Shooting lanes are already thought out. I've got 5 kids so that was the FIRST consideration. There's only one point of entrance that's an issues; if an aggressor comes in through the garage while I'm on the main floor, the neighbor's house is a real concern.
We're out in the middle of nowhere. Police response would be a minimum of 6 minutes, but probably closer to 20-30 minutes. That's forever and a day in an emergency, so we're pretty much on our own.
There's not a lot of crime around here, hell, it's the country. The first couple of years we lived here I just kept a 22 loaded up for stray varmints that wander in the yard from time to time.
Then, a year ago, a family of 5 was beaten to death in their home not far away, kids included. The only survivor was a 3 year old toddler. Yeah, real horror movie type stuff, right? Spend my adult life thinking that stuff just don't happen.. but then it DID happen, and not far down the road. Anyway, it got me thinking a LOT more seriously about home defense.
Here's the story if you're interested. Hope the CNN link don't bother too many people... (
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-09-24/....deaths_1_nichols-beaten-tip-line?_s=PM:CRIME)
Our house is a complex layout, 5 floors, 6 entrances, not exactly a fortress, and not at all easy to plan for putting up a decent defense. I figure self-defense situations never occur at a time of our choosing, so I have positioned weapons throughout the house. I figure any intruders wouldn't wait for me to climb 29 stairs to go get a gun out of the closet.
Both of my sons, and my wife, have become sufficiently skilled at using them, and my three daughters are all very aware of gun safety, so the loaded weapons / children interaction aren't a concern. They've been raised around guns and taught the golden rules since they first started babbling incoherent gibberish.
On the main floor I've been keeping a PS90. I chose this because it has minimal penetration (not for the vastly over-sized ammo supply). Arguably it's too weak for defense purposes, but I figure it's accurate enough at conversational distances, and short and nimble. Shot placement counts for a lot, in my opinion, and I'm able to get on target fast with that rifle - probably faster than any other rifle I own. That, and it's small and unobtrusive, and easy to tuck away unseen. The 40 grain projectiles are thin skinned and fragment well so shouldn't pose a problem for neighbors.
In the bedroom, I keep a 12 gauge with 00 shot. All the kids sleep upstairs, so any intruder coming in from a lower level can be met without as much worry about what's beyond them. The 12 gauge is mighty reassuring if I'm woken at night by the alarm, not quite as picky about shot placement, just aim center of mass and let the spread work for me, and more stable than a handgun if my hands are shaking. The floors are very thick wood (3" thick) so penetration won't be as much of an issue, shouldn't damage any infrastructure to the house. Hitting primers or ammo in the reloading room might spell for a real bad day, so I've positioned those in the best protected areas of the house. Pets are a concern, obviously, wouldn't want to hit my dogs, but ... can't exactly plan where they'll be. If they were to get hit, 00 buck should be merciful at least.
I have have handguns tucked away in unexpected but reasonably quick-to-access locations. Nothing laying in the open an attacker could grab, if you didn't know where to look, you'd have to look a GOOD long while to find them. If you know where to look, you're never more than 6-10 steps away from one. The logic there is a gun out of reach is worthless, and who knows where I'd be at if one was needed immediately.
Yeah, it sort of sounds a bit paranoid when written out. But, if someone were to bust in unannounced, how many steps would I have to reach a firearm before I simply become an unarmed target? I figure it'd take well under 5 seconds for someone to kick in the door and draw a bead on me or a family member. That's not much time to grab something useful. A simpler alternative is just carrying a sidearm around the house constantly wherever I go, but that seems even more paranoid. And, that doesn't solve the armed-family member issue. If I'm hit first and go down, they still have a good chance of survival.
Don't know, maybe I've already thought it out too far, but, I was also thinking I may have not thought it through quite enough, so took the risk of posting what could turn out being yet another dumb question. Then again, the only dumb questions are the ones not asked.
I appreciate the feedback and welcome any additional level headed advice. I understand that "sight unseen" it's kind of asking a lot.
Any other things I might consider? Or have I already overthought this?