Clearing a house with a pistol/flashlight

From Glenn E. Meyer:
Sorry - but if you constantly have to 'clear' your house with a gun because of noises - might rethink things.
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That's great!:D

From barnettmill:
I agree one should not go and clear his or her's house from armed bandits. Stay put or if your are sure it is safe to do so, flee. If you are armed staying put is normally the better choice assuming that you are not being invaded by 500 gang members. It is always possible that your invader is a drunk that has lost his way and peeling a dead, bloodly, sticky, fouled bubba off your carpet is an experience that most can do without. ...released bodily fluids can spread disease and require a biohazard cleanup. Best course is to sit tight and let the police resolve the issue when possible.
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I agree with that advice (if I were upstairs, fleeing would not be an option, even though in my neighborhood it would otherwise be safe to do so).

I had never thought much about dealing with a body...food for thought, if you'll pardon the expression... :eek::mad:
 
lowracer,

Thanks for the info. My kid's room is on the otherside of the house and if my wife's 8lb dog's bark does not scare them off then hopefully the lights coming on will.

Yes, I have guns and CCW, but do not look forward to the situation where I have to use them...
 
Sorry - but if you constantly have to 'clear' your house with a gun because of noises - might rethink things.
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Thanks for putting words in my mouth amigo... Ive never cleared my house with a firearm before, and have previously stated my objection to it... Now I just look crazy :p

My point was just that houses make lots of noise (esp mine). No sense getting your panties in a bunch every time you hear something creak...

Throw a bunch of matchbox cars and jacks out in the hallway
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a la Home Alone? haha... awesome, but probably not a high priority in that kind of situation...
 
Matchbox cars is one of the best ideas I've heard.

Point is- if someone is really there, you don't want to stumble into them. I think most people here say "clear" and it translates into "I'm gonna go look around with my gun"...not "Wow, somebody really IS there".

I've had the misfortune to 1) Go outside, and 2) Actually found someone on two occasions. If I had used my head, got the cops on the way and not gone rushing out there, I would have saved myself a lot of risk and effort.
Luckily for me, neither person was armed, or much of a real threat, but in hindsight I really went charging out there without any idea of what I might be getting into. Call 911. Stay inside. Stay in your room/end of the house. Arm youself.

Oh, and when 911 answers, the first words out of your mouth are "Suspect present". I said that one time and you could hear the four cop cars in the area go to WOT.
 
Matchbox cars is one of the best ideas I've heard.
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Really? In a world where people breaking into a house have successfully sued for injures sustained, and where booby trapping your house is illegal?
Or was that sarcasm?
 
From Slopememo:
I've had the misfortune to 1) Go outside, and 2) Actually found someone on two occasions. If I had used my head, ..and not gone rushing out there, I would have saved myself a lot of risk and effort....in hindsight I really went charging out there without any idea of what I might be getting into. Call 911. Stay inside. Stay in your room/end of the house. Arm youself.
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Good advice.

And everyone should be aware of the law in their jurisdictions. Where I live, the moment I step outside, the castle doctrine law ceases to apply, and I'm only justified in using deadly force if I am attacked and have not provoked the encounter.

I sure wouldn't want to have a gun in my hand.
 
In most senarios, I vehemently state, DO NOT CLEAR YOUR HOUSE. You are inviting yourself to be an easy target. Houses, condos, apartments, all have rooms accessed via halls. A hall is a choke point. Where do you target an ambush? CHOKE POINTS. A lone homeowner clearing a house is foolish.

With that said, I also stated "most senarios." An exception would be if I knew loved ones were in another area of the house. Many modern home floorplans put a master bedroom on one side of the house with the kid's bedrooms on the other. If I owned one of these, I would be forced to clear. But I would also have a predefined plan; i.e. call to the kids to stay put, announce that I am armed, stay low and do what I have to to protect my family.

I am not in this senario, I own a three-story townhouse with bedrooms only on the third floor. If someone breaks through the double-keyed deadbolted exterior doors into my home (or climb a ladder to the picture windows on the second floor), they then have to deal with an alarm, the attack cat, two staircases and finally my Wilson Combat 12 GA.

I have insurance to replace my TV, stereo, microwave, etc., I have my shotgun to defend my a$$.

Chrisp0410
 
I rise before the sun does. Have for years. Not because I want to, I would rather party all night and sleep all day like I was 17... (I mean 21!) but I prefer to keep the kids fed and clothed so I get up every morning without a hangover.
Anyway my morning routine goes like this:
Shut off the alarm. Go to the bathroom and use the john while the shower heats, then shower. Leave the shower, go shave (every other day...). Enter bedroom, pull clothes from dresser/closet and dress. Go down stairs, say good morning to Mr. Dinky (the cat, dog passed away), get OJ for the kids/coffee for the wife and finally make my two travel mugs of Joe (a 20 oz and a 16 oz). My wife and I both take coffee medium light with 2% milk, no sugar. I then carry the juice and coffee back upstairs and if my wife is not up yet I turn the light on
Then I go back to the bathroom to be sure i didn't miss a spot shaveing.
I have done this everywhere I lived, except there wasn't always kids and juice. I could pick out my German Shepherd Dog in the shadows at midnight.
Flashlights are for people who do not excercise there rods (the ones in your eye's, not your pants) often enough or are just afraid of the dark.
Darkness is your friend, embrace it.
 
Not to be rude but...when I created this thread I didn't really care to hear what people's morning routines consisted of. If you are having trouble with not knowing what the thread is about just look at my O.P. I don't really care about how much milk you put in your coffee or how strong your night adapted vision is.
 
A light attached to a gun is a perfect aid if your opponent does not have a gun.
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People who do it for a living seem to think weapon-mounted lights are a good thing. Note the lights on the LAPD SWAT team's MP5s:

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Kansas City SWAT team:

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NJ State Police SWAT team:

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I'm not sure which team this is:

SWAT%20Team%20at%20Abraxas_145001.jpg


A team in CT:

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FBI HRT:

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Please excuse my idiocy for not being able to filter my bad day out of posting. I apologize for this.

What I meant to say, but couldn't due to rectal cranial insertion, was a flashlight on the weapon is much better than no light at all. It is always much better to have and not need then need and not have. While I always try to keep my night vision "tuned", a flashlight can also render an intruder blind if turned on at the right time.
Best case scenario, a combo light/laser on the gun, and a handheld mag light in the other. It's a second weapon as well as giving the opportunity to lighten the perp without pointing a chambered round at him/her/it. Also gives the ability to shine light in two different directions if needed. Combo laser/light gives the ability to aim without standing behind the light also.
Be prepared for the worst though, and the ability to see in low light conditions can be a great asset. As can knowing your environment in the dark. As well as multiple choices for shedding light on a situation. Motion lights outside are a first line defense as well.

Bottom line, Flashlight on the weapon imo, and more is better.
 
Weapon mounted lights can be of advantage in the right conditions.
To effectively use them you must be trained to use them, the same goes for your weapon. I think most of you will agree with this?


____________________________________________________________________________________

HK45 w/ Insight M6X Laser/Tactical Illuminator

Sig Pro W/ Insight XTI Procyon Tactical Iluminator and CT Laser grip
 
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Weapon mounted lights can be of advantage in the right conditions.
To effectively use them you must be trained to use them, the same goes for your weapon. I think most of you will agree with this?
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Agreed. Low-light training is important.
 
i have trijicons, a laser/tac light, and a 20round mag

now, will i use the laser/tac light? maybe, i dont know... it depends on the situation... but if it's on the gun, i at least have the option

will i use all 20 rounds? i dont know... it depends on the situation... but if it's in the gun, at least i have the option

will i even use the trijicons? i dont know... it depends on the situation... but if it's in the gun, at least i have the option

the old adage is as true now as it ever was

i'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it
 
thank you

I want to say thank you to everyone for making this thread an enjoyable read. These are some great opinions / suggestions. Another thanks for not turning this thread into a mud slinging contest!

Phil
 
I don't prefer a light on my weapon for home defense.
Cops use lights because they are almost always going in to an unfamiliar place.
I know my own home like the back of my hand, and if I hear a suspicious noise I keep the lights off and investigate.
I can't imagine calling the cops just because I heard a noise somewhere in or around my house.
 
I think a light is mandatory. where you put it is up to you, it is a good idea not to turn it on and leave it on, only use it when necessary. (your rods may vary). A light in absolutely necessary for PID (positive ID) don't go blasting away at shadows.

There is a difference between a noise or sound in your house and hearing something that you can distinguish as an intruder. I don't want to call the police on my child or 3 dogs. you have to approach the threat as you interpret it. You may hear 1 noise and nothing further and go check it out. I would definitely take a defensive posture and call 911 if it didn't feel right, but not for every noise.

Team tactics are not individual tactics, a team will rush a room and the first man can commit to go left and the next guy can go right. An individual needs to be a little more cautious.
 
From easyG:

Cops use lights because they are almost always going in to an unfamiliar place.
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I believe they also use them to keep the suspect from being able to see them--a advantage in a home defense situation, I should think.

I know my own home like the back of my hand, and if I hear a suspicious noise I keep the lights off and investigate.
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How do you see who it is you may have heard--and identify who they are?

I can't imagine calling the cops just because I heard a noise somewhere in or around my house.
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This was discussed in the thread about the man who lost an arm investigating a noise outside. As David Armstrong said, if you're concerned enough to arm yourself, you should probably call the police.

This is repetitive of previous posts on the thread, but the preponderance of expert opinion is that you should let the threat come to you, and that you have no business "clearing your house" in the first place.

I do keep a tactical flashlight for the purpose of illuminating the threat and reducing his ability to see me.

It is not on the weapon. That's a personal call, but in my view it's safer.
 
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