I'd like to share a story of why I try and carry at all times when I'm at home, alone or not. This happened when I first moved out when I turned 18. My parents actually helped me out, because they were just plain sick of me, and because I was still in High school, and only had a part time job at the time. It was real close to my dad's work, so every once in a while he would pop in to make sure I had food in my fridge before he headed in for his grave yard shift. Well, one night around 12pm, I'm in my room with the lights out, and under the covers on the phone with a GF and I hear my apartment door open. I assumed it was just my dad dropping off some left overs so I ignore it and keep talking on the phone. At that time, when I moved out when I turned 18 my dad recommened that I pick up a rifle for some sort of protection since I was going to be on my own. So I bought an SKS for $75. Well, 10 minutes go by, and I hear a knock on my door. I think, who the hell is that?? In the back of my mind, I don't bother to get up to answer it, thinking my dad should answer the door. Well, the knocking proceeded. And I'm still waiting for my dad to answer the door. After a while, I get up, open the door of my room and notice all of the lights in my apartment are off. I'm still not suspecting anything. I answer the door and it's my next door neighbor. She asks if I'm okay. With a puzzled look on my face I say ' uh... Yeah, okay from what? " She says there was a man trying to force his way into her apartment a couple minutes ago and that she yelled at him that she had called the police, and that the man appeared to have ran into my apartment. At that moment, her eye's got big and started focusing on something behind me. I turned around, and you have to understand, when I was in HS I thought I was tuff ?????, I swear, I damn near ????? my pants when I saw this 6' indian guy standing behind me! I ran out of my apartment like a little girl and into the lady's apartment with her and slammed the door shut. He ran down the hall and into the arms of police officers that were in the lobby down stairs. After the whole fiasco, I go to meet the LEO's down stairs to explain my story. And go back upstairs with them to my apartment. I turn on the lights and realize this guy was in the process of robbing me blind! My TV was on the floor, with a bunch of other things like my VCR and stereo stacked on top of it. He even had a grocery bag full of groceries from my half empty fridgerator! The guy was armed with a knife and a cap gun painted black and was apparently on PCP! God only knows what would have happened if he would have walked into my room with me in the dark under my blanket talking on the phone! I would have never been able to get to my un-loaded SKS that was in the closet next to my bed room door. That neighbor, quite litterally saved my life.
Lesson learned...
15 shot S&W auto on the night stand cocked and locked, and a 16" AR-15 with dual 30rds right next to it and a cheap door alarm for my bedroom door = an easy night of sleep. Never EVER again.
Lesson learned...
15 shot S&W auto on the night stand cocked and locked, and a 16" AR-15 with dual 30rds right next to it and a cheap door alarm for my bedroom door = an easy night of sleep. Never EVER again.
I never really cared for her before that as she would always stare at me through her chain locked door as I passed by to get to my apartment. After that, I always said hi to her and even helped her bring some groceries up a couple of times. Besides teaching me to always keep a gun handy, it has also taught me to be good to my neighbors.