On alert ALL NIGHT !!!

"Everyone here is assuming this guy was some sort of murderer rapist. For all we know it was a group of kids planning on putting toilet paper in the neighbors yard."


From this comment, is it safe to presume you would have assumed this was the case? To presume the best case scenario first, is to leave oneself open, without being prepared, to the worst case. It's easier to scale down your response or preparedness when justified, rather than try to scale up as needed. To try to "catch up" with a greater threat than you first anticipated puts you behind the curve, and there may not be an opportunity to catch up, particularly given the information we have already about this situation.

Regarding my comment on not being prepared in event things were more serious than first realized, many people don't keep a gun on them, within reach, or even loaded, when at home. Many of these people feel that OWNING a gun is enough, and it can be loaded when needed. If the bad guy had made entry into the house, from forgetting to lock the door after getting the paper, a kick-in, or whatever reason, once they are in, and you are not ready at that exact moment, the game is over, and you have lost.


Some good comments have been made regarding not going out to investigate, and calling the police right away, and at each event of the evening.
 
I believe 2 things need said here:

1) Kudo's to Kymasabe for being prepared to deal with a potential problem. His preparations may need some work, BUT he decided to do something instead of just sit and cry.

2) His action plan needs HELP not destructive bickering.

FWIW, going outside after you hear/believe/think someone tried to get in is the wrong thing to do. Think of it this way; Would you lower the drawbridge if you thought the enemy was gathering in front of your castle? Of course not. The same thing should apply to your front door.

Next, you should have alerted the PD as soon as you suspected someone tried to get in. Why? Because you may have been the first attempted victim and calling the PD could have prevented someone else from getting harmed down the road.

Motion sensor lights are absolutely a good thing. Even with big nasty dogs in your yard, lights help you (and the dog) find the BG faster.

You should sit down and plan the sequence of events you will follow should something like this happen again. Run those plans through your mind until you KNOW what you will do. If they involve others, then they should be included in a "disaster prep" practice until they also know what to do and when/why. Doing this will highlight areas of your defense that are weak and need "fixing".
 
The direction of this dialogue also begs the question of whether it's necessary to be "armed" in your own house.

I am almost always armed or have instant access to a gun.

Regardless of the "why" of it, the sad state of affairs in America is that you generally should be armed or have nearly instant access to a weapon to defend yourself EVEN IN YOUR OWN HOUSE!

In this regard, everyone has overlooked the fact that kymasabe did TWO THINGS that he should be applauded for.

1. He has a habit of locking his front door with a deadbolt. This is the first line of defense. If the door was not locked, his family may have found a violent stranger in their home when this brazen criminal (who knows if the guy is an escaped convict from death row desperate for his freedom, a drug user desperate for a fix, or a murderer/rapist child molester wanting to do his family harm) tried to gain access. If the door was not locked, we can be assured that access would have been gained based on the door knob being jiggled, and 100% certain that a violent altercation would have followed. Due to his diligence, kymasabe avoided the confrontation by locking the door.

2. kymasabe also needs to be applauded for carrying his .380 with him at all times even in his castle. And why not? It's small and lightweight and adequate stopping power. IF the door was unlocked the chances are very very high that he would have called upon the .380 to save the lives of his family and himself.

So kymasabe, take heart in the fact that you did a few things that likely saved, or would have saved, your families lives. Just heed the advice of people here when they say to take a DEFENSIVE posture with you family safe and your biggest gun and call the police. In this situation, based on the K9s and seeing the burglar lurking outside, it was certainly warranted.
 
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I am happy to know that everything turned out safe. There were a few mistakes that kymasabe did that were already pointed out. Several valid suggestions were made to help correct them.

I enjoy reading actual situations where people were on their guard, or they had actual shooting/near shooting encounters. I like them better than "what if" scenarios. Like "what ifs" they make you think of what you would do during the episode, but they provide you one persons actual response. You can always learn from that and prepare for similar confrontations.

Hopefully kymasabe is better prepared today than he was yesterday. I do hope that as a result of his experiences, we are better predared as well.
 
A real man would have went to fridge got another beer. Gave wife 380 and told her to go out and check. That you were watching TV and this is what she had been trained for. My 45 would have stayed with me in case he/they got by roving partol.. I hate being bothered in middle of a good show. :D

Did he do every thing right ,no Are they alive yes. Were I live I go out and check. State police might get their in 30 min. So I take my coach gun and 45 and start outside check of house, barn and other buildings. .
 
OK..well, thanks for the input at least. For the record, we heard a noise, thought it MIGHT be the door. My dog goes crazy when there is someone on the front porch BEFORE they ring the bell and she was quiet, on the floor next to me. I have some faith in my dogs ability to warn me of visitors. The .380 was what I had handy at the moment (in my pocket). I didn't want to take the time to go get the 9mm from across the house. We (dog and I) exited out a different door on the side out of the house, NOT the same door that just rattled. We get alot of people hanging door-hanger advertisements so thought it was probably one of them, that's why we weren't too alarmed, just checking things out casually, but armed. Didn't find anything or anyone so thought threat was over, wasn't even sure there was a threat. At that point I wasn't about to lock myself in my house, barricade myself in a room with the family, armed to the teeth, waiting for the cops to arrive. Wan't until an hour later when my wife was out and saw the K9's that I thought something might be up. She did her errand (not in our neighborhood) and came right home and I called the police while she was gone after she called about the K9's. Was later in the night she saw someone running thru the yard and THEN I was ready with the 9mm + dog + 4-cell Maglite. Turns out the neighbors parents were in Vegas and their teen son had a few friends over, one was goofing around and running thru the yards knocking on windows. Little freak is lucky he didn't get himself shot that night...and I told him so the next day when I found out. Darn near pooped his pants when he found out.

I know some of you hardcore fanatics think I should have put on my body armour, loaded up the AK and a few 1911's, maybe a .44-mag, night vision goggles and all that but...give me a break. I did what I thought was appropriate for the threat level at the time. :mad:
 
"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."

He isn't even sure he heard the door. He was watching tv, I doubt he heard the door knob turn unless he has the rustiest door knob on the face of the earth.
 
you did a good job looking out for the family. i've done that same thing before. i just prefer to lock all doors leaving gf inside with phone and gun. all motion sensor lights get thrown on then the boxer and i have a look see. these guys who are critiquing you are the same guys that would stay in their homes if they saw gunfire going off in yours. were you tactical ... who cares... at least you have a heart. it is rare that someone takes full advantage of the second amendment and searches their own property!

God Bless
 
these guys who are critiquing you are the same guys that would stay in their homes if they saw gunfire going off in yours.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

Please read my profile--then, perhaps you might rethink that. Moreover, there are other people who have replied who do the same thing that I do.

Folks like me have this awful tendency to run toward the sound of gunfire, instead of away from it. :)

Again, kymsabe, no slam was intended. It is the same as critiquing someone who does a training exercise. You pick their performance apart, and make them run the scenario again because the saying is true--the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.
 
funny...so was I. last night my dog (a 2 year old german shepherd imported from belgium and highly trained by me thank you :) ) went nuts last night and I swore I heard a bang (in my half asleep state I thought it sounded like someone kicking the door but was aware that it might have come from a neighbors yard or garage). I turned on the light and let him out of the bedroom and on my way out of the bedroom turned on the living room light, with big mag light in hand as a club since I wasnt scared enough to carry the 12 gauge around the house. turned on the outside lights and first let the dog do a sweep of the backyard (fenced) then we went into the front yard (both trips outside were after turning on the outside flood lights and peeking through all the windows) and while in the front yard I noticed that my next door neighbor was sweeping around with his little plastic flashlight in nothing but his boxers, and neighbor across the street had his rottweiler with him doing the same thing (couldnt see it but after speaking with him found out he had his wilson combat in his pants/holster) they both heard the same thing but next door neighbor was last to come out, I was second. next door neighbor swore he heard laughing and voices before and after the load bang on his door. the two dogs (my gsd and neighbors rottie) were both on high alert and wanting to follow a trail. guy across the street had already called the cop around the block (a state cop) who told us that our county (here in louisiana they are called parishes) has had a 40-70% increase in crime in the last 2 weeks. houses burglarized, cars stollen and/or broken into. they are not making it public knowledge though so as to not panic the locals. we live in far north eastern louisiana, no we are not natives and it is temporary. anyway...come to find out 5 doors down a house got broken into and a bunch of jewelry, cash and tvs etc stollen later that night, apparently while we were talking to the state cop.
from now me and the guy across the street will be sleeping lightly and with an outside light on all night. I seriously doubt they will come back and pretty sure they didnt touch our houses because as soon as we heard the bang we flipped the light switches and in my house and guy across the street the dogs started raising hell. next door neighbor said he wished he had a big noisy dog now.
shotguns and pistol staid locked up in the bedroom and my wife was ready to unlock them and defend herself. if I had been sure that someone was in the house the bedroom door would have been locked, wife would have been holding the dog with one hand and dialing 911 with the other while I kept one of the shotguns aimed at the door.
in this case I figured a teenager was playing pranks or maybe I had mis heard the noise and a neighbor was knocking at the door.
 
I can't be critical of Kymasabe's actions.

Last year I heard a couple of loud bangs on the front door at 2:30 in the morning. I quickly got up, dressed quickly in jeans and a jacket (it was cold), grabbed my 590 and german shepard. I searched the house top-down, checked all the windows on the ground floor and sat by the door for a few minutes. Slowly and quietly I got up, opened the door and went outside with my dog--closing the door behind me, still locked. All lights were off outside and because I had been sitting in the dark my eyes were accustomed to it (I can see very well in the dark). I waited for this very reason. I carefully circled my house being aware to what was behind me. After not finding anything I let myself in, searched the house again and waited for another hour.

I have seen it written to never leave one's house, but I do not see the problems with my actions. As such I will not criticize Kymasabe’s actions; rather I feel he acted admirably and was wise to maintain a high alert.
 
I know I'm getting in pretty late on this one, but it was quite interesting to me as a read.

I thought that maybe you guys would want to "hear" what a lady would say in the same instance.

Yes, always, first and foremost....have a plan. That, to me, to me is priority #1. Both adults in the home may be a competition shot, but it doesn't mean diddly if everyone doesn't know their "places" and can assume those positions, when and if a threat arises.

Always have a contingency plan to the first. Sometimes Plan B can be the saviour of Plan A.

As for us? It's pretty simple. I grab the baby and put her in the bed with me. We both have phones. The husband, a Marine I'll add, grabs the 9mm and the dog. Yeah, he's only a black lab, not a g.s., rotties, pit, etc...but I must admit that my Bear boy is crazy as all get out and will attack upon command, hair raised, eyes shining red.
The dalmatian stays with us in the bedroom. Again, not an attack breed, but overly protective and can hear and point better than a darn setter. lol

I am armed with a pistol-gripped semi-auto 12ga riot pump. Loaded: slug, buck shot, bird, bird, buck, slug, slug. The daughter has been taught that if mommie raises her weapon, she is to lay as tight against the bed as possible and play "peek-a-boo" with the sheets.
We also have code words...pretty simple as well..."Clear", "Ready", "FAW" (fire at will), "Down", "Call". It gives us both an understanding of what is going on as well as gives us an idea of each other's position and distance to one another.

Just a view as a lady. :)

As far as this particular situation, yeah, I see a few things I would change. Then again, as a lady, I would be proud of my husband for getting active about it. You know, there are a lot of pretty boys out there that are too chicken-**** to even get out of the bed or off the couch. They'd rather grab the phone, hide under the bed, and hope for the best.

Huggles,
Shan
 
I guess I'm wrong too, because everytime something gets my dogs stirred up outside I go out with my gun in one hand and my 3cell maglite in the other.

Out in the country where I live, you either take care of it yourself, or you call the Sheriffs Dept and wait 30-45 minutes for them to get there.
 
Give the guy a break!
Apparently was in a residential neighborhood (or whatever they call the places with houses in every direction). That means relatively close-quarters. And the guy's possibly near the door. Anybody try to wield a long-barrel shotgun quickly? Try spinning the thing 180 degrees, avoiding a wall and any posts or trees that might be in your way. Yes, it's swell when it's already pointed in the right direction - and excellent power, too. Same goes for field artillery and B-52 bombers. Look, this guy may be in the bushes, ready to jump on you. Deflecting a shotgun barrel's not hard. A short pistol's a lot harder to run into the muzzle of. A pistol's a lot quicker to turn around than some big shotgun or rifle of non-class-3 length (especially those 8-round Remingtons). A sawed-off 10-ga double-barrel would probably be a better pick - or a uzi.
 
Relax....

Most of you seem to be a bit paranoid. It must be tough to see enemies everywhere and never be able to relax at home or go out of the house without a gun. FFS!! Build bigger prisons and spend more money on shrinks!!
And please dont come with the stuff that your protecting your family, yourself, friends, neighbourhood etc etc..... Over here we use your guns for hunting and sports. We dont tote around with em at all times and therfore there is less **** and not many nutcases.
 
Easy to say as a Norweigan. The cost of living in Norway is relatively high, with not a lot of fluctuation between the "rural" areas versus the metropolitan areas. Therefore, it can be said that the percentage of would-be assailants would be less per thousand residents.

As well, on the whole, Norway's criminal penalties are fairly more strict that the US. Penalties for breaking the law are sometimes a bit more than the word "tad" severe for the same crime as committed from Norway to the US.

So, I can understand where you are coming from being from Norway, but I think you may want to research a little more in-depth using a balanced statistical model of both populations before coming to a conclusion as such you have.

Shan
 
I would agree that the tactics suck ...assuming you thought you were really in danger.

I also agree that the criticism of those tactics could have been better conveyed.

But notice that the story changed in the retelling....suddenly the situation seems much less dangerous....

From ..."we heard the doornob turning" to "we heard something like the doornob turning"...and the fact that the dog was not concerned is telling IMHO

Very different....your tactics are more appropriate for the latter situation

Tell it a few more times and it may turn into a "I heard a funny noise" story:D

Call me complacent, but I don't even get my pistol out for those!
 
Had a similar thing happen at my home when I lived in Cincinnati. I wasn't actually there at the time but my brother and sister were. Back door was unlocked and my brother was watching TV and walked out into the kitchen to hear the door knob being turned and saw a silhouette of a person standing at the door. Luckily the guy took off when he saw my brother but my brother locked the door, grabbed my sister, called 911 and stayed in the house. Sheriff's dept showed up and looked around but found no one.

Sure, sometimes it's kind of a thrill to go looking for someone in the dark, but when you or someone else are using guns, stakes are at their highest. Me personally, I would have peeped out the windows and looked around and probably would have stayed in the house. I'm not going to criticize what you did.
 
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