Mobile Home Defense

[DeepSouth]

As I was driving home from work tonight I got to thinking about the "Hide in the closet with the gun and shoot the bad guy when/if he opens the door" line of thinking. What I got to thinking was how both entrance doors in a mobile home are usually between the master bedroom (where the grown-ups will be) and the other ones(where the kids will be.)

So it seems to me that if you live in a mobile home and you have a intruder chances are very high you will have to go engage him in order to get to your kids, assuming their there. You also have the added problem of most likely (nearly certainly) having their bedroom directly behind the bad guy needing to be shot.

I'm not as much worried about how I would react, I think I would keep cool enough head to think out shot placement and such to avoid shooting in the kids bedroom but I would love to hear some ideas about how you S&T might handle this type of situation. I just want something simple so I can go over it with my wife. If I get to complicated she'll get lost in the details and not recall what to do if the time ever comes. One day I'll build a house and want have this problem.


Thanks in advanced
DS

 

[bikerdoc]

Think EDITH, Emergency Drills in the Home. Not only for gun situations but all kinds of emergencies. Once you think it out, and walk it through, practice so everybody gets it.

 

[TNboy]

I would definitely consider using a shotgun, maybe a 20 ga with buckshot instead of a pistol, if that is what you are using. Buckshot would be much less lethal after passing through walls.

 

[beeenbag]

I have the same situation......Master bedroom on one end of the house and the soon to be here baby's room on the other end. For now its just me and the wife but my little girl will be taking over the once "man room" in a couple of weeks.

I'm interested in how this turns out. I like the shotgun idea but would still be a little hesitant on firing in that direction.

 

[ONLY]

Put up a back stop. Maybe a book shelf or store some cans on some shelfs. Just put some thing hard in between them. So if you miss then you will hit said books or cans.

 

[Averageman]

Do you have a dog?
The reason I ask is that door you speak of is frequently at the back of the property. You have a very realistic problem if it is, in that it is also not visible from the street. The easiest solution I can think of is a fence with a dog behind it around that door.
I would also look at reenforcing that door frame and installing a bar accross it. As the door is pulled open (most of these doors open outward) the reenforced frame rails with a bar should hold it shut against most intruders.
I agree with a backstop such as a bookshelf in the childrens room at the most likely angle of a shot you might have to take.
Also your load in the shotgun might very well be key in this situation. Two rounds of less than leathal ammo, then two round of #4 then slugs. The idea being the first two funnel the intruder out of the danger area for your backstop, the following are once you have moved heim either out of the door he came in or in to the living area with a clear backstop free of family members.
Fence, dog, door, backstop and ammo...That ought to do it.

 

[heron]

Armor-plate the walls that might be in the line of fire. This could be tricky in a mobile home due to space available (for lightweight material) or weight stresses (if you think of using steel). Kevlar wallpaper? I don't know. Don't forget the doors.

Do develop an emergency plan, and rehearse it thoroughly. I think fire should bother you more than shooting incidents.

 

[Shadow 7D]

1. Buckshot penetrates just as much as a pistol, if it has a good chance on a human, it has a much better chance on paneling or/and drywall (don't believe me, google-FU, or check out Box-o-Truth.com)

2. Unless it is range rated, I wouldn't trust my kids life/lives to some cans of veggies, it may stop one, but the back stop only has to miss one for you to have a tragedy.

3. Someone already mentioned home drills, well, take out some paper, draw your layout, and figure angles, you may find out that you need to be in the same room to engage a BG, or wait for them to come to you, think X-ray vision. Also in the drill you might teach you kids to stay low, roll under the bed.

Finally, practice, if you don't miss, you don't have to worry about where that round may end up, also, think of where the ones that miss you might go.