Home Invasion - Was I wrong?

U were not wrong

I think U handled it like a pro. I know in California, U can't shoot someone unless it looks like they are going to bring U harm right then and there. Pretty scary situation though. I don't know what I would have done. I know if this was a police situation in California, the guy would have had 27 bullets fired into him for not taking his hands out of his pockets.
 
I know in California, U can't shoot someone unless it looks like they are going to bring U harm right then and there.
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In CA if someone uses force to enter your home you are assumed to be in fear for your life, thus deadly force is justified, someone would have to prove that there was a reason you were not in fear, such as you knew the guy and inviteded him there.
 
I have to say ,aside from leaving your room the first time unarmed ,you handled the situation properly.For those of you who said you wouild have shot him.Its easy to pull the trigger.However its not so easy to deal with all that comes after.The emotinal side of it is as big as the actual action of shooting someone.Remember you will live that moment over and over again in your mind.The legal side also is no picnic.You may be arrested and spend a night in lockup.Not to mention the amount of money it will take if it should go to court.Be careful and shoot straight
 
Any ending that doesn't result in death is a good ending. You made a mistake or two, but you've learned from them and moved on. That's how we get better. Good job!

While there are pro's and con's on this, the only other suggestion I would make involves the BG's detainment. I don't like serious bad guys on their feet. They aren't under real control while they're standing. Put 'em on the ground, face down, with ankles crossed and arms outstretched, palms up.

When you do this, command and control each and every movement by the BG, step by step. Don't just tell 'em to get on the ground, take it step by step, and make your commands clear, simple, and concise. Try to use a "command voice"; you want to be taken seriously.

This is all assuming, of course, that the BG will obey your commands. If not, your decisions and actions will have to be made split-second by split-second.
 
WhyteP38: I'm not saying trust to luck. If I haven't been clear then, here's the deal: I don't think he should be too hard on himself. Yes he made mistakes. But he did do well. His family is safe, the intruder is in custody, and no one got shot. That's a success. Should he learn from the tactical errors he made, sure. But I don't think he should be paranoid, either. Do you freak out remembering the time you rode your bike home drunk every time you ride? Don't break out the chains and start the self-flagellation is all I'm saying. Just learn from your mistakes and move on.

Did you buy the car your ex wrecked? If you did, and she got it in the divorce, then you should be happy.:D

PS: When I was a teenager, my high school sweetheart used to leave the door unlocked so I could sneak into her house and hook up as her bedroom was on the first floor. Lucky for me her stepdad never investigated with a .45 and blew my head off. Guess he'd still be in prison now. Well maybe not, that was 20 years ago:p
 
LICCW:

Regarding the ex, that's another time I got lucky. :) She had the payments for it after we divorced. Shame though; it was a nice car. Anyway, she didn't get hurt, just her bank account and her car insurance. (She wasn't a bad person, just not very careful; my biggest fear was that she'd run over some toddler or a tike on a trike.)

I'm not saying Phxdog should don sackcloth and put ash on his head. The situation isn't digital: all good or all bad. I do think he was extremely lucky that his gentleman caller wasn't armed or psychotic. I do think he made some serious tactical errors. I also think he demonstrated an impressive degree of self-control and thought. He can learn different tactics. That's relatively easy. The hardest part is learning to think under stress. I'd say he's got the hardest part licked.

And I'm not saying he should have pulled the trigger. Getting the intruder to put his hands on top of his head and then go prone can often be a viable option. But I think anyone who owns a gun for the purpose of self-defense should determine ahead of time where their personal line is. It's as vital a part of one's training as anything else. And I would save luck for poker or Monopoly.
 
not too close

I think I would have barricaded myself/wife into the bd room, called the boyz in blue, and let the dog do his job; I can tell you from experience that massive dog bites hurt really bad; of course the bd room is armed to the hilt, (no guns in safes) and would take the swat team to extract us:)
but I think you did an excellent job; next time, lock the door.......
 
Glad everything was ok....but everyone said it and now I have to chime in....KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED WHEN YOU GO TO BED. I actually had a friend of mine come home from a party around 4am, very drunk and walk into the wrong apartment. Scared the heck out of an old lady (who thankfully was an early riser and awake watching TV). She never called the cops. Next day after he sobered up he when to the apartment to apologize, and since he lived in a not so nice neighborhood to ask the woman to please keep her door locked in the late night, early morning hours.
 
Most of it has already been said, so I'll just add my 'good job' to it.

You realize all the errors NOW. But you protected your family and didn't have to shoot. Feel good about it, lock your doors, and take your gun with you.
 
Wrong?

yeah, in a word. Thats about as nutty a thing as I have ever heard. You are lucky you and your family are still alive. Hope you at least lock the darn door in the future.
 
This is why I have an alarm on my house. Not just as an alert to wake me up, or notify authorities (darn glad it does both) but also possible backup in court just in case (god forbid) things go bad in this type of situation. This why you need to know the law clearly in the state and city you live in. But for most, including me, at the wee hours of the morning with an intruder standing his ground, the law is probably the last thing on our mind. From the sounds of it you were very close to DOING WHAT YOU HAD TO DO. I for one am glad you didn't have to do what none of us want to do.
 
Have you ever considered purchasing a shotgun and getting some serious beanbag rounds? This way you won't have to make a life changing decision. If you're unsure, just pop him a couple times with it until he's incapacitated. If you made a mistake, it will heal...if not, then you'll be able to take control of the situation very fast. I would keep that handgun by my side though as a secondary weapon in case you need to get serious. However, this is something that you should consider.
 
However, this is something that you should consider.
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Ack! No, no, no, no, no. Bad idea!

Beanbag rounds can and do kill, especially at across-the-room ranges. There's a reason they're now called "less-lethal" instead of "non-lethal" weapons - to keep LEOs and other users from assuming they can freely employ them with little danger to the target. "Popping" someone "a couple of times" at close range is a good way to end up with them getting severly injured or even dying in your hallway.

If you want a non-lethal option, use spray (not the best choice indoors!) or a TASER (expensive, and has arguably caused deaths as well).

Better yet, leave that stuff to the police. Shoot someone only if you are in genuine fear for your life.
 
Just out of curiosity, since I know nothing about shooting bean bags from a shotgun, what happens when you run out of bean bags and the perp is not stopped? I remember reading a police report about some guy on PCP who cut slices of flesh from his own face and fed them to his dog. I'm thinking bean bags against someone like that won't be entirely successful. Do you then go for your pistol, which takes time to dump one weapon and grab another? Or do you have three bean bags and two live shotshells loaded? Or what if two or more perps are involved and you don't know it until you haul out the bean bag gun?

I'm just thinking bean bags are more appropriate when you have a much better idea of the entire situation, or for LEOs performing riot control functions and back up is available in case the bean bags don't get the job done.
 
Good Job

If this was my story it would go something like this...

"When I saw the guy I would have screemed so load it woulda sounded like a teenage girl in a horror film. I would have continued to screem at the top of my lungs as I emptied my weapon into the guy. Once he was dead (or I was out of ammo) I would have crumpled to the floor in a screemed out exhausted mess."

I am sure my screaming would start my wife and children screaming so everyone in the house would be screaming. Heck the bad guy might even have screamed. But I would swear my wife to silence and tell the story like I was calm and collected, in perfect control.

So phxdog you did good my friend. Even if you screamed :D
 
"Ack! No, no, no, no, no. Bad idea!

Beanbag rounds can and do kill, especially at across-the-room ranges. There's a reason they're now called "less-lethal" instead of "non-lethal" weapons - to keep LEOs and other users from assuming they can freely employ them with little danger to the target. "Popping" someone "a couple of times" at close range is a good way to end up with them getting severly injured or even dying in your hallway.

If you want a non-lethal option, use spray (not the best choice indoors!) or a TASER (expensive, and has arguably caused deaths as well).

Better yet, leave that stuff to the police. Shoot someone only if you are in genuine fear for your life."


Very true, however, having someone severely injured in your hallway is the idea. I'm not arguing whether or not using beanbags is in fact the best decision, which you made a good argument to, I'm just stating that it will most likely eliminate the hesitation of making a life changing decision, which can, of course, go both ways. Also, if the intruder does in fact end up dieing, since you used beanbags rounds intended to stop, and not kill, it will most likely be brought up as manslaughter instead of murder, which should be easier to plead self defense.
 
I wonder what Rebecca Peters :barf: and other anti-gun people would do in that situation. I always think anti-gun people are only anti-gun until they get a little dose of home invasion or car-jacking.
 
Seems like a lot of anti-gun people are anti-gun because they don't need them; only their bodyguards need them. I suppose that means only bodyguards should have guns, and so only people rich enough to have bodyguards have lives worth protecting. As for the rest of us ... well, we have no special talents that the world can't do without, such as acting or reading teleprompters. We're so common you can't throw a rock 10 feet without hitting one of us. A few less of us won't make that much difference.
 
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