Self-Defense

[GUATARICCAN]

Buddha get one of these pepper blasters. I shot a couple at the IACP a few weeks back and they are pretty sweet. It sticks to what ever it hits.  They're around $50-$60, but I always say you get what you pay for with self defense weapons.


http://www.pepperblaster.com/

[bsmooth]

Always follow a chest shot with one to the head.

I beleive shooting in the back is probably a no-no everywhere.

That usually takes a self defense claim into the manslaughter/murder range. As far as the back thing, a guy in Texas was recently acquitted for shooting two men in the back on his neighbors property and killing them. If your only shot is one in the back, it may be iffy.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Head shots require a degree of competence that I wasn't willing to assume Tommy had.

I'm not sure about shooting in the back. I think it might be OK in some states if the target is an intruder in your home.

That would probably kill someone instantly if not make them a vegetable.  I'd put one in each kneecap.  Let the scumbag crawl out of my house.

[bsmooth]

Over/under on the percentage of people who read this post and understood "past subjunctive" without looking it up?

10%-ish is my guess.

I admit it, I was confused

[MaineDolFan]

That would probably kill someone instantly if not make them a vegetable.  I'd put one in each kneecap.  Let the scumbag crawl out of my house.

No.  You wouldn't.

You would do what 99.9999999% of people do that wake up and find four people (who are armed, by the way) are in your house.  You would tell them to take whatever the hell they wanted and get out.  You might cry a little.  You'll call 911 as soon as they leave.

Why?

1 - The reality that you most likely don't have a firearm in your home.
2 - If you do have a fire arm in your home you don't keep it under your pillow.
3 - If you do have a fire arm in your home and it's under your pillow...you don't keep it loaded.
4 - The reaction time it would take for you to realize what is going on, reach under your pillow, take out your Dirty Harry special, take the safety off and then still be "clear" enough to make an accurate shot at a moving object...?

Would not happen.

I have a lot of combat training.  I have quite a bit of firepower in my house.  And they are all safely locked away - unloaded - in a safe.  If I woke up to someone in my house MY first thought isn't "get my gun" - it is "get my daughter."  I can get Abby out of the house before the people breaking in would even know we are there.  Same route / drill as if the home were on fire.

You would wake up, shit yourself, cry and then call 911 once you figured out how to untie yourself from the chair that they ducked taped you to.  And I think you know that.

[Gabriel]

No.  You wouldn't.

You would do what 99.9999999% of people do that wake up and find four people (who are armed, by the way) are in your house.  You would tell them to take whatever the hell they wanted and get out.  You might cry a little.  You'll call 911 as soon as they leave.

Why?

1 - The reality that you most likely don't have a firearm in your home.
2 - If you do have a fire arm in your home you don't keep it under your pillow.
3 - If you do have a fire arm in your home and it's under your pillow...you don't keep it loaded.
4 - The reaction time it would take for you to realize what is going on, reach under your pillow, take out your Dirty Harry special, take the safety off and then still be "clear" enough to make an accurate shot at a moving object...?

Would not happen.

I have a lot of combat training.  I have quite a bit of firepower in my house.  And they are all safely locked away - unloaded - in a safe.  If I woke up to someone in my house MY first thought isn't "get my gun" - it is "get my daughter."  I can get Abby out of the house before the people breaking in would even know we are there.  Same route / drill as if the home were on fire.

You would wake up, shit yourself, cry and then call 911 once you figured out how to untie yourself from the chair that they ducked taped you to.  And I think you know that.

Tommy is Chuck Norris. Didn't you know?

[YoFuggedaboutit]

No.  You wouldn't.

You would do what 99.9999999% of people do that wake up and find four people (who are armed, by the way) are in your house.  You would tell them to take whatever the hell they wanted and get out.  You might cry a little.  You'll call 911 as soon as they leave.

Why?

1 - The reality that you most likely don't have a firearm in your home.
2 - If you do have a fire arm in your home you don't keep it under your pillow.
3 - If you do have a fire arm in your home and it's under your pillow...you don't keep it loaded.
4 - The reaction time it would take for you to realize what is going on, reach under your pillow, take out your Dirty Harry special, take the safety off and then still be "clear" enough to make an accurate shot at a moving object...?

Would not happen.

I have a lot of combat training.  I have quite a bit of firepower in my house.  And they are all safely locked away - unloaded - in a safe.  If I woke up to someone in my house MY first thought isn't "get my gun" - it is "get my daughter."  I can get Abby out of the house before the people breaking in would even know we are there.  Same route / drill as if the home were on fire.

You would wake up, shit yourself, cry and then call 911 once you figured out how to untie yourself from the chair that they ducked taped you to.  And I think you know that.

OK.  Guess one of us might've gotten their signals crossed.  Four armed people is one thing.  One burglar, armed or unarmed, I can take. 

And yes, I do keep guns in my place, loaded, but locked up.

[Phishfan]

I can understand locking a gun away with children around, but I don't have a child safe house. Between the dog barking at the slightest noise and me keeping my loaded gun as close to my head as possible (without it actually being under the pillow), I think I have a pretty good shot at taking down an intruder.

[StL FinFan]

Note to self:  If you ever go to Phishfan's house, call first. 

[MaineDolFan]

And yes, I do keep guns in my place, loaded, but locked up.

You just wouldn't get to them on time.  You really wouldn't.  The stat line for this is overwhelming.  By the time you even know someone is in your home they are on you.

I have a beagle that flips out if someone even comes into the yard.  God knows that every time a freakin' wild turkey struts across the yard in the moon light she wakes up the house!  So if someone broke in I would know.  And the only thing I would care about is getting Abby and Mrs. Maine out of harm's way.

I wish I could sit here and beat my chest and say "bring 'em on!"  The fact of the matter is that my family's safety means more to me than finding out if I am more man than the people breaking into my home.

Now...that said...you can be sure that once Mrs. Maine and Abby are safely away the chances of said intruders getting away are slim to none.  In the dark and outside on my property?  I like my chances of making sure most (if not all) wind up in the back of a squad car.

[bsmooth]

So someone who does not have extensive training with weapons and tactics, is awaken out of a dead sleep, is going to instantly realize what is happening, quickly and quietly move to unlock their weapons, and then get the drop on an intruder without them knowing, and laying down accurate fire in darkness or low light scenarios they have never trained in?
Sorry I doubt that it happens quickly, quietly, or effectively.
I have been in situations where I was asleep and was awoken by another person by shaking me, to hear sounds of alarm, and the only thing that allowed me to function quickly was the muscle memory of over a decade of military training until my brain was fully awake and I could comprehend what was going on.

[Phishfan]

You guys do realize that break ins do not always happen while you are asleep? In any scenario I don't feel a locked gun is good to count on for defense though.

[bsmooth]

You guys do realize that break ins do not always happen while you are asleep? In any scenario I don't feel a locked gun is good to count on for defense though.

The majority of break ins happen in unoccupied homes as these tend to be non violent offenders. The worrysome trend over the last 20 years is the number of desperate drug addicts and the home invasions gangs that do not look for unoccupied homes, hit hard and fast, and are prone to violence.
In these scenarios, you have very little time to do anything but try and escape with your family or survive. Maybe you can get to a gun and stop them all, but of you do not, they are going to probably take out a serious payback on your family.
I have no children, and in order to get to my room you have to make it through a narrow and long kill box

[GUATARICCAN]

I have a gun fully loaded and ready to go right in my nightstand easily accessed in 5 secs. It has a bring white tac light on it and night sights. But if anything ever goes bump in the night I'm not grabbing my gun and searching the house, I'm grabbing my girlfriend, cell phone, and my gun going into the closet and calling the police. I practice enough with my firearm that I feel I'm very proficient and I know the layout of my house better than anyone breaking in, but I would rather replace stolen items than have the picture of shooting someone in my home and a giant blood stain on my carpet for the rest of my life. Now don't get me wrong if they enter that area leading to my closet and I identify them as a threat then I'll gladly fire two shots reassess and then go from there.

[bsmooth]

I have a gun fully loaded and ready to go right in my nightstand easily accessed in 5 secs. It has a bring white tac light on it and night sights. But if anything ever goes bump in the night I'm not grabbing my gun and searching the house, I'm grabbing my girlfriend, cell phone, and my gun going into the closet and calling the police. I practice enough with my firearm that I feel I'm very proficient and I know the layout of my house better than anyone breaking in, but I would rather replace stolen items than have the picture of shooting someone in my home and a giant blood stain on my carpet for the rest of my life. Now don't get me wrong if they enter that area leading to my closet and I identify them as a threat then I'll gladly fire two shots reassess and then go from there.

That is a much more realistic and sane approach than some of the others bandied about here.