Real life SHTF, what to do?

[gbran]

Someone near & dear to me had their door kicked in in the wee hours of the night. Fotunately the vic was quicker and much bigger than the perp, who he overpowered and thumped real good.

The vic has many firearms, but also 5 kids, 2-11 years old and doesn't feel comfortable with loaded guns at the ready. We discussed small hand safes, guns with key locks, stun guns, bats, keeping a gun at the ready and never forgetting to put it up in the mornings. When i was raising kids, I always had a revolver at the bedside.

One thing to consider; From the time the door was kicked in until the physical confrontation ocurred, was less than a few seconds. There would have been no time looking for keys, fumbling with a safe, etc.

My best suggestion to him was to get a nightstand with a locking drawer and open it at night, shutting and relocking it in the mornings.

What options does a guy with 5 active kids have?

 

[mole]

Tell him to put his car keys in the drawer with the gun at night. He won't forget to lock it when he leaves then.

 

[thexrayboy]

Something like this works great.

http://citywidesecurity.stores.yahoo.net/amsecpistolbox.html

There's a large variety of these about. They can be bolted down to furniture if necessary. The simplex lock is easily worked in the dark. It will keep children away from your firearms....at least until they learn how to use power tools.

 

[WeedWhacker]

In addition to the matter of storing a firearm, your friend might want to look at both strengthening his door and frame, at least around the bolt/doorknob and hinges, usually by using special hinges and a special wrap-around metal plate. The doorframe also needs strengthening, as it is extremely weak when compared to the force of a human kick. Something like these items may appeal to those who want to go whole-hog.

Another item to consider with the above, or seperately, is a door brace. I've a home-made one out of half of a 2-by-4 with a notch cut into the top which the doorknob rests in. The other end is braced against the wall opposite the door. I've not tested this (paying for the one door I "accidentally" kicked in was enough), but it will add either the strength of the 2-by-4, or the doorknob to the stock deadbolts and frame, which should suprise the heck out of the guy doing the kicking and buy me at least another few seconds.

With a normal door, someone can literally be in your living room one second after you hear the first noise. I know. I've done it (on my own door).

 

[Manedwolf]

Another item to consider with the above, or seperately, is a door brace. I've a home-made one out of half of a 2-by-4 with a notch cut into the top which the doorknob rests in. The other end is braced against the wall opposite the door. I've not tested this (paying for the one door I "accidentally" kicked in was enough), but it will add either the strength of the 2-by-4, or the doorknob to the stock deadbolts and frame, which should suprise the heck out of the guy doing the kicking and buy me at least another few seconds.

Master makes one that sits beneath the doorknob and has a rubber pad that braces on the floor. $19 at Target.

 

[D.A.C.]

Best option: Teaching his kids about guns and gun safety.

 

[mbt2001]

Tell him to put a storm door on the front and back. Get a Rottweiler too... A baseball bat and a surefire to blind and beat the assailent with... Maybe some MACE...

As far as the guns, he certainly needs to teach his kids about them and take them out shooting. Make sure all of them are locked up except for one revolver and keep that revolver in a lock box.

The reason for getting the storm doors, dog, bat and mace is that while Dad is struggling with the assailent, wife can get the gun out and defend the family should Dad be unsuccessful. Unfortunately with kids and the liabilities attached with kids getting a hold of one of Dad's guns, he is going to have to live with locking up the guns and keeping one in a lock box "semi-ready". Develop the strategy that way.

The crucial thing is to buy time and to project a deterence with lights around the house, alarm systems and dogs.

 

[JWarren]

Crap... I had two windows open and posted in the wrong one... sorry guys... correcting now

 

[sacp81170a]

One solution is to find a comfortable carry method and have a loaded firearm on his person at all times. Even if it's in a fanny pack, a firearm on your person beats the heck out of the one in the safe. You know where your firearm is and you know the kids haven't got hold of it if it's on you.

 

[whistler]

this is what i use http://www.allenslaw.com/lj.html i just drilled two holes in it and screwed to side of my bed. i keep the key on my car key ring and put the key in it at night.

 

[rchernandez]

Pocket carry...24/7.

 

[Tequila jake]

Real life SHTF, what to do

rchernandez,

Must get real uncomfortable with that gun in your pajama pocket, especially when you roll over on it while asleep.....

Tequila Jake

 

[Robert Hairless]

Of some possible help, and within the bounds of reason, is a professionally installed, monitored alarm system with multiple zones.

One zone should be a perimeter alarm triggered by someone breaking in a door or window. That zone would be switched on when people are in the house: they won't trigger it unless they open the door without turning off the system. It's useful with young kids in the house, by the way. The youngest is almost at the age when he can open a door and wander away from the house. The oldest is getting close to the age when he might be tempted to slip out at night to join his friends. The perimeter alarm would warn their parents in either event. (I would not teach the kids how to switch it off, by the way. When it's on, the parents need to be in control.)

The other zone (or zones) would be switched on to protect the home when no one is there.

Although this kind alarm system won't act as magic for keeping bad people from kicking in a door, it would serve as a way to make all hell break loose if they do so. The sound of whooping sirens (as the alert device within the home) would instantly alert the occupants and might speed the invaders out the door they just entered. And, if the monitoring company is on its toes, it should alert the police--in case they want to come see what's wrong.

I would not try to save money by making this a do-it-yourself job.

 

[1 old 0311]

Fox bear pepper spray.

 

[roscoe]

Just get a decent sized dog that barks at strangers, but is not aggressive otherwise. A dog will give you plenty of time to react unless they are real serious criminals. If they are, you lose no matter what you do.

Any friendly 50lb mutt at the pound will do the trick.

 

[NukemJim]

S&W Revolver with a Magna Trigger installed perhaps?

NukemJim

 

[Lonestar]

A good pushbutton pistol safe can be opened just as quickly as a nightstand drawer. Definately the route to go if you have little kids.

How bad is the neighborhood? If he lives in a low crime area and the odds of it happening again is rare, then if he feels comfortable with using a bat, mace, etc. and he doesn't want to have a firearm, then I guess I don't see a problem.

If he does live in a high crime area, next time the BG might be bigger than your friend, or he might be armed. He needs something better that a bat.

 

[____hoot____]

Had two bad guys bigger than me surprised and backed against my wall with a baseball bat, killed a stray rabid looking 70 pound dog with one swing, have one under both front and back steps and another in my bedroom closet.

 

[10-Ring]

A great option, IMO, would be a Taser! Simple, effective and safe

 

[Geronimo45]

Ankle holster with a midget pistol. Bigger pistol in a safe, if he so wishes. Pocket carry during waking hours.

 

[Thin Black Line]

May I suggest one of these:

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20799&hasJS=true

Very fast to access with a 4 digit finger code. Probably faster than most people
are going to manage going through their underwear drawer.

 

[dfaugh]

Even though my kids are older, (21 and 24), and know how/when/where to use any of the guns we have for HD, I still don't like having a "fully loaded" gun in the house.

SO, our primary defence consists of 3 TRAINED German Shepherds....Anyone can come into my house, but at the first sign of aggression towards me or the family, they're gonna make "Cujo" is a wimp.

Besides that, I studied martial arts for years, and armed or otherwise (as in the OPs situation)....welll, they have a problem....

I guess you'd call if a multi-layered defence--

MAYBE you'll get past the dogs----
Then MAYBE you'll get by me (although I'll probably have obtained a loaded gun at that point----
But then you'll have to deal with my (armed) kids---

Pretty much a suicide mission to break into my house.

 

[WeedWhacker]

A great option, IMO, would be a Taser! Simple, effective and safe

Safe for whom? The fellow who gets shot in the eye with it? The kids who find and play with it because it wasn't secured because "oh, it's just a Tazer"? How about the fellow using the Tazer, with its one (or maybe two) shot capcacity? Don't miss!

There is nothing at all magical about less lethal weapons. They can certainly still be lethal, but they are by far inferior to the much more effective weapons readily available.

 

[MudPuppy]

I got a cow dog that knows only a few commands--sit, speak, and pin 'em. Definitely +1 on the dog suggestion.

Teach the kids about the guns no matter what. I drill my kids constantly and test them frequently (leave a cleared drop gun to evaluate their reaction). Still, i keep them locked as prescribed by state law.

 

[rustymaggot]

taeching kids gun safety and safe handling(when they are old enough-a topic on its own), stronger doors are good, dog is great and kids love em. but all thats been said before.

i like to leave hammers laying around. they can be used in many ways. get some el cheapo ones and practice throwing them in the back yard. a whack in the grape or the chest should deter a bad guy long enough to get somthing better to hit him with.