At what point - if any - do you leave the gun in the safe?

T

Theophilus

New member
Home defense question - assuming you have a handgun in a safe by the bed - and there is some kind of big bump in the night. Are there some situations where you would not pull the gun? For example, if from the noise you suspect that there are more than one or two criminals involved? At what point (if any) do you make the decision that pulling the gun might escalate things in a way that works against you? OR - would you get the gun and conceal it to keep the options open?
 
A tough call..

you must make this yourself.

If you suspect more than one intruder, then get the cavalry (LEO'S) a coming.

If you have time and augmented your safe, then get the shotgun / M1 Carbine cleared and ready and possibly hold "high ground" position.

If you and wife then SHE's on the phone/Cell, giving play-by-play to 911 and relayed to LEO's as to WHERE you are located, where you think intruder are.

Isolated and by yourself, PREVAIL.
 
if something happens multiple handguns are out. I'm not rambo- thats just the way I would do it. we have multiple handguns and/or CCWs in the safe. at that point if something escalates even further then I am going to get the shotgun if possible. my shotgun ammo is locked in the safe, so unfortunately I need a minute to get the shotgun ready to go. I do this for safety reasons- the very small chance my child gets hold of a spare key to the shotgun/rifle case, there is no ammo in it. the safe is electronic. I would only get the shotgun if I had a minute and it was safe to do so. I would prefer the shotgun if all hell broke loose, but two loaded revolvers will do if need be.
 
Not pulling the gun is putting you at the mercy of people who may have no mercy and by definition are already showing poor judgment by their actions.

You know your house, you know where your spouse and kids are and where your neighbors houses and the street or road that may or may not have traffic on it in relation to your house to consider as your move.

Home invasions very often involve rape and murder and it’s your domain. Myself if two or more people are breaking into my house and not announcing themselves as some sort of law enforcement and my family’s lives are at stake I’m dropping them as quickly and rapidly as possible to preserve my family, aggression would be very high and I would have to do all I can to remain situationally aware. I would need to limit their movement so the engagement zones away from my loved ones.

If loved ones do become involved then you either have a dead loved one, a hostage situation or a BG splashed right next to your spouse or kid.

Hopefully ones family would have a plan for such a situation and your kids might go into a closet or under a bed or whatever until you tells them it’s clear.

Never simply allow them to take over, bad choice trusting your lives to someone who by definition cannot be trusted to act within the law.
 
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First,Dial 911 and stay on the line until cops arrive.
I would pull out 2 of my guns, The .357 magnum and the .45 cal
I'd move the magnum to Mexican style SOB and hope I don't need it.
.45 would be out front for primary duty.
I would rather not let them get a hostage situation going.
 
Somebody recently mentioned a "layered" response.

IMO, I agree that 911 call pronto is important.

I cannot advise others how to handle an intruder/s with a gun, but I have to

agree that it is a poor idea to have it as the only response.
 
You have to have a dog nowadays. A dog capable of giving an intruder a hard time. A dog that is intimidating. Shepards are great because scumbags see them as police dogs and other people see them as family dogs. Having multiple dogs almost guarentees that you'll never be invaded. Yawn, now where did I put that ammo?
 
This actually came up last night.
I heard what sounded like a footstep, and both my dog and the gf's were whining. So after I untangled myself from the sheets I grabbed the short barrel 12ga I keep beside the bed, told her to grab her cell phone and get on my side of the bed closest to the opposite wall, and popped the door making sure to keep my body behind it.
Only once I had the door open and could see most of the house, did I rack a round in to the chamber, and it turned out to be nothing but I can't see a time at all when I wouldn't take that shotgun to investigate anything.

I can't be on the same side as those saying call the police immediately. Barring it being a false alarm like last night, with the way even justified self defense gun users are crucified in court, I would rather give as little evidence as possible to use against me. If I have to shoot someone, I will call 911 after and tell them the address, I need an ambulance, and I felt my life was in danger, he was going to kill me, and end the call.
 
Every place, . . . every situation is different, . . . have to be handled differently also.

In my case, . . . I live at the end of a 600 foot driveway, . . . there is no reason for being an "accidental" attempt at opening my doors. If it ain't me or one of 3 other people, . . . it is someone up to no good.

If time permits, . . . 911 is first response, . . . takes 30 minutes for the cavalry to arrive.

Whichever firearm I can grab first, . . . will be the one used to get me back to the safe where the artillery is.

There is nothing in my house that the burglar cannot have, . . . but if he comes into my bedroom, . . . he really will not like the response. I'm not going out to disturb his plundering, . . . but I will seriously defend my high ground.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Safe? For home defense?
My home protection handgun is right next to my head at night, loaded ready for use.
There is a reason why it is spelled S-A-F-E.
A locked up firearm is 'unsafe' for you and your family.
 
+1 on the dog, the louder and more obnoxious the better. Aways arm yourself and announce the fact, adding that the police are on the way (even if they are not) and that any intruder that approaches will be engaged on the premise that only a person planning harm would continue to advance given that information. If you truly suspect an intruder, do not go looking for them, rather barricade and protect the family from the tactically superior "high ground" as jayrothWA suggests, and wait for the troops to arrive.

On another note, I am surprised no one else has mentioned having a good, high quality tactical light in the same location as any home defense weapon (or on it, for that matter). The brighter the better, 200 lumens or more. no crappy d-cell maglite or plastic Ray-o-vac. Just don't be a target while doing it. Any cop can tell you that blinding an opponent will put you miles ahead in an altercation.

Oh, and this: intruder+known weapon= no quarter or warning necessary. On the ridiculously slim chance that an innocent person has somehow entered my home with a weapon, does not respond to challenges, or comes closer, I could easily live with myself afterwards.

Since the original post involved a safe in the equation, a hard mounted, manual finger combination mini safe that can be actuated in the dark if necessary would work best, IMO.
 
Speaking just for myself, in the State that I live and in reference to my specific set of circumstances-

If I hear some odd noise in my home during the night, I will arm myself with my bedside gun. My bedroom door is closed and locked so I will remain where I am. I will listen and if I am confident that there is a intruder in my home I will call 911 (if time allows).

My house gun is exactly that and is not kept in a safe. It remains in a closed drawer of a night stand. Again, this is just my decision based on my unique set of circumstances. I would not fault anyone for keeping a firearm in a safe but Its just not what I do with (1) home defense firearm. Some jurisdictions may require specific methods of storage but not here where I live.
 
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good point on 911

I agree one needs to know when to 'pull the trigger' on the 911. There is a grey area, but you need to dial preferably w/the house phone as soon as you know something(or think something) is wrong.
 
Not every house lends itself to protecting a single bedroom.

I have kids and the house has different levels so were not all on the same floor or area when sleeping. It only makes sense to engage them early before other family members become more exposed and involved.

I also have no intention of giving myself away in the situation as described well that is until the first pull of the trigger. My family would inherently be in immediate danger especially if there bold enough to attack while we are at home in bed.

Now I agree if there were some reasonable way for them to walk off with whatever property without my family being harmed them they can have it all but thats simply very not likely.

Announcing to the intruders that you are armed not only tells the approximately where you are it gives away your ability to suprise them which may make the difference between you and your family surviving the encounter or not.

I agree a good dog is valuable, if you have one.

I do think my 12 Ga will make an announcment they will understand when the body hits the floor, the aggression will help end the situation more quickly. I have motion detecting lamps in the house so identification should be assured prior to pulling the trigger.
 
At what point (if any) do you make the decision that pulling the gun might escalate things in a way that works against you?
Click to expand...

Am I missing the OP's question? Is it not, "When do you give up, roll over, and beg rather than fight? Then the answer is never -- unless perhaps you are staring down the wrong end of a barrel.

I also do not understand "concealing" ones weapon when one is home-invaded. How does one conceal a gun that is busy drilling the invaders?
 
...you need to dial preferably w/the house phone as soon as you know something(or think something) is wrong.
Click to expand...

Good point! And one that needs a little explanation, I think.

Most counties in the US today have a 911 system, but what a lot of people don't know is that not all 911 systems can track a cell phone. With a land line, all you need do is dial 911 and not say anything. Units will be dispatched to an "unknown trouble, open line" call.

While all of them can bypass a caller ID block on a land line, only those equipped with an "enhanced 911" system can utilize a cell phone's GPS feature, and most can only zero in to a relatively broad area.

Yes, an agency can contact the cell phone provider and have them do the tracking, but the red tape (and precious time used) is horrendous.
 
QUOTE: Am I missing the OP's question? Is it not, "When do you give up, roll over, and beg rather than fight?
(guess I haven't figured out how to use the real quote feature yet)

No, that's not what I'm saying. I was thinking of a situation that was in my local paper - guy answers a knock on the door, two women ask to use phone (no, I won't answer the door like that!). Anyway, then three guys barrel in, armed, and hit the guy on the head a few times, take some stuff and leave. Which just made me wonder - if he pulls a gun, does he live to tell the story? I know it's impossible to predict how something will go down - I was just glad to hear that this family survived (he had kids in the house, like I do). And so I asked myself - when is it better not to pull the weapon?
 
...unless barking dogs make you a nervous wreck.

Personally, I'd rather have some peace and quiet, and take

the risk of being hit by a BG, over constantly putting up daily with the

unrestrained antics of some shrill, yapping, rat.
 
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