What "personal" rules do you have for using a home self defense gun?

[Hokkmike]

I remember reading the story in the news about the man who shot his daughter after she tried to scare him in his bedroom in the middle of the night. I don't recall the article saying how old she was. Her last words were, "I love you daddy." This may sound like anti gun drivel but sadly it actually happened.

I don't know about you but I don't always wake up clearly in the night when disturbed by noise, smell, light, etc. We are all familiar, I hope, with the rules of gun saftey.

I was wondering what additional or special procedures any of you might have as a "failsafe" to insure that no tragic errors are committed in the use of your chosen home defense weapon. I am not saying that home defense readiness is a bad idea or should be curtailed in any way, but I am curious as to any extra precautions that some of you may have learned to take.

 

[orionengnr]

--multiple dogs
--no kids at home
--alarm sytem

BTW, these aren't "Rules", they are just my personal situation...

 

[DunedinDragon]

My bedside gun is in a retention holster for a number of reasons. One of which is to force myself to take a moment and evaluate the situation rather than grab a gun and shoot in the middle of the night.

 

[Mac Attack]

....Her last words were, "I love you daddy."....

That breaks my heart just reading that.

 

[losangeles]

Being smart about threat assessment. Also I'd rather risk a few milliseconds of possibly being too slow against a BG than making a mistake.

 

[carterbeauford]

100% target identification before use of force.

 

[TCB in TN]

Sad Situation

Very sad situation, but from the time my children were big enough to walk and talk they have been taught to knock on my door and talk to me and let me know they are coming in before they come into my room at night. Not that it usually matters, between the two house dogs, and the fact that I am an extremely light sleeper, I have almost always woke before they got to the door. The are older now, 10, 11, & 12 and they know why it is important as well. Also they typically turn on lights as they come through the house, which lets lets me see them coming.

 

[atlctyslkr]

No children and and infrequently have houseguests. I don't have any rules per se just call it like I see it. I've heard plenty of noises in the night and it's usually one of my cats knocking something over. I would definitely train my kids on what to do in the possibility of a break in and what I'm going to do should I suspect one. Hopefully they will understand the seriousness of not trying to scare people when they are sleeping. Due to the muzzle flash in the dark and risk of not being able to get off a second shot I would not fire until target was clear.

 

[Yeager]

What about mounting a surefire on the front of your bedside gun?

I would much rather blind a family member or a BG than get shot trying to figgure out what the shaddow moving in the corner is.

 

[LaEscopeta]

Being smart about threat assessment. Also I'd rather risk a few milliseconds of possibly being too slow against a BG than making a mistake.

100% target identification before use of force.

What about mounting a surefire on the front of your bedside gun?

+1. My rules are the four rules, and the two that most apply in my situation with a possible intruder in the middle of the night are:

1. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
For me this means muzzle up, the “high ready” or modified port arms position. I know soldiers/cops, etc have found the “low-ready” position, with the muzzle down, allows faster target acquisition. But my bedroom is on the second (top) floor, and the attic requires a ladder to access. If the muzzle is up I know it is not pointed at anyone, even someone on the other side of a wall or floor.

2. Know your target and what is beyond it for the entire range of your ammo.
I have a barrel mounted flash light. Flashing it on against the ceiling scatters enough dim lights around the whole room for me to positively identify who else is in the room. This also allows me to use the flashlight without having to point the muzzle at anyone. If it is a BG, I release the light switch, drop to one knee and fire. By kneeling, I will be shooting up, and any missed shots that go into the next room will be at ceiling level, above anyone’s head. It also ensures missed shots that leave the house will have to go through an interior wall, the ceiling and the roof first, likely hitting joists on the way. I’m assuming the low-recoil 00 buckshot I’m loaded with will be slowed down enough to be non- or less-lethal to anyone outside the house. I’m also assuming if a BG shoots at where he saw the flashlight, by kneeling I will move out of his line of fire.

And yes, I practice the above. If I ever have to run this drill for real, I’ll let you know how the assumptions work out.

 

[rbernie]

100% target identification before use of force.

Pretty much says it all.

I've got a good idea of how I'd like to respond - that involves having determined the best defensive position available within the house to cover the approaches to the childrens' rooms and still maintain a solid backstop. In that location, I can readily identify potential targets before I am seen. The key is to get armed and get moving. If I can't get to my position in time, then it's all instinct and luck.

There's also the factor of making sure that everyone in the household understands what's at stake. Having a defensive tool without having a plan on how to use it and without cluing the rest of the family into that plan is a recipe for disaster. Right now, my kids are small enough that it'd be pretty hard for me to fail the friend-or-foe recognition test. As they age, they'll simply have to be clued in on the fact that sneaking around the house in the middle of the night can be A Bad Thing without also taking reasonable concern to identify themselves (turning on lights, etc.).

 

[Justin]

I remember reading the story in the news about the man who shot his daughter after she tried to scare him in his bedroom in the middle of the night. I don't recall the article saying how old she was. Her last words were, "I love you daddy." This may sound like anti gun drivel but sadly it actually happened.

Click for solution

 

[Technosavant]

+1 on target ID.

Also, don't go STRAIGHT for the gun when awakened; your brain takes a moment to get up to speed. If you worry about waking up to an intruder standing over you, get better doors/locks/windows. Sometimes the answer is better passive security (items that keep an intruder outside). They aren't foolproof, they can be defeated, but you need a bit more "spin up" time before going to guns. This would be a good reason to have a GunVault or similar- the moment it takes you to open it is a moment that you need to come up to speed.

About a week ago, I woke up suddenly to a strange noise next to the bedroom door. My hand started to head toward a revolver next to the bed, but I stopped it while I let my brain take a second to process the noise (it seemed familiar). Turned out my wife had a touch of heartburn and was getting some Tums.

Give yourself a moment to process the information before switching into "automatic target neutralization" mode. I figure that if I don't have that moment, I am so far behind the power curve, it isn't going to matter anyway.

 

[sm]

Remembering :

Don't go where trouble is, leave if trouble shows up , and the idea of being whole at the end of the day, including not having problem two to deal with -

-Pertinent Steps to not look like Prey .
Me; coming or going from the dwelling, and the dwelling itself.

-Carry on person in and around the dwelling.
Answering door, checking mailbox, taking out the trash, yardwork...

-Awareness in all ADLs [activities of daily living] , Security measures in and around the dwelling.


Though I take steps to know how to use a firearm, and continue to practice firearm use...

My deal has always been to NOT have to use a firearm, and consequences thereafter.

I know a firearm is "just another tool in the toolbox" - NOT the only tool in a toolbox .


Anything I can do to NOT get in a situation where a firearm / any defensive weapon is the tool I have to use, is my preferred way.

 

[Third_Rail]

Two locks on the bedroom door, soundmakers and another two locks on the house door, and lights on the shotgun, flashlight next to the bed.


If a target is IDed as unfriendly, force will be used in proportion to the threat.

 

[HankB]

What "personal" rules do you have for using a home self defense gun?

With my personal situation, there's really only one rule, and that is to be absolutely sure my target is not a part of my household or a legitimate guest.

 

[chaim]

I currently live with my parents (sad, I know), sometimes my brother spends the night, and occasionally friends or other family will. Even when I move back out I may be married by then, or if single I will occasionally have friends or family spending the night and if like last time my brother will have a key so he can come and go if he wants. I am careful not to shoot someone I don't want to.

1) My handguns that are accessable by my bed are holstered making me take an extra moment to get to them (extra time to fully wake).

2) My pistols that are accessable by my bed are kept with a loaded mag but unchambered (again, extra time to fully wake). Obviously, I can't do this with my revolvers so I use the above and below step for extra security.

3) I have a Streamlight TL-2 at hand which I grab before, or along with, my guns. It gives out a pretty bright stream of light which should temporarily blind/disorient any bad guy coming in the room, while allowing me to identify my target so I don't shoot a buddy asking where the towels are kept, dad or my brother.

4) My shotgun is not kept right at hand (it is more powerful, thus an accident is even more important to avoid) and it too is kept without a chambered round (I may rethink this since I have to be awake enough to get to where I keep it).


I figure if I need more speed (i.e. I wake up to being attacked) it is already such close distance that these delays don't matter. Instead of grabbing my guns I go for a knife which is near at hand as well, and is probably a better "the BG is on top of you" weapon anyway.

 

[arthurcw]

I know one of my friends HATES this casue he loves his taticool HD shotgun and hates the thought of giving up tactical adavtage of the dark house. But I have remote lights set up in every room except the bed room. Those go on first. They are not bright but do light the room up. I think getting a 100 lumen surefire in the face should still provide a little dazzel under that lighting condition. Besides, I have NO intention of clearing my house. I just intend on getting the future kiddos into a safe place.

Now for someone in the bed room, I'd have to say +1 to the weapon mounted lights or one stored with the weapon. Just have to get it into muscle memory that the light goes on first and it is NOT automatically followed by the bang switch.

Also +1 on a small loud dog. Anything you can do to give you more time to access the probelm is going to help lessen mistakes.

BTW: It pains me to type that last statement. I'm a cat person.

 

[cropcirclewalker]

My security system consists of 2 dogs and a hail of bullets.

It is inconceivable to me that an intruder could get past the dawgs.

Now that I am getting semi deaf, I may have to get a house dog too, Like a wiener dog.

I had a Wiener/Beagle cross back a few years ago, when I lived in the big city. He would start barking when the UPS truck was a block away. He was a good dog.

 

[pax]

If target identification is important to you (to whom is it not?), then mounting a light on your defense gun is not the solution. You have to point your loaded gun at the unidentified person in order to light them up with that nifty gadget hanging on the end of your gun.

The purpose of a gun-mounted light is to make it easier to shoot someone accurately. Its purpose is not to make it easier to identify someone. "Do not point your gun at anything you are not willing to shoot." If you're not willing to shoot the as-yet-unidentified person in your bedroom at 2 AM, you should not be pointing a gun at them. Certainly pointing a gun at a possible family member really should not be your first, best plan.

So get yourself a bedside flashlight. Use it for target identification. Use your night sights, laser, or weapon mounted light for shooting problems only -- NOT for target identification.

pax

 

[Legionnaire]

#4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

Thusly, 90# dog, a hand-held SureFire in the headboard bookcase, and an Insight M3 mounted on the HD shotgun.

 

[LaEscopeta]

…target identification…mounting a light on your defense gun is not the solution. You have to point your loaded gun at the unidentified person in order to light them up…

I’ve heard this a lot. I’ve also heard if you point a weapon mounted light at the ceiling it gives you enough dim light broadcast around the room to see who is there. I got an 85 lumen LED flashlight to test this second idea and found it to be true. So as posted above, that flashlight is now on my HD shotgun, and I do not point the flashlight/muzzle at anything I am not willing to shoot.

 

[NineseveN]

If target identification is important to you (to whom is it not?), then mounting a light on your defense gun is not the solution. You have to point your loaded gun at the unidentified person in order to light them up with that nifty gadget hanging on the end of your gun.

The purpose of a gun-mounted light is to make it easier to shoot someone accurately. Its purpose is not to make it easier to identify someone. "Do not point your gun at anything you are not willing to shoot." If you're not willing to shoot the as-yet-unidentified person in your bedroom at 2 AM, you should not be pointing a gun at them. Certainly pointing a gun at a possible family member really should not be your first, best plan.

So get yourself a bedside flashlight. Use it for target identification. Use your night sights, laser, or weapon mounted light for shooting problems only -- NOT for target identification.

pax

That's about there is to say about that. Get a nice, bright flashlight for the side of your bed and have one on your gun as well, but that should not be your first solution if you have kids or frequent visitors.

I don't have children, all of my visitors are armed as well as I am when I do have them (we don't entertain outside of a small circle of folks) and no one would even think about coming into my bedroom uninvited. If they did and I had folks over, well, the absence of shooting would give me a clue that something was up other than a home invasion (no spare bedrooms, have to go through the living room when guests sleep to get to me), so no need to draw down on the figure in the doorway, but low ready and a flashlight in hand will work. My guess is they'd knock and shuffle away from the door while yelling, "don't shoot, something's happened" or "hey, it XXXX, I need XXXX"...just as I would in their homes.

Having a steel front door and then another dead bolted door to my actual living area helps too...having no windows accessible from the ground level is nice too.

 

[pax]

LaEscopeta ~

Who sleeps upstairs, or may be moving around up there? What kind of a backstop does your ceiling provide?

Do you have family members who may be on the other side of the wall, if you plan to light up a wall rather than the unidentified intruder?

Are you sure that when you are awakened from a sound sleep that you will not just reflexively point the light at the source of the sound that woke you up? How much training have you done to provide yourself with that assurance?

pax

 

[AJAX22]

my meathod is to keep the gun handy, but keep the chamber empty.

I don't want a bad dream or cloudy judgement making my trigger finger itchy.

I feel that the extra half second needed to rack the slide is just enough time to get your head screwed on tight and realise who it is.

in the scenario presented this is not a problem that can be nor should be solved by technology, the responsibility for knowing target staying safe, and protecting ones own is noone's but yours. don't think the nifty surefire lights (cool tho they may be) are a silver bullet solution to the problem.