Bump in the night

[hoppes-no9]

LoboGunLeather's description of a break-in and the ensuing discussion got me thinking. I wonder how many of us would try to deal with the situtation prior to LE arriving.

Scenario --

Late at night. You're in bed and hear a window break downstairs, followed by a couple of thuds, and voices. Your wife is in bed with you and your two kids are in the adjacent bedroom. No dogs in the house. You've got a loaded handgun in the nightstand and a loaded 12ga in the closet. A cell phone is on the nightstand. The bedroom door is reasonably strong with a lock on it.

Whaddayado?

 

[Onomea]

Probably depends on the nature of one's wife, but, even if she were to be capable with firearms, priority has to be the kids. Also, less chance of shooting a spouse if one stays back with the kids.

 

[Glock 'em down]

I'm a cop, so naturally I lock up Mrs GED and Chigger, call for backup and then investigate.

I'd hate to be the one that busts thru the bedroom door and faces her with my 12 gauge SxS Coach.

 

[PDL]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in either post is when you do get LEO's on scene. If it was the wind breaking your window or even if your door was kicked in, you've got a couple of tense deputies who don't know you're the good guy. They just see someone with a gun. I would think it would be a good idea on the 911 call, to let someone know the home owner is armed and investigating. Then be very careful when the LEO's do arrive.

 

[Andy Griffith]

Being there are no kids in the house...
I won't go into details...but, intruders will be completely "neutralized."

I didn't see a thing in the poll for us without kids.
They'd likely make a lot of noise get'n into this place.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I second giving as accurate a description of yourself as possible to avoid a "friendly fire" incident and i wonder if it might be a good idea to have
some sort of highly visible garment as part of one's investigative gear..

 

[Andy Griffith]

I second giving as accurate a description of yourself as possible to avoid a "friendly fire" incident and i wonder if it might be a good idea to have
some sort of highly visible garment as part of one's investigative gear..

It could hurt too. It could make you a more visible target to the perps.

 

[Iggy]

The wife is a better shot than I am, and keeps a .38 by the bed.

She calls the cops and and stays on the line and watches my 6

I go to the bed room door and wait for targets of opportunity.

She will be unhappy if I get them all and she don't get no shootin'!!

 

[jkc]

I watched firefighters try to break in to a condo unit identical in construction to mine when there was a fire next door last year. Big strong young men with axes, long-lever pry bars, rams, and etc. raised one hell of racket, and took quite awhile to get through a security door similar to mine. The adjacent windows did not yield to their considerable efforts. If I'm lucky enough to be home when a breakin is attempted, even though in REM sleep, I'm confident that I'll be woken in sufficient time to get dressed and shod, arm myself, have a glass of water or OJ, use the head, and then get about the business of repelling invaders. Showering, shaving, dental hygiene, and coffee-making may be postponed until more pressing issues are resolved...

 

[charlie sherrill]

Around here, the homeowner is always assumed to be armed.

 

[potthawg]

Yup....

The wife is a better shot than I am, and keeps a .38 by the bed.

She calls the cops and and stays on the line and watches my 6

I go to the bed room door and wait for targets of opportunity.

She will be unhappy if I get them all and she don't get no shootin'!!

Ya gotta love ole Iggy.

 

[29aholic]

I dont have any kids and the wife is fairly proficient with a gun. I dont see as well at night as I used to, but I have no worries of unexpected friendlies showing up at night unannounced, so I would probably empty my 7 shot 870 and let my wife do any follow up clean up needing done.

 

[Deckard]

No kids just me and the wife and a couple of guns.

Deckard

 

[USAF385]

I voted for locking everyone behind the door and taking cover.

Your job in this case to to keep your family safe. Leaving them behind is a bad idea. You heard voices, so there is more than one person in the house. You don't need to be killed leaving your wife and kids to defend themselves.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I voted for locking everyone behind the door and taking cover.

Your job in this case to to keep your family safe. Leaving them behind is a bad idea. You heard voices, so there is more than one person in the house. You don't need to be killed leaving your wife and kids to defend themselves.

I agree to a point. It all depends on how your house is situated. Waiting behind a locked bedroom door could be a bad decision.

I secure homes and businesses for a living. I live in a split level townhouse with the bedrooms upstairs. Have a steel door and a steel security door both with Medeco deadbolts. Also have 3M security film on my patio door and windows. No alarm. I don't need one. IF they get in I will have plenty of time to wait at the top of the stairs, or go down and wait for them. Getting in won't be quick and easy.

Waiting for them to come through an 1 3/8 inch hollow core bedroom door is not exactly ideal. Chances are if it is a home invasion or burglary and they decide to come look for you, they will be armed. And there will probably more than one. I don't exactly want to have a shoot out in my bedroom where the rest of my family is.

The most important thing is to have a plan and be prepared. Use the layout of your home to your advantage.

 

[TACC1]

No kids, no wife; I keep the Doberman behind me or locked up, and I go hunting. If the noises I hear are from friendlies, they'll announce themselves. Been lucky so far; no confrontations.
I feel I have to go see, "cuz I gots to know.."
Way back when, I'd carry a knife or hammer, now it's something a little more exciting. TACC1
TACC1

 

[Kanewpadle]

No kids, no wife; I keep the Doberman behind me or locked up, and I go hunting. If the noises I hear are from friendlies, they'll announce themselves. Been lucky so far; no confrontations.
I feel I have to go see, "cuz I gots to know.."
Way back when, I'd carry a knife or hammer, now it's something a little more exciting. TACC1
TACC1

I feel the same way. I know I probably should'nt go looking but I must. I work too damn hard for what I have.

 

[truckemup97]

I've got to agree with Kanewpadle. Wife takes phone and protection to kid's room and calls 911. I stake out the hallway with a shotgun and a NY reload. My job is to protect my wife and child, and I'll do that by keeping the bad guys away from them. If I can't kill them, I'll lead them away from the girls.

 

[BigRich315]

Lock myself in with the kids, the cell, and the handgun, and the WIFE goes to investigate with the shotty

 

[Nard]

After getting the kids in the room with my wife I'd ease out of the room and set up a hasty ambush with the 12 gague.

J.B.

 

[BarbC]

I'd send my kids. They're bigger and meaner than I am.

 

[Smith357]

I take up a defensive position in the back of the house and wait for the police, there is no need for me to kill anyone over stuff that will be replaced by the insurance company.

 

[ingmansinc]

1) I get the guns and the wife and go to the kids bedroom. We lock the bedroom door as the wife calls 911. I send the kids and wife out the bedroom window and tell them to go to the neighbors home.
2) I move to the side of the room that allows me to shoot out the door as it opens, with shotgun naturally. The handgun is at my side.
3) After everything is over I call the contractor that built the house and thank him for the bedroom door that is reasonably strong and not a hollowcore interior door that is installed in almost all modern homes and could be kicked in by anybody.
4) If you are curious why I didn't leave with the wife and kids it was because on the internet game I wanted to stick around for the battle. I love a good fight.

 

[11B Lifer]

If at all possible we would get out-I can handle rear guard-I don't want family members where they can be hit by slugs coming thru walls-or if the bad guys gets me. Prefer my wife have her gun also while getting away-if the bad guy wants to pursue me-fine-I'm more than happy to shoot to slide lock.

 

[beach elvis]

I chose option #3 with the addition of putting on my flak vest before investigating. Be just my luck that any mutant would be behind the one bit of cover in the dark that my sleepy li'l self hadn't considered.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I take up a defensive position in the back of the house and wait for the police, there is no need for me to kill anyone over stuff that will be replaced by the insurance company.

Ah, great point and I respect your noble position.
I both agree and disagree with this, let me explain...

I heartily agree that material possessions are no reason to neutralize a threat.

However, it is my humble opinion that when a person unlawfully and intentionally goes past the deterrents of "honest people" (locks, doors and windows) with criminal intent, it becomes clear that he likely means to do harm to myself, wife or family. I cannot afford to chance any of my family coming to harm, and that responsibility I will gladly bear.

Another way to look at it, is the same way Sgt. York did...he was shoot'n to stop the shoot'n. If I neutralize a felon meaning to do us bodily harm or death, I may have saved someone else in the future from said felon causing more bodily harm or death.

Lastly, there is no way that I can ascertain the purpose of a felon's intrusion into my home quickly enough to determine whether he broke in to kill me and my wife, or just to make some pancakes and eggs because he smoked some stuff and got the munchies and didn't have any food at his place. If I was a mind reader and I knew that, I'd have him stay and make breakfast while I went to the corner store for some bacon.

 

[ChadW]

Since the scenario specifically says wife and kids, that's the scenario I'll use to answer. None of this "I don't have kids" stuff. (Which.. I do anyway)

Lock everyone including myself in a room. If you want to play hero and try to sneak up on the unknown number of intruders, do it when there aren't kids involved. They need their father there, not running around the house leaving them and their mother alone.

 

[cmort666]

None of the above.

I get whatever handgun I carried that day and take a look around.

I'm not going to dial 911 unless I have a REASONABLE belief that there's somebody in the house.

It's 99% sure that the police will never protect you as an individual. Dialing 911 frivolously takes up that remaining 1%.

 

[GF]

It's the wind.

Nobody's breakin' in, and your gonna' feel/look silly when the cops pull up and your wearin' a flak vest in your underwear holdin' an extended tube 870 with a MagLight taped to it.

Go back to sleep.

GF

 

[.460V & XVR Magnum Man]

In my senario I have a weiner dog who can hear a flea fart at 200 yards, so I don't think they would make it up the front walk. And being winter time here in CA, no snow but lots of crunchy leaves around the outside of the house. So I would know well in advance of intruders even before they got close the house. And when they hear the little guy barking, and the sound of a Remington 870 racking a shell, and the click of a M&P .40's slide, and the sound of a 40LS Ladysmith's .357's hammer being cocked, if they were smart they would probably think twice.