I was watching TV a night ago when my wife ,(who was in the next room) and I both heard our front door knob turn. The deadbold as locked so no one came in. I had my Kel-Tec .380 in my pocket, wandered outside carefully with the dog, nobody around. Thought I was hearing things or maybe the door wasn't closed all the way or something. An hour later, my wife goes out and a few blocks away, the cops are searching the woods with K9 units. I called the cops to tell them what happened, they say it's nothing to worry about. My wife comes right home, we're hanging out when suddenly we see someone run thru the side yard and jump my neighbors fence. No one in the neighborhood in their right mind would jump that fance, neighbor has a nasty German Shephard. So, put the Kel-Tec away, take out the Taurus 9mm, 3 full mags of Hydro-Shok at the ready, put both kids in one room (they were already asleep), lock all windows and doors...and laid awake almost all night keeping an eye on things.
On alert ALL NIGHT !!!
- Thread starter kymasabe
- Start date
leadcounsel
Moderator
Let me get this straight....
You AND your wife heard someone attempting to enter your house resulting in the rattling of your door nob, so you WENT OUTSIDE armed with only a small .380???? And you didn't put your kids someplace safe when this happened, or when the police were searching w/ K9 units later, but only when you saw someone. And then all you grabbed was the 9mm??? And your wife went out an hour later into the neighborhood alone and presumably unarmed?
Did I understand that correctly?
No offense, but I think you could have handled that better. Going outside makes you an immediate target AND gives the badguy an entry point into the house after he's shot and killed you, leaving your family vulnerable. Never go outside to investigate. Also, IMO, and this will get debated, but .380 is inadequate for home defense too. It's great for light duty pocket carry, but you needed something bigger (like your 9mm) in that case. NEVER go outside to investigate or clear a house for what turned out to be a real burglar trying to get into your house. YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACKED AND KILLED.
My reaction would have been completely different. Wife and I get guns and phone and round up kids and all get in safe room of house and call the police and wait with guns trained on entry point(s). Alternately, if you are sure he's not in the house, close all blinds and cover entry points/hallways, etc.
Preferably shotguns or .223 with handguns as backups. Have spare key on glowlight/keyring to toss to police in the event burglar gets into house.
You AND your wife heard someone attempting to enter your house resulting in the rattling of your door nob, so you WENT OUTSIDE armed with only a small .380???? And you didn't put your kids someplace safe when this happened, or when the police were searching w/ K9 units later, but only when you saw someone. And then all you grabbed was the 9mm??? And your wife went out an hour later into the neighborhood alone and presumably unarmed?
Did I understand that correctly?
No offense, but I think you could have handled that better. Going outside makes you an immediate target AND gives the badguy an entry point into the house after he's shot and killed you, leaving your family vulnerable. Never go outside to investigate. Also, IMO, and this will get debated, but .380 is inadequate for home defense too. It's great for light duty pocket carry, but you needed something bigger (like your 9mm) in that case. NEVER go outside to investigate or clear a house for what turned out to be a real burglar trying to get into your house. YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACKED AND KILLED.
My reaction would have been completely different. Wife and I get guns and phone and round up kids and all get in safe room of house and call the police and wait with guns trained on entry point(s). Alternately, if you are sure he's not in the house, close all blinds and cover entry points/hallways, etc.
Preferably shotguns or .223 with handguns as backups. Have spare key on glowlight/keyring to toss to police in the event burglar gets into house.
Avid Concealer
New member
I think he's joking. Surely he didn't really go outside when that's where he thought the threat was. It's likely that whoever was outside had a gun too and has a much better position on someone walking to the exterior considering..
1. there are only a few given exits from the home.
2. whoever was outside already had better night vision considering their eyes have adjusted properly to the lack of light.
3. If he is serious, I hope he reads these 2 simple facts of many others that prove that going outside was an rather dumb decision. Thank God nothing happend.
1. there are only a few given exits from the home.
2. whoever was outside already had better night vision considering their eyes have adjusted properly to the lack of light.
3. If he is serious, I hope he reads these 2 simple facts of many others that prove that going outside was an rather dumb decision. Thank God nothing happend.
I wouldn't say he's lucky. Very few people are ever killed in home invasions, infact statistically the majority of people aren't home when their house is being robbed unless the BG is very stupid. Granted it wasn't smart to go outside, but it was very doubtful that he would have been shot outside his home. Are you sure he even attempted to enter the house? You said you were listening to the tv but you also heard the door knob turn?
You people are almost unbelievable. What a pathetic bunch of monday morning quarterbacking from a group of weekend commando wannabes. 
+100 to kymasabe.
You protected your family. There is no more honorable duty required of a man. Thank goodness you, your wife, and your children are safe. I applaud you.
+100 to kymasabe.
You protected your family. There is no more honorable duty required of a man. Thank goodness you, your wife, and your children are safe. I applaud you.
I won't agree or disagree with what happened. He did what he thought was the correct course of action for the situation at the time. I may have done things different but who knows? My situation is different since I have an 85lb pure bred German Shephard with me when I go to check out things that go "bump in the night".
Kudos to you sir for taking action.
Kudos to you sir for taking action.
perception
New member
He took the dog with him too.
Double Naught Spy
New member
Let's see, we are Monday morning quarterbacking because a fellow law-abiding gun owner did several things wrong in the given situation and we would prefer to have our fellow law-abiding gun owners not make such blunders and get harmed or killed, or end up with their families harmed or killed.
leadcounsel is absolutely right in that the choices of going outside and only armed with a puny Kel-Tec .380 and a companion dog was far from the tactical or safe ideal. If folks are going to insist on going outside to investigate possible threats, then said folks should take a few extra moments (as it was not an emergency, at least not yet) and properly arm themselves.
kymasabe had a bigger gun that he could have taken outside, but he didn't decide to get that gun until AFTER checking outside and being safe and sound inside the house. He had spare mags for the Taurus, but apparently not for the Kel-Tec. He didn't take a flashlight or a phone. Heck, he didn't even bother calling the cops to report a possible attempted break-in when it happened.
Contrary to MRex21, kymasabe did not actually protect his family. He investigated a suspicious event, but the only protection that went on was by the deadbolt. If checking such events is considered to be protecting his family, then he did a less than adequate job by going outside poorly armed. Had he encountered the possible home invader(s) and gotten neutralized in the process, then just how much protection could he do?
One way in which home invaders can successfully gain entry into an occupied home is by doing something to draw the homeowner out of the house. Jiggling the doorknob very well could have been such an event. Other events include things like asking to use the phone, asking for help with a ficticious emergency, etc. As the door opens, the hopeful intruder(s) standing out of sight from the door's peephole, rush the door while it is still open.
Given how badly things can go wrong, the only reasons why this situation turned out so succesful was because the deadbolt worked and the potential intruders vacated kymasabe's property before he got outside and so there was no sort of confrontation.
One of the things I have learned through various training programs is that for most civilians, investigating attempted break-ins is best left to the cops. There is no reason to leave the safety of the interior of the home so long as all family members are safe inside. It is much easier to determine that everyone is safe inside and that no intrusions have been made into the home than it is to determine that everything is safe outside where the homeowner has little or no control.
Reporting an attempted break-in long after the event occurred does little or nothing to aid the police in tracking down the possible intruder(s).
Not calling the cops immediately after the attempted break-in was a mistake and was only reported AFTER the wife learned of other activity in the area. The significance of that mistake apparently was not realized at all. kymasabe witnessed a second suspicious event of seeing the guy run through the side yard and hop the fence and still he did not call the cops. He didn't even call the cops at that time even though he knew the cops were searching for suspects. It is only AFTER seeing the fence hopper does kymasabe decide that maybe he needed something a little more potent than the Kel-Tec and more ammo. It was only AFTER this event that he and his wife secured the kids and locked all the doors and windows. Why the doors and windows were not immediately locked after the attempted break-in is beyond me. In regard to the situation, it is a little late to be locking up when the apparent suspect is seen fleeing away. Of course, there could be others, but the time to lock up should have been immediately after the attempted entry (for those doors and windows not already locked).
Kymsabe, kudos to you for your willingness to confront something that threatened your family.
Now, if I may--as a friend, albeit only one you have met on the Net--offer some observations:
1. You did right by arming yourself. However, I would have chosen the biggest thumper I could have gotten my hands on.
2. Inside your home with the entrances secure and the family in with you in your sight is the safest place to be. That way, anyone wishing to gain entry has to come to you, like a fly to a spider's web. Remember this--when Chesty Puller (LTG, USMC) was on a hill in Korea during the Korean War, he was advised that he was surrounded. His reply was, "Those poor bastards. They're right where we want them--we can shoot in all directions."
3. Your biggest tactical error was opening your door and going outside, even with the dog. Why?
a. If we are on a call and we are advised that K9 is working, we get back into our patrol units post-haste, lock the doors and roll up the windows. Consider what would have happened if an off-leash K9 would have entered your yard at the same time you came outside.
b. Again, get your hands on the biggest gun you can carry, IF you have to invesgate a possible threat.
Now, here's the worst one. Think of this for the next time.
You said that the BG went through your side yard, and jumped the fence.
This means that while you were outside in your yard, SO WAS HE.
AT CLOSE RANGE.
WATCHING YOU.
Your door was open, your wife was inside, and you were away from the door.
Please, please don't think of this as a slam or criticism. You are one of the good guys. Please do NOT give scum like the one in your yard the chance to cause you harm. Work from your position of strength.
Good luck, and God bless!
Yours,
Powder(definitelynotaweekendwannabecommando)man
(Sorry, WA, I had to do it)
Now, if I may--as a friend, albeit only one you have met on the Net--offer some observations:
1. You did right by arming yourself. However, I would have chosen the biggest thumper I could have gotten my hands on.
2. Inside your home with the entrances secure and the family in with you in your sight is the safest place to be. That way, anyone wishing to gain entry has to come to you, like a fly to a spider's web. Remember this--when Chesty Puller (LTG, USMC) was on a hill in Korea during the Korean War, he was advised that he was surrounded. His reply was, "Those poor bastards. They're right where we want them--we can shoot in all directions."
3. Your biggest tactical error was opening your door and going outside, even with the dog. Why?
a. If we are on a call and we are advised that K9 is working, we get back into our patrol units post-haste, lock the doors and roll up the windows. Consider what would have happened if an off-leash K9 would have entered your yard at the same time you came outside.
b. Again, get your hands on the biggest gun you can carry, IF you have to invesgate a possible threat.
Now, here's the worst one. Think of this for the next time.
You said that the BG went through your side yard, and jumped the fence.
This means that while you were outside in your yard, SO WAS HE.
AT CLOSE RANGE.
WATCHING YOU.
Your door was open, your wife was inside, and you were away from the door.
Please, please don't think of this as a slam or criticism. You are one of the good guys. Please do NOT give scum like the one in your yard the chance to cause you harm. Work from your position of strength.
Good luck, and God bless!
Yours,
Powder(definitelynotaweekendwannabecommando)man
(Sorry, WA, I had to do it)
Double Naught Spy is right on the money as usual, and Powderman's advice is equally good. Leaving your vantage point was a HUGE mistake, as was leaving yourself under gunned with the .380. Of course, with the situation calm and no threat from our perspective as we all think about it, its always easier then in the heat of the moment to be right. If we could be calm and rational at the time of stress, what genius's we'd all be, right? But you did survive and we've all learned from this so its all good for now. I think calling the police, getting your most effective weapon, and staying in a secure room with one entrance that you can defend, in that order, is a good strategy.
us.armysniper
New member
If you guys think that is so horrible, I can't imagine what you would think about a react to contact drill! 
308Enfield
New member
I just want to offer a thank you to everybody who's posted such good information. Its good to see that these boards can have a healthy, informative debate about issues all of us are interested in. For what its worth, if I was making the move to a weapon inside and was reasonably sure that a potential threat was on the loose I'd tuck a pistol into my waistband as a backup and load the Mossburg Model 500 with 8 rounds of 00-buck for the primary. I think that might, just maybe, be even worse than an angry German Shepard 
A valid point.....except for two things.
1. Kids or others who are toilet papering do not make a habit of trying out other people's doorknobs.
2. Toilet papering is usually not the type of thing that a police K9 will deploy for. IIRC, the original poster stated that K9 was running in the area.