Fight or Flight - Do you have a plan for defending your home?
- Thread starter Sam Fisher
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I think you need to break it down a little more than TSHTF. How about these categories just so people can get a handle on what challenges the folks in our scenario will be facing.
1) Environmental catastrophe. Yellowstone supervolcano, dinosaur killer meteorite, pole shift, giant firebreathing lizard, etc.
2) Societal upheaval. Revolution, riots, pandemic civil unrest.
3) Plague. Rapid moving widespread disease.
In all 3 scenarios essential services will be swamped. Backup is probably not coming, at least not soon. Expect the infrastructure to fail quickly. Electricity, water, line gas, maybe even sewer service will be available only at the onset of trouble.
But as long as we're in tinfoil hat land we may as well have some fun with it.
If you have the resources you have already identified a location for a vacation home that will be outside the trouble zone and will keep you safe enough until the trouble passes. You've seen the warning signs and you've gotten the heck out of Dodge. If so, we can ignore you, you're already safer than the folks in their primary residence in the suburbs or the city. If you didn't get out of town ahead of time or you aren't rolling in dough, then you are left with making your little pink house into a fortress. Just like the rest of us.
Make Shutters: A sheet of 3/4 inch plywood cut to size over ground level doors and windows. Reinforce on the outside with a 2x4 nailed or screwed through the plywood into the lumber. Two 2x4's on a window, three on a door. Drill at least two holes through each 2x4 and plywood for long carriage bolts. Put the shutter over the door or window opening and thread the carriage bolts through a 4x4 cut at least a foot wider than the door or window opening. Use washer at both ends and a nut on the inside to secure the shutter. If you want to get fancy cut small vision blocks and firing ports into shutters.
Plan your keep In a two story home plan on falling back upstairs. Don't select a basement, even if there is a second means of egress. You have to fight your way up to the level where the BGs are from a basement. From a second story you have the advantage of height and even something as simple as heavy items become weapons. An attic with a ceiling hatch will work almost as well if you have a stepladder that can be pulled up behind you if you need to fall back.
Get the things you will need to survive where you will need them. Food, water, clothing, medical supplies.
Get upstairs and destroy the stairs. replace them with a ladder that can be pulled up once you have fallen back. This simple tactic can foil the BGs plan of forcing entry and getting to what you have.
Make sure you have things to keep you entertained. Since the power will probably be off plan on reading a lot.
Limit cooking. I believe the estimate is for 5 days of food in stock in the average American city at any given time. After that people are going to come scrounging for food. The smell of a hot meal will bring them running like rats.
Discipline your light use. Improvise light curtains. Use lanterns sparingly and preferrably in an interior room with a well curtained window.
Plan on what you will do if the sewer fails. Since most sewer systems operate on gravity they will be the last service to fail. However, heavy rains and lack of operators can lead to failure and you should have a plan on how to deal with human waste. A trash bag and a cardboard box may be unpleasant but it beats living in your own waste.
Plan your escape route A window that opens onto a roof or a hatch cut through the decking are good ways to get out of your second story redoubt. Make sure you have a way down to ground level on the roof. A rope or a ladder secured to the shingles is a good idea. Prepare a bailout bundle. A backpack loaded with the basics for two days and a weapon should be on your egress path for you to pick up.
Finally, fire will be your biggest worry. Either because the BGs are trying to burn you out or because of spreading fire. Without a modern fire department your chances of controlling a house fire are about nil. Modern houses are filled with so much plastic and man made materials that they are essentially refineries in a dry state. Hold what you've got for as long as you can, but plan on having to run hard and fast if TSHTF.
1) Environmental catastrophe. Yellowstone supervolcano, dinosaur killer meteorite, pole shift, giant firebreathing lizard, etc.
2) Societal upheaval. Revolution, riots, pandemic civil unrest.
3) Plague. Rapid moving widespread disease.
In all 3 scenarios essential services will be swamped. Backup is probably not coming, at least not soon. Expect the infrastructure to fail quickly. Electricity, water, line gas, maybe even sewer service will be available only at the onset of trouble.
But as long as we're in tinfoil hat land we may as well have some fun with it.
If you have the resources you have already identified a location for a vacation home that will be outside the trouble zone and will keep you safe enough until the trouble passes. You've seen the warning signs and you've gotten the heck out of Dodge. If so, we can ignore you, you're already safer than the folks in their primary residence in the suburbs or the city. If you didn't get out of town ahead of time or you aren't rolling in dough, then you are left with making your little pink house into a fortress. Just like the rest of us.
Make Shutters: A sheet of 3/4 inch plywood cut to size over ground level doors and windows. Reinforce on the outside with a 2x4 nailed or screwed through the plywood into the lumber. Two 2x4's on a window, three on a door. Drill at least two holes through each 2x4 and plywood for long carriage bolts. Put the shutter over the door or window opening and thread the carriage bolts through a 4x4 cut at least a foot wider than the door or window opening. Use washer at both ends and a nut on the inside to secure the shutter. If you want to get fancy cut small vision blocks and firing ports into shutters.
Plan your keep In a two story home plan on falling back upstairs. Don't select a basement, even if there is a second means of egress. You have to fight your way up to the level where the BGs are from a basement. From a second story you have the advantage of height and even something as simple as heavy items become weapons. An attic with a ceiling hatch will work almost as well if you have a stepladder that can be pulled up behind you if you need to fall back.
Get the things you will need to survive where you will need them. Food, water, clothing, medical supplies.
Get upstairs and destroy the stairs. replace them with a ladder that can be pulled up once you have fallen back. This simple tactic can foil the BGs plan of forcing entry and getting to what you have.
Make sure you have things to keep you entertained. Since the power will probably be off plan on reading a lot.
Limit cooking. I believe the estimate is for 5 days of food in stock in the average American city at any given time. After that people are going to come scrounging for food. The smell of a hot meal will bring them running like rats.
Discipline your light use. Improvise light curtains. Use lanterns sparingly and preferrably in an interior room with a well curtained window.
Plan on what you will do if the sewer fails. Since most sewer systems operate on gravity they will be the last service to fail. However, heavy rains and lack of operators can lead to failure and you should have a plan on how to deal with human waste. A trash bag and a cardboard box may be unpleasant but it beats living in your own waste.
Plan your escape route A window that opens onto a roof or a hatch cut through the decking are good ways to get out of your second story redoubt. Make sure you have a way down to ground level on the roof. A rope or a ladder secured to the shingles is a good idea. Prepare a bailout bundle. A backpack loaded with the basics for two days and a weapon should be on your egress path for you to pick up.
Finally, fire will be your biggest worry. Either because the BGs are trying to burn you out or because of spreading fire. Without a modern fire department your chances of controlling a house fire are about nil. Modern houses are filled with so much plastic and man made materials that they are essentially refineries in a dry state. Hold what you've got for as long as you can, but plan on having to run hard and fast if TSHTF.
LaEscopeta
Member
Making a house more defendable?
As stated above, the vast majority of houses in the US, including mine, are not built to be defendable. I’m thinking of improving my house a little, particularly getting bullet prove cover positions, and maybe backstops. For the limited self defense scenario of one or two home invaders, does anyone think any of the following are worthwhile?:
1. Fill the hollow space between the dry wall with sand? Like was tested here:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/7/
I would only have 4â€+/- of sand in a standard 2†x 4†interior wall, not the 6†from the test. But the wait position in my safe room is behind the corner of the utility closet; when I’m kneeing an incoming round will have to come through the closet door, then the front and the side of the washing machine, then out the side wall of the closet. I know even medium handgun rounds will punch through the washing machine, but I’m hoping the sheet metal will slow it down enough so 4â€+/- of sand behind will stop it. There is a wall downstairs directly below the sand wall to support the weight, about 350+/- lbs if I fill the wall 3.5’ high (knelling cover.) The sand will be heat dried, to (hopefully) avoid mold.
2. Take cover behind the end of a 6’ long book case, so incoming rounds will have to go through several books. Not sure how to stop a lucky shot from coming through the air space between 2 shelves.
3. Using a closet full of clothes as a backstop to stop shotgun pellets (#1 buck or low recoil 00 buck.) This would only be a concern if I can’t get the kids out of their bed room and behind me in the safe room before the BG comes up stairs; the closet is between their room and the safe room. Again I will be kneeling, so any pellets that miss the target will be at ceiling level down range by the time they go through the closet back wall and into the kids room (no bunk beds in there.) But if I screw up and fire with the muzzle level, can I expect clothes and 2 sheets of drywall will slow pellets down to below lethal speeds?
For us, I’m trying to work the more likely home invader/burglar scenario first, and then try to work out a SHTF plan.
As stated above, the vast majority of houses in the US, including mine, are not built to be defendable. I’m thinking of improving my house a little, particularly getting bullet prove cover positions, and maybe backstops. For the limited self defense scenario of one or two home invaders, does anyone think any of the following are worthwhile?:
1. Fill the hollow space between the dry wall with sand? Like was tested here:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/7/
I would only have 4â€+/- of sand in a standard 2†x 4†interior wall, not the 6†from the test. But the wait position in my safe room is behind the corner of the utility closet; when I’m kneeing an incoming round will have to come through the closet door, then the front and the side of the washing machine, then out the side wall of the closet. I know even medium handgun rounds will punch through the washing machine, but I’m hoping the sheet metal will slow it down enough so 4â€+/- of sand behind will stop it. There is a wall downstairs directly below the sand wall to support the weight, about 350+/- lbs if I fill the wall 3.5’ high (knelling cover.) The sand will be heat dried, to (hopefully) avoid mold.
2. Take cover behind the end of a 6’ long book case, so incoming rounds will have to go through several books. Not sure how to stop a lucky shot from coming through the air space between 2 shelves.
3. Using a closet full of clothes as a backstop to stop shotgun pellets (#1 buck or low recoil 00 buck.) This would only be a concern if I can’t get the kids out of their bed room and behind me in the safe room before the BG comes up stairs; the closet is between their room and the safe room. Again I will be kneeling, so any pellets that miss the target will be at ceiling level down range by the time they go through the closet back wall and into the kids room (no bunk beds in there.) But if I screw up and fire with the muzzle level, can I expect clothes and 2 sheets of drywall will slow pellets down to below lethal speeds?
For us, I’m trying to work the more likely home invader/burglar scenario first, and then try to work out a SHTF plan.
HI express
Member
What HK said
Sam. it's like HK said...depends on your house. I have a safe room...my house is set up so all the points of entry has to funnel through one hallway to get to the safe room. The house is also set up so that all the bedrooms are clustered next to the safe room.
One other thing...the entire house is set up so that the safe room faces a hillside...read bullet stop. We have high windows in all the bedrooms, so it isn't easy to come at the safe room without going through something.
One other thing...we have a solid panel going out of the safe room to the outside....built to be hidden...read not visible to the outside....every rabbit has to have an escape hole, right?
Good luck on your home defense...best defense? Layer your defenses.
Sam. it's like HK said...depends on your house. I have a safe room...my house is set up so all the points of entry has to funnel through one hallway to get to the safe room. The house is also set up so that all the bedrooms are clustered next to the safe room.
One other thing...the entire house is set up so that the safe room faces a hillside...read bullet stop. We have high windows in all the bedrooms, so it isn't easy to come at the safe room without going through something.
One other thing...we have a solid panel going out of the safe room to the outside....built to be hidden...read not visible to the outside....every rabbit has to have an escape hole, right?
Good luck on your home defense...best defense? Layer your defenses.
ReadyontheRight
Member
Arkansas Bushwacker -- with a post #1 like that, I really look forward to your presence here on THR.
HankB
Member
It depends on what type of SHTF scenario occurs - if there's been a total breakdown of society with no police, no fire, no nothing, and there's a large, determined, and organized gang that decides to assault you . . . you have a BIG problem. As already stated, few homes are really defensible.
On the other hand, if it's basically a mob of unorganized looters (Rodney King riot scenario) that's entirely different - I'm quite sure accurate, aimed fire will turn a mob when they see a dozen or more other rioters in their front ranks go down.
(Speaking of the Rodney King riots, I remember the news media stating that about 60 people were killed . . . but I never saw a summary of their demographics. Does anyone have info - were most of these just regular folks who were victimized, or were these rioters who picked the wrong victims, such as, for example, the merchants of Koreatown?)
On the other hand, if it's basically a mob of unorganized looters (Rodney King riot scenario) that's entirely different - I'm quite sure accurate, aimed fire will turn a mob when they see a dozen or more other rioters in their front ranks go down.
(Speaking of the Rodney King riots, I remember the news media stating that about 60 people were killed . . . but I never saw a summary of their demographics. Does anyone have info - were most of these just regular folks who were victimized, or were these rioters who picked the wrong victims, such as, for example, the merchants of Koreatown?)
sturmruger
Member
When my wife and I finally purchase a house I am planning on putting sand in some of the walls to offer some sort of real cover. If we were in the middle of a SHTF type scenario I think I would do what the Koreans did in LA during the riots. They all sat on top of their stores with guns and protected thier property.
Missourigunner
Member
Fight or Flight
I live in a Mobile Home, in a Rural setting. My Home is situated near a gravel road, I have a circular driveway. I am surrounded by trees, have 2 entrances. I have motion lights and CCTV camera on the rear portion of my house. I have a Remington 870 and several handguns as well as Rifles for Home defense. I have emergency equipment, i.e. a generator, food, water, First Aid supplies and etc. in the event that SHTF. A lot of my neighbors used to think me wierd, are now copying my methods. I think I am at least 90% prepared
I live in a Mobile Home, in a Rural setting. My Home is situated near a gravel road, I have a circular driveway. I am surrounded by trees, have 2 entrances. I have motion lights and CCTV camera on the rear portion of my house. I have a Remington 870 and several handguns as well as Rifles for Home defense. I have emergency equipment, i.e. a generator, food, water, First Aid supplies and etc. in the event that SHTF. A lot of my neighbors used to think me wierd, are now copying my methods. I think I am at least 90% prepared
beerslurpy
member
Older Florida houses pretty much all have concrete walls with slit windows. They arent meant to be climbed through.
I rely on lots of doors to make sure intruders make enough noise to wake me up and my trusty rifle to make sure I have something useful to do when I do wake up.
I rely on lots of doors to make sure intruders make enough noise to wake me up and my trusty rifle to make sure I have something useful to do when I do wake up.
Stevie-Ray
Member
Some of the worst rioting of the last 50 years was a scant 7 miles from my doorstep. I've spent my adult life preparing for the same in my own neighborhood, just in case. I won't divulge details, but rest assured, myself and several of the neighbors won't leave.
TheLastBoyScout
Member
SHTF?
Rooftop with a rifle. Clear fields of fire for atleast 150yds around.
More mundane home invasion?
I sleep in a room at the top of the stairs. Jacklight anyone coming up with a surefire, followed by liberal application of XM193.
Rooftop with a rifle. Clear fields of fire for atleast 150yds around.
More mundane home invasion?
I sleep in a room at the top of the stairs. Jacklight anyone coming up with a surefire, followed by liberal application of XM193.
Heh, silence is golden.
My home is too large for single or even 2x team defense, so my methodology differs depending on what I am facing.
If it's a horde, they better be able to run pretty fast, cause I'll take the escape route and the ready pack and do a speedy fade on my 50cc ... but if it's one or two, or a small, unprofessional bunch ?
They're dead.
Lay low, nice and quiet, patient, let them poke around, think nobody's home, slack off and relax....
Then ambush and kill them, and put their heads out in the front yard on stakes.
The exact details of how that would work I will not share, for obvious reasons, but every house should have one, or more than one "lay low" spot for when you wanna 'play dead' in case of something really bad happening.
-K
My home is too large for single or even 2x team defense, so my methodology differs depending on what I am facing.
If it's a horde, they better be able to run pretty fast, cause I'll take the escape route and the ready pack and do a speedy fade on my 50cc ... but if it's one or two, or a small, unprofessional bunch ?
They're dead.
Lay low, nice and quiet, patient, let them poke around, think nobody's home, slack off and relax....
Then ambush and kill them, and put their heads out in the front yard on stakes.
The exact details of how that would work I will not share, for obvious reasons, but every house should have one, or more than one "lay low" spot for when you wanna 'play dead' in case of something really bad happening.
-K
In general my plan is to stay at home and protect my family, but in a SHTF case, I have hiked, hunted, caved, etc. almost all the ground from where I live to were my brother and parents live. I'll be carrying what I can and "gathering the wagons" with my kinfolk.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
It all depends. Many folks feel that holing up in a bedroom in a lay-in-wait sort of ambush situation is most ideal. These are the people who don't go into 'hunter' mode to seek out and destroy invaders and are those that don't take flight from the home. The concept is that you let the bad guys come to you and since they will undoubtedly have to come through a funnel device (e.g. bedroom door), they present a fantastic target. If the bad guys don't choose to come in the bedroom, but instead do their things in the other parts of the house and leave, all that is gone is physical items. Conceptually, this is not a bad deal if you don't have a lot of people to protect, such as a spouse and children.
For this situation, many folks will boast of have a fortified door, extra locks on the door such that breeching the door is difficult. Sadly, while the door may be tough, they are still surrounded by normal drywall that offers piss-poor ballistic protection. If you don't fortify the walls in addition to the door, the barrier more of mental piece of mind instead of actual protection.
Personally, if you know there are bad guys in your home, sealing yourself and/or loved ones up in a room means that you have sealed yourself up in a confined space and hence locked yourself into proximity to danger. You are counting on the bad guys not doing something extreme like setting your home on fire with you and your family in it.
There is nothing wrong with defending your home, IMHO. What I do think is wrong is defending your home and putting your loved ones in greater danger than they would be in if y'all (or just them) fled. Your spouse might be an excellent home defense partner, but will your children be? Probably not, nor should they be expected to be. So in cases like mine, I feel that is it more prudent to remove my kids from potential danger than to make a stand and run the risk of them getting injured or killed in a gunfight that maybe need not have occurred with them present.
Some folks will claim that by exiting a safe area of the home, for example, exiting the home, that you are leaving a place of known safety and moving into an area of unknown safety and that you run the risk of encountering bad guys outside. This is very true. However, assuming the bad guys are not there to kill/rape you and your family, then they likely will be more than happy to see you flee. Chances are, they would prefer not to have a battle either. That is not to say that bad guys always make good decisions, however.
Regardless of what you decide, all of the right people involved need to know what the plan is or plans are. If you are holing up, everyone needs to know what they need to be doing and where they need to be. If you are taking flight, everyone needs to know where everyone is to meet up outside of the home. Know your plans. Practice your plans. Do them for fire and for home invasion issues.
mr.trooper
Member
What counts as a "defenceable" home?
in my home All windows are high off the ground and triple layered(plastic storm window, metal screen, then the glass), and have nice things like rose bushed planted dirrectly under them. I cant see any window being a good point of entry into my home. there are 3 doors the enter intot he dwelling. the first is the front door, wich is just a plain slolid hardwood door. the second is a french patio door (glass), the third is an inch thick steel door coming from the garage. while all 3 of these could be breached, it wouldnt exactly be a quiet endevor.
Wat about choke points? All 3 enterances funnel down to the mouth of the hallway. the beedrooms are at the far end. the kitchen light is alwase left on (dimmed), silloeting the BG's. Current plan is to crouch in the dark at the end of the hallway (book cases on the sides of the hall privide some cover) and wait for them to back-light themselvs. The advantage i see in this is that no mater wich door the BG comes through, he will approach the hallway at or neer 90*'s, blind-siding himself to me. i can fall bac to a bedroom if needed (dive back through the beedroom door on my imediate left OR right. if im still alive at this point i plan on tipping the dresser over in front of the locked door; this is to buy me enough time to dial 911, drop the phone, and blow out a window and run like poop.
Does this plan cut the mustard, or am i dead meat/ voted off the island?
in my home All windows are high off the ground and triple layered(plastic storm window, metal screen, then the glass), and have nice things like rose bushed planted dirrectly under them. I cant see any window being a good point of entry into my home. there are 3 doors the enter intot he dwelling. the first is the front door, wich is just a plain slolid hardwood door. the second is a french patio door (glass), the third is an inch thick steel door coming from the garage. while all 3 of these could be breached, it wouldnt exactly be a quiet endevor.
Wat about choke points? All 3 enterances funnel down to the mouth of the hallway. the beedrooms are at the far end. the kitchen light is alwase left on (dimmed), silloeting the BG's. Current plan is to crouch in the dark at the end of the hallway (book cases on the sides of the hall privide some cover) and wait for them to back-light themselvs. The advantage i see in this is that no mater wich door the BG comes through, he will approach the hallway at or neer 90*'s, blind-siding himself to me. i can fall bac to a bedroom if needed (dive back through the beedroom door on my imediate left OR right. if im still alive at this point i plan on tipping the dresser over in front of the locked door; this is to buy me enough time to dial 911, drop the phone, and blow out a window and run like poop.
Does this plan cut the mustard, or am i dead meat/ voted off the island?
Texian Pistolero
member
Mold your tinfoil hat and stack magazines.
When I build my own house, I'm going to include a 30' long hallway to my bedroom, with a fire security door on the front entrance (bounce ram wielding goons off) and something else to slow people down when it comes to the hallway. When they finally make entry to the hallway, they're going to be staring down the barrel of a locked and loaded NFA M2 mounted on a tripod at the other end, conveniantly next to the door to my sleeping quarters where I will have been aroused from by multitudinous alarms and sirens and CCTV feeds in time to pick up the absolutely massive hearing protection, put it on, and crouch down behind the sandbags while squeezing the trigger.
SWAT team or goons, none of 'em are getting a chance at killing me.
And if I can afford to build a house I could budget an M2. Right now I'd have to settle for an Ingram and a couple cinderblocks to duck behind.
Course, a Semi-auto M2 would work just as well with a handcrank, pre centered to shoot straight into the middle of the doorway at crotch height.
SWAT team or goons, none of 'em are getting a chance at killing me.
And if I can afford to build a house I could budget an M2. Right now I'd have to settle for an Ingram and a couple cinderblocks to duck behind.
Course, a Semi-auto M2 would work just as well with a handcrank, pre centered to shoot straight into the middle of the doorway at crotch height.
earonthief
Member
As you said it's all situation dependent. Evaluate your homes floor plan and identify how the invasion could happen, get input from your family,especially the kids, for perspective. Identify choke points.
Replace the doors with heavier doors,upgrade locks, or just put a wedge (door stop) under each door. Put heavier screen behind the regular screen and screw it in place, at least on those windows most likely to provide access.
Place high intensity lights in the choke points(or strobes) to overwhelm and disorient,along with noise makers. If you have more than one possible entry point, use a different noise maker for each entry point, (siren,claxton,air horn,etc.). All can be slaved to motion detectors
The light and noise will disorient intruders and notify you(plus the neighborhood) allowing you time to respond.Or a few seconds at least. Arrange furniture to be obstacles(end table,coffee tables,floor lamps)without blocking fields of fire. I would say throw down caltropes but a couple 5 gal. buckets of marbles would work and be easire to clean up.
If they don't run,at least they are prepared for instruction. And the law won't be able to say you didn't give them warning.
But thats just A way for a simple home invasion. What ever you decide, make sure the family knows what to do and practice.
Replace the doors with heavier doors,upgrade locks, or just put a wedge (door stop) under each door. Put heavier screen behind the regular screen and screw it in place, at least on those windows most likely to provide access.
Place high intensity lights in the choke points(or strobes) to overwhelm and disorient,along with noise makers. If you have more than one possible entry point, use a different noise maker for each entry point, (siren,claxton,air horn,etc.). All can be slaved to motion detectors
The light and noise will disorient intruders and notify you(plus the neighborhood) allowing you time to respond.Or a few seconds at least. Arrange furniture to be obstacles(end table,coffee tables,floor lamps)without blocking fields of fire. I would say throw down caltropes but a couple 5 gal. buckets of marbles would work
and be easire to clean up.If they don't run,at least they are prepared for instruction. And the law won't be able to say you didn't give them warning.
But thats just A way for a simple home invasion. What ever you decide, make sure the family knows what to do and practice.
YammyMonkey
Member
DNS brought up a good point in that you need to decide when it's time hold 'em and when it's time to fold 'em. Just as important is to know how you walk away, or run. Do you take the whole family?
Do you send the wife and kids and you stay put to defend the homestead? What kind of safe room do you have? Is it just a mildly reinforced bedroom or do you have reinforced walls and heavy door? Do you have a hidden safe room that would be near impossible for the average home invader to find?
Do you have a reasonable exit strategy from your safe room? Is it something that the kids/pregnant wife/injured anybody could use to get (hopefully) to safety?
Most of the places my wife and I have lived in have been very poor in terms of security. I see homes with windows right nest to the front door that would be easy to break and unlock the door, doors with large windows in them that could be broken out and walked through, never mind opening the door. Most of the "locks" and exterior doors I've seen on modern homes are pathetic, especially sliding glass doors.
I've seen a lot of designs that have the master bed on one side of the house, main entry points in the center and guest/kid rooms on the other side, or worse yet, the master upstairs and the rest downstairs with entrys between the stairs and the secondary rooms.
IMO, regardless of the situation you'd be best served with a well and generator on-site that could provide water and power for necessary items. Also have plenty of fresh (not the stuff you bought last year for the "storm of the centry") water, easy to make without cooking meals, a solid first aid kit to include stitching, splinting, eye injury and large wound gear. A well reinforced safe room that's accessable to everyone in the home, preferably at the end of a hall and the other end of that hallway should have some sort of heavy duty door as well. Something like the door Browning sells that's a lite safe door that'll fit in a normal door frame. Safe room should have a concealed exit that's easy for everybody to access.
Obviously a bug out bag, firearms and other portable necessities should be stored near the easy access exit.
Do you send the wife and kids and you stay put to defend the homestead? What kind of safe room do you have? Is it just a mildly reinforced bedroom or do you have reinforced walls and heavy door? Do you have a hidden safe room that would be near impossible for the average home invader to find?
Do you have a reasonable exit strategy from your safe room? Is it something that the kids/pregnant wife/injured anybody could use to get (hopefully) to safety?
Most of the places my wife and I have lived in have been very poor in terms of security. I see homes with windows right nest to the front door that would be easy to break and unlock the door, doors with large windows in them that could be broken out and walked through, never mind opening the door. Most of the "locks" and exterior doors I've seen on modern homes are pathetic, especially sliding glass doors.
I've seen a lot of designs that have the master bed on one side of the house, main entry points in the center and guest/kid rooms on the other side, or worse yet, the master upstairs and the rest downstairs with entrys between the stairs and the secondary rooms.
IMO, regardless of the situation you'd be best served with a well and generator on-site that could provide water and power for necessary items. Also have plenty of fresh (not the stuff you bought last year for the "storm of the centry") water, easy to make without cooking meals, a solid first aid kit to include stitching, splinting, eye injury and large wound gear. A well reinforced safe room that's accessable to everyone in the home, preferably at the end of a hall and the other end of that hallway should have some sort of heavy duty door as well. Something like the door Browning sells that's a lite safe door that'll fit in a normal door frame. Safe room should have a concealed exit that's easy for everybody to access.
Obviously a bug out bag, firearms and other portable necessities should be stored near the easy access exit.
RavenVT100
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You would probably be doing yourself a favor by considering where rounds are going to go. If they go into the neighbor's house you'll just be creating a problem on top of maybe not solving the one you were trying to solve. Shooting, even if it doesn't hurt anyone, is going to cost you far more dearly than if you were able to avoid shooting. Don't ever do it if you don't have to.
My plan is to immediately call the police; no exceptions. While I do have guns in my house, calling the police demonstrates that it's in my interest to operate within the confines of the law, and it maximizes the chance that multiple officers will show up and help to defuse the problem--hopefully without any violence. Meanwhile, I'll be holed up with my little ones in an advantageous position and speaking with dispatch.
No way would I try to clear my own house alone in the dark if I thought an armed intruder were present.
My plan is to immediately call the police; no exceptions. While I do have guns in my house, calling the police demonstrates that it's in my interest to operate within the confines of the law, and it maximizes the chance that multiple officers will show up and help to defuse the problem--hopefully without any violence. Meanwhile, I'll be holed up with my little ones in an advantageous position and speaking with dispatch.
No way would I try to clear my own house alone in the dark if I thought an armed intruder were present.
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