home defense question

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Closed. The dog will wake me up if someone is in or trying to get into the home, but I don't want her running out of the room to lick an intruder to death.

I have a very long oak dresser that will provide excellent cover where I can maintain a 12ga pointed at the door. No reason to give up a position of such advantage to go run around the house playing intruder hunt. I'll call 911 and be patient.

 

[Cwalms]

Door open. My dog provides early warning and my handgun is within easy reach.


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[Der Biermeister]

Door open

Gun down low by my headboard in a small locked gun vault, easily opened by one swipe of thumbprint.

I just lost my best warning system (also my best friend) -- my black labbie. Cancer. Her litter-mate sister is unfortunately not anywhere in the same league as far as sound goes. This is prompting me to start thinking serious about an ADT system or something.

 

[Rastoff]

Who other than a bad guy would be trying to knock down my bedroom door in the middle of the night without identifying themselves?

This is not in question. Of course it's a bad guy. The universal requirement to use of deadly force is that your life must be in immediate danger. While the guy is on the other side of the door, you are not in immediate danger. You could tell him that you have a gun and he could leave without finishing busting the door. If he persists, you still have a clear advantage and can still shoot him.

I have a co-worker who was awakened in the middle of the night by someone breaking into his apartment. He got up, grabbed his gun and went to investigate. Sure enough, a guy was breaking in his kitchen door. He waited until the guy got in and pointed is gun at him. At that moment the guy ran away.

The police were called and while they were talking to my co-worker, the "bad guy" comes back. It turns out that he just had the wrong apartment. He lost his keys and thought he was breaking in to his own apartment.

If he had shot through the door, he would have killed a father of two for no reason.

In Kansas, if in my house in the middle of the night, trying to bust down my locked door, they are a threat and I am legal to protect myself without waiting until they come through the door.

Are you sure about that? Can you cite a law that states that? Are you willing to test it in front of a jury?

The only thing I'm trying to say here is, be sure of your target. You can't be sure of your target if they are on the other side of a door.

 

[Comrad]

Who ever said shoot through the door apparently never heard of "being sure of and identify your target" before shooting.

 

[S&W45Colt]

"The universal requirement to use of deadly force is that your life must be in immediate danger. While the guy is on the other side of the door, you are not in immediate danger. "

That is not true, in some states the fact he's on the other side of the door meets the legal requirements for self defense.

NC has the castle doctrine, if a perp has broken in your house, car or work place, he's subject to be legally shot, regardless of what he's doing. He is presumed by law to be a threat to you by virtue of his having broke in.

Quote from lawyer's interpretation of the law:

The law presumes that "a person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person's home, motor vehicle, or workplace is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence.

The apartment example is fine, but not all of us live in apartments or in the city. I live in the boonies, my child is at college. If someone's banging on my door, it's not the Easter Bunny.

I shut my bedroom door, others don't, whatever, I do not care. Odds are, I'm not going to be the one defending you if you need it and vice versa, think it through and do what works best for you.

I agree with the theory that you need to be sure of what you are shooting at, but, as with any theory, there are always exceptions. If you want to wait till you see the whites of their eyes, suit yourself, I'll shoot when I think it's appropriate.

 

[djh1765]

If an intruder is in my house without my permission then he is in big trouble.
I shoot and ask questions later law or no law.
djh

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

I keep the door locked. Mostly because I've got a new roommate at the house who I have only known for a few months.

 

[Rastoff]

We can go round and round with this. There are always exceptions to every rule. There will always be "what if" scenarios that satisfy any thought process. As an instructor, I'm not going to teach to shoot through the door. If I do, I'll open myself to professional liability.

I'm not a lawyer and I don't know all the laws in every state. Even so, I'll stick with the simple gun safety rule of know your target. Everyone has to draw that line that they won't go past. For me, I'm not shooting through a door and I'm not counseling anyone in that direction either.

Also, just because something is legal, that doesn't make it the right thing to do. In Texas you can shoot someone who is stealing your car. I don't think I'd do that, but it is legal in Texas.

 

[Smoke]

Door open

Interesting that a fire fighter would say that.

I have always been taught that the doors to bedroom should be shut to stop the spread of smoke in a house fire.

And since there's a higher likelyhood of fire than burglary I sleep with the door shut

 

[Rastoff]

 

[bp231986]

We ( wife and I ) live in a small quiet neighborhood. Very seldom is there anyone besides us there at night. House is bi-level, with our room upstairs. We have 3 firearms hidden throughout house, and a nightstand gun. Now the question: Do you close and lock your bedroom door at night?

Why not? If you feel the need to do it, do it. If not don't. Never hurts to have another level of security.


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[warriorup]

home invasions

I think an important point i think is that the bad guys may be on you before you can shoot or get to your gun. Some kind of combative training or at least combative pistol training is pretty important. I caught some home invasion videos off of warriorspathredux where the people were still sleeping while the bad guys walked around. What if you wake up while the guy is walking around your room or that really bad home invasion in new jersey where the guy kicked in the door and he was all over her. Pretty freaken awful. I think Kelly McCann's high risk combatives is pretty good and thorough.

 

[Der Biermeister]

Interesting that a fire fighter would say that.

I have always been taught that the doors to bedroom should be shut to stop the spread of smoke in a house fire.

And since there's a higher likelyhood of fire than burglary I sleep with the door shut

I have a half dozen smoke alarms throughout the house -- most of which I would never hear with the door closed. Also, my dogs (only one now) have the run of the house. Dogs are known to have a nack for warning their masters when there is a fire.

 

[ralph7]

I keep the door locked. Mostly because I've got a new roommate at the house who I have only known for a few months, and it takes me a good year to start trusting them enough to sleep with the door unlocked. I've even warned them about being armed in my sleep and they know not to mess with me because I'm a heavy sleeper and tend to wake up cranky if I don't rest well.

You sound like a young guy that needs a few more years under your belt.

 

[bob98366]

There is more to hardening a home/apartment than just considering to close and lock your bedroom door (I vote no.). The idea is to force the intruder to delay entry and to make enough noise to give you time to wake up, arm, and call 911. Off the top of my head:
1. Have a dog or two.
2. Put hotel bars on all exterior doors (adjustable bar that diagonals/jams between the door knob and the floor, making breaking down the door harder and more noisy).
3. Have a security system and use it. Have signs outside that say you have a security system.
4. Trim bushes under windows and illuminate the exterior. LED lights use very little electricity and/or use motion detectors.
5. Fence your yard and have a locking gate across the driveway.
6. If your neighborhood is bad enough, put bars on the windows and security doors on the entries. Or move.
7. Have your cell phone in the charger on your night stand right next to your defense weapon.
8. If you have kids, have a plan for what you will do to ensure their safety. Discuss and practice it with them.
I'm sure there's more.

 

[Hodgin]

I close but don't lock our bedroom door.

 

[Springfeildkid585]

I live in a second floor apartment. If someone is in my house they either came in through the front door (thick, heavy wood and always dead-bolted) or they had a ladder and better balance than most as I have trouble opening my windows from the inside with both feet firmly planted on the floor. If they got in the front door, they can get in my interior door.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

This is horribly bad advice. Some have survived prosecution after shooting through a door, but you've put yourself behind the 8 ball on your defense.

But Joe Biden said it was OK.....

 

[PatAz]

Alarm on and bedroom door open.