Living in a mid-west city of near 100,000 residents, the thought of home invasion has never been an issue. Until this year. Within the past 12 months there have been four instances where homes have been attacked while it was known that the residents were at home. Hostages have been held, homes have been ransacked, fortunately to this point no one has been killed in these attacks.
This is a new level of criminal activity that hasn’t presented itself to most quiet mid-west areas in the past . Small towns, rural communities, country farms, now have a more substantial risk of falling victim to such violent incidents.
Drug related crimes, people looking for drugs, or money to buy drugs. Their need for a fix so great, they ignore the risk of detection or capture, and bust right in. Under the influence of drugs, they mistake one house for another that may have been supplying their need for dope.
Locking doors is no longer enough, they’ll break it down if they think you have what they want. Many brandishing guns or knives, the potential for harm to innocent home owners is great if your unfortunate enough to become the target of a home invasion.
Many states have adopted Concealed and Carry gun laws, allowing individuals to have guns on their person and in their vehicles. With the requirement of attending a class to gain certification showing that you have been instructed in the use of handguns and laws concerning the carrying of handguns. They also instruct you in the liability and legal ramifications that come when you use that handgun to defend yourself.
Use of a gun to protect yourself, your home, and your family is not something to take lightly. It’s one thing to have a unloaded hunting rifle stored in a case in the closet, and a totally different thing to have a loaded handgun in the nightstand by your bed with the intentions of killing an intruder.
Law enforcement and military both will reinforce the notion that when you pull a gun you intend to use it with deadly meaning FATAL results. Never pull a gun as a threat. Your opposition may have a gun too, and no doubt he will use what ever he has to save his own life.
Nice big handguns may seem like a good deterrent to criminals. If the gun is too heavy to control, or the kickback from firing is uncontrollable, you’ll be in over your head in short order. Small caliber pistols will have less stopping power. That little gun in your pocket or purse may be cute, but like shooting a bear with a sling shot, unless you hit the right spot your just going to make the intruder mad.
Handguns require skill and practice to be effective. Unless your planning to seriously take up the hobby, and practice faithfully it’s recommended you stay away from handguns. You must be able to find, load, and reload that handgun in absolute darkness. As well you must hit what you shoot at. You can’t ask the intruder to turn on the light while you fumble around with the bullets.
If your still insistent on having a handgun for personnel protection go with a Semi-automatic pistol. The magazine can be filled and separate from the gun, but can still be inserted and ready to fire in less then 2 seconds. Again familiarity is essential.
The recommended home security weapon is a shotgun. A pump action, high capacity shotgun. The main reason is you only have to be close in your aim to be affective. Shotguns make big holes, they also have very good stopping power. Every criminal, or for that matter anyone who watches TV is familiar with the sound of the cocking slide being pulled down and back placing a shell into the chamber readying a shotgun to fire. It will stop most people cold, as they are fully aware of the damage it will cause if the trigger is pulled.
Some people have a distaste for anything relating to guns. The notion of shooting a fellow human being makes them physically sick, even in a self defense situation. Is your fate sealed in this situation, no most certainly not.
A good alternative to gun power in home defense is a good healthy Baseball Bat. An aluminum version would be best as it won’t break no matter how hard you strike with it. Be aware this is a secondary choice as you may not have room to complete a swing, and the intruder may have the opportunity to take it away. Surprise, or offense, is your best defense when you know someone has entered your home to do harm.
Most states require an intruder to actually be inside your house and the threat of physical harm to be great before you can legally take deadly self defense measures. Be sure to get guidance from your local authorities before you establish a plan of action in the event you are the victim of a home invasion.
Remember the easiest way to avoid trouble is not to go where trouble is. If you’ve got no business going down a dark ally in a dangerous part of town at night, just don’t go there. The same thought applied to many situations will keep you clear of trouble in 99% of all cases. For that one percent that is unavoidable, being prepared may make the difference in your survival.
