the house and we are together in our bedroom, then I would arm myself and try to verify that exiting the house through the outside door in our bedroom is safe.
If it appears safe, then we exit and make our way up the hill next to our house where we have a relatively good view of the entire house. This buys us time to then consider what the next move should be.
The risks in this plan are that there might be unwelcome attackers outside the house or that somehow the police have already arrived and mistake me for the intruder. I think neither of these is very likely.
What I would not do is attempt to clear the house. I took a defensive handgun course once which taught us that the doorway into a room is a tunnel of death. Standing in a doorway a person is located exactly where a bad guy is expecting you to be.
I'm reminded of the line from "No Country for Old Men" in which the sheriff says something like, "Even in a contest between man and beast the outcome is uncertain." Despite all the advantages I might have over an intruder in my house, confronting him has little upside and has a downside risk of getting myself killed. It's just not worth it.
The scenario I described also allows for the possibility that one of my family members has mistakenly entered the house without informing me. There's a further possibility that the intruder is simply a drunken teenager whose lost or out to cause trouble. Why kill them if there is nothing to be gained?
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.