Charles L. Cotton wrote:While I'm happy to see some of these public service spots acknowledging the use of firearms for self-defense, I strongly disagree with the recommendation to announce that you have a gun. The attackers may leave or they may not and I'm not willing to give them tactical intel to use against me if they aren't feeling particularly charitable that day. They will learn of my presence and that I'm armed when the first rounds slam into their chests.
Chas.
I subscribe to the thought that if the threat is outside the home and I have a safe barrier between us, a warning MAY be justified (i.e. if it is a confused or disoriented person, the warning might serve to deter). Inside the home, however, is another story. Ideally, the kids know to stay hidden until they hear a safe word from mom or dad, while mom & dad are set up to ambush. Hopefully the exterior security cameras, and the alarm have done their job by making our home a less desirable target.
The reinforced doors hopefully have bought me enough time to react to Plan A, however, Plan B gets increasingly complicated really fast. With two small children and a wife, its very likely I would have to clear the house myself, and tactically speaking, I don't like how our home is setup. The invader could easily get to the kids before me if he desired. I practice with a light as much as I can (its hard to do when you want kids to sleep). In that situation, my wife knows to barricade herself in the closet with a 12 gauge and stay in contact with the police. Safe words still apply.
No matter how it could potentially play out, it would be traumatic - especially to the wife and kids. I've taken steps to hopefully prevent this from ever happening in the first place.