My multiple home invasions last night

[Zen21Tao]

Friday night was one strange night for a group of friends and I. There were found of us guys at my off-campus apartment.

(Note: firearm ownership is banned on-campus at UF but not off-campus)

At 11:30pm we hear my front door open (yes it was left unlocked) and footsteps as someone walked into my apartment. I drew my .45 from the table and covered the short walkway/hallway leading into my apartment as a friend yelled out asking the person who he was and what he was doing. He responded by asking of the former tenant was here. We told here that she no longer lives here and he left.

Then, at around 3:30am a male approached my screen door (the screen door was closed but the glass door and shades were opened) and began pulling the screen opened and walking into my apartment. I again drew my .45 as 2 of my friends questioned him on what he was doing. Obviously very drunk, he kept mumbling something about wanting to join the party as a sober friend arrived and vehemently apologized for him. He turned out to be a drunk student living in the complex who saw us in my apartment and, thinking we were partying, wanted to introduce himself to us and join the party. His friend escorted him back to their apartment trying to explain to him along the way that he almost got himself shot by trying to walk unannounced into strangers' apartment,

The next morning I read about the 2 grad students shot and killed on campus at LSU during a home invasion and all I could think about my incidents was "thank god I was armed". I was able to respond to both instances by employing a gun without one of the Brady Campaign's feared 'accidental shootings' occuring. I am confident that had either of these instances been a real home invasion, it would've definitely ended in my favor, thanks to my right to be armed.

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

I don't know if I would label those as "home invasions"... I have had a drunk student walk into my living room, via the unlocked sliding glass door from the balcony... He sat down on my leather recliner and fell asleep. (yes, that was before I learned my lesson)

How long have you lived at your apartment? Instances like yours are common in college towns where residences change yearly.


LOCK YOUR DOORS... Unless you want to experience a real home invasion. Last night should have been a lesson to you.

 

[armoredman]

Unlocked door, even after the first walk in? Good grief. Lock your doors and have no parties at your place.

 

[Nightwing]

I used to live in an apartment complex that gave discounts to local college kids.

atleast 5 nights a week the guy accross the hall would pick the lock to my front door, and then the lock to my bedroom door. He'd wake me up saying "Dude...there's a kegger in Boulder...wanna go"?

I never once went to said "KEGGER" but it was funny.

 

[wuchak]

Reminds me of the time when I was much younger and living in a large apartment complex with about 50 identical 8 unit buildings. After a night spent drinking heavily with co-workers I took a cab home. Unfortunately I had the cabbie drop me off at the wrong unit. After about 5 minutes of trying to get my key to work in the wrong apartment door at 3am I realized my mistake and made my way one street over to the correct building. I haven't had that much to drink since and don't ever plan to again.

 

[Lightsped]

Those two instances don't sound like a home invasion to me. Regardless, lock your doors. This topic reminds me of why I hate college towns...

 

[revjen45]

Obviously, the answer is to ban production, sale, and posession of alcohol. Oh, wait- they tried that didn't they?

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

Zen21Tao, the last time that I left my doors unlocked, I too was in college... I was expecting my roommate to come home around 1am, so I left them unlocked and went to bed.

I was awakened by my girlfriend crying and four armed men standing at my bed. I will not get into the boring details of how I almost suffocated when they were duct tapping me up and how I learned that tasers are not good implements for extracting information from someone. (They don't even hurt when you are getting shocked in the neck and head multiple times...)



Lesson learned.... LOCK YOUR DOORS.

I have to police report filed to the right of me to serve as a reminder.

 

[Zen21Tao]

Guys, keep in mind that my use of "home invasion" was meant to be very tongue in cheek.

Yes the front door should have been locked, that was our mistake. We didn't think anything about it as the complexes courtesy officer (a Sheriff's deputy) parks his car next to my building and it was only 11:30 at night.

As for the back sliding glass door, it was open because I have a roommate that smokes. Also, there is a hedge behind my apartment (about chest high) that the person had to walk through to make it to my back sliding door.

 

[RPCVYemen]

I was able to respond to both instances by employing a gun without one of the Brady Campaign's feared 'accidental shootings' occuring.

Not sure this helps our side. First, you leave your door unlocked, and cover the hallway when someone walks through the doorway looking for a former tenant. Then you draw you 45 (by your account) on a confused drunk.

Couldn't the Brady Brunch make a point that in both cases you drew a pistol when it ultimately turned out to be unnecessary - isn't that exactly what they want to prevent?

I am not arguing with your actions, but neither was a home invasion, and both sounded to me as though there were in fact perfectly harmless and normal occurrences in a college town.

College towns to appear to me to present some special issues for SD. Only because there are more likely to be non-criminals doing stupid stuff late at night. It seem like it might be a lot more challenging to tell the good guys from the bad guys in a college town, where the good guys may be rowdy and drunk without intending any harm.

Mike

 

[Prince Yamato]

Lock your door. That way they have to KNOCK first. Then you can ask, "who is it?" They can tell you. You can tell them to go away. No need to use your gun. Yay!

 

[btg3]

At night with shades open, anyone outside in the dark will be able to see you in a lighted room, but you can't see them. Not exactly a good postion to be in. And your hedge did little to prevent the "invasion" you experienced.

If you need ventilation, the sliding door may be opened 8" and secured with an appropriate length dowel rod in the track to prevent opening further.

IMO, there is something between the lines in your post that smacks of cheap thrills as opposed to serious self defense. Your right to be armed does not relieve you of responsibility for securing your home. You may relate to this more should you have a family as opposed to a roomate, but it still applies now.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

If you didn't learn to lock your door after the first unauthorized entry, you don't deserve to graduate from whatever program you're enrolled in. Why don't you just send out engraved invitations?

 

[Leanwolf]

When I was in college a long time ago, I and my roommates lived in various rented apartments and houses, on and off campus. Even though there was never any "crime" at that time against college students, we ALWAYS carried a key to the door lock... and the doors were locked when we went to bed or went to classes.

I suggest you lock your doors and windows and each roommate carries a key to the door.

L.W.

 

[Diggers]

Humm...I don't know. If you’re going to worry about H.I and react to someone walking into your apartment by pulling a gun you should move.
A College environment almost by definition removes the normal boundaries of behavior. People get drunk A LOT and then do the odd and silly (like checking the neighbors fridge for more beer.) In that environment people often think it’s cool if they just wander into someone elses place just to see whats up. I remember it having a very communal vibe, kind of nice really.

You probably should get a place far far off campus, where the college life style does not exist. That way if some one walks into your house at 2 am it’s like 80/20 odds it’s not a drunk neighbor.

 

[Master Blaster]

Lets see were you drunk or even slightly enebriated?
Were your friends drunk?

A loaded gun doesnt make a good party favor whn its in a room full of folks who are drinking or smoking weed.

Locked doors make good neighbors and give you time to decide if the invader is a threat. I'm glad you didnt shoot anybody accidentally, you are lucky, guns and alcohol dont mix.

 

[Foosinho]

Lock your door. That way they have to KNOCK first. Then you can ask, "who is it?" They can tell you. You can tell them to go away. No need to use your gun. Yay!

+100

It continually astounds me how many people think their gun is the first line of defense. It should be the last. Lock your doors and windows. Get a charley bar for your sliding door. I was robbed twice in college, and both were due to poor OpSec on my part (I advertised by stereo system by "booming" whenever I came home, and by car got robbed one night; and I left my front door - with faulty latch - unlocked, it swung open, and somebody walking by reached in and stole my bookbag while I was upstairs checking my email).

Most crime is preventable, and all you have to do is make sure you're not the least hardened target in the neighborhood.

 

[Seminole]

Ah, the joys of a college town. . . !

When I was in grad school in Tallahassee I never lived in the parts of town that were most heavily student-populated, but a number of my friends did. Apartment complexes where students make up all or most of the residents are more like dorms in character than they are like normal apartment complexes with which most of us are familiar, mostly because of the attitude of the student residents. Students tend to be way too casual about privacy and security issues. I never cared for those environments.

 

[xsquidgator]

Be careful in Gainesville! I used to live in Grantwood over on SW35 Place about 10+ years ago, and had someone walk into my apt at 8pm once b/c I left the door unlocked. I wouldn't think of that know, but at the time it just didn't occur to me that bad stuff could happen to, like, me. Same deal, half drunk guy asking for someone else, and I told him to leave when he didn't seem to get the idea. Had he had bad intent, I'd have been SOL. A year after I moved out a young woman was murdered by a burglar in her bed 2 buildings over in the same apartments. Be careful in Gainesville!

Nowadays I keep doors locked, and like you, keep some sort of HD gun on me or near me. Not being paranoid, it's just that in a case of someone bad coming in unexpectedly, you'll only have a couple of seconds to react to it.

 

[Cougfan2]

The whole unlocked door thing I found was quite common on College campuses. My son just graduated from WSU and I remember when he had his first on campus apartment, everybody just left their doors open all the time unless they were the last one to leave the apartment. I had to have a little "how f****n' stupid are you to lock your doors when no on is home to protect your property vs. leaving it unlocked in the middle of the night when you are asleep. A couple of home invasion assualts on campus drove the point home, thankfully not if their apartment. :banghead:

 

[cyclist]

Guys, keep in mind that my use of "home invasion" was meant to be very tongue in cheek.

Finger off the trigger to help avoid an accidental discharge,
Smiley on the post to help avoid an accidental misunderstanding.

Intrusion: illegal or improper entry without criminal intent.
Invasion: illegal or improper entry with criminal intent.
Pre-invasion check: "hey dudes, sorry, does that chick I dated still live here?"
Later conversation overheard from one of the intruders: (' hey, one pistol packer in the back room, two stoner/drinkers in the other bedrooms, door unlocked when they're home, 2-cent screen door latch at best, probably get a buck-fiddy on the pistol streetside, have Crazy Sue do her bikini bath entry through the door first, follow 20 seconds later once the pistol man checks out her skin ink and drops the pistol back into the drawer, hit in three days, later buds ' )

Have a nice day, and an even better night, lock your door(s).

 

[bruss01]

Where we live currently is on a quiet residential street with a cul-de-sac at both ends, well off any well-traveled street. We most certainly do lock the doors at night when we go to bed, and of course when we leave the house during the day. We don't typically feel the need to lock the door when we are wide awake and present. So far, it hasn't been a problem.

We used to live in a bad neighborhood just off a main street. We never locked the doors when someone was home and awake there either, but someone would have had to climb over a 6' fence to even get near the front door, so we felt pretty safe there too. Our dogs keep us pretty well informed of any comings or goings by non-residents, and that few seconds warning is all we need to arm ourselves more than adequately.

Not how everyone chooses to do things, naturally, and admittedly not as safe as keeping every door and window locked at all times and wearing a sidearm constantly. I think that level of paranoia would become wearing after a while. I think our approach is a reasonable compromise between being totally vulnerable and living in Fort Knox on lockdown.

 

[Sistema1927]

There is a simple solution to all of this...


...lock your doors.

 

[Deanimator]

I'm from the south side of Chicago. I NEVER leave my door unlocked. I can't imagine living somewhere where I'd think it was a good idea.

 

[PTK]

It amazes me that people don't lock the doors.

I have friends who simply don't lock their doors, and I've tried to explain why it's a good idea to have the doors locked when they're asleep. The answer is almost always a variation of "but we don't have much to steal, and they can just have what we have anyway".