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PeteCamp wrote:Re-key those door locks ASAP.

They were re-keyed before we moved in. My in-laws own the home and we're renting from them.

a big dog usually does no harm either and has the added benefit of unconditional love.

We plan on getting two German Shepherds once we're done with college but right now we don't have the time for a pet and it's really not fair to the pet. Plus we want to be able to pay for professional training so they aren't just "lap dogs". And gosh, those student loans...;)

We probably won't install a security system since we probably won't even be in this house two years from now and don't benefit from its added value to the home since we are renting. I know, you can't put a price on safety or something like that...but you can. The camera system (which we can take with us when we move), good locks, perhaps door bars on the bedroom doors, a working phone, and our guns seem to give us more than a fighting chance without the cost of a security system. Plus we are in a very safe part of town with watchful neighbors so daytime intrusions aren't much of a concern either. I think we'll be okay. Last night's events were certainly confusing but I don't think we're at a large risk. That doesn't mean we think we're safe and can't be touched, but we're realistic about the likelihood of a possible break-in. We're more likely to get mugged walking to class than an intruder invade our home - statistically speaking based on crime rates over recent years, of course.

TLynnHughes wrote:I think it all depends on the layout of the house, the couple and their particular living situation. I'm less likely to shoot my husband if I'm with him. But then, we don't have any young 'uns to worry about, either.

And there's something about sitting in a room after hearing a noise and waiting who knows how long for police to show up that I just can't do.

Tracy

Couldn't have said it better myself. The layout of our home is easy and fast to clear. If we hadn't felt safe doing it we wouldn't have done it. We would never have tried to clear our old apartment (except the obligatory sweep of the house upon arriving home even if nothing looks out of the ordinary) because there are three different "attack points" straight out of the bedroom door. In fact I remember in the story I posted about being prepared to shoot an "intruder" (hubby) I purposely stayed in the bedroom for tactical reasons since I DID hear footsteps and see light moving.
We weren't worried about shooting anyone who was "supposed" to be there because no one should be there but me and hubby. His parents have a key but never, EVER come over without calling first and then knocking and announcing themselves. They know we have guns and are aware they are at risk of being shot if we don't personally let them in the door.

I appreciate the suggestions to not clear the home if we suspect someone is in the home, but as stated above: if we didn't feel safe doing it, we would have stayed put and called 911. We heard no voices, footsteps, or items being moved, and saw no lights, plus we were both home and armed working together to clear the house.
Our home is over 60 years old. It has a gas water heater right next to the bedroom. If we called 911 for every loud noise at night they would have a squad car over here daily. We would call 911 if we did not feel safe clearing the house ourselves.

Last night made me glad that my husband and I think it is important to be prepared and are always thinking of and discussing possible scenarios and actions to take in response. We have both discussed and actually practiced a routine for clearing the house which allows us to cover each other and safely clear the house should the need ever arise. Well, the need arose last night.

This morning at about 4am I was jolted out of a deep sleep by what I think was a door slamming. My husband happened to have already been half-awake and it certainly jolted him completely awake. We both reached for our nightstand revolvers and I asked if he heard the noise to, and if he knew what it was. He said he thought it was a door and when I agreed he said, "Let's clear the house."

While clearing the house we discovered that the kitchen door leading to the carport was unlocked (odd...I remember locking it) and the front door was also unlocked and the screen door partially open. I would be inclined to think the wind blew an unsecured outside door shut, but it was not at all windy and the doors should have been locked anyway. No intruder was found and no belongings are missing, but we are almost certain that someone had been in our house because we always check doors and windows before going to bed and I remember them being secured. Finding two outside doors unlocked is suspicious.

We haven't practiced clearing our new house before but I think we did well improvising a plan on the fly.

We also concluded a few things:

• We grabbed our revolvers by reflex because they are close and quicker to grab than the shotgun especially since we were groggy and hadn't identified the location or cause of the sound. In retrospect, we had time after hearing the noise to pick up the shotgun so perhaps one of us should have had the shotgun while clearing the house.
• We're going to speed up our fortification plans and put bars on our bedroom door and the outside door in the room connecting to our bedroom. We were going to wait but after last night I do think they would be useful.
  We were considering getting a small camera system with live feed to our computers which would overlook all entrances to our home. I think we definitely want to get one now, if only to have documentation of anything that happens and not necessarily as a deterrent or security blanket.
• I'm almost 100% sure we had locked the doors so now we need to test to see if the locks failed, if there was a simple way to break in, or if perhaps we hadn't locked the doors and that's why they were unlocked at 4am.
• We are going to devise a plan for clearing our house tonight so we aren't pulling it together as we go along. Two weeks in a new place was plenty of time to prepare a new plan and we should have already done it.
• And...we really need to get a lamp or a bedside flashlight for the bedroom because stumbling in the dark looking for the overhead light was not cool since it's across the room.