Funny thing happened last night!

[Win_SX-1]

I have to share this story. We had a thunderstorm pass through last night - thunder, lightening and the dog is hiding in the laundry room!

I wake up in the middle of the night and hear voices - not my wife or 5 year old son. Actual - a man's voice downstairs!

I grab my handgun from the drawer safe and a flashlight and start down the stairs ... scared out of my wits!

The voice was the emergency radio coming on to tell us we had a thunderstorm warning! D-oh!

I still checked all the doors and windows and got back into bed.

Afterwards, I thought about all the things I should have done:
- Wake up my wife and have her standby to call 911
- Switch on all the lights and tell "them" I was armed and to get out etc

Just thought I'd share what I now see as funny

 

[mgkdrgn]

Personally, I wouldn't have "told them" squat. Why give away the element of surprise? About the only thing you have going for you, why give it up?

 

[jcwit]

Thanks a bunch for the chuckle. Lets hope its NEVER the real thing.

 

[Skribs]

Hearing the man's voice changes things, but typically if you hear a bump in the night and aren't sure yet if it's an invader, my initial reaction would be to clear the house to verify there is, in fact, a threat. Don't want 911 to label you as the boy who cried wolf. But, like I said, hearing a strange voice when there shouldn't be, I might've called.

There have been several "bumps" where I've armed myself and checked the house. Normally when I come home and something isn't right (i.e. alarm isn't on, someone in the shower but no cars in the driveway), and every time there's been an innocent explanation.

 

[Ryanxia]

I once heard a door banging at the other end of the house one night when I knew to be alone. I grabbed my handgun and a flashlight (walked through most of the house in the dark because I know it so well) I knew the dogs were at the other end of the house so it wasn't them. I approached the door making a slight banging noise, flung it open and there was a cat stuck in the room

In hind sight kind of stupid approach also but oh well.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

LOL sooner or later you have things like these things happen.

 

[MedWheeler]

My wife, three-year old daughter, and I had just entered our home one night around 8PM when I heard what sounded quite frankly like the large picture window in the master bedroom being kicked in. Loud and clear, the sound of shattering sheets of glass. That window faces our back yard, which is fenced with padlocked gates, but I knew that that doesn't necessarily preclude an attempted forcible entry there. In the amount of time it would have taken the intruder to finish stepping through, I was in the doorway with my PF9 trained on the window, which was, to my surprise, remarkably intact. However, I could see slightly into the adjoining bathroom, and saw shards of mirror glass on the floor. The 3x4 foot mirror hung above the vanity had chosen that moment to fall, shattering when it hit the vanity. I was quite impressed with the speed with which the PF9 had jumped from its holster to my hand, and how quickly my wife and daughter had scrambled to the den at the far end of the house at my command.

 

[Texan Scott]

This is why (well, one more reason why) all such public service bulletins need to be read by the U.K.'s Princess Beatrice, or a synthesized version thereof. Keep calm and carry on, please mind the gap, cheers!

 

[Hunter125]

This is exactly why I ended up turning our weather radio alerts to just a blinking light. If it's storming, I check it every 30 min or so. If not, it is where I walk by it each day, so I notice if it is blinking.
Too many freak outs in the middle of the night just to find out that there's a thunder storm warning. Duh.

 

[Seanpcola]

Similar situation for me. Wife and I had just moved into our new home. Wee hours of the morning we hear a loud crash and I spring into action. The dog even dove under the bed. Grabbed my pistol and flashlight and commence clearing the house (which I have subsequently learned is kinda dumb and real dangerous). Checked every room, entrance way, window. Nothing amiss. Didn't check our walk-in closet in our bedroom on the assumption that if someone had come in the house they couldn't be in there. Stayed up the rest of the night on alert. Finally, wife opened that closet door getting ready for work. She had overloaded the hanger rod and when it failed, all of the shelving collapsed like dominoes.

 

[Sam1911]

Personally, I wouldn't have "told them" squat. Why give away the element of surprise? About the only thing you have going for you, why give it up?

Actually, not so. The very best gunfight you'll ever have is the one you DON'T have. Announcing to unwanted "visitors" -- from a safe distance, at volume -- that you are aware of their presence, are armed, and have notified the police (even if you haven't, yet) is a very positive step toward convincing them to leave, post haste, before you ever have to see them face-to-face.

You should still be in your safe zone, covering the entry path with your firearm, so on the very unlikely chance that the decide they need to get to you rather than flee, you haven't lost anything.

my initial reaction would be to clear the house to verify there is, in fact, a threat

Wow. We've gone over this probably 100 times, but you should NOT be "clearing your house." The ONLY time you can safely clear your house is when you are utterly convinced that there is no threat there to begin with. Otherwise, the house clearer is at a grave disadvantage to whomever is hiding inside. This has been proved over and over, and over again, in simulations even using the most trained personnel to do the "clearing." The hunter dies. The ambusher wins. Be the ambusher, not the guy stalking around looking to stumble into the kill zone.

 

[Ryanxia]

Well said Sam on the 'clearing the house' situation.

 

[JustinJ]

Wow. We've gone over this probably 100 times, but you should NOT be "clearing your house." The ONLY time you can safely clear your house is when you are utterly convinced that there is no threat there to begin with. Otherwise, the house clearer is at a grave disadvantage to whomever is hiding inside. This has been proved over and over, and over again, in simulations even using the most trained personnel to do the "clearing." The hunter dies. The ambusher wins. Be the ambusher, not the guy stalking around looking to stumble into the kill zone.

Yeah, but countless stories are also available of home owners successfully confronting would be robbers without getting shot. I would venture this is because most robbers don't break into a home, find a good spot to hide and wait for said home owner to walk into a kill zone for an ambush.

 

[Sam1911]

Yeah, but countless stories are also available of home owners successfully confronting would be robbers without getting shot. I would venture this is because most robbers don't break into a home, find a good spot to hide and wait for said home owner to walk into a kill zone for an ambush.

Again, if you're clearing your home you are betting everything on the fact that WHATEVER has alerted you is NOT someone who wants to kill you. If you are wrong, you lose -- and that's real bad.

 

[Kleanbore]

We recently had a unformed officer respond to a burglary report. He entered the house and was shot by a couple of perps whom he encountered. He survived, but he is paralyzed.

We had a woman return home unexpectedly during the day to find two burglars rifling though her valuables. They shot and killed her.

On the other side of the state, a woman recently opened the door for someone and was immediately overpowered by two burglars who threatened to kill her. The only reason that she was able to obtain her firearm and defend her self, killing one of the perps, was that the two idiots got into an argument with each other.

It is not a good idea to expose oneself to possible gunfire from anyone who is in the act of committing a criminal act if one can avoid it. A firearm does not protect against gunfire.

I've cleared my house and I got away with it--because there was no one there. But I know better now.

 

[Sky]

Sam and Kleanbore make valid points that all should consider. People very seldom realize how bad a situation can turn in a heart beat until they have experienced it. Just realize what we are getting ourselves into by our actions and where the statical bell curve lies for an informed decision.

 

[ChCx2744]

I agree with not clearing the house. Just sit tight and quiet in your room. Call 911, but only if you can. If you have a gun, it would be best to have it with you during this time. If an intruder (And you must be sure it is an intruder and not a family member or something) busts into your room, let your gun tell them they are not welcome.

I do not, however, agree with "shouting" or "telling the intruder" anything. I would keep quiet and the only person I'm gonna be communicating with is the 911 operator. When law enforcement clear a house, some agencies require that they speak out and let their presence be known; In my own home, I am not required to do such things. I see such a thing as a severe tactical disadvantage. Same goes with the old "jack a round into the chamber of a shotgun to scare them away" crap. Low, slow and quiet.

 

[Skribs]

Sam, Kleanbore, I do agree with what you're saying about the dangers, but I think it depends on what your alert level is. Are you at "bump in the night" level or "there is definitely someone there" level?

It's like when I was living with my parents, if I came home and the door was unlocked or the alarm was off, there are two possibilities: someone broke in, or someone forgot to set the alarm/lock the door on their way out, the later being more possible. I'm sure the cops wouldn't appreciate me calling 911 every time someone forgot to lock the door, but I go through just to make sure there isn't someone there, because I don't want to be surprised later.

ETA: How many "bumps in the night" are something mundane, such as an animal, TV, insomniac family member, poorly balanced stuff on the top shelf, etc., as opposed to an intruder?

 

[Sam1911]

Sam, Kleanbore, I do agree with what you're saying about the dangers, but I think it depends on what your alert level is. Are you at "bump in the night" level or "there is definitely someone there" level?

...

ETA: How many "bumps in the night" are something mundane, such as an animal, TV, insomniac family member, poorly balanced stuff on the top shelf, etc., as opposed to an intruder?

That's actually a very important part of what we're saying. You don't call 911 because you heard a noise. You also don't go running downstairs like a lamb to the slaughter because you heard a noise. Sit tight. Use whatever senses/detectors/capacities you have for figuring out WHAT made that noise before you make any moves. What can you hear? Shuffling, animal sounds? Wind banging a shutter? VOICES and/or footsteps?

You can arm yourself and secure your room/suite/area without either calling "wolf" to the police, or going out to hunt bad guys (get ambushed). Then sit still and listen. Motion sensing lights are awesome here. So (perhaps more than anything else) is a dog.

"It's probably nothing so I'll go run downstairs and see if I get killed," is not a good plan.

"I've listened for 5 minutes and haven't heard another sound but the wind/cat/dog/branch against the window. I think I can relax a bit and check to see if there was any damage," is a decent plan.

"I hear voices and footsteps, so I'm going to go GET'Em!" is not a good plan.

"I hear voices and footsteps, so I'm going to cover their approach to my location with my shotgun, turn on my remote lights, announce that I'm armed and the police are on the way, and have my wife call 911," is a good plan.

 

[Sam1911]

I do not, however, agree with "shouting" or "telling the intruder" anything. I would keep quiet and the only person I'm gonna be communicating with is the 911 operator. When law enforcement clear a house, some agencies require that they speak out and let their presence be known; In my own home, I am not required to do such things. I see such a thing as a severe tactical disadvantage. Same goes with the old "jack a round into the chamber of a shotgun to scare them away" crap. Low, slow and quiet.

The point is to AVOID having to kill anyone. Scaring them off is just about the best possible outcome! Look, if you're in a residence they already pretty much know where you're likely to be. There isn't any sort of "element of surprise" worth talking about here. ("Well gee, they're never going to guess I'm in the BEDROOM! OOOOhh, surprise, surprise!" )

Hole up, cover the approaches to your safe area with your weapon, and do whatever you can to convince them that coming to get you is a VERY BAD idea, and leaving right now is a VERY GOOD idea.

Vocalizing helps prevent a tragic lethal force use, and if you've also got 911 on the line, it will look much better for you to prosecutors and/or a jury that you gave this person every opportunity to leave you alone, so if you MUST shoot, you have shown the greatest possible indication that you had a legitimate fear of death if you did not.

 

[Skribs]

Those are good points, Sam. The times when I've "cleared" though it hasn't been night, like I said its mainly someone forgot to lock the door. Based on how my pets were reacting and that I didn't hear anything, I was fairly certain that there weren't intruders, but I just wanted to make sure.

 

[Sam1911]

Pets reacting can be a VERY good indicator, for sure! They know a lot of things we can't pick up.

 

[Godsgunman]

I have wood floors in my house and they tend to make noise at night as they cool down from the day heat. I've become accustomed to the noises my house makes like when its windy I'll hear a creak and and then the exhaust vent on the roof open and shut. I know that there is no real quiet way to get into my house as the doors and windows are very secure. I have dogs to help sound the alarm if need be. Every so often though I'll hear something suspicious, like the other night I thought someone or something hit the front door. I sprang up and grabbed my sidearm and waited for any other sounds. After minutes went by with no other suspicious sounds I did a visual check from my doorway (I can see the vast majority of my house from my room). Being convinced it was nothing to be worried about I put the gun back in the bedside safe but kept it unlatched for about another 30 minutes while I layed back down and listened more. I was satisfied enough to fall back asleep and everything was fine.

 

[Skribs]

Pets reacting can be a VERY good indicator, for sure! They know a lot of things we can't pick up.

For me, it was more that when we got broken into while nobody was home, the dog was pepper sprayed and locked in the back room. So if the dog greets me and doesn't act like anything is wrong (i.e. scratching her face) then its a safe bet that there's nothing wrong, but no harm in checking.

I guess my thought is, if you're thinking "should I check it out or ignore it?" you might want to check it out. If you're thinking "should I go offensive or defensive" you should go defensive.

 

[JustinJ]

I think in reality most situations in which one hears a bump in the night will result in anything but certainty the home has been invaded given most robbers tend to not want to draw attention to themselves. If an intruder makes a loud noise the last thing he will want to do is try to make another so no matter how long you wait and listen you can't be sure the house is empty. So the real question then becomes does one go back to bed after listening for a few minutes, check the house or call the police. Most people will not call the police unless they are certain there is a break in so now we're down to back to bed after listening or check the house after listening if nothing definitive is heard. What i do know is i would much rather come across a bad guy while i'm awake than asleep so i'm going with the latter. And as i already stated it seems highly improbable somebody will break into my house just to hide in ambush hoping i get up in the middle of the night to get a drink so they can take me out. I don't reall care how many times people have got fake killed clearing a house against a fake bad guy laying in wait because I don't believe that is a realistic scenario. Really though i have dogs more that are more than capable of defending my home so there is no way an invader could remain undetected to begin with. But if i didn't i'm sure as hell not going back to sleep without first checking the house if i can't be certain the noise wasn't an intruder.