Learned a few things about my home defense tonight

[Quad]

This evening around 8:30, I'm settled into bed, watching the Sunday night football rap up. It's dark outside. My wife is next to me, on the computer. Our two kids tucked safely in their beds. Then out of nowhere we hear someone banging on the back of our house.

I mute the tv, hop up and reach down to the gun vault beside our bed. I type in the pass code and error, wrong code. I try again. Same error. Finally I just say screw it, and run to the gun cabinet to get my LCP. Not my first choice, but by this time I was just trying to hurry. Who knows what was going on outside.

Per our "plan", I hand my wife the shotgun, who has proven to me several times that she knows how to use it. She goes to the middle of the house next to the kids rooms with phone in hand dialing the police just in case. I rip open the curtains on our sliding back door, LCP in hand when what crazy lunatic do I see? Our 90 year old next door neighbor.

It turns out that he had been knocking on our front door and we hadn't heard him. They had been out of town the last few days and he just wanted their mail that we had collected for them.

After the fact, I realized a few things.

#1: We have the pass code on our gun vault set a little complicated to make it very difficult for our kids to access the contents if they would feel so inclined. Perhaps a bit too complicated. It seems in my haste I was unable to enter the correct code. Maybe we should have one that's not so hard to enter.

#2: We were unable to hear our neighbor knocking on our door. Perhaps we would be smart to install some sort of motion detector so we would be notified if someone were fiddling around out there.

#3: I need a better gun as a backup if I'm unable to get in my gun vault. I didn't feel too comfortable with just my LCP.

#4: Not all bumps in the night are evil incarnate. It may just be your 90 year old neighbor that doesn't make the best decisions.

Anyway, all is well. But I'm glad it happened, as some things needed to be evaluated.

Any other ideas I may be missing? Or is our plan just full of fail. Let me know INGO.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Well, in his defense, it was like it was 9:30p due to the DST switch. Probably figured you didn't want your mail before the kids were asleep.

I have a rather simple code for my safe. No one knows how many digits to enter which is security in its own right.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

It's dark outside.

1. Turn on your outdoor lights. Why people insist on living in darkness I have no idea.

No, you don't need your ubertactical guns, those are the last things you'll need, just a light bulb.

Never had a Burglary at a lighted house. Turn on your lights.

It turns out that he had been knocking on our front door and we hadn't heard him.

2. Install a door bell at your home.

Lesson learned: trips to the hardware store are far more important than trips to the gun store.

Glad everything was O.K.

 

[gunman41mag]

A PIT-BULL would tell you when some one is near the house

 

[Kirk Freeman]

So would a door bell, and you don't have to feed or pick up after a door bell.

Guns to the ceiling, door, drones, lasers, phasers . . . Just drive on down to the hardware store!!!

 

[Hoosierdood]

As a father of 4 young kids may I humbly suggest that you take the time to educate, educate, and continue educating your kids on what to do when they see a gun so that you don't have to put your pistol in a complicated gun vault? If this were a real emergency or someone had actually broken into your house, you may not have time to get to the safe.

 

[ray d]

Fine motor skills are one of the first things to go under stress. Gun storage has to be simple to open. Maybe 2 shotguns?

 

[canav844]

This is why even if I never leave the house during the day the gun never leaves the holster and the holster never leaves my hip. Carry every hour your dressed and the only code you'll need to enter is the thumb break. Deploys much faster and the gun is always under your direct control, theoretically the safest place with proper gun handling. Light bulb doorways, and communication with the neighbors can also make it so it's not so stressful, exchange telephone numbers for next time.

 

[redpitbull44]

As a father of 4 young kids may I humbly suggest that you take the time to educate, educate, and continue educating your kids on what to do when they see a gun so that you don't have to put your pistol in a complicated gun vault? If this were a real emergency or someone had actually broken into your house, you may not have time to get to the safe.

This x a billion. I am a father of 3. I have trained my kids since they understood the word NO! that guns are NO! and I repeat this each time I get a new gun with all my guns. A refresher course if you will.

Also, I can tell you from my experience that you will be lucky to have 3 seconds to get to your gun. If I didn't sleep with my pistol within arms reach, I would not have been able to stop the meth head that broke into my home earlier this year. I sleep with it next to my bed or under my pillow.

A door bell at each door with a centrally located chime so it can be heard throughout the house (one for each level of your home preferably), as well as a motion detector at each entry point that tie into a second chime with a different tone, and motion sensitive security lights at each entrance will go a long way. If you have security lights, thieves will trip them and be deterred. If you hear the "boop boop boop" of your motion alarm, but never hear the "Ding DONG" of your door bell, you know someone or something is somewhere. The lights accompanying the motion sensor should give you a clue as to where. If you hear a loud bump, you know it's game time. For added security you could use cheap, simple door alarm, so if you have a forced entry (or any type of entry), you will know about it.

 

[SSGSAD]

As a father of 4 young kids may I humbly suggest that you take the time to educate, educate, and continue educating your kids on what to do when they see a gun so that you don't have to put your pistol in a complicated gun vault? If this were a real emergency or someone had actually broken into your house, you may not have time to get to the safe.

When I had small children at home, I let them TRY, to rack the slide, of my 9mm, and my .45... THEY COULDN'T do it !!!!! I just left them on the nightstand, and NEVER had an issue.... When they were strong enough to work the action, I went back to the REVOLVERS ..... NO PROBLEMS !!!

 

[2008blackwrx]

This was one of my fears as I shopped for gun safes. I went with a biometrix for this reason specifically. I was able to program 20 different versions of my finger print so no matter what angle my pointer finger was on, it opened. It takes less than 3 seconds for me to roll over, apply my finger, and pull out my gun. Just a suggestion.

 

[hoosierdoc]

When I had small children at home, I let them TRY, to rack the slide, of my 9mm, and my .45... THEY COULDN'T do it !!!!! I just left them on the nightstand, and NEVER had an issue.... When they were strong enough to work the action, I went back to the REVOLVERS ..... NO PROBLEMS !!!

So, you were not able to post that in purple? I hope...

Also this suggests you keep your defensive guns without one in the chamber. Hrm.

No kid ever rolls over either until the first time he falls off the changing table.

 

[Quad]

Well, we actually do have a door bell, but he said he didn't want to possibly wake the kids by ringing it. As if it was better to bang on the back of our house.

We also have a back porch light, and it was on. It's always turned on after dark. Same with the front porch light.

I wanted to get one of those biometric gun vaults, but I got a great deal on the one with the key pads. I know, price should not be an issue when it comes to protecting your family. For the time being I'll just have a simpler code on this one. But I do plan on getting the bio at some point.

After thinking about things for a bit, I realized I could have ran to the garage to retrieve my 9mm from my truck. But that would've taken even more time.

All the same, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Well, we actually do have a door bell, but he said he didn't want to possibly wake the kids by ringing it. As if it was better to bang on the back of our house.

Hmmm, my argument countered by good old human logic.

 

[IndianaSigma]

This is why my EDC is on me all the time. Only time it isn't is when I take a shower (wife has it) and during school events, airport trips, or visits to the courthouse or city-county building.

I like to eliminate the time it takes to run into a different room, open a safe, etc.
I OC while at home and mostly CC while away with the occasional OC.

 

[mrortega]

This is why my EDC is on me all the time. Only time it isn't is when I take a shower (wife has it) and during school events, airport trips, or visits to the courthouse or city-county building.

I like to eliminate the time it takes to run into a different room, open a safe, etc.
I OC while at home and mostly CC while away with the occasional OC.

Hmmm. If wife has it while you're in the shower, you have an emergency, you run out and she hands it to you, you confront the bad guy with "Stop or I'll use this", My brain is starting to give me an overload signal

 

[Quad]

Hmmm. If wife has it while you're in the shower, you have an emergency, you run out and she hands it to you, you confront the bad guy with "Stop or I'll use this", My brain is starting to give me an overload signal

My first lol of the day, thanks.

I carry at home most of the time. I guess I just felt "safe" knowing that I had a gun down next to me by the bed. Little did I know I wouldn't be able to get to it...

 

[Jay]

Folks that know me, including neighbors, don't show up without calling first.... regardless of the time of day or night. Even when someone calls first, the dogs announce them long before the doorbell rings.

I type in the pass code and error, wrong code. I try again. Same error.

Kudos for admitting it. HUGE educational opportunity here for all those who own, or contemplate purchasing a small, box-type "safe" .... learn from it.

 

[IndianaSigma]

Hmmm. If wife has it while you're in the shower, you have an emergency, you run out and she hands it to you, you confront the bad guy with "Stop or I'll use this", My brain is starting to give me an overload signal

Haha! She knows how to use both.....

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Your bedside pistol vault...

How about "locked during the day, unlocked when I'm in bed"??

-J-