Carry while at home

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Oldgringo
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Re: Carry while at home

#16

Post by Oldgringo »

poppo wrote:
Oldgringo wrote:Those folk in that church in Illinois probably felt the same way...last month.
Apples and oranges. Pubilc place vs private residence.

LittleGun wrote: Too bad that when they kicked down his door, he didn't have his gun."
My point above was that the door should not have been able to be kicked down in the first place. And do you folks carry while you are in the shower too? :lol:
Whether the door should have been able to be kicked down or not is a moot point if a BG is in your house and/or your face. As for carry in the shower...you don't want to know. :woohoo

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Re: Carry while at home

#17

Post by poppo »

Oldgringo wrote:Whether the door should have been able to be kicked down or not is a moot point if a BG is in your house and/or your face. As for carry in the shower...you don't want to know. :woohoo
Hey, I'm not saying people shouldn't carry in their home. Whatever floats your boat, but IMO it seems a bit paranoid. Making it extremely difficult for the BG to get inside in the the first place, would be my priority before resorting to carrying around the house. Of course some will say, if they want to get in, they will. But with a relatively small amount of effort to 'fortify' entry points, one would have plenty of time to retrieve a weapon if needed before they got in and 'in your face'.
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Oldgringo
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Re: Carry while at home

#18

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Poopo wrote:

Hey, I'm not saying people shouldn't carry in their home. Whatever floats your boat, but IMO it seems a bit paranoid. Making it extremely difficult for the BG to get inside in the the first place, would be my priority before resorting to carrying around the house. Of course some will say, if they want to get in, they will. But with a relatively small amount of effort to 'fortify' entry points, one would have plenty of time to retrieve a weapon if needed before they got in and 'in your face'.
I don't live in a real ritzy neighborhood but bars on the windows wouldn't be too cool and they certainly don't help property values - you think?

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Re: Carry while at home

#19

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Oldgringo wrote:
I don't live in a real ritzy neighborhood but bars on the windows wouldn't be too cool and they certainly don't help property values - you think?
There are impact resistant windows out there. Originally made for hurricane areas, they are also used (successfully) to keep out the BGs. It doesn't have to look like a fortress to be one. Just do a Google for 'impact resistant windows'.
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ninemm
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Re: Carry while at home

#20

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poppo wrote:
Oldgringo wrote:Those folk in that church in Illinois probably felt the same way...last month.
Apples and oranges. Pubilc place vs private residence.

LittleGun wrote: Too bad that when they kicked down his door, he didn't have his gun."
My point above was that the door should not have been able to be kicked down in the first place. And do you folks carry while you are in the shower too? :lol:
As a homebuilder who has replaced more kicked in doors than he can count, most people probably don't realize how easy it is to kick open a door. No, they actually don't kick it down. But the door isn't the weak link. It's the jamb. Even it you use four #8 x 3-1/2" screws in the dead bolt strike plate with beefed up solid wood behind it, a swift, hard kick simply explodes the jamb and bends even the highest quality deadbolt. Nowadays, I work from home a lot in my study. When we are home, we set the alarm to "motion off" so it won't go off when we walk from through the family room. The south wall of my family room has more than 100 square feet of fixed glass. A fairly smart burgular knows that fixed windows don't have sensors, but I have a motion detector for that room. One of my fears is that, while I'm working in the study, someone will peer into the room and see a couple of laptop computers. a big screen TV and simply throw one of my patio chairs through one of the large windows to gain access to steal them. This is the modus operandi of the other burgularies in my area. And, yes, my Glock 19 is in a basket at the top of one corner of the shower. I believe a robber is smart enough to think that he might get in and get out while I'm in the shower. Can he tell if I'm in the shower? Well, I've been outside working in the yard and I can not only tell when my wife is in the master bathroom but if she is in the shower. I figure if I can tell, a BG can tell. For this reason, when I go to take a shower, I change the alarm system to full on (with the motion detector active in the family room). The last thing a BG is going to see in this situation is a an old dripping wet naked white guy with his hands together in front of him shooting fire out of a small black object in his hands.

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Re: Carry while at home

#21

Post by poppo »

ninemm wrote:As a homebuilder who has replaced more kicked in doors than he can count, most people probably don't realize how easy it is to kick open a door. No, they actually don't kick it down. But the door isn't the weak link. It's the jamb. Even it you use four #8 x 3-1/2" screws in the dead bolt strike plate with beefed up solid wood behind it, a swift, hard kick simply explodes the jamb and bends even the highest quality deadbolt.
Well, apparently the BGs know how to build, because I have seen more than one episode of real life cop shows where even the SWAT teams had a hard time busting the door down with their ram And a Google for 'security door jamb' will yield many steel reinforced ones that won't give in easily (some have demo videos). Nearly all buglers will move on to an easier target if they can't get what they want easily or quickly.
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Re: Carry while at home

#22

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poppo wrote:
Oldgringo wrote:Those folk in that church in Illinois probably felt the same way...last month.
Apples and oranges. Pubilc place vs private residence.
Apples and apples. People sitting in presumably safe areas, found out they were wrong.
poppo wrote:
LittleGun wrote: Too bad that when they kicked down his door, he didn't have his gun."
My point above was that the door should not have been able to be kicked down in the first place. And do you folks carry while you are in the shower too? :lol:
poppo wrote:I guess I'm lucky not to live in an area where I would feel the need to carry around the house ... I guess I just can't imagine feeling the need to carry in my own home.
The "beefing up" part has been more than adequately addressed. Let me add this: Carrying your gun in your holster is the safest place for it, period, regardless of whether you think you are in a "safe" area. You know where it is, you know its status, you are not going to walk off and forget it, no one is going to find it, and when the call comes you don't have to run around and remember where you stashed it. Do I carry in the shower? Obviously not. So? Because there is one place in the house where I don't carry, the whole idea is invalid? Obviously a trivial argument. You can bet it is not far away tho. No I don't carry every second of the day in every room of the house. But most of the time I am up and dressed, and there really isn't any good reason NOT to have my gun holstered. It's the best, safest, most ready place for it.

I ran across this on some other forums and in my email. Apparently the armed good guy here was a student of both John Farnam and Gabe Suarez, because both report getting similar emails. Here is Farnam's:
10 Mar 09

A student emerges victorious from a dangerous confrontation:

"Back in 2000, you provided handgun training to a large class, including me.
I had been a target competitor for many years, but your class changed my
paradigm to serious, tactical application, rather than casual recreation.
Two
things stuck with me most: (1) Spin your OODA Loop quickly, and (2) when a
fight is unavoidable, be stitching and moving!

Thank you! That philosophical shift saved my life this last February!

Late on a weekday afternoon last month, two home-invasion suspects kicked in
the front door of my home, as I sat watching television. I was alone in the
house at the time. There was no warning, nor did I have any reason to
suspect such a thing would happen to me that day, or any day. I remember being
astonished as I saw the bottom of a foot still raised as my door lurched open,
amid a shower of splinters!

The door-kicker, and an accomplice, burst in, and, seeing me, rushed toward

me. I was wearing my G38 (45GAP) in a Comp-Tac holster. It was loaded with
WW 230gr Ranger ammunition. I sprung to my feet and drew my pistol
simultaneously. At a distance of less than eight feet, I found my front sight and
began firing at the closest suspect, while I was still in motion.

As it turns out, I fired seven shots. All seven struck the first suspect
(the door-kicker). His accomplice was behind him and immediately fled,
unharmed as far as I know. In fact, he fled in such haste that he abandoned his
getaway car, leaving the engine running! Police subsequently found much stolen
property in the car.

The suspect I shot stumbled backward and fell in the doorway, never moving
after he went down.
I scanned, reloaded, took cover behind a corner, and checked myself over.
When police arrived, they found the suspect I had shot, DRT. The second
suspect has not been arrested as far as I know. I was unhurt.

Of the seven hits on the first suspect, one in the neck and one in the chest
proved fatal. I was told that either of those two shots would probably have
been fatal by itself. Being cold at the time, both suspects were wearing
heavy clothing, and multiple layers of clothing frustrated expansion, and
penetration, of the other five. They may have been effective, but I'll never know.

Here is what others among your students can learn from my experience:

(1) When at home, stay armed! If my gun had been locked in a safe, or even
in a drawer and unloaded, I never could have reacted effectively in time.
Be
armed all the time, no matter where you are!

(2) Multiple shots from your pistol will probably be necessary to stop any
fight decisively, no matter what caliber or brand of ammunition you're using.
As a category, pistols are poor fight-stoppers. Accordingly, pistols that
hold lots of ammunition, and that can be reloaded quickly, represent a real
advantage!

(3) Be prepared to react instantly! Sometimes, there are warning signs.
Sometimes, there are none! In order to live through your next lethal
encounter, you'll have to be able to spin your OODA Loop fast.

(4) Finish the fight! Don't relax too soon. Scan, reload, get distance,
get cover. Be prepared for anything!

(5) Whatever you do, it won't be perfect! Don't worry about being perfect.
Just act decisively, without hesitation. Do what has to be done, with
grace and enthusiasm. Don't look back, and don't worry about what might have
been!"
I believe this is the same event:

http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/met ... hoots.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
USAF 1982-2005
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Re: Carry while at home

#23

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poppo wrote:My point above was that the door should not have been able to be kicked down in the first place. And do you folks carry while you are in the shower too? :lol:
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Re: Carry while at home

#24

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poppo wrote:
ninemm wrote:As a homebuilder who has replaced more kicked in doors than he can count, most people probably don't realize how easy it is to kick open a door. No, they actually don't kick it down. But the door isn't the weak link. It's the jamb. Even it you use four #8 x 3-1/2" screws in the dead bolt strike plate with beefed up solid wood behind it, a swift, hard kick simply explodes the jamb and bends even the highest quality deadbolt.
Well, apparently the BGs know how to build, because I have seen more than one episode of real life cop shows where even the SWAT teams had a hard time busting the door down with their ram And a Google for 'security door jamb' will yield many steel reinforced ones that won't give in easily (some have demo videos). Nearly all buglers will move on to an easier target if they can't get what they want easily or quickly.
Poppo,

You seem to have all of the answers to all of your own questions, so I'll bid you :tiphat: .

The Oldgringo said that.
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Re: Carry while at home

#25

Post by ninemm »

poppo wrote:
ninemm wrote:As a homebuilder who has replaced more kicked in doors than he can count, most people probably don't realize how easy it is to kick open a door. No, they actually don't kick it down. But the door isn't the weak link. It's the jamb. Even it you use four #8 x 3-1/2" screws in the dead bolt strike plate with beefed up solid wood behind it, a swift, hard kick simply explodes the jamb and bends even the highest quality deadbolt.
Well, apparently the BGs know how to build, because I have seen more than one episode of real life cop shows where even the SWAT teams had a hard time busting the door down with their ram And a Google for 'security door jamb' will yield many steel reinforced ones that won't give in easily (some have demo videos). Nearly all buglers will move on to an easier target if they can't get what they want easily or quickly.
After the back door was kicked in on my own home (during construction), I added the "Ultra Door Jamb Combo Set" by Armor Concepts (one of the first Google hits) to all three exterior doors. I had Kwikset Titan series locksets and deadbolts. Each time, the damaged door and jamb was replaced. Then, with the door armor added, I had two more break-ins. The first time they threw a 2x12 about 8 feet long through a 3060 breakfast area window in the back of the house. The next time they kicked the back door in again. There was only one boot print right at the lockset and deadbolt area. The metal door was bent a little, the deadbolt was bent and the Armor product was damaged only slightly. I did notice on the video demonstration on their website (I had not seen it before) that all three guys (even the big dude) gave it some pretty wimpy kicks. The "battering ram" that they used is a joke. It doesn't have enough mass. Surely the police use something more substantial than that. The perps? 99.9% chance it was one of the bricklayer's crew each time but I couldn't prove it. Had it happened one more time, there's a good chance you would have heard about it on the news.

On the real life cops shows, the LEO's trying to knock the doors open have very poor technique and will often strike the middle of the door. When they do get near the lockset/deadbolt they don't really rare back and sling the ram.
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Re: Carry while at home

#26

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Here's a picture of the door I plan to put on my "secure room" for my tools and guns (other than the one I keep with me). The walls will be 3/4" plywood on both sides of the 2x4 stud wall, glued and screwed. The ceiling will be 3/4" plywood on either side of the joists. The wall with the door will have fireblocks every 2 feet (to prevent prying the door opening). Approximately $1200 (for the door) to protect $50,000 worth of toys.

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Re: Carry while at home

#27

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Oldgringo wrote:Poppo,

You seem to have all of the answers to all of your own questions, so I'll bid you :tiphat: .
Hey, I'm not trying to convince anyone not to carry wherever/whenever they want. I'm only pointing out that there are a lot of things one can do to prevent or deter the BGs from getting inside in the first place. As I stated early on, I am lucky to live where I don't feel like I need to be carrying 24/7. But I do have other deterrents in place just in case. I'm quite confident I will know someone is trying to break in long before they even get close enough to try.

My in-laws OTOH who only live a few miles away, flirt with disaster. They live much closer to the road, no vehicles are ever left out, and not a single light is left on at night. They might as well put up a sign that says 'nobody is home - come on in'. Just a few well placed security lights would probably convince the BG to move on to the next house that looks more tempting.
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Re: Carry while at home

#28

Post by ninemm »

poppo wrote:My in-laws OTOH who only live a few miles away, flirt with disaster. They live much closer to the road, no vehicles are ever left out, and not a single light is left on at night. They might as well put up a sign that says 'nobody is home - come on in'. Just a few well placed security lights would probably convince the BG to move on to the next house that looks more tempting.
Leaving a vehicle out is a deterrent to crime? Isn't it an invitation to a car break-in or target for kids with a pellet gun to shoot out windows?

And you're saying when they're not at home at night they should leave some lights on? What do they do when they ARE home? If the house is completely dark when they are home, wouldn't leaving a few lights on be a signal that they weren't home. Have you ever heard of "casing"? Have you ever heard of "crack"?

Motion-activated lights might help some but people get desensitized to their operation. On of my neighbors have them but to come on and go off all the time. He's fooled with the sensitivity adjustment several times. Maybe it's just the light fixture.

If you live well off the road and don't have close neighbors, you are probably much more vulnerable than you realize.

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Re: Carry while at home

#29

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ninemm wrote:Leaving a vehicle out is a deterrent to crime? Isn't it an invitation to a car break-in or target for kids with a pellet gun to shoot out windows?
It's a deterrent if the house looks like there is someone home. Out here in the sticks not many people have garages anyway. You have just as much chance of having your car broken into at the mall than sitting in front of your house. And I would rather my car broken into than my house.

ninemm wrote: And you're saying when they're not at home at night they should leave some lights on? What do they do when they ARE home? If the house is completely dark when they are home, wouldn't leaving a few lights on be a signal that they weren't home. Have you ever heard of "casing"? Have you ever heard of "crack"?
I'm saying at night when they go to sleep, every light is off and the place looks deserted. And this is not the city. It's not easy for someone to be sitting around casing a house without being noticed.
ninemm wrote:If you live well off the road and don't have close neighbors, you are probably much more vulnerable than you realize.
I dissagree. Being well off the road makes it almost impossible to see what is going on. If I'm a BG and I see house A, near the road, in plain view, with no cars, no outside dogs, no lights, and looking empty, I would consider it a good target. However if I can barely see house B, and there is a fence and gate, and I don't know how many people are home, or how many dogs are roaming around looking for a leg bone to chew on, I am going to pass and go to house A.

But should the BG be stupid enough to hop my fence (since he is not driving up undetected even if he manages to get the gate open) he will be in for a few surpises before he ever reaches the house. ;-)
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Re: Carry while at home

#30

Post by ninemm »

I just think the BG's are smarter than people think. The guy who is passing out flyers for a lawn service or a new local restaurant could be casing a neighborood without raising much suspicion from most folks.

Once, at a former residence in DeSoto, I caught a guy posing as a meter reader (electric) who was waltzing through backyards and sideyards carrying what appeared to be some sort of hand held computer. It caught my attention because I know how long it takes to read a meter and he was taking much too long. When I got closer, I noticed he had a TU Electric cap on and no logo on his shirt. I also knew that the company had been TXU for quite a while (this was several years ago -now the meter readers are ONCOR in the area). When he realized that I was on to him, he ran away (and he was fast).

Another incident about which I have first-hand knowledge and which is a rural example of crime is this. About ten years ago (maybe more) a co-worker came home from vacation to find his home almost empty. A truck with a 40-48 enclosed trailer backed up to his home in Princeton, Texas and loaded up most of his belongings including the pictures on the wall, dishes, pot and pans, furniture, appliances - almost everything. His property was about 5 acres. A neighbor across the road from him told the authorities that he saw the truck/trailer there for most of the day but just assumed my co-worker was moving out. It turns out that the perps had pulled into several homes before this one and gone to the door and asked, "Is this such and such address?" They went right up to the door in broad daylight. This was just a ploy to find out if anyone was home.

Another time, while I was building the aforementioned home in DeSoto and doing some trim work, a guy came waltzing through with a pair of tin snips on his belt. He was going room to room. When I confronted him, he said he was with the HVAC company and he was getting a list of supply register grills needed. I told him, "I think you're at the wrong place." Wolverton was doing my HVAC work on that house and all of their vehicles were well identified with company lettering. Afterwards, I realized he was more likely casing the place. This was before I had any understanding of how to identify a crack user. The guy had all the signs.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't somebody out to get you.
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