Prepared at all times.....

[MachIVshooter]

I was reading another thread and just wondered how many of us are actually prepared. Not some of the time, not most of the time. All the time. I suspect many people let their gaurd down while in their own homes.

But let's consider this:

RIGHT NOW there is an armed intruder entering YOUR HOUSE!.

Were you ready? How close or far is your weapon? Is the intruder between you and your weapon? How about your family members? Would you have had any warning besides the breaking glass or opening door/window? What about if you were not on your computer, but in the bathroom enjoying a magazine and some relief? Or in the shower? Or stepped into the garage to grab something from your car?

Maybe I do sound paranoid, but you may have mere seconds to take action in the event of a home invasion in which the intruder intends to assault you or a family member.

Big dogs are considered by many to be one of the best defense systems, but an armed intruder can dispatch them easily. However, they are a good early warning system and may distract the intruder, buying you critical seconds.

I post this because, although rare, statistics don't matter if your house is the one those two armed fugitives decide to commandeer.

My 10mm is 18 inches in front of me.

Think about it.

 

[Low-Sci]

None of us - no matter what we may think or believe - is prepared all the time. I bet even you sleep sometime.

And even when we're awake, nobody can assume to be ready all the time. How about when you're reading this, right now? Are you really aware of every sound in your house, and immediately outside of it? Do you have a good handle on any shadows that might be drifting silently past your windows? How about when you just wake up, think you're capable of handling a threat?

If you were wondering, then the answer is no. And that's fine because we are not superhuman.

We are not ready all the time, and acknowledging that fact is an important part of being safe. Acknowledging that fact gives us room for improvements like alarm systems, dogs, deadbolts, hell even coffee.

And if you think you are ready for any threat, all the time, then you have a blind spot.

 

[VWTim]

Well, I've got my P32 in the right front pocket of my pajama's as I sit here. Also have a PM9 on the desk 10 inches from my left hand.

 

[Oleg Volk]

I heard something I did not like recently.

My shotgun was within a foot from me. So was my pistol, but I didn't know it because it was under other objects. My active hearing protection was elsewhere...I had no idea where. Pretty much all I could do was turn off lights, stay quiet and listen.

There's more to being prepared than having a gun on hand. But having a gun is a good start.

Certain things become obvious, like:

- dialing a cell or cordless phone illuminates the room and makes a lot of noise
- there's no way to know if the possible intruder is also laying low, waiting

 

[Hanzo581]

I would say my most vunerable time is when I am using the bathroom, otherwise I am usually close to at least one of my weapons. Someone should make a waterproof shower pistol box that attatches to the wall with suction cups

 

[ZeSpectre]

Well burn me for sacrilidge here on this forum, but it's not just about guns y'know.

Right now I'm sitting in my home office. If someone smashed in the entry door right now I have a pair of scissors right in front of me, an Inova T4 flashlight on it's wall charger, a small TV set that you can believe I'd pick up and throw, any number of books (harcovers), and possibly best of all an assortment of screwdrivers in a tool drawer right behind me. (Don't ask me why but I've practiced throwing screwdrivers before when I'm bored. Pro-Formance screwdrivers are very consistantly weighted).

With any luck that would buy me the time to exit the office, make a hard right into the bedroom. Then things would get really interesting.

 

[Biker]

I carry from the moment I wake 'till I go to sleep. I'm prepared.
However, I won't live my life in fear - won't let fear rule my life.
I don't wear a helmet when I ride, smoke a bit, eat fried chicken sometimes, I like my beer...
To hell with it - gotta die of somethin'.

Biker

 

[BullfrogKen]

I agree with Biker. If I have on pants, they generally can be found with a gun on the belt.

But, prepared for an attack 24/7? No way. I don't live with a squadbay full of Marines to place on firewatch anymore. I want to be able to eat a big meal, drink some wine, have sex with my wife, and go to sleep afterwards. I'd like to do that every night if I could . . . Who wouldn't?


But, living on the edge of an impending, no not even impending, but imminent attack:

MachIVshooter said: RIGHT NOW there is an armed intruder entering YOUR HOUSE!.

is literally mentally exhausting. Exhausting. No one can carry on life that way. If you think you can, you are deluding yourself.

I have locks. I use them. I have doggies. They hear much, much better than I. I'm not going to pie every corner of my house with a Surefire before I enter a room. I'm not going to deny myself the opportunity to take a long, hot shower . . . drink the spirits and watch the football game . . . have passionate sex with my wife . . .


Like Biker said. I have to die of something, and its by God not going to be from hypertension, dammit. I'll go smoke my cigar now, and dig my grave a little deeper.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I carry from the moment I wake 'till I go to sleep. I'm prepared.
However, I won't live my life in fear - won't let fear rule my life.
I don't wear a helmet when I ride, smoke a bit, eat fried chicken sometimes, I like my beer...
To hell with it - gotta die of somethin'.

This attitude closely reflects my own. By prepared, I do not mean living in fear and never taking risks. I mean refusing to be a victim.

The response I was trying to invoke here is realization that it can happen anytime, no matter how secure we believe we are. Perhaps it came across wrong.

Well burn me for sacrilidge here on this forum, but it's not just about guns y'know.

Agreed 100%, but it is the tool that will enable you to mount an effective defense against a determined attacker.

My father was murdered in a rural Montana town 13 years ago. Two things that could have prevented it: A dog and a nearby defensive firearm. He had guns, but kept them in his office.

Being prepared isn't the same as waiting for something to happen. You all know that. I don't expect someone to kick in my door while my wife and I are watching television or in bed, but if it ever happens, I won't have to make a mad dash for the gunsafe with a violent criminal hot on my heels. And our canines will give us a heads up before our own senses register anything.

Being prepared is the knowledge that it can happen and the attitude and equipment that enable you to handle the situation. You don't expect a kitchen fire, but a fire extinguisher nearby and the knowledge to use it can prevent your house from burning to the ground.

Like I said, you won't find much solace in a statistical improbability if you become the statistic.

 

[Devonai]

I got three seconds, and my roommate got five seconds "while I was taking my time," to quote him.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I suspect many people let their gaurd down while in their own homes.

Well, to respond to your original rhetorical question . . . I do.

Even Jeff Cooper acknowledged appropriate times to live in "condition white". To quote a Tom Givens' commentary offered to us for our newsletter on states of awareness 2 years ago:

CONDITION WHITE- White is the lowest level on the escalator. In Condition White one is unaware, not alert, oblivious . . . . So, when would it be acceptable to be in Condition White? When in your own home, with the doors locked, the alarm system on, and your dog at your feet. Then, you can turn off your mind, if you wish, because you have sufficient layers of protection and warning to enable you to get up, get your gear, and get your head running. If you leave your home, you leave Condition White behind. The instant you leave your home, you escalate one level, to Condition Yellow.

I made my home safe and it's sanctity difficult to violate so I can let myself have the luxury of living in condition white during portions of my day. I guess if that makes me a sheep, or a blissninny, then I am.

But, if I set forth for myself a standard that I could only live in condition yellow, then I couldn't drink, I couldn't be intimate with my wife, I couldn't enjoy a good book, and I couldn't sleep soundly.


Yes, my house could be invaded. If that happens, I hope my lifestyle and choices have given me the time I need to notice it and move out of white at the first sign of something unusual. I guess I'll just deal with whatever happens as best I can.

You do understand that we can do everything right, yet still die, or end up spending the rest of our days in a hospital bed.


I don't imagine this community needs admonitions to "be prepared". Most of us are here because we already have a realistic worldview and we sought out others of like minds. Its about akin to all those silly admonitions I see lately on the L&P board to go vote next Tuesday.

 

[Heavy Metal Hero]

I am always packing heat. Lefty and Righty.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

It takes me no more than 5 seconds to get to my Saiga 7.62x39mm (with 2 magazines loaded) and be in a ready position.



Even while writing this post.

 

[mljdeckard]

I won't pretend there is never any time when my firearms are more than three feet away.

At this moment, I am still in uniform, I had drill today. I have not discussed with my commanding officer whether or not he wants me wearing a gun around the armory, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the answer is no. I have my CKRT folder clipped to my right front pocket, and my leatherman on my belt. My 1911 is locked downstairs, because I won't leave it lying around when I'm not home. I normally take it off when I go to bed. Very near my bed is a 870 and an M-1 carbine.

As others have said, the bottom line is, there is more to life than having three weapons in quick-draw holsters on your person at all times. You have to weigh the benefit vs the risk. All ANY of us can do is work to level the odds. Even if you DO keep a gun in your lap all the time, you have to crap sooner or later. There is no such thing as absolute preparedness. Sitting around me right now, I have textbooks, a remote control, studio headphones, a pacifier, a bottle of baby formula, my laptop case, and a smattering of my 5-year-old's hot wheels. Multiple firearms is not a good thing to add to this clutter.

I am getting my wife a permit, but it is mostly to allow her to drive home with MY gun in the car if she needs to, without getting into trouble. It simply isn't practical for her to wrangle four boys between the ages of 1 and 8 and still maintain security of her weapon and situational awareness, either inside OR outside the house. Her hands are ALWAYS compromised with something or other. Even if she were armed 24-7, she can't drop the baby to shoot someone, or move the shoulder holster to nurse. We have discussed that as the kids get older, she will become more serious about carrying.

 

[Glamdring]

At home it makes sense to have layers of security. Get solid doors for exterior, I prefer fire doors & double doors (either mud room on the inside of house with solid door or secure porch on outside of house), you want the bad guys to have to go through at least two doors to buy you time.

Windows, now post Katrina there are LOTS of very good huricane proof windows that will slow down bad guys, cheaper option is to get a security film added. If bedrooms are on ground floor putting dog kennel on outside of house next to bedroom windows will help a lot also.

Put rock (no shrubs or other concealment/cover) in around house and lighting aimed at exterior walls of house, this will make anyone trying to break in very exposed.

Also don't let kids answer doors or phones.

I deliver pizzas as a part time job, you might be surprised at how many kids not old enough to be in the first grade will open door of house that has an alarm system on it. Or how many times when I call a number for a delivery to get correct address, a child answers the phone...and they don't know their address.





mljdeckard: I have commented before about how "self defense" classes and schools don't ever talk about how to be safe and prepared with even two small kids that have to ride in car seats.

My suggestion is to get two or three full sized dogs that are well trained (just obedience) that you take with you on trips as much as possible. Most people won't want to try hostile action if you have two black labs or sheps with you. I KNOW they won't if you have two Rotts or Dobs.

Gun wise best I can offer is that they get a small gun for pocket carry or a mid size revolver with magna trigger on it, and plan on bad guy having drop on them and shooting when he is distracted.

 

[sacp81170a]

I have three very loyal, nosy and alert dogs in the room with me right now, all of whom would alert at the first sound of an intruder, well before I would be aware. That gives me at least a 10 second jump, and if the barking of 3 large dogs doesn't get their attention then the barking of the Mossberg 590 two feet away from my computer *should* do the trick. This isn't because I'm *trying* to be alert, mind you. It's just that my computer is in the same room where the gun safe is and my dogs are always in the same room that I'm in. If I were on the toilet or in the shower, it would be another story...

 

[expvideo]

I wear my gun everywhere, including around the house. It stays on the floor beside my bed, out of view of the doorway, next to a surefire, when I sleep. I'm as prepaired as I can be, short of "covering" the front door with a rifle 16 hours a day

 

[Dravur]

In the morning..

I get up and wander into the bathroom where I find the Springfield Operator with the tactical rail with my tactical toothbrush. I brush my teeth, rinse off the toothbrush and gun, re-oil and set it down. I then pick up my 870 riot gun and head out to my desk, using my kitchen counters as cover. I lob a flash bang grenade into the living room just in case.

While I am working, I have the P7M8 with 12 extra mags on the desk. I sit behind 2 kevlar reinforced 19" flat panel monitors for added protection. From hwere, I can see the door to the house. It is, of course, reinforced kryptonite with firing ports built in.

As I work, one of the monitors is set up to view all of the outside cameras, all of them PTZs that would make a casino happy. They are state of the art and when I can finally afford it, I'm getting the optional weapon mounts as well.

After checking the work order board and seeing to my server farm, I head off to the shower. I switch over to my Mossberg Mariner with the 00 buck. I do a quick recon of the house before I do....just in case. When I get done with my shower, dry off with the tiger stripe camo towel. I toss the 5.11 PJs into the washing machine and slip on the 5.11 pants, shirt and tactical vest. I strap on the Rafter S gun belt in black sharkskin and put on my holster for the Glock 19. I do a press check to make sure the Golden Sabers are still in there....

Now a little breakfast is in order. Maybe some bacon and eggs....Is the fridge safe? I pull out the Glock, drawing down on the fridge. I open it, but no BGs....This time.

I pull out the George Foreman tactical grill in the Belgian Congo camo patter and toss on the bacon. I use the tactical spatula attachment on my Glock's accessory rail to flip the eggs, nestled in their tactical bullet resistant frying pan.

Then the day begins.....

 

[Biker]

Heh heh...shucks, I didn't think to camo my George Foreman grill.

Biker

 

[TallPine]

Revolver goes into the belt holster when I put on my jeans in the morning, and at night sits on the dresser right by my head. Various loaded long guns available throughout the house. Plus three dogs in the household right now - they let us know when the mutant zombie deer and the ninja turkeys are getting too close to our house

 

[Big Calhoun]

IMO, preparedness is a state of mind. If I walk out of the bedroom and there is someone standing there with a gun pointed at me, chances are I won't be within reach of a gun b/c I don't carry in the house. But, my state of mind as it is, I would be prepared to quickly come up with a course of action.

Move left or right, knee to the groin, arm to his arm to raise firearm out of my line of site. Of course, there are 1001 variables that could come into play that wouldn't make that feasible...I have crap in my hands, I'm nekkid, I'm sick and groggy.

IMO, there is no one specific course of action that will always work with any specific scenario, because of the variables. But, there are methodoligies one could employ to stay prepared and think on ones feet.

 

[Soybomb]

Nothing like coming home and slipping into my pajamas pants, slippers, and kevlar smoking jacket.

At home I'm relaxed. The doors are sturdy and locked. There's a shotgun over there if I need it (cruiser ready...untactical I know). I'm not at the point while I'll shower with guns.

 

[ezypikns]

I've always got some sort of loaded firearm within reach.

'Nuff said.


Yes, even when I'm in the john.

 

[Jeff White]

MachIVshooter,
You're a slacker if you think having a gun on you at all times means being prepared. You don't have a clue my friend. Wearing a gun or having it under your pillow or never out of arms reach won't save your life. Someone who knows what they are doing will sneak in and kill you in your sleep and then all your chest beating about being prepared because you have a gun will be for naught.

You aren't really prepared unless the entire family lives and breathes preparedness. Who stands watch through the night at your house? No one? Then how can you be prepared? Dogs you say? Dogs can be defeated. Alarms? Alarms are mechanical devices, they fail and can be defeated. No my friend, you aren't prepared unless you live like you're on the front lines. Who stands guard outside the bathroom when you're uh, indisposed? No one? Well then my friend, your probably a dead man. Should we put "No one covered him while he was sitting on the toilet." on your tombstone?

Do you come in at night and stack your magazines and straighten the pins on your grenades? Ever burn a light at night? Sleep in your body armor and K-pot or is that stuff just handy? What about the other people in your family? Can you really trust them. What if your little brother ogles a girl walking down the street while he's supposed to be covering you because you're sitting on the toilet? What if someone from outside your family tried to date your sister? Where would her loyalties lie. What if the suitor was just using her to get to you? When are they installing the x-ray machine at the end of your driveway so that you can make sure the delivery truck really isn't a car bomb?

The point of this little diatribe is that one has to adjust their security level to the threat. The way many of you post here, I think that you are either making fun of things or having some kind of macho contest to see who can be the most tactical.

The fact of the matter is, that you can live safely and still enjoy life. And I say enjoy life, because living under the threat of imminent attack for weeks at a time isn't any fun. It wears on you and stress kills. It's not living. Although I wonder if some members don't think of it as living. I suppose it's a fun fantasy here in the USA where the threat level is pretty low. You can do all these neat tactical things and pat yourself on the back and tell yourself how much safer you are then the average joe.

But the Strategies and Tactics Forum at THR isn't the place to do that. Here we discuss serious subjects like adults. And adults are mature enough not to want to live like they were in Baghdad outside of the green zone. Those who have lived that way for real, don't prefer to live that way. Unless you live in a barracks with the rest of your rifle platoon, you don't have the resources to live that way.

There won't be any more "I'm more prepared then you are" threads. Everyone should prepare in a way that complements their lifestyle and the threat. Anyone who thinks they can live on the edge indefinately has never done it for real and is kidding themselves. I expect a higher level of discourse here.

Jeff