How do you handle these situations?

Home invasions are to steal. How long they stay is a matter of the home invaders' intentions, or even mere whim.

How long did Hayes and Komisarjevsky stay in that doctor's place in Connecticut? They stuck around for some "fun".

Sure but if you were to shoot back they wouldn't just decide to stay and have a shoot out

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Nice anecdote ... and I have to agree with you about the kids, I was scared to death that I would wake up to a "bump in the night" and I would find myself drawing down on one of my kids ... presently they are both Autistic (and the one is bigger than me) so they live at home and will for the foreseeable future, so I can't go by size of the "intruder" to tell if it's one of my kids or not. THAT is why my #1 home defense tool(s) are my dogs, they won't/don't bark at the kids if they get up and move around, but let anyone walk past the house and they go ballistic, giving me plenty of time to get up, wake up and assess the situation AND 99 times out of 100, them going off, eliminates the situation before I'm even out of bed. IMO a perfect scenario, the threat is gone, no one got hurt and all I lost was a few minutes sleep.

Similar for me. Still have two youngest girls in their early 20's living at home. Their bedrooms are between the master bedroom and the stairs, so I too keep my nighttime HD pistol in my dresser drawer 6 ft from the bed, so I can be fully awake before grabbing it. I also have 2 dogs downstairs that will sound their alarm if something suspicious (not the girls) happens.

For daytime, I keep my two CCW guns on top of the TV cabinet and kitchen cabinet. Easy to grab and put on when leaving and easy to grab them when someone is at the front door, but they are high enough and out of sight so the grandkids don't bother them when they're here.... (and yes, the grandkids know I have guns and yes, they know the RULES.)
 
Long guns are nice to have ready for HD. I have always had this thought before, during, and after staging firearms: How easily can this be used against me? I sure as heck don't want to gift anyone a firearm while they're enjoying an unauthorized presence in my home. I'm just as afraid for my life of a man holding whatever he did or did not bring with him as I am if he's got one of my own guns.
 
Couple of questions come up after reading this thread:

1. Why would anyone put on a belt and holster to confront a would be burgler, especially in your underwear? I'd want the gun in my hand, not in a holster. This ain't "High Noon." For God's Sake, put your pants on. There's a psychological issue there. Even Mas Ayoob preaches that.

2. Two people have said they practice "concealed carry" in their home. Why "concealed?" Are you hiding the gun from your wife? Are you wearing an IWB while watching CSI or Duck Dynasty? Why not have it on the end table next to your recliner?

In reply to the OP's question... I keep a .38 three inch in the china cabinet steps from the front door. I've picked it up a couple of times when a stranger knocks. We rarely get company out in our rural area so I go on guard if someone shows up on the front porch.

Double barrel 16 gauge LC Smith behind the bedroom door.
4 inch SW Model 10 with Glaser Safety Slugs in the night stand.
SW Model 10 snub (my carry) also in nightstand at night.

If I happen to be upstairs during an invasion, I'll get to my Ruger Blackhawk .357 backed up by a Ruger Single Six and two .22 rifles.

Then there is always my North American Arms mini loaded with .22 magnum hollowpoints that's usually in the console of my pickup. And my wife's .22 automatic pisotl in her car. (working on getting her a Smith Model 12 to replace that .22)

So yes, I prescribe to the idea of having guns scattered around the house.
 
When I get up, I'm carrying. I don't hide guns around the house. Although no matter where I am in the master bedroom, I am normally only 2 steps from the nearest gun, which covers things at night. Don't break in while I'm in the shower.... Remember, the towel is further away from me than the 9mm. Would be a scary sight I know. But real is real.
 
2. Two people have said they practice "concealed carry" in their home. Why "concealed?" Are you hiding the gun from your wife? Are you wearing an IWB while watching CSI or Duck Dynasty? Why not have it on the end table next to your recliner?

To answer your question, I do carry concealed IWB even while sitting on the couch and relaxing. If someone comes to the door, or I need to go outside for any spontanious reason, I don't want to have to conceal first. So it's not that I am concealing from the people in my home, but rather to be prepared to exit the home if needed. Where I live you can't open carry, so I don't want to have the delay to conceal before answering the door.

Also it is comftrable, so why not?
 
You are way over thinking this. If you plan on using bandages or whatnot, under fite, in a home invasion chances are you are barricaded and it's the police on the other side of your door. Home invasions are to steal and run. No one is gonna stick around to have a shoot out with you and if they are its either the Cops or you really screwed over the wrong Cartel boss. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

+1^^^ There's a fine line between preparation and paranoia. It's pretty easy to cross it when you're hashing and re-hashing "what if" scenarios. Like some others have mentioned, if I'm dressed, I'm carrying. I live in a small bungalow in an equally modest neighborhood. Both vehicles, a van and a pick-up, are older. In other words, there's no outward display of wealth or anything else worth going inside for. I did install steel doors, (and frames), a while back, and the house is alarmed. My cell phone or land line, (remember those?), are always at hand. If Mr. Bad Guy can get thru all that, it's karma.
 
There have probably been a few hundred posts about this the last few years. ;)

Home security should be layered. Harden the perimeter. Slow them down or deter them. Buy yourself some time. The more the better.

I don't carry around the house. Don't need to. They aren't getting in quickly or easily.
 
... but what about something that happens during the day, maybe someone barging in through the front door after you open it?
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Why on earth would you open the door unless it is someone known/invited and trusted. Leave it locked (including deadbolt etc) and yell though it. Anyone who gets offended by that is someone you need to write off, right now.

Trauma kit: It might not be needed or useful under fire, but there are people who live far enough from help that even a medical chopper means an hour best case, when 15 minutes is too long. I've worked patrol in areas where LE and/or fire (including medics) are likely to be far enough off that resolving your problem will be long over except cleanup. Even a brief incident may be long over in typical urban police/fire response capabilities.
 
It helps to have a dog like Juilo that has a bad attitude until after his first Corona...
 

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Lots of good responses. I'd like to add two of my own that I didn't see.

First, if someone is outside my house I call 911 and don't do anything other than being prepared if they come in.

Second, unless there others in the household that are downstairs I would not go downstairs. Going down steps really makes on vulnerable if the bad guys have guns. I realized this one time when I thought I heard something in our basement in the middle of the night. I started down the steps and realized that at least for about halfway down the steps I couldn't see anything but straight ahead and my legs/lower body were completely exposed. Luckily, it was false alarm.

If upstairs, I'd call 911 and take cover in a position where I could see the top of the stairs if possible. We no longer have a basement and our bedroom is downstairs.

My plan if someone enters for me to go to the night table for my 9m, take cover and wait for the bad guys to enter the bedroom. I do plan to go looking until I'm pretty sure no one is inside. No kids and our bedroom door is closed. My wife is to take cover and call 911. There's a walkin closet on her side of the bed with a loaded 12 ga in it. Plan is for her to take cover there with the 12 ga.
 
If anyone's stupid enough to come in my house with my Mastiff, the Dobie, and the Boxer-coyote mix (all very territorial and eager to bite unknowns unfortunate enough to get in range) waiting for them, I guess I'd just have to mosey on over to the safe and get something to shoot the survivors. If any.
 
i got a no trespassing sign at bottom of steps we live on stilts. we can hear someone walk up outside stairs. all our friends call first. if there is a knock on the door my tool of choice is already in my hand. if it sounds bad child and wife know to lay down in tub.
 
As I sit here, my glock23 is on the table beside my easy chair. Habit.
At night it follows me to the bedside nightstand. The FBI says that the average number of thugs in a home invasion is now 3, so I don't want to be caught short on rounds by using a revolver.

As to the door; I don't get unexpected company, so if I answer the door it's with my .40cal in hand, behind my thigh...and I DON'T OPEN THE DOOR without knowing what's going on. :cool:
 
well I carry all the time I am in the house usually concealed but sometimes open. Hubby does too. I do have a cover garment staged near the door in case I have to answer it. I'm not CC because I am trying to hide it just that I am trying to get very comfortable with my choices in holster and cover garments. Plus a gun on my hip in a holster is ready no matter what I need to do or if I have to run outside for any reason. Our bigger threats are animal predators attacking livestock.

We have dogs that alert us to anything turning in the driveway or anyone walking within 1/4 mile of the house so we have warning. Often if we don't know who it is one of us goes out the front door to meet them. Stopping people while we are on the high ground (raised porch and they are below us gives a distinct advantage. No one comes inside unless we know them. 911 is avail but response time varies from 30 minutes to an hour or more, not going to depend on that for safety for sure.
 
As you've described a scenario that could be a realistic concern, I would recommend having something on you when you do open the front door. I see a secured weapon in a closet or close by a lot farther away from you than a handgun in your pocket or on your hip. Rural areas are sometimes a lot more attractive to burglars and riff raff because people living in the country still may work in the city and the houses might be empty during the day. Other other times rural homes might be targeted because LE response will likely take longer. With what you have described, it is far less an inconvenience to carry a handgun all the time around home than to have them stashed around the house.
 
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