"Home Invasion?"

[AlaskaErik]

This is one of the hardest questions to answer because there are so many variables, from state laws to layout of the home to time of day to location of other family members, as well as other factors.

If I am upstairs in my house, my best chance is getting invaders as they come in the front door, because I have a two story entryway and I can see the front door from outside any upstairs room. My shots would be fired downward, so there is no possibility of hitting neighbors.

If I'm in the family room, which is downstairs, I'd have to circle around to the front door through the living room, the dining room or a short hallway. If invaders come in through the back door, then they're right in the family room and I can fight back immediately if I'm there. If I'm upstairs, then I have to wait for them to circle around to the front door entryway where the stairs are located.

Then there's the possibility of entering through the garage man door. See how complicated it gets?

As for the firearm, I always carry my Glock 23, so that's what I'd be using. Shotguns are great, but I'm not lugging one throughout the house nor am I going to deal with securing it every time I leave the house.

 

[chieftain]

I live in Sun City, Arizona, which has become a suburb of Phoenix.

We have had 1 home invasion in Sun City that I am aware of. Of course it was Illegals, and it had nothing to do with the victims being in the drug or criminal trades. The Criminals had done some work for them. Came back for the money.

I was reading in our local 'Old Fart' paper that we, in Sun City, are often targeted because it is assumed we will not or cannot fight back. I am sure your area has no problem with this issue. Did have some wacko guy try to push in on my mother once at my place. The security door stopped him.

Several of our killings in metro Phoenix every year is some "civilian" who was mistaken for a drug dealer, or wrong place wrong time.

It is well known that the Police have broken in to non-involved homes by mistake too. Not a lot, but it happens. So it will probably shock you that the criminals, who we all know are geniuses, make mistakes too. I know, it never happens in your world. Here in the Phoenix area it happens more often than most folks would like to admit. Thankfully not in Sun City that I know of.

Frankly I think I am in one of the relatively safest places I can be, that is still practical for my medical condition and personal situation. With all that said, I try to remember an old military bromide my Gunny taught me. "Where ever you think the enemy can't be, or come from, is exactly where they will hit you from, with folks they don't have and that can't be there." Do I "expect" to be attacked, chosen or such, no. But I know of very few crime victims that thought they WERE going to have criminals attack or choose them either.

As to which weapon, only an idiot would choose a short arm if practical long arm is available. Handguns are for convenience, long arms are for fighting. Rifle, shotgun, SMG, it doesn't matter, dealers choice. If your home has in fact been invaded, you are being attacked, you are in a fight, respond accordingly.

If you haven't gotten proficient with your fighting long arms of choice, you are deficient. Start training NOW! If you haven't got a fighting long arm why? They are certainly cheaper than handguns, so we KNOW it's not because of cost.

As to lights, understand even the military has to know who they are shooting at. Blue on Blue, or friendly fire incidents seem to happen much less often today because we CAN ID our folks better than in my day. That counts at home too. If you don't have a light, or some other manner in which to positively ID your enemy, you are simply negligent, even if you don't know who you just shot.

Does anyone have the address, email, or phone number of a Professional Weapons instructor that does NOT ADVOCATE, using a light in reduced light or dark to fight with? If you do, I would like to contact them personally and confirm that. Please PM me.

If it is, as the OP states, a home invasion, your wife should be right next to you calling the police as you get ready to repel the invaders from your safe room.

Personally I have placed my 590 back in the safe, and have my double barreled 20" 12ga Hammer gun with #1Buck next to the bed along side my XCR with the Aimpoint turned on 100% of the time. Under my pillows is my old 642 S&W with Crimson Trace Grips. Slept that way since Vietnam, with a weapon that is.

On the bedside table is my Kimber Warrior with a SureFire X200B light attached. In the Bug Out Bag (BOB) hung on my bed post, is another 1911(most often my other Kimber Warrior, or one of my Colt Gunsite Pistols), three additional mags, Two more Surefire tactical lights (led), batteries, Three loaded mags for the XCR, and two boxes of #00 buck for the double, water, first aid etc..... Attached to my XCR is a SureFire P9 with the new LED head mounted with a quick release LARUE Tactical mount and the Aimpoint 3X magnifier also in a LARUE Tactical rapid disconnect/swing mount.

Go figure.

Fred

 

[RNG]

Just me and the wife in the house. If you're in my house and neither one of let you in theres a problem.

South Carolina's Castle Doctrine.

Section 16-11-420. (A) It is the intent of the General Assembly to codify the common law Castle Doctrine which recognizes that a person's home is his castle and to extend the doctrine to include an occupied vehicle and the person's place of business.

Section 16-11-440. (A) A person is presumed to have a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily injury to himself or another person when using deadly force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily injury to another person if the person:

(1) against whom the deadly force is used is in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or has unlawfully and forcibly entered a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if he removes or is attempting to remove another person against his will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and

(2) who uses deadly force knows or has reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act is occurring or has occurred.


Section 16-11-450. (A) A person who uses deadly force as permitted by the provisions of this article or another applicable provision of law is justified in using deadly force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of deadly force, unless the person against whom deadly force was used is a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of his official duties and he identifies himself in accordance with applicable law or the person using deadly force knows or reasonably should have known that the person is a law enforcement officer.

(C) The court shall award reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs, compensation for loss of income, and all expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of a civil action brought by a plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant is immune from prosecution as provided in subsection (A)."

 

[Glock-IT]

Really?? Where is this happening at? Tell you what, you come up with 10 stories of a home invasion where the victims weren't involved in the drug trade or other criminal enterprise, the victim didn't have some type or prior relationship with the criminal, or the victim didn't keep large amounts of cash or other highly valuable things in the home, that happened in the last 30 days, ad I'll believe that this is a threat that everyone needs to lose sleep at night worrying about. Surely if it's such a problem you can find 10 cases in the last 30 days from across this great land we live in where the victims were just randomly selected for a home invasion......

Jeff

It has happened here probably 10-12 times this year. All random home invasions. Kinda scary. Not drug related either. It is real life. As for large large amounts of cash and highly valuable items... aren't we all entitled to have these things?

 

[indiandave]

I'll add fuel to the fire. A shot gun is not the best weapon for clearing a house. going from room to room it would be easy for someone hiding to grab the barrel. The shot gun should be your main weapon in your safe room. To gather the kids a side arm would be a better choice.

 

[HHank]

Thanks for everyone's input! I certainly got the "spectrum" of viewpoints that I need to make an informed decision about this "scary" and very real problem. Judging from most of your answers I'd say that the BG's now have much more of a "problem" than they used to.


HHank, NRA Member

 

[JDoe]

I'll play...

Really?? Where is this happening at? Tell you what, you come up with 10 stories of a home invasion where the victims weren't involved in the drug trade or other criminal enterprise, the victim didn't have some type or prior relationship with the criminal, or the victim didn't keep large amounts of cash or other highly valuable things in the home, that happened in the last 30 days, ad I'll believe that this is a threat that everyone needs to lose sleep at night worrying about. Surely if it's such a problem you can find 10 cases in the last 30 days from across this great land we live in where the victims were just randomly selected for a home invasion......

1. "It appears to be a random and isolated incident," Blicher said of Saturday's attack. The student did not know her assailant, Blicher said.

2. Deputies, who are still investigating, are calling the home invasion an random act, and said that the accused robbers did not know the victims.

3 & 4. Another Violent Home Invasion Hits Suffolk, Woman, Disabled Husband Attacked By Attackers...Twelve miles away on St. Marks Lane in Islip a little boy and his dad visiting grandparents were also menaced in the same way. They were bound with a cord and the grandmother was hit in the face.

5. Home Invaders pose as police and invade the wrong address. I guess criminals make mistakes about addresses too.

6. Woman Speaks About Home Invasion These home invaders were looking for drugs that the previous tenant might have left behind. The new tenant had no reason to suspect that she would be the victim of home invaders...

7, 8, 9 & 10. Four random home invasion robberies - looks like same suspects involved.

11. "I can take you on," Roberta Wido told detectives she recalled her husband telling the man. Shortly after, Wido was killed in his bedroom while his wife, 79, looked on... Investigators think this was a random attack.

12. Home invasion robbery on Woodmont Dr.

13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 Police on Long Island say they've broken a home-invasion ring No mention of how many home invasions took place but five towns were mentioned as home invasion sites. Looks like a small business venture to these crooks who targeted their victims by looking for easy access through open windows, etc. at night.

18 & 19. Blue Mound couple: 'We're fighting for our lives'

20 & 21. Homeowner Shot During Violent Home Invasion Attack Just an hour after responding to a deadly home invasion on Carmelita Way in Sacramento, police got another call of a violent home invasion and this time the homeowner was shot.

22. An 82-year-old Plainfield man was beaten and robbed by several men who broke into his home Monday, police said today.

23. Three men forced their way into a 60-year-old Claymont man's home late Wednesday and assaulted and robbed him, county police said.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

This is a concern for military and paramilitary police forces who are doing the invading. Unlike the military and police, as a homeowner you are under an absolute legal and moral obligation to identify your target.

No I'm not. If I am already in my "castle," and have already retreated to the bedroom because someone is kicking in the front door, I am certainly under no moral obligation to identify anyone who tries to enter the bedroom before I shoot them, and I doubt there are many jurisdictions where I have any legal obligation to identify before shooting. The extent to which I feel any obligation to identify the target is the extent to which I dislike wasting ammo, so I want as many shots as possible to hit the assailants as possible. I'll worry about who they are after they have been neutralized and the cavalry arrives.

 

[Honu]

Jeff white

here ya go just a few for one month in one city !


I do agree most are isolated but I do think its becoming a problem and will be in a short time


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/08/20080908swv-invasion0908-on.html

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/29/20080829swv-arrest0829-ON.html

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/11/20080811cr-homerobbery0811.html