Lights on during a home invasion?

Never understood how someone can just "walk" into your house. Do people not lock their doors? ... I keep my doors locked even when I'm home so the only way you are getting in is with my permission or by actively trying to break in...
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+1 -- I always keep my doors locked, especially the one front door that provides entry from the "public" side. My wife used to grumble about that, then after several really bad cases of home invasion she realized I was only being practical(!)
 
Which options above sound reasonable? Any other gaping holes in the plan?
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What kind of response do you get from your family when you tell them, 'We are going to practice ...?'

You do understand than any plan goes down the toilet upon first encounter with the opposition.

The biggest 'Hole in the plan' I see is that you are dealing with people.
 
Hermanpj...A lot going on with a complicated/detailed plan.

what do you and your wife do if BG's get to your kid(s) before you do?

do you get reception with a cell phone from inside your closet?

you did not mention age of children any complications here?

shooting indoors...you planning on using hearing protection for family?

if you are going to retrieve kids...how about BUG in case you are attacked or lose firearm or it jams?

Since kids are involved absolutely essential you and wife are on same page as what to do if they are taken or being threatened.

Safe signal if audio or visual could be forgotten in high stress situation...what's wrong with just saying "It's me I got the kids don't shoot" and waiting for a verbal acknowledgement that she heard you and understands.

Hope you don't have to use your plan but better to have one than not.
 
Hook, when I say we are going to practice, I explain why, and then we practice. We have practiced fire drills successfully, no issues. A car hit our house one time and I said, fire drill, need you outside of the house in 10 seconds. Kid(s) were out in pretty close to 10 seconds.

Aphdmansoc, great and very helpful questions. Will take them in turn - help me think through it. I do also agree I hope to never use this plan, but I'm with you: need to have a plan and practice the plan.

1. It's complicated/detailed plan: it really has only 3 main elements and 2 branches. 1. The wife goes to the closet, 2. I go get the kid(s), 4. I bring them to the closet. B1. We stay put if I see BGs from upstairs, B2. The kid(s) go to the neighbors if BGs are attacking my wife bc bringing them to the closet would be bad.

We will have to actually break the plan down into each step and practice each scenario/path of the outcome logic.

2. The BG getting the kid(s) first is more likely in a daytime attack. At night, in addition to the alarm, there is 1 60 pound husky and 1 90 pound Greyhound. Even if somebody got past the alarm without setting it off, the dogs would go apesh$t if someone came in. I'm not saying they'd protect us, just that they would bark like crazy. All of these houses are laid out with master bedroom downstairs so that's where they will most likely head first - to subdue the owners.

If they DO get to the kid(s) first, my current thinking is we have to de-escalate the situation while we wait for the police. Chances of the child(ren)being killed increases if I do not de-escalate verbally. Even if submitting increases chance I will be killed. If the alarm didnt go off and they get to the kid(s) first, I'm still hoping my wife is making it to the closet and making the cell phone call. If that doesn't work, well I'm out of luck. Any plan is out the window once its defeated 3 layers deep. Short of us all sleeping together in a steel fortress, which would get old, not sure what else to plan. Any input?

3. Do we get reception with a cell phone from inside closet? Yes, 4G, 4 bars. We live in an area of strong coverage, so good there.

4. Child(ren) is/are young but he/she/they walk and talk and are athletic. Still at the age where the kid(s) obey, particularly when scared.

5. Hearing protection: there are earmuffs in the closet, my wife should put them on. I dont want the kid(s) wearing ear protection bc the alarm is still going off and I want him/her/them to hear me when I come up for them.

6. Back up gun: AWESOME idea. I dont want to waste time getting to the kid(s) so I would need to put the one gun in a keypad activated gunvault upstairs, and one w me. Alternative is I could put the 12 ga in a big bureau, but then i'd have to put locks on it and I don't want to be messing w locks if there's an invader.

7. Being on same page w wife as to what to do if kid(s) taken or being threatened: I absolutely agree. Do you have any ideas or theories?

8. The problem i thought of with me just saying "It's me with the kid(s) don't shoot" is the alarm is still going off at this point, the dogs are going to be running all over barking like crazy, the wife may have fired an AR-15 or a 12 ga, she may have thought to put on ear protection, I may have had to fire so my hearing may be impaired... hearing may not be a reliable sense at this point for anyone. So I came up with the towel idea as a visible symbol of 'don't shoot.'

That's another tough one to solve. Only thing I can think is we have to practice that part of the plan many many times.
 
My wife and I experienced a violent home invasion last fall. My comment to this thread is be prepared and have a plan. I never thought about this situation nor planned for it. Things happened fast. I had to handle the situation as it unfolded. I made some mistakes. In the end we were ok and the perp not so well. We stay prepared now.

...jjj
 
I have always thought that a master light switch by the bed would be a marvelous idea, flip it and every light in the house comes on.
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I'm close to that, my brother and sisters bedrooms are at the east end of the house mine is at the west end but my bedroom door comes out in the dining room across the room from the entry door so I hear anybody from kitchen to dinning room to living room or front porch. When I come out the light switches for all 3 rooms are right there at my left and I can switch them all on at once while I am still in my dark room. Advantage mine. Plus I have porch light on 24/7 and a night light in the kitchen and living room so us old people aren't having to stumble around in the dark for our nocturnal business. Anybody on the porch or inside the house is going to be back lit at the very least. If those lights are off the mag light on my night stand next to my .357 is handy and with my open house plan I can scan from kitchen door all the way to the other end of the house in a quick sweep, advantage still mine. No place for boogerman to hide.
 
Yeah, that's why I put my firearm on when I get dressed in the morning, and don't take it off until bedtime.
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Same here. And my house has security lighting around it's perimeter. Plans also for a video security system and X-15 controlled interior. Needs also include a landline, as cell coverage is nil. I need to get out of here first, though.:(
 
If I didn't choose to hide I would turn on the lights. Most break ins are property crimes. I couldn't live with my self if I shot an unarmed man over a TV set. Even worse, you could shoot a loved one who accidentally broke a window or was sneaking into the fridge for a late night snack. Crazier things have happened...

If I shot everyone I have caught sneaking in a window I would have shot my wife of 22 years before we were ever married. We had a tiff. She came to my house drunk, looking to make up. I didn't answer the door and went back to sleep. A while later she came in through the window.
 
The last time I posted on a thread like this I got kicked off firing line for a week. But again. I live in the country , have outside security light on at dark , always keep gate locked and have a 108 lb German shepherd runs on about 2 of our outside acres that's dog proof fenced. But if anyone ever does try because crackheads are dumb with try anything. And it's dark, the lights will stay off. Im very comfortable in my hose at dark. If you think you're going to kick my door open and get something. You are, it's gonna be lead!
 
Check in to X10 products. I can turn on the living room, front and back lights with only a couple of clicks on a hand held remote. It makes it easy to light up the house with the bedroom wing completely in the dark. Works great and I can see what is going on when I want to with out exposing myself. I have been using their products for about 27 years.
 
If I didn't choose to hide I would turn on the lights. Most break ins are property crimes.
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If someone breaks into your house when you are home, I would say their intentions may be beyond a simple property crime.
 
Definitely no lights. You know the home's layout - the bad guy doesn't. As soon as you turn on the lights he gets a benefit - all you get is blinded. Keep your night vision by keeping the lights off.
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^^^^^ I see just fine at night in my home.
 
I think you'd turn on the lights and blind you both. But still you in your own home, in darkness where you have the upper hand. YOU WILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND!
 
farmerboy said:
...But still you in your own home, in darkness where you have the upper hand. YOU WILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND!
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You can have the advantage if you and your family and stay, armed, in a defensible place of safety. You do not have the advantage, with or without lights, if you go looking for an intruder.
 
In your own home and having someone kicking door in? You're not looking for an intruder. You're protecting you and your family. You have that right. In Texas anyhow.
 
farmerboy said:
In your own home and having someone kicking door in? You're not looking for an intruder. You're protecting you and your family. You have that right. In Texas anyhow.
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[1] If you're right there, at the time.

[2] It's not a question of legal right. It's a question of best tactical choice.
 
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