HD plan- stay guard at top of stairs?

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Don't mean to be simplistic, but if my family is asleep upstairs, I don't want Bubba and his friends up there. Bubba will never be so vulnerable as coming up those stairs.

Obviously, not all situations involve protecting the stairs. The circumstances will dictate what needs to be done. And you'll dictate whether you do it more so than where it happens at
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If you own your house, put a good solid-core door on the bedroom. Top of the stairs is as good a place as any, you can scurry back into the room if you have to. Make sure there is a cell phone in the fallback area.

Don't hesitate to shoot. Once they mount the stairs, they are into the occupied area and have forsaken burglar and property crimes for something much worse. You don't have to ask them their intentions first, divine the entrails of a raccoon, or cite state-specific case law beforehand.
 
Posted by Nnobby45: Don't mean to be simplistic, but if my family is asleep upstairs, I don't want Bubba and his friends up there.
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Most of us don't want him in the house at all, and the laws in most states recognize the danger in his being there.

Bubba will never be so vulnerable as coming up those stairs.
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How vulnerable he is is just part of the question. The other part is how vulnerable you are.

All experts I know of recommend defending from a safe room.

Obviously, not all situations involve protecting the stairs.
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Right. And I have no need to protect the stairs, anyway.

The circumstances will dictate what needs to be done.
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Right. The problem is, he and his accomplices may well well enter, very suddenly and with force, when the family is not asleep upstairs. That's the scenario to be prepared for.
 
OldMarksman,

"Right. The problem is, he and his accomplices may well well enter, very suddenly and with force, when the family is not asleep upstairs. That's the scenario to be prepared for. "

Through 83 posts the concept has been a night time entry while you are sleeping. I think my current plan is pretty good.

The day time scenario you bring up is the hardest to prepare for due to the endless number of variables. You almost have to either keep large dogs or keep a gun on your person all the time.
 
Posted by jnichols2: The day time scenario you bring up is the hardest to prepare for due to the endless number of variables.
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Yes, it is.

Through 83 posts the concept has been a night time entry while you are sleeping.
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But most break-ins do occur during the day. It is usually said that the perps do that because they want to come and go while no one is home, but a plurality--no, a majority--of the burglaries of occupied homes in our county have been occurring during the day.

And there are almost always more than one.

You almost have to either keep large dogs or keep a gun on your person all the time.
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I have been doing the latter for several years now. I do not expect trouble, ever, but there is no reason to expect that if it should occur, it will happen when we are in the bedroom, or even able to get to the bedroom.
 
A defense plan for your home should be in depth. Passive measures like good exterior lighting, motion activated lights, good security doors with locks are the first line of defense. A loud external alarm if a breech occurs is the second, the alarm may scare off the intruders. More probably it will irritate the neighbors and they will complain to the cops that will serve the same purpose.

A call to 911, (In my case that is for record purposes only, their response time is about 2 hours.) necessary. Get the cavalry on the way.

I have concerns with the safe room which is not supported by an active defense. Basically retreat to a safe room gives the BGs free range of the home. When they find they cannot gain access they may decide to torch your home. In which case you and your family loose. i
 
I've read the whole post, lot's of good advice, but none of it addresses my situation. Thumbnail sketch, ranch home with basement, 3 bedrooms upstairs,(two occupied) three downstairs (all occupied). A large enough house that sometimes shouting can't be heard between the floors. Multiple access points upstairs and down, window wells large enough to get in through in basement as well. The one good point is the bedrooms are all on one side of the house so theoretically two people(completely exposed) could defend the hallways. I'm the only person in the house who doesn't visibly flinch when handed a firearm. I can't see any other way but to go on offense but according to those of you who are trained that's stupid. Any ideas?
P.S. It's a rental, no alterations:(
 
I wouldn't say going on the "offense" is stupid if you have to in order to ensure the safety of your loved ones. And I wouldn't call it going on the offense either, bcause you shouldn't be actively seeking the invaders, you should be seeking to secure your loved ones.

Seems to me that you need to plan as a family unit the best way to rally at one defensible location and practice doing it often, and under duress, such as middle of the night, no power, etc.

Also, it might be handy to consider some easy to remember challenge/pass words so as to be able to communicate with one and another and not cede any info to the bad guys and plan for contacting police to get back up on the way.

Granted, I'm not "trained" per se, but as a combat vet, it seems to me, that having a plan to rally, a plan to communicate, back-up, and a defensive firearm is a good starting point.
 
Is there a large closet or bathroom within the master bedroom? If so, I would send the family in there while I stood watch over the locked bedroom door. Consider giving a loud verbal warning that you have called the cops and whoever it is should leave immediately. At the first sign of trying to enter the bedroom, I would open fire. While a bedroom door may not be much cover, it is a good "line in the sand" that I can dare anyone to cross.
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I think they already crossed that line when they broke into his house, don't you? Why trap and barricade yourself in some bedroom if he could safely scare away or take out the threat if he had to from the stairs? :confused:

My Lord... at what point are we finally allowed to act to defend ourselves and our families in our own homes? :confused:
 
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chris

I think they already crossed that line when they broke into his house, don't you? Why trap and barricade yourself in some bedroom if he could safely scare away or take out the threat if he had to from the stairs?

My Lord... at what point are we finally allowed to act to defend ourselves and our families in our own homes?
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I think some people feel they have a better chance for survival from a bedroom because the chances of the room being successfully penetrated is extremely slim @ best. On the other hand you are more offensive if out in the hallways walking away or in the wrong place in my opinion if you are actually perched at the top of the stairs. If you become killed, your family has much less of a chance.

as for the bathroom or closet, I can understand your point. It is possible someone can talk to the cops from there or that the TFL posting that was talking about having his loved ones out of the way of bullet fire. My wife is holding a loaded weapon no matter the case in this scenario no matter what. I have to be honest...these invasions are quick and aggressive/volatile. It is nice to hear the alarm and have time to react, but you might head out of your room to the stairs and be TOAST. I have children...I can't let them stay alone in their room(s). I have to protect my babies.
 
Posted by ChrisLCR: I think they already crossed that line when they broke into his house, don't you?
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Yes indeed.

Why trap and barricade yourself in some bedroom if he could safely scare away or take out the threat if he had to from the stairs?
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To significantly reduce the very real risk of being shot.

My Lord... at what point are we finally allowed to act to defend ourselves and our families in our own homes?
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In most states, unlawful entry, perhaps made with force, will suffice, under most circumstances.
 
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Posted by ChrisLCR: I think they already crossed that line when they broke into his house, don't you?
Yes indeed.

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Why trap and barricade yourself in some bedroom if he could safely scare away or take out the threat if he had to from the stairs?
To significantly reduce the very real risk of being shot.

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My Lord... at what point are we finally allowed to act to defend ourselves and our families in our own homes?
In most states, unlawful entry, perhaps made with force, will suffice, under most circumstances.
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I'm no tactician, but being intimately familiar with the house, having the high ground on top of the stairs while half concealed seems to present a clear advantage to the home defender in the OP's situation.

Some say run to the bedroom and fire through the door at the first sign of forced entry. That may work in some situations, but the homebreakers can likewise shoot through the door first at you and your loved ones.

If there is a reasonably safe way of stopping the threat without having to trap yourself in a small room with possibly no way out, I believe it would be best to do so.
 
In the OP's circumstance, I also believe the top of the stairs would offer the best defensive position.

While hunkering down in a closed room does have advantages, I believe my chances are better drawing a line somewhere forward of my family in the "Safe Room" IMO This gives the bad guy(s) one more obstacle they have to defeat before they can get to the rest of my family. The further forward I can make my stand (up to and including the front door) the more time my Wife may have to prepare should I not be successful.
 
Posted by ChrisLCR: I'm no tactician, but being intimately familiar with the house, having the high ground on top of the stairs while half concealed seems to present a clear advantage to the home defender in the OP's situation.
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Half concealed means half exposed.

Some say run to the bedroom and fire through the door at the first sign of forced entry.
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No responsible person would fire through the door.

That may work in some situations, but the homebreakers can likewise shoot through the door first at you and your loved ones.
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How would they know at whom they were shooting?

If there is a reasonably safe way of stopping the threat without having to trap yourself in a small room wth possibly no way out, I believe it would be best to do so.
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I'll go with what the experts recommend.
 
Half concealed means half exposed.
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Sure, while the intruders in unfamiliar territory at the narrow low ground of the stairs are fully exposed.

No responsible person would fire through the door.
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Somebody here suggested it, and it worked pretty well for the girl that shot an intruder through the closet door with her mothers .40 Glock recently. He went running off like a scared rabbit. People aren't always worried about being responsible when they're understandably scared out of their wits.

I'll go with what the experts recommend.
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Do they always recommend barricading yourself in a room with no escape rout while the intruder(s) run wild in your home if the threat can be defused with relative safety? I take note of what the experts say and value their advice, but every situation is different.
 
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Half concealed means half exposed.
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Indeed, it means that half of me is exposed, aiming a cocked and locked firearm, at a narrow field of fire, that leaves the other guy(s) fully exposed if they intend to come that far. I personally like those odds as opposed to hiding blindly.

But then you add :

No responsible person would fire through the door.
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And,
How would they know at whom they were shooting?
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Clearly someone who is a "responsible" person, would not have broken into my home in the first place, and if they have a mind for killing, they are not gonna care who is on the other side of the door.

Someone spraying bullets blindly through a door (or wall) into a small room full of people can have deadly consequences for the occupants of that room.
 
OuTcAsT, some of the experts here, and some of the certified trainers, advise defending from a safe room just because that is the strategy promoted by virtually all other experts.

There are others, however, who have personally engaged in FoF training using simunitions. They have found out what works and what does not. I seriously doubt that you will find many of them who would try twice to stay in one place while exposing half of themselves and aiming a firearm, with the hope that the other guy will be fully exposed and will not shoot them.

You could ask them, or you could sign up and try it yourself.

In the final analysis, it is the defender's objective to stay unhurt and to protect his family, using deadly force effectively as a last resort only when it becomes necessary. That means not exposing himself to fire. It also means that his objective is not to figure out how to best engage and shoot the guy somewhere in the house because he has entered.

BTW, if you have the facilities, have someone put some targets on the other side of a wall and start shooting through the door. Count the hits. I do not think that you will worry much about that possibility afterwards.

Then have two or three people engage a person who is half exposed, using simunitons, paint-ball, or Airsoft. I think you'll give up on that strategy. One or more of the intruders may get hit, but that's not what's important.
 
In the final analysis, it is the defender's objective to stay unhurt and to protect his family, using deadly force effectively as a last resort only when it becomes necessary.
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I agree, I'm pretty sure everyone will agree to that statement.

That means not exposing himself to fire.
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Pretty sure everyone agrees with this as well.

It also means that his objective is not to figure out how to best engage and shoot the guy somewhere in the house because he has entered.
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No doubt, I don't think anyone implied otherwise. However, everyone should have in mind some plans to defend themselves, and their families if it becomes necessary.

BTW, if you have the facilities, have someone put some targets on the other side of a wall and start shooting through the door. Count the hits.
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I have, and the results were surprising. I got more hits than I imagined I would. YMMV

Then have two or three people engage a person who is half exposed, using simunitons, paint-ball, or Airsoft. I think you'll give up on that strategy. One or more of the intruders may get hit, but that's not what's important.
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Have been in this position many times in airsoft, and paintball. Sometimes it works out, others, not so much. As I said earlier, I know what the experts say, I have read and I agree with most of their (and your) points. I am merely saying that given the OP's situation, I would feel comfortable with defending the stairway. There is no "right" or "wrong" answer to this, just differing opinions.
 
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