Are you ready for tonights scenario?

[leadcounsel]

Average weeknight at your home, around 9pm. What are you doing? Sitting at the TV? Computer? Workbench? Cleaning the house or another hobby? Schoolwork or work?

Suddenly, all of your power goes out. The TV goes out. The lights go off. The clocks go black. You notice your neighbors across the street still have power. A few seconds go by and you (or your pets) are alarmed at movement outside, near your power box. Within seconds you realize someone - likely a threat - has cut your power. You hear multiple hushed voices and muffled footsteps on your porch/deck/rockbed outside.

You have moments to react before someone kicks in your front or rear door or comes through a window, entering with unknown force and multiple numbers.

Time your reaction under normal situations with you in a hurry. Now, if you don't have immediate backup power, or carry a flashlight on your person, or have another immediately available light source, you will be conducting this same movement in the dark. Triple your reaction time. For instance, if it takes you 15 seconds to react, it may take you 45 seconds feeling your way in the dark.

You get a base of 10 seconds to react before a violent home invasion with 3 violent drug crazed men looking to do violent harm to anyone in the house and to commit armed robbery to fuel their meth and crack fix. The next moments will be some of the most critical of your life.

Add the following time to your reaction time:

Add 5 seconds if you have hardened/padlocked your exterior circuit box (to account for the noise they would make which would alert you sooner.

Add 20 seconds if you have dogs or other pets that would alert you to a stranger in your yard.

Add 10 seconds if you have a low-fence that intruders would need to cross.

Add 20 seconds if you have a tall fence that intruders would need to cross.

Add 5 seconds if you have added minor hardening improvements to your doors.

Add 15 seconds if you have added major hardening improvements to your doors.

Add 15 seconds if you have exterior lights that cover critical areas.

Add 30 seconds if you have motion floor lights that cover critical areas.

If you have immediate backup power or an immediately accessable flashlight, there is no penalty for darkness.


For instance, if your reaction under normal situations is 15 seconds, let's estimate it to be 45 seconds in total darkness. If you had hardened your front door with minor improvements, you would get the base 10 seconds plus 15 seconds for a total of 35 seconds to react. Where would you be in your immediate preparedness at the 35 second mark?

How much time do you need to secure your gun? Secure your family? Barricade yourself?

 

[leadcounsel]

I'll go -

Sitting at my computer listening to the radio or TV.

Pistol on my hip. It would take me 10 seconds to get to bedroom, secure door, grab shotgun, and barricade myself. Phone in pocket to call 911. According to the rules, that takes 30 seconds in the dark.

Base time alloted before intruder entry is 10 seconds. Padlocked external power supply +5 seconds. Dogs + 20 seconds. Low fence +10 seconds. Hardened doors + 15 seconds. Exterior lights + 15 seconds. This totals 1:15 before they enter the house.

Based on the rules of this game, I would have about 45 seconds to prepare before the perps are INSIDE the house. Of course it may take time for them to get to my location, but the minimum time needed for me to be secure is 30 seconds.

 

[rainbowbob]

Add 15 seconds if you have exterior lights that cover critical areas.

Add 30 seconds if you have motion floor lights that cover critical areas.

Scratch that - ther's no power!

 

[Ryder]

Power goes out a lot around here. I don't even get out of my chair. Can't see the doors but all entrance ways are covered from this position. Anyone breaking in becomes a target after a couple steps. Darkness and complete silence are to my advantage. It takes 2 seconds to arm.

After the initial confrontation I might have to move four steps to the safe and grab a rifle. That gives them ~15 seconds to vacate my property before the gates of hell open up.

 

[smince]

Scratch that - ther's no power!

Maybe they are solar/battery?

Dogs-check
Major hardening-check
High fence-check
Battery back-up lights-check
Glock and AK-47-check (oh, wait-that wasn't part of the equation)

 

[bikerdoc]

I usually dont participate in hypothetical scenarios, but this one could be beneficial if it stays on track. Here we go.

If you have immediate backup power or an immediately accessable flashlight, there is no penalty for darkness.

I got Backup power and/ multiple WORKING flashlights in every room. Plus all the other good stuff on your list, dogs, lights, motion, hardening, fences, plus some other goodies.

9 PM I am at my desk/ shop, on the computer or working on a knife build or sharpening. Cell phone on belt.

3 inch .357 in my pocket, 380 in the desk, shotgun within reach. Flashlight on my belt, keyring and desk.

Wife watching T V, trained and ready with a 38 or 9mm and 20 ga within reach. We got a small house.

code word = Show time

So I would quote Mas Ayoob, and say. "It was a failure of the victim selection process." on their part to try my house.

In reality the outside dogs would give me more than 20 sec warning.

First call to 911, Second to neighbors.

Hope I have helped some one add to their planning.

Stay safe

Doc

 

[heeler]

9:00 p.m. on a work night??
Me,I would be stretched out on my recliner drinking a cold beer watching some old movie on TMC with my reliable dog lying next to the recliner.
I would get up to get the flashlight and then upon realizing that someone is outside about to probably do something very foolish I would grab the Mossberg...But no rush as I long ago put stout burglar bars on every window and door I have in this house...And I had these made to my specs.
True if you hooked a chain to a car you could yank them but at that point I would have already been wise to the no goods intentions.
I tell people at work all the time who live in upper end suburban neighborhoods that the difference to me or someone else being outside or inside their house is a mere 1/6th of an inch pane of glass.
A home invasion at my house is something I dont worry about.
Now at 5:00 a.m. walking out to the vehicle to go to work then all bets are off.
A guy the next street over got robbed at gun point by two gang members at about that same hour as he was getting ready to go to work about three months ago.
That's a scenario that's pretty common around here as is home invasions.
Beef up your fort guys because times are tough and it probably is only going to get worse.

 

[uspJ]

at 9pm im laying on the couch with my girl watching tv, i've either a kel tec pf-9 in my pocket or a glock 26 on my hip with my surefire in my pocket. my ak and 870 are in the bedroom along with usp compact 40 with a light. i would send my gf to the bedroom and have her lock herself inside with the long guns and call 911. i would take a defensive position in the bathroom door, i have a clear line of sight to the front door which is the only entrance other than windows (apartment dweller) and am directly across from the bedroom. it would take about 10-14 seconds to get into position. the aprtment isn't hardened so those few seconds would be really all we have.

 

[heeler]

What HOV touched on about drug crazed people is pretty sound.
Most home burglaries are done by misfits that usually need money for drugs.
Home invasions at least here in Houston follow this pattern.
1.Someone is involved in illegal drug dealing or human smuggling and has money and dope at home and they want both.
2. Houston has a lot of immigrants and a lot of these people own small business's and for what ever reason keep said money from the business at home and are the victim of a home invasion of a gang from the same ethnicity coming for the money and other tangible assets such as jewelery.
We had at least two home invasions last week.
One was in an upper end neighborhood that a personal friend lives in.
A gang of four guys hit the house in broad daylight and stormed in taking a small safe.
I have no idea what race these people were but a lot of people in that neighborhood are Asian and own business's.
For the most part a home invasion is a targeted home and generally not a fluke happening.

 

[mbt2001]

My 2 pesos...

I am tangentially responding to the OP offering advice, but remember that loose lips sink ships. Your security protocols, when speaking specifically, should remain classified.

I believe that we will be moving away from the rapid police response system more and more because of budget cuts. Get a radio net setup with your neighbors. FRS / GMRS are cheap and can be left on the cradle charging while turned on. So, if you have two plugged in the bedroom, and 2 or 3 neighbors have them, you can help each other out by phoning the police, giving intel of where movement is, et cetera. Remember to get the cradle charging kind, or you can't leave them "on" and hear anything.

 

[HOV]

What HOV touched on about drug crazed people is pretty sound.

Thank you.

My post was deleted because it was most likely judged by a moderator to be too flippant, so I'll reword my thoughts.

A realistic scenario should include a realistic threat. Drug addicts looking for a fix are probably more likely to turn to prostitution than armed robbery to earn money for their drugs. The idea that a team of drug addicts would band together in an organized manner, get guns instead of using that gun money for drugs, take the time to acquire the tools (more money spent for things other than drugs...) and use those tools to cut the power to your house, and attack... doesn't correlate with the behavior of many drug addicts. Thus the scenario isn't realistic as written.

So the scenario is better understood as a home invasion without the drug-crazed part.

The answer to general home invasion scenarios is always the same: have dogs, harden your house to the extent that makes sense, have your pistol with you whenever possible, even at home, train.

There comes a point at which one must assess real risk and prepare appropriately. If you're a drug dealer and have a large stash of drugs or cash in your home, then I do agree this is a good scenario to think about because there will be some risk from groups of armed people looking to jack your stash. But this risk assessment is a very personal thing and varies directly with the kind of life you lead.

For instance: there have been 2 shootings in my neighborhood recently. One woman was killed working at her in-home day care business by an angry ex-husband. Another was a woman killed during a home invasion.

The home invasion victim was on the run from the Russian mob. She let in a guy the night before who, at night, knocked on her door and asked to use her restroom. He did that of course in order to case the place and make sure she was there, but she didn't know that.

Applying the principle of risk assessment to these unfortunate women, perhaps while being on the run from the Russian mob one should not let strangers in the house. Or be unarmed. And perhaps a woman who is on the wrong end of a physically abusive relationship should arm herself and take proper precautions (especially while caring for the children of others) against unwanted people entering her home or place of business.

As for me, the risk of a highly coordinated team of paint huffers taking a sawzall to my electrical box in an effort to rob my place at gunpoint is fairly small. I have evidence to support my theory, as there has been no such activity in my area for at least the ten years I have lived here.

There have been, however, incidents of armed violence that I do need to prepare for and think about. I was here when the DC sniper rampage happened, I was here for 9/11, I was here (and in attendance at that particular campus) when there was a shooting rampage at Northern Virginia Community College, and I was at work at the Pentagon that day when a gunman pulled his piece and opened fire at the door guards at the Metro entrance.

I have done thought experiments and had discussions with people that will hopefully get me better prepared to deal with these things in the future. There is value in such discussion, but I do think it's important to keep things within the realm of the possible, not the improbable.

 

[leadcounsel]

I am tangentially responding to the OP offering advice, but remember that loose lips sink ships. Your security protocols, when speaking specifically, should remain classified.

Very good point. I have many more tricks up my sleeve than the few I've listed. And I am continually adding to the castle. Next I may dig a moat!

 

[easyg]

Let's see...

I would probably be watching TV or sitting at the computer checking out The High Road, with my Glock 27 on my side.

Power goes out.

I look out the window and see that my neighbors still have power.

As I'm asking my lovely wife if she forgot to pay the power bill I hear people outside my back door where the power-box is.

I tell the wife to call 911 on her cell, which she would probably already be doing (actually, we only have cell phones now. We got rid of the land-line several years ago).

Luckily (at least in this particular scenario) there is always plenty of light in my neighborhood due to the street lights, and utility lights, and my neighbor's flood-lights.
In fact, I often wish it were much darker at night here as it makes stargazing practically impossible.
Only a complete neighborhood blackout could make to too dark to see folks in the yard or the house.
And yes, I probably should get some drapes to go over the blinds, but I've gotten used to the ambient light over the years.

Anyway, I would draw my pistol and watch the back door, which is the easiest door to defeat in my home, and the one closest to the power-box (and out of sight of my neighbors).
From the kitchen vantage point I can also see the front-door and the door leading to the basement all at the same time.
And fortunately, my deck creaks and can be heard very easily whenever folks walk up on it toward the back door (although my wife disagrees that this is a good "safety feature").

If I see someone who looks like he (or she) intends to break in to cause me and my family physical harm or death, I would wait till they broke through the back screen-door and then shoot them.
Yep, I would shoot them through the glass back-door before they even entered the home.



NC State Law:

§ 14‑51.1. Use of deadly physical force against an intruder.

(a) A lawful occupant within a home or other place of residence is justified in using any degree of force that the occupant reasonably believes is necessary, including deadly force, against an intruder to prevent a forcible entry into the home or residence or to terminate the intruder's unlawful entry (i) if the occupant reasonably apprehends that the intruder may kill or inflict serious bodily harm to the occupant or others in the home or residence, or (ii) if the occupant reasonably believes that the intruder intends to commit a felony in the home or residence.

(b) A lawful occupant within a home or other place of residence does not have a duty to retreat from an intruder in the circumstances described in this section.

(c) This section is not intended to repeal, expand, or limit any other defense that may exist under the common law. (1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 673, s. 1.)


Easy

 

[Kleanbore]

I will not detail my security provisions or my strategy, which could be defeated by those who had thought of them, or state my intentions with respect to the possible use of deadly force in a hypothetical scenario, which could come back to haunt me, in an open forum.

I will say that the scenario presented provides a very useful basis for thought and for challenging one's preconceptions.

For example, for decades, I based my plans on the assumption that I would have the time and the ability to get to a gun in the bedroom.

For decades, it never occurred to me that my house power might be vulnerable. Telephone lines, yes, but not the power.

For decades, we left the doors unlocked while we were home.

All good things to think about. Good post, leadcounsel.

 

[steven58]

Well first, my intruder alert system would "go off"

Cutting power won't negatively affect the system as it runs on Purina One

Doors are all steel with reinforced frames and deadbolts. Windows are tempered glass double pane with 3M protective film on the interior surfaces. Front and side windows have Holly bushes surrounding them.

.45 is on hip or in a simplex locked pistol box in bedroom. Access time is 10 seconds from furthest point in home.

 

[cleardiddion]

2100 on a school night?
Probably on my computer in my room.
Not too worried about it being too dark I guess, I live in an apartment complex with 2 other guys in the apartment.

I have a pocket light along with my trusty Pa-63 on my desk ready to go with an extra mag to stick in the pocket. To boot I also have a Winny 1894 in the closet ready to go with enough ammo to deal with even an extended fight I figure.

I wouldn't have to worry too much the roomates I suppose. Everyone has a light or nightvision and are armed with all sorts of goodies: shotguns, rifles, bayonets, warhammers, spears, and other sorts.

 

[otcconan]

It would take at least 30 seconds to load my 870 in the dark. Flashlight, an LED, is on my nightstand, so that would help. The light is slim enough that I can hold it in my left hand as I chamber rounds and would serve well as a tactical light.

Should I choose to go pistol, It'll take 15 seconds. But I'd go for the shotgun. My pistol is a .22.

 

[ChaoSS]

First, no one is cutting my power without my dogs telling me about it first. Second, no one is cutting my power without either killing my dogs or climbing a power pole.

Let's say they do kill the power. It's not completely dark, there's still light coming in through the windows (lots of flood lights in the neighborhood) and the wife's laptop puts out light on battery power. I can grab my gun from where I'm sitting blindfolded just as quickly as I could with full light. It would take about three seconds. I can also move around my house really well in the dark.


I don't think it will be a problem.

 

[308win]

In the house, I am armed 95+% of the time. If we are upstairs we will probably be in the master suite and anyone coming up the steps is in a kill funnel; unless they have a couple of people providing suppressing fire they may not make it to the middle landing let alone the upstairs hall (still in a kill funnel).

If we are downstairs in the family room or kitchen and they come through the patio entrance they are in the open and walking into defensive fire; if they come through the front door they are in the downstairs hall - about twenty feet of funnel/kill zone - or if they go to their right they will eventually have to come through the door from the dining room to the kitchen - again, a funnel/kill zone. Our family room and kitchen are really one large open area only defined by furniture placement and I can move in this area unimpeded.

If I am unarmed and downstairs I am hosed so I guess I need to not make that mistake again. Upstairs, I have handguns and an 870HD immediately at hand.

 

[Enachos]

When at home I'm ALWAYS on the computer... and I also ALWAYS have my G27 on my hip and my M4 in my room (about 20 feet away). But... If in that situation.... My computer room is in a balcony-like room that over looks all 3 entrances to the house and it's on the 2nd floor so I would have the higher ground... BIG advantage. I'd give those guys a low chance of getting out alive if they weren't smart enough to leave after hearing the first shot fired.

 

[leadcounsel]

Very good answers. I think this has been a valuable tool for people to assess a possible situation.

I got the idea after recently watching a show about people who survived life threatening events (of all sorts - attacks, getting caught up in machines while working alone, etc.). One was a husband and wife held in their home by an armed intruder and ended in them beating him to near death.

I hope this has helped some think about various scenarios and hardening their defenses.

 

[kgpcr]

not worried about that one at all. How many people know how to cut power to a house with out getting fried?? If they do oh well. I dont worry about what ifs and such. I dont think about scenarios. If they cut my power and break in then they die in the dark. I dont say that lightly, as a Marine with trigger time i have been there. I just dont worry about what ifs and heavy door frames and all that i just live my life happy and free. However you would not want to poke this dog with a stick

 

[NMGonzo]

GF gets the Ar and the DW

I get the shotgun and the colt.

All that on our way to out the backyard, and jump the wall to our neighbor's property.

Open exploratory fire and change positions ... see what happens.

 

[oneounceload]

Scratch that - ther's no power

Here in FL, the auto generator kicks in in less than 5 seconds.

Besides - why would someone target YOUR home and not the folks across the street or next door?

People imagining video game warfare scenarios need to to rethink things just a little

 

[jfdavis58]

Draw, light, shoot----gun on hip, flashlight in pocket. I can be 'in position' near any door inside 5 seconds; I can cover all from one position about 10 feet from my favorite chair. Pays to stay fit, have a plan and keep clear hallways.