Home Invasion

It is always easy to Monday morning quarterback, but the truth is that when you are in the situation things change. Given the situation I think that I would have handled things a little differently, mostly in that I would not have been within 8 feet of the guy. Keep some distance, maintain sight picture, tell him once in a no shit voice to lay face down on the floor with his hands behind his head. Then he has to make a choice and if he does not comply then he left me with no choice.

Glad everything turned out alright for him. Definitely food for thought

What Mick-Boy said +1 ... AS law abiding hard working common American people, we just want to stop a perp, we just want to protect our loved ones and ourselves. If some shitbag gets killed committing a crime that is the consequence of their actions....

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Originally Posted by Danimal

Keep some distance, maintain sight picture, tell him once in a no shit voice to lay face down on the floor with his hands behind his head. Then he has to make a choice and if he does not comply then he left me with no choice.

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This. The last thing I want to do is take someone's life. But protecting my family is on the top of my list of priorities. If he was inside my home it would probably be shoot first, ask questions later. But, the garage is a different story. I would never want to kill someone for trying to steal my property. Beat the living hell out of them maybe. But not kill them.

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Originally Posted by Mick-Boy

Situations like the one outlined by the OP, though anecdotal, can serve as excellent food for thought when considering your training regimen.

How much time do you spend training with your pistol at contact distances? When you train, are you dressed the way you do day to day or are you all tac'ed out? How much time do you spend training skills that are more/less likely (CCW handgun vs. chestrig and carbine)? Drawing and shooting while seated in your car with the seatbelt on? Working strong hand only while miming pushing a loved one behind you?

Not all bad guys are tweakers or idiots. They'll look for vulnerabilities and exploit them ruthlessly.

Think through your day. When are you the most vulnerable; Texting while you're walking out to your car in the morning? Leaning into your car to set your stuff down in a parking lot? Tired and heading into the house after a day at work? etc. Do what you can to minimize your exposure in those situations of course, but try to train with those kind of situations in mind.

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Good ideas, I do practice with my CCW in the car while I am in the garage so the neighbors don't get all weirded out. Most ranges I go to won't let you draw from a holster but I'll try with the pistol on the table in front of me to see how fast I can sight in and double tap. I may use an old cell phone so I can get used to having to draw after dropping it.

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Originally Posted by Mick-Boy

Situations like the one outlined by the OP, though anecdotal, can serve as excellent food for thought when considering your training regimen.

How much time do you spend training with your pistol at contact distances? When you train, are you dressed the way you do day to day or are you all tac'ed out? How much time do you spend training skills that are more/less likely (CCW handgun vs. chestrig and carbine)? Drawing and shooting while seated in your car with the seatbelt on? Working strong hand only while miming pushing a loved one behind you?

Not all bad guys are tweakers or idiots. They'll look for vulnerabilities and exploit them ruthlessly. No they are not, they are PREDATORS.

Think through your day. When are you the most vulnerable; Texting while you're walking out to your car in the morning? Leaning into your car to set your stuff down in a parking lot? Tired and heading into the house after a day at work? etc. Do what you can to minimize your exposure in those situations of course, but try to train with those kind of situations in mind.

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Lets expand this some more.

My first question is, HOW did the perp gain ILLEGAL entry ? Has that access point been taken care of. reason i ask is....I will say he gained entry because the garage door was OPEN! The majority of folks with attached garages have a very bad habit of opening the door way before they leave. OR KEEPING THE DAMN THING OPEN ALL THE TIME.

Here's my challenge to all who reading or responding to this thread.
Take a walk around your neighborhood, not too far say your block and the ones immediately behind and across from your house.
Do this exercise 2X once in the am (as time permits) then one more time right before the dinner hour or afterwards. See how many homes have their attached, even detached garage doors open, Front, side, back doors open with nothing more than a cheap screen as point of entry. Notice the large window OPEN for all to see the big screen tv, kids running around, ability to see in to another part of the home.
Does your area have alley access?? if so are the entry ways in to your yard secure? If the answer is NO, WHY NOT? Do your kids (if applicable) know what to do / how to act if someone peers over the fence or starts talking to them?

I can go on with the numerous security / safety failures i see on a daily basis within qa 2 block area in thei neighborhood. ONE of the major issues is failure to keep outside lights on. I hear well electricity rates are high enough. REALLY? How much is the cost savings of lights off vs theft, kidnapping etc?.

One board member said after receiving a call knowing what they were doing? he turned the outside lights ON and kept them on all night. WHY only this time and not as part of home security / safety?

Install photo electric / sun sensor lights for out doors if you're that concerned. Motion detectors for the yard or other areas you really don't need all night illumination.

Thanks for sharing the story.

I don't think that someone trying to steal my stuff is worth the trauma and moral anguish of shooting and/or killing them. If someone wants to take my (laughably small) TV, then I'll wait for the police. If they show any intention to harm me or my family, the police will have the whole thing recorded over the phone and we can sort it out later. I would rather be judged by twelve than carried by six, especially knowing that I defended and saved my family.

Home security requires multiple layers of physical and psychological security, and those are worth your every consideration.

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Originally Posted by USAFGopherMike

damn.. that's scary. Did he feel "threatened"? Did he attempt to retreat? I hope holder and the rest of the gun grabbing dems read about this.

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In response to this question along with the home owner being asked about using his firearm. The first thing one should do is Flight vs Fight. ESPECIALLY after the bomb throwers saying the martin SELF DEFENSE shooting was racially motivated. The home owner unless there are a few things missing in the OP could have retreated back inside till LE's arrived.
NO ONE HERE was onsite with the OP's friend so my last sentence is merely a suggestion or Plan A as it may be.

It was his confrontation/situation and his decision.. He did what he felt was appropriate. I'm not going to bash anyone for that..

Besides.. you said he used to be a corrections officer.. that guy has probably dealt with a lot of shit at work and knows when someones a real threat anyway.

That is some scary shit right there... Talk about breaking your daily routine!!