“Clearing” rooms during home invasion

My wife and I live alone as our kids are grown and gone. We live in a rural area with police protection being county sheriff's deputies or perhaps state police if they are in the area. We both have pistols by the bed at night and I also have a pump shotgun and a 9mm carbine at arms reach. Our long time protector German Shepherd recently had to be put down due to breast cancer so we are without a dog but will correct that soon.

As for clearing the house...Not going to do it. Too many opportunities to get killed over property and its not worth it to me. We will shelter in place, dial 911, and if intruders enter the room we are in they won't leave under their own power.
 
I live in a skittish part of town because it's what I can afford. The "child" still lives with us, is 20 and has his own AR and PC. Someone tries to break in, first they run afoul of various anti intrusion "obstacles" that are designed to discourage unlawful entry, legally, but if they make it inside, appropriate and legal means of resisting the unlawful armed burglary/burglary of an occupied structure are available, if necessary. Hopefully not, as I have absolutely ZERO wish to be that person if I don't have to.
Now the funny thing is I have lived on Skid Row Lite for a decade or more so far, and we have had absolutely zero troubles so far, not even the car getting scratched. However, I do like to be prepared for emergencies when and where I can be prepared.
 
I was talking to my nephew today about this thread and he said that he'd put a motion detector in every room
 
Often the specific details of incidents are not mentioned in the news, but many of these home invasions are not random attacks or criminals searching out high profile citizens. One group of bad guys ends up going after another group of unsavory characters whom they know in search of drugs, money or as a form of debt collection and or revenge (often a female and lots of revolving Social media drama occurs prior to the "Home invasion"). All to often it's hard to tell who the real bad guys are, as the Police are only told half the facts by the so called "victims".
The media is either unaware of the connection or intentionally glosses over the facts as they love to perpetuate fear on the airwaves.
I agree with those who advocate having large dogs.
 
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...many of these home invasions are not random attacks or criminals searching out high profile citizens. One group of bad guys ends up going after another group of unsavory characters ...
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That's a very good point.

Of course it's not always true, but a lot of the time it is. It is often the case that shootings are bad guys shooting other bad guys.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the police are well aware of that fact. Which means that when they show up to the aftermath of a home invasion, or really any shooting, they are likely to treat everyone involved pretty harshly initially.

I was once present at a driveby shooting. A car went down the street at night firing (apparently randomly) at houses and cars. At the time that the cops showed up, only one instance of damage was known--a vehicle was hit. The officer who responded immediately began questioning the owner of the vehicle--accusing him of knowing who had committed the act and asking why people were after him, accusing him of altering the scene before the officer arrived and generally treating him like a suspect instead of a victim.

At the time I thought it was completely inappropriate behavior, but I later came to realize why the cop responded as he did.

A lot of people think that when the cops show up after a self-defense shooting, they will be treated as heroes. The reality, based on the responding officers' experience with shootings is likely to be somewhat different.
 
Often the specific details of incidents are not mentioned in the news, but many of these home invasions are not random attacks or criminals searching out high profile citizens. One group of bad guys ends up going after another group of unsavory characters whom they know in search of drugs, money or as a form of debt collection and or revenge (often a female and lots of revolving Social media drama occurs prior to the "Home invasion"). All to often it's hard to tell who the real bad guys are, as the Police are only told half the facts by the so called "victims".
The media is either unaware of the connection or intentionally glosses over the facts as they love to perpetuate fear on the airwaves.
I agree with those who advocate having large dogs.
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This is very true with crime in general. Most of the time law enforcement is playing referee between undesirable elements. Even when law enforcement knows that this is the case, it usually won't make it into the newspapers as such. The news simply reports a home invasion. They neglect to inform us that it's usually about an unpaid drug debt.
 
Go out the window and start firing into the ground.
The family will freeze in place or hide.
The entire neighborhood,will call the police.
The crooks will wonder what prompted them to pick your place.

:D:D
 
Lavan said:
Go out the window and start firing into the ground.
The family will freeze in place or hide.
The entire neighborhood,will call the police.
The crooks will wonder what prompted them to pick your place.

:D:D
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Yes that’s the Joe Biden prescription... fire two shotgun blasts from the ol’ double barreled duck gun. I can think of a few reasons why it’s not a great idea.
 
woodnbow said:
Yes that’s the Joe Biden prescription... fire two shotgun blasts from the ol’ double barreled duck gun. I can think of a few reasons why it’s not a great idea.
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Yea, but now you have a valid excuse for when you do it. :D

Then again, hes been caught lying on tape so many times now, he'll just deny ever saying it. :rolleyes:
 
First, CALL THE CALAVRY and have them ON the WAY!
What type house, ranch or two-story?

Are the bedrooms in same wing or floor? Are they opposites of the house.

Is there a choke point that controls the access to these rooms?

That your control point NO ONE GET PAST, children are behind you.
Oldest family member is on CELL HONE to 911.

What type lighting in-house that give you darkness and SILHOUETTES the invaders?

Same with outside lighting, illuminate their backsides and DON'T blind you.
 

Would just like to get people’s opinions on this type of scenario. I think it makes a difference in what type of firearm(s) you choose, if you consider you may be forced to clear rooms by yourself to protect your kids. I think a long gun would be best if you are bunkered down in one position, but not so much maneuvering through hallways etc, if you have to...


Unless you live in a house the size of Buckingham Palace, take the wife, phone, and home defense rifle and walk the thirty feet to your kids' bedroom.
 
Kevin Rorher said:
Unless you live in a house the size of Buckingham Palace, take the wife, phone, and home defense rifle and walk the thirty feet to your kids' bedroom.
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Wow! I never would have thought of that. It's almost like nobody out there lives in a split level home or has kid's rooms in the basement or the reverse.
 
Unless you live in a house the size of Buckingham Palace, take the wife, phone, and home defense rifle and walk the thirty feet to your kids' bedroom.
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Its not really about how big the space might be. Its about exposure, no matter how brief. I get it though, if you gotta go, you gotta go. If that is someones situation, you wont have to tell them, it goes without saying.

Additionally, in the region of the Country where I live, parents are most often downstairs and the children are up stairs on the other end of the home. About the only time that parents bedrooms are in close proximity is when a very small child ( infant) is concerned. The split level "shotgun" style home is all the rage around these parts. I dont really care for the style and it took me forever to find a traditional rancher style home.
 
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Wow! I never would have thought of that. It's almost like nobody out there lives in a split level home or has kid's rooms in the basement or the reverse.
__________________

The problem is that too many people on these forums overthink simple things.

However, if someone feels the need for a home defense plan involving protecting little ones and the problem you have described exists, then first-off sleeping arrangements need to be modified. After that you may refer to my original message.
 
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A solution is not simple merely because it can be summarized in a single sentence.

Example: Send three people to the moon with a rocket and bring them back safely.

Simple summary, but the implementation was extremely complex and involved considerable risk. (And no, I'm not trying to claim that getting to other innocents in a house that is being invaded is as complex as a moon landing--it's just an example of how something with a solution that can be stated very simply can still be complex and risky to implement.)

Delving into the details of implementation and trying to minimize risk is really what this particular part of TFL is about. That might not be everyone's cup of tea, and it should be easy to understand why when someone like that participates in exchanges in this part of TFL it might be frustrating, both for them and for others.
 
T. O'Heir said:
Keeping in mind that the insurance companies and assorted PD's think a B&E into an empty house and plain old trespass is a home invasion.
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Not around here. My PD makes a very clear distinction between burglary (robbing an unoccupied house) and a home invasion (busting into a house while folks are at home).
 
From A/Q. Not around here. My PD makes a very clear distinction between burglary (robbing an unoccupied house) and a home invasion (busting into a house while folks are at home).
And so it should be A/Q.

Our Grand-Kids are 8 of them. Live from California to Canada. And aged from 30 YOA, to 6 YOA. So our abode is a two-story Town House. Here in Gods Country, Florida, home invasions are few and far between. So it will never be a situation where we will have occasion to move anywhere to protect anyone, we live in an upstairs bedroom, and reference a protector? That's me.
All 5' 9" 202 lbs of 85-year-old Grandad. Mind you we are having many NY residents leaving that City behind, and flooding here, leaving the crime and huge taxes behind! Why not, I was 36 years in Canada, till 40 below weather finally got to us!

As all you Ladies and Gentlemen have noticed, there is a huge difference between Democratic and Republican States? And their Citys?

And it appears the affluent ex-residents of New York seem to be no current problem. They might even start appearing on these pages. As new owners of firearms? As our Florida Sheriffs are fond of saying "Criminals come on down, our folks are well-armed"
 
Not around here. My PD makes a very clear distinction between burglary (robbing an unoccupied house) and a home invasion (busting into a house while folks are at home).
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AB, you need to get yourself informed as to the legal definitions of burglary and robbery in your state, heck, ANY state. Lol.
 
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