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Rather than make my first post into the standard "Welcome to the..." forum, I found this thread to make by debut.

Like so many have said in this thread, be aware at all times and never let your guard down. It doesn't matter where you live, how much you make, or how much it appears that you make. The story below is the one time that I did let my guard down, and it was the last.

Like most places of employment, I cannot carry while at work (although being in a chemical plant, I can see pros and cons to this reasoning). So, when I started for home around 3pm in the middle of the week, I was a little hungry. On the way home, I get to pass by almost every fast food restaurant known to man, so I stop by the favorite of the day and get my food.

Now, I am less than a minute away from home, and starving! I pull into my driveway, open the garage door and grab my food and drink. This is where the snowball starts to build. I cannot carry at work, so my Sig 229 357SIG is in the center console. I cannot carry my food and drink and gun at the same time so I think to myself, "what is more important right now, food or gun?" At this point, I hear rumbles from my stomach which makes up my mind. Sig says and I'll get it in a few.

I go into the garage and the inside door is ajar. I think to myself, wife must not have shut it. Once I enter the house, there are no cats around. Didnt really think of it at the time but that means I can eat in peace. As I enter the interior of the house, I hear what I think are voices, but I try to reason with myself saying "cats don't talk." I set the food down, listen some more as I walk into my bedroom. At this point, I know things are about to get crazy and my Sig is in the truck! At this point, I still don't know exactly how many people I am dealing with or what exactly they have. I know the motive, since my bedroom is tossed. I go to the night stand as quickly and quietly as possible to find my 38 S&W is gone. Now I know they are armed. They are still on the other side of the house, and as far as I know, they do not know I am there. I go to the closet, get my Mossberg 12g, verify there is a round in the chamber and proceed to confront the suspects.

I meet them on the back patio and to my amazement, they were unaware of my presence in the house. I know this because as we came around the corner together, I saw them and they saw the barrel of my 12g pointed at their head. Then one of the two perps squeezed his Sonic Route 44 strawberry lime-aide all over my pool table! (Should have shot him just for that). Anyway, I call 911 while holding them at gunpoint, they both are yelling "don't shoot, we have your stuff!" At this moment, they almost were shot; one of them throws out my rug with my 38 in it and the other throws out an empty holster! One gets up and bolts for the back door and runs away. The other bolts for the front door and gets outside the house just in time for the police to arrest him.

What did this teach me?
Pay attention to your surroundings, even minor things like cats are not around.
Stay calm, so no one loses their head.
Have a plan, and carry out that plan.
Keep your cell phone charged and have a good speaker phone or bluetooth so you can use your hands for other things
Always know where gun is and have it close at hand because you never know when things will happen!

Sorry for the long post, but I do believe in carrying while at home or at least having it close at hand.
Even though a mans home is his castle, castles were still defended.

Wally H