What would you have done?

At the time this guy entered the bedroom, my wife & I are kneeling on the floor behind the bed opposite of the door, with our heads up watching the door. We always keep a front-room light slightly on (rheostat) so he was back-lit. A flashlight, at this point, would also have been a big plus.

What is becoming more and more clear is that this needs to be addressed as more of an official mission/plan. With each individual assigned their own area of responsibility. My son has since moved so, it's just my wife & I.

My wife is no cream-puff - she has been in two shooting scenarios. One of these she had to shoot her abusive ex-husband. She shot him in the head with a .22lr, he's still walking around with the slug in his head.

I've also purchased a Winchester 1300 Defender 12 gauge, w/ #4 shot, on which I've mounted a Zenon tactical light. This is now the primary house-gun, the 9mm will be in the night-stand drawer, on my wife's side.

I also like the idea of shouting and identifying yourself and also letting any intruder know that you are armed and ready. This alone may dissuade anyone if the clatch-chunk sound of the pump shot-gun doesn't.
 
Easy to realize that after the fact, but during the event... maybe not.


If you are confident of your shooting skills, you will be a whole lot calmer.

I have been around the block.

If I do not have to shoot somebody, why should I? Lethal force is the last resort in a serious self defense situation, not in a preceived threat.
 
ch47gunner,
You avoided Problem 2, and nobody got hurt, and damages taken care of.

Re: "Done?".
Steel inserts of door jambs, Medaco locks with longer dead bolt throw, with heavy door "bar" works.
I prefer the "bar" that is a "T" handle, that fits into a hole.
One hole is such it fits snug against door, second hole allow door to be opened only few inches.
This goes back to when I was a kid in the 50's and still works in homes and businesses.
Yep, there are two holes in the floor about an inch in diameter, takes no more to keep clean than one's bellybutton.

Dogs.

Strong firm voice.

Even a remote control light, or even more fancy lights with siren to startle and distract BGs that can be used from upstairs.

~~

Why is it always about the guns?

See in Jamaica, we had a drunk and belligerent fellow pounding and carrying on.
Now I did have a Machete, and big stick in the Condo. I sorta borrowed these from the nice fellow that tended the property near our Condo.
I had a wooden door stop under the door and some other tricks from staying on the road.

Bucket of water.
Yep, we just filled a container with cold water and dumped this on his head from upstairs.

It worked.

Out of the country, no guns, and using our brains.
Called Security and this wet, mad, drunk was pretty easy to find...

Use Enough Waterbucket.
 
ch47gunner,
You avoided Problem 2, and nobody got hurt, and damages taken care of.

Re: "Done?".
Steel inserts of door jambs, Medaco locks with longer dead bolt throw, with heavy door "bar" works.
I prefer the "bar" that is a "T" handle, that fits into a hole.
One hole is such it fits snug against door, second hole allow door to be opened only few inches.
This goes back to when I was a kid in the 50's and still works in homes and businesses.
Yep, there are two holes in the floor about an inch in diameter, takes no more to keep clean than one's bellybutton.

Dogs.

Strong firm voice.

Even a remote control light, or even more fancy lights with siren to startle and distract BGs that can be used from upstairs.

~~

Why is it always about the guns?

See in Jamaica, we had a drunk and belligerent fellow pounding and carrying on.
Now I did have a Machete, and big stick in the Condo. I sorta borrowed these from the nice fellow that tended the property near our Condo.
I had a wooden door stop under the door and some other tricks from staying on the road.

Bucket of water.
Yep, we just filled a container with cold water and dumped this on his head from upstairs.

It worked.

Out of the country, no guns, and using our brains.
Called Security and this wet, mad, drunk was pretty easy to find...

Use Enough Water.
 
You were cooler and MUCH more restrained than most could have been in that situation. My congratulations. Does the "drunk" realize how lucky he was that night?

I see that I need to toughen my doors/security here at home. I will look into making the changes to slow or stop the uninvited midnight visitor. I don't want to go through an event like yours!

Mark.
 
Nice Job

ch47gunner,
Anything you can do to accomplish what you ended up with deserves commendation, NICE JOB!

It's seems to me that you're already taking the steps to polish your home defense policy/procedures. You only had a light on behind him? I am sure there is someone here that can speak to night lighting in the house. I know I'm curious to hear ideas on it. I have a surefire P9, which I hope is enough to blind/disorient the BG and give me time to take appropriate action. I don't know anyone that's shot a BG as a civilian, but I've read stories about guys that have and the lawsuits/stress and other related symptoms do not excite me. I like to think that I'm prepared to use deadly force should the need arise, I also think that I've taken enough steps to prevent entry, if my home is breached, light and weapon will be at the ready.

I will attest to the fact of the commanding voice (once you're behind cover) is enough to freeze a person with no ill-intent. Girlfriends dad caught me (16 yr old) sneaking out, "Freeze $&#@!#". I honestly didn't know how to stay "froze" enough, I was scared stiff, but wanted him to know that it was me. <background info> He was ok with our relationship, I was there late (watching movie), fell asleep, no hanky panky.</background> I think I was more afraid of him finding me sneaking out and calling my parents to tell them I'd fell asleep over there. When I froze and turned around to face the business end of his shotgun I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He asked what I was doing and started laughing and...I'm around to laugh about it today.
 
Doors in Florida are a little harder to be kicked in, they open to the outside. That is a part of the building code because of the hurricanes.
 
I can't say what I would've done in your situation - anything from shoot when he came in the room, to hop out of the bed like a fireman at the first sound and race to the front door to stop him before he could get through (likely falling down the steps in my groggy rush). I will say that my adrenaline is pumping if I woke up at all (it takes a lot to do so). I don't yet unfortunately have the ability to wake from a slumber suddenly by a noise without being immediately alarmed - my kids are still toddlers/very young, so I've not experienced teenagers yet to desensitize me. :)

What I can say is that I know what I would do in your current situation: buy a door / door frame that takes more than 5 or so blows from a drunk 24-year-old to break down!
 
jkp1187 said:
This really depends on the laws of your state, and how things appear to any putative judge/jury. If your state does not have a Castle Doctrine law (Pennsylvania does not, I don't know about Cali,) he could really have been in a world of legal hurt if he'd fired and killed the guy.
Click to expand...

Is PA House Bill 641 not in effect? The castle doctrine seems rather well defined there.
 
I don't want to sound rash, but if you kick in my door, in the middle of the night, you're probably getting shot. Period.

I've read a lot of armchair quaterbacking and 20/20 hindsight here, but very few people seem to be thinking realistically. It's dark, you've accounted for everyone who is supposed to be there, someone busted in the door to gain access. No one I know that is a friend or acquaintance would do this. Perhaps police might, but they would also identify themselves (hopefully). One has to draw a line - and mine is illegal entry. Enter at your own risk.

Just being realistic.
 
Lets start with what went right:

Nobody got shot. All the damage done was paid for.

Sometimes you gotta follow your gut instinct - and in this case it paid off.

What would I have done?

I would have probably taken a defensive position at the top of the stairs. No way some nutjob is going into my home at 3 am after kicking the door down and making it up the stairs:

Flashlight on target and tell them to halt. If I identify at this point that target is armed - they are taking a barrage of fire right there and then.

If unarmed, I ask them to put hands up and surrender.

Call cops. Or have wife call cops as I keep target covered.

I would think its a reasonable assumption that someone is dangerous kicking in your door at 3 am, but if you identify that the said target is unarmed and drunk - and hence not a threat - no need to open fire.

However, positive identification of the target is a necessity.
 
Someone barges into my home in the middle of the night? He's facing some pissed off pit bulls.

If I didn't have the dogs, there's a good chance he'd have eaten buckshot.
 
Having a dog is adding active security. At the first kick at my door, if not at the approach of the door, there will be an aggressive bark from a Rottweiler and a large Dobermann.

I would call the effect...sobering:D
 
That's why I'm asking "What would you have done?"
Click to expand...
There are no absolutes


I have a question
What kind of person kicks a door off the hinges of his mother's house, drunk or not?

This is a violent personality that should be watched, it will most likely happen again somewhere and most likely has happened before, somewhere.

I wonder if mom makes a habit of bailing him out
 
I have a question
What kind of person kicks a door off the hinges of his mother's house, drunk or not?

This is a violent personality that should be watched, it will most likely happen again somewhere and most likely has happened before, somewhere.
Click to expand...

BINGO!!!! Give that man a cigar!

Harmless drunks do not kick doors off their hinges into the opposing wall. This is an inherintly violent person with a extra large does of "inhibitor remover" coursing through their veins.

How many people here in one of their wilder youthful indulgences have kicked down the front door of a house while drunk? Thi sis not a normal person we are talking about.
 
Honestly, I would have probably shot him when he got to the top of the stairs and before he staggered into my room. First, you don't know if that is alcohol or meth. Second, my responsibility is to protect my family, not show restraint to someone who kicked my door in and came up my stairs. Third, you didn't know who he was. Fourth, what would have happened if it was two meth'd up guys and one took the downstairs and the other took the upstairs.

I am glad it worked out for you but you definitely took some risks...not criticizing, I have been there too.

I would have positioned myself in as secure a place at the top of the stairs as possible and waited. Most people get the John Wayne bravado and charge off into the house looking for the intruder and many of those die at the hand of the intruder.

I would be having a talk with the mother of that child and would be explaining that her son came milliseconds from getting killed and that she should investigate some rehab for the kid. Sounds like an enabler because had it been my son (when he got out of the hospital for the profound ass kicking I gave him) he would have paid for the door.

I would also have pressed charges of breaking and entering against him to teach him a lesson. Doesn't sound like mom is teaching him anything.

New
 
This is what my Mossberg is for. My wife, and anyone staying in my house knows the drill. Stay down and don't leave the bedroom. If my bedrooms were upstairs, I'd work out a field of fire that covered the head of the staircase that gives access to the upstairs. I'd call out to whoever was in the house to leave saying that I am armed. Simultaneously, my wife would call 911, give the address, and say, "I'm afraid for my life."
 
A blinding flashlight along with some stern commands may help verify the intentions of an intruder. By all means keep your pistol close but some "yelling from cover" may keep you from killing a confused young man or a person trying to do you harm. :cool:
 
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