Drew my weapon last night ...

[Excaliber]

Austinrealtor handled this very well.

During the recognition phase of an emergency, most people spend time on denial - "That can't really be what it sounds / looks like, could it?". They do this for 2 reasons:

1. They don't understand at the emotional level that anything can in fact happen anytime and anywhere.
2. They don't want to look foolish if it turns out to be something other than an emergency.

The hesitation eats up critical seconds or even minutes that are desperately needed to successfully solve the problem when it is a real emergency, and often results in the individual being overwhelmed by events that have progressed to far and too quickly to be stopped at that point.

By the time denial is no longer possible and they are forced to realize it is in fact an emergency, that recognition often sends their heart rate well into the stratosphere and the resulting biological impact reduces their thinking capacity to the point where they aren't able to successfully come up with a viable response. Couple that with no pre thought out plan, and these folks are in deep muck.

Austinrealtor responded exactly the opposite way. He recognized immediately that it could in fact be a home invasion, and he reacted accordingly with a response he had almost certainly considered before (otherwise it would have taken longer to make the decision to act).

From where he was when the door flew open, there was no way to reliably establish that it wasn't an emergency, and if he had waited for events to play out in time, if it was, he'd be beyond the point of recovery. He wisely treated it like an emergency until it was proved to be something else - a perfect response.

Although some folks who've never dealt with real emergencies would mock him for being "paranoid", he clearly took the best possible course of action. If it had turned out to be a home invasion, he was well on his way to stopping it successfully. If it turned out to be something innocuous, as it did, no harm, no foul - a good practice run and an opportunity for after action review to see if anything could have been done better - e.g., moving wife and kids into a locked room while he investigated. (I don't know the layout of his house so I don't know if this would have been feasible or not - it's just an example).

Thanks, Austinrealtor, for sharing this situation which highlights lots of elements worthy of our thoughtful consideration.

[A-R]

a good practice run and an opportunity for after action review to see if anything could have been done better - e.g., moving wife and kids into a locked room while he investigated. (I don't know the layout of his house so I don't know if this would have been feasible or not - it's just an example).

Excaliber, thanks so much for the encouragement

My own personal review is that I maybe should have gone around a different corner to check the problem. Had it been a real home invasion, I might have given my position away too quickly and drawn a violent/aggressive action from the intruders too quickly for me to counter. I led with my muzzle around a corner clearly visible to someone if they were standing in the open door way. There is a second opening from kitchen into dining room that would have put me at a 45-degree angle from the open front door and behind the large dining table and multiple chairs, providing better cover for me and more element of surprise.

Also sending the wife and kids anywhere was a non-starter because

a) it happened too quick. Despite the partial wall between kitchen and front door, the total distance is less than 30 feet.

b) any "escape" or "evasion" route for them from kitchen table to any other part of the house puts them in direct line of sight of the front door. When entering front door of my one-story home you can see clear down the entry way past the kitchen through the living room to the back door. If you're at front door looking in, dining room is to immediate left with a partial wall dividing it from kitchen. All bedrooms and garage are to the right. So any evasive manuever from kitchen to back door, garage, or bedrooms requires crossing this sight path that runs from front to back door. They were better off staying put and immediately hitting the floor if they heard gun shots (need to remind my wife to just take the kids, high chairs and all, immediately to the floor in such a situation - don't waste time trying to unstrap them - just turn chair over side ways and rest it on the floor with kids still strapped in)

EDITED TO ADD: I'm home today with my sick daughter, who is napping on my office floor (her 3-year-old separtion anxiety mixed with the flu, makes me feel IMPORTANT ) ... anyway, sitting here on the computer and whipped up a quick-n-dirty floorplan sketch in photoshop to go along with above description (since we're all learning from this, right? )

grey line/arrow is route I took with gun drawn; dotted line arrow is my 20/20 hindsight better alternative route

[frazzled]

Glad it was a false alarm - consider it good practice.

Yes indeed. Good to hear. There's been some trouble in Leander lately I have been told.

[A-R]

Glad it was a false alarm - consider it good practice.

Yes indeed. Good to hear. There's been some trouble in Leander lately I have been told.

Yeah, that trouble in other neighborhoods nearby instantly popped into my head and is probably why I reacted so quickly.

[gigag04]

Turned the corner with muzzle of gun leading the way

The wind strikes again.

One note, and it's not nit-picking, I promise - we have switched to keeping the weapon in either a Sul Position or the low ready when searching. I'm not sure of your background of high stress shooting and training but if you came around the corner and were startled having your muzzle pointed in the direction you were moving is unsafe. Also, having the gun up in the high ready as you move blocks the lower field of view, decreasing your already tunneled vision in a combat stress situation. It does not take hardly any longer to move a weapon from the low ready to the high ready/on target and press off a round or two, but it is far safer, and allows for a better field of view. Plus, on a longer search, your arms will get super tired holding the weapon up at the high ready for an extender period of time (TRUST ME).

A La Google (this guy is not me):

Sul Position



Low Ready (this is even slightly high depending on distance to threat - you want to aiming just below subjects feet)

This is just been my experience, I know there are far better shooters than I on this forum.

[texas1234]

I wanted to say I understand how proud you were to draw your gun quickly. I had an experience sitting in a ground blind with a friend. He had a rifle and I was open carrying on the ranch with my .45. It was before deer season opened and we were going after pigs but a bunch of deer came up and we were just watching them. Needless to say we had a couple deer get real close I mean within a few feet. One of the bucks grunted and lunged forward. I was so impressed at how fast I drew that pistol I will never forget that day. However, he decided to run off and we ended the day only killing a bottle of crown. (drinking the bottle of crown without the weapons that is)

[BigDaddyMac]

The other advantage to the Sul Position or low ready is that if you are suddenly engaged by a BG at contact distance and he is able to stop you from coming all the way up to a normal firing position, there are still targets you can shoot (floor, feet, legs, pelvis, lower abdomen).

If the same thing happens and you are trying to come down from high ready there will probably be only air and ceiling. Don't forget that what goes up, must come down.

[Ageofease08]

we just moved into our new home and needless to say the first week, my wife wouldnt go to sleep unless i "combed" the house before bed. kinda over the top but i will admit that the house has funny way of making noises (ac cranks on, wind, dogs, etc)

[Roger Howard]

The other advantage to the Sul Position or low ready is that if you are suddenly engaged by a BG at contact distance and he is able to stop you from coming all the way up to a normal firing position, there are still targets you can shoot (floor, feet, legs, pelvis, lower abdomen).

If the same thing happens and you are trying to come down from high ready there will probably be only air and ceiling. Don't forget that what goes up, must come down.

Actually from low ready you can start drilling rounds into center mass immediately. Drive forward into the threat while bringing your arms up, firing the whole time. I have "neutralized" more than one threat that way during training sessions.

[rdcrags]

I'm sure we all have mulled over in our minds how we would sweep a room if we had to, or maybe more than one room. Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

[HighHandicap]

Thanks for the good discussion folks. It took my wife a couple of months to get used to me carrying around the house. It made her nervous with our 1 year old running around and playing with me. She's adjusted now and discussions like this help us both to be more comfortable. Last year there were several daytime break-ins of homes on the other side of our community. It isn't unreasonable to think that could happen closer to\in our home.

Has anyone taken the NRA Home Protection course? I've heard that some instructors will do the course and then help you layout a clearance plan for your home. Sounds like a good thing to have; just like an emergency evacuation plan.

[Charles Ellis]

Many years ago,when I worked nights,I was rudely awakened by what sounded like a fight and what was definately my wife screaming in the living room.I rolled out of bed wearing all the clothes I was born with,grabbed my S&W 41mag off the night stand and beat feet for the living room.When I turned the corner there was the wife,broom in hand,beating a poor little mouse,that had climbed up the back of the couch,and screaming like a banchee with every hit.It's funny now,but it took a long time for adrenalen to wear off so I could get back to sleep.

[Matt78665]

Thank God you were prepared and Thank God it was a false alarm

[A-R]

Many years ago,when I worked nights,I was rudely awakened by what sounded like a fight and what was definately my wife screaming in the living room.I rolled out of bed wearing all the clothes I was born with,grabbed my S&W 41mag off the night stand and beat feet for the living room.When I turned the corner there was the wife,broom in hand,beating a poor little mouse,that had climbed up the back of the couch,and screaming like a banchee with every hit.It's funny now,but it took a long time for adrenalen to wear off so I could get back to sleep.

So I gotta know, what was left of that mouse when you hit him COM with a .41 Mag?

[camjr]

I'd have done a Mozambique drill on the door, just to be sure.

I just spit diet coke on my keyboard when I read this. At least you wouldn't have to drill holes in the door for additional peepholes...