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Have You Cleared Your House?

This is one of those deals where one size does not fit all. For me hunting for someone in my dark house after I've been awakened is a marginal activity. I feel that my best chance to survive unharmed is to stay in the corner of my bedroom behind the big armchair, armed of course, and wait. If I move around upstairs who ever is downstairs will here me and know where I am. I'd rather surprise them if they enter the bedroom than have them jump me while I'm moving about.
Hopefully being quiet and patient gives me an advantage that pays off when it really counts.
It would likely be very difficult to overcome you in such a circumstance. You would have many advantages even vs multiple common criminal attackers. I agree with what others have stated, this is but one type of scenario. Tactics can and will vary depending on what is happening and what has happened.

I simply cringe when people(alone) go searching for that bump in the night. I do not sleep well and I get up several times each night. I was out on my back deck with my dog and I noticed my neighbor with a flashlight walking around his boat and shed. I watched him patrol around for a few moments and quickly go back inside and turn his back lights out. He has my number and didnt call so I figured it was an animal or some such. This was around 02:30 - 03:00 with overcast moon and very dark. I asked him the next day what he was doing and he stated that he heard something like someone walking in gravel beside his home and then something tapping his metal trash bin. He said he got his gun and went outside to see what was about. He said he suspects it was some kids cutting through his property and worried they might steal several fishing rods he had laying in his boat. He is an older gentleman late 60s and I asked him to call me next time since I can turn on my flood lights and see his front, side and rear yard. He would only need to look out onto his gravel drive on the other side and we would have the whole property covered. No need for him to go outside and patrol around in the dark. He said yeah... while he was out there he heard the screen door squeek and was worried that someone had gotten into the house while he was out back. He said that is why he made a bee line back into the house. He said nobody was there and it must have been the wind that blew the door. I begged him not to do that anymore and that we would deal with these things together if he would simply call me.
 
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One thing has come up that changes the ball game.
never really took it into consideration.

cameras

My buddy has cameras on his entrances and also inside the house in the main living areas.
He wants to ensure his pets dont tear the place up while at work and he can yell at them thru the camera microphone. Also works for him to see any occupants that entered his house.

If one hears noises around the house, it is now common for folks to grab their phone and scan the cameras.
Gives one a massive tactical edge of who, what, and where uninvited folks are in the house.
 
One thing has come up that changes the ball game.
never really took it into consideration.

cameras

My buddy has cameras on his entrances and also inside the house in the main living areas.
He wants to ensure his pets dont tear the place up while at work and he can yell at them thru the camera microphone. Also works for him to see any occupants that entered his house.

If one hears noises around the house, it is now common for folks to grab their phone and scan the cameras.
Gives one a massive tactical edge of who, what, and where uninvited folks are in the house.
Sounds sorta cool in some ways, but heard camera apps could be hacked too.
Spooked or paranoid dogs aren't much fun to be around sometimes either.
 
Just reading over old material...............

Has anyone ever called law enforcement to clear their house?
They never made it in the house, but I had to call them. We had an attempted home invasion thirteen years ago back when we lived downtown. About 6 AM I heard to guys shuffling around on the front porch. After going to the front door in my underware and asking how I could help they said they were "selling newspapers". The small kid then pulled out a piece and tried to push his hand in the door yelling "POLICE, OPEN UP". That just triggered me to slam his hand into the door and put my 250 lbs onto it and get down low. I yelled for my wife (girlfriend at the time) to get up and call the police because two assholes with a gun are trying to get in. The cops were there fast but not fast enough to catch 'em. I sure appreciated the backup!
 
Just reading over old material...............

Has anyone ever called law enforcement to clear their house?
Pilots control the airplane in an immediate emergency, then notify air traffic control.

i’ll handle the issue and then call if its immediate situation of dire need. If its not, i’ll call police to come out “within their expected” response time
 
Pilots control the airplane in an immediate emergency, then notify air traffic control.

i’ll handle the issue and then call if its immediate situation of dire need. If its not, i’ll call police to come out “within their expected” response time

You may not handle it, or handle is as well as you expect. Who is coming if you are happen to be hurt or injured in a fight with badguys? Who is coming if you are relieved of the option to call.

This is why that initiating a help response is commonly suggested as an earlier effort rather than a later one.

Certainly there can be circumstance where you simply do not have time to call. Some dangers may manifest suddenly and you are forced to simply handle it as best you can. Calling for help might be something that MUST happen later due to the exigencies of the moment. If not, I will make the call immediately.
 
You may not handle it, or handle is as well as you expect. Who is coming if you are happen to be hurt or injured in a fight with badguys? Who is coming if you are relieved of the option to call.

This is why that initiating a help response is commonly suggested as an earlier effort rather than a later one.

Certainly there can be circumstance where you simply do not have time to call. Some dangers may manifest suddenly and you are forced to simply handle it as best you can. Calling for help might be something that MUST happen later due to the exigencies of the moment. If not, I will make the call immediately.
You do it your way, i’ll do it mine
 
Regardless of what you do you'll certainly be second guessed by people who were not there. These are the folks that want a detailed explanation of what you did and why, and if your actions don't meet with their approval you're bound for a bumpy ride down the legal highway. That scares me almost more than the thought of an intruder.
 
You do it your way, i’ll do it mine

Ok that is certainly fair

Please remember that you offered your thoughts on a discussion forum. I am simply attempting to expound on the subject matter in a way that may help others who are undecided. The question of [when] to call 911 is a very common and reasonable one.

If you are open to continuing the discussion, I have a couple of question. If not, I understand.
 
Ok that is certainly fair

Please remember that you offered your thoughts on a discussion forum. I am simply attempting to expound on the subject matter in a way that may help others who are undecided. The question of [when] to call 911 is a very common and reasonable one.

If you are open to continuing the discussion, I have a couple of question. If not, I understand.
To me, certain situations can call for different actions and measures. Like hearing glass break or other out of place noise outside at night, if phone is right there, call 911 then. If everyone is accounted for it may be best to call 911 1st before taking any sort of other action if having enough time to rustle up other protections. A wild animal may have knocked over a planter breaking it, but maybe not? Maybe someone living there lost their keys and phone trying to get inside house or car to retrieve them by breaking glass? If hearing someone already in house or car is different scenario. Walking down the street is yet another one. Best bet is to be prepared for different scenarios beforehand.
Being familiar with, understanding area and surroundings helps too. May cut down on paranoia.
 
It's why you need to have a plan. Not only do you need to address the immediate situation, you need to address the aftermath, assuming there is time. If I hear someone trying to gain entry to my house in the middle of the night I already know they aren't supposed to be there. I have one kid and she lives down the road and has her own key and also knows better than to just stroll in the door in the middle of the night. So the plan is to get the wife on the floor behind the bed with a phone, calling 911 and keeping them on the line while I cover the bedroom door from behind some low concealment.
 
Ok that is certainly fair

Please remember that you offered your thoughts on a discussion forum. I am simply attempting to expound on the subject matter in a way that may help others who are undecided. The question of [when] to call 911 is a very common and reasonable one.

If you are open to continuing the discussion, I have a couple of question. If not, I understand.
If I see a dude stealing my wheels off the vehicle, I’m dialing 911 and taking pictures. Possibly also scare them away. I’m not losing my life or taking a life over wheels.

Someone in my house, i’m dealing with the threat and then calling 911 or have wife call as I arm. I’m a pilot. You handle flying then contact. Same here. If I can call police bwcause I see someone snooping in the backyard, I will. If he’s in my house, threat first, then call . You can play that out in 1000000 scenarios or what if’s, but that is MY method and mine to choose.
 
Its ok.. plenty of people seeming get all caught up in bravado. I accept that you are going to do what you are going to do. This being a discussion forum, I will offer "content" for other potentially interested parties who may stumble into this thread.

You keep mentioning pilots for some reason so I will play along. As with most distress or urgency conditions while (in flight), I would think that pilots facing perilous circumstances would immediately declare it over comms and on the record. I am simply a joe citizen layman but I am skeptical that pilots would elect to handle a emergency which endangers flight safety only to report it after it is handled.

I’m a pilot. You handle flying then contact

Ok, great... so why cant you do both. You are always handling flying... right? When is it that you are not handling flying? When are you flying but unable to use comms? I could be wrong but I dont think you have to stop handling flying to simply communicate with ATC.

In the same sprit, I am not talking about people stealing wheels. I am talking about perceived conditions which suggests a threat to life-safety. I am speaking to the type of incident where you perceive that dangerous condition exists but you also have a reasonable confidence that the time it takes to dial 911 is not likely to exacerbate the perceived danger.


As I said previously, there can certainly be circumstances where there is simply no time to make a phone call. I will not tell others what to do but I subscribe to idea of immediately initiating a help response when reasonably practicable. Its a common practice in many emergency protocols.
 
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Its ok.. plenty of people seeming get all caught up in bravado. I accept that you are going to do what you are going to do. This being a discussion forum, I will offer "content" for other potentially interested parties who may stumble into this thread.

You keep mentioning pilots for some reason so I will play along. As with most distress or urgency conditions while (in flight), I would think that pilots facing perilous circumstances would immediately declare it over comms and on the record. I am simply a joe citizen layman but I am skeptical that pilots would elect to handle a emergency which endangers flight safety only to report it after it is handled.



Ok, great... so why cant you do both. You are always handling flying... right? When is it that you are not handling flying? When are you flying but unable to use comms? I could be wrong but I dont think you have to stop handling flying to simply communicate with ATC.

In the same sprit, I am not talking about people stealing wheels. I am talking about perceived conditions which suggests a threat to life-safety. I am speaking to the type of incident where you perceive that dangerous condition exists but you also have a reasonable confidence that the time it takes to dial 911 is not likely to exacerbate the perceived danger.


As I said previously, there can certainly be circumstances where there is simply no time to make a phone call. I will not tell others what to do but I subscribe to idea of immediately initiating a help response when reasonably practicable. Its a common practice in many emergency protocols.
I’ll call if it allows, if not, i will handle as necessary. I’ve had lots of in flight problems. Two hands working an emergency check list and throttles dont allow always for a comm opportunity ...
 
Personally in my house I am the primary defender and I would not be the one to call first responders in the event of a situation where a threat is present as my urge to protect my family would have me defending against that threat as fast as possible by any means necessary.

I'd rather meet a potential threat away from the areas inside of my home where the more vulnerable family members are such as children are so in the event of shots fired there is a less likely chance of rounds flying in their direction from a baddie. There are multiple defenders in my home with multiple cell phones to call first responders.

Everyone's ideas on the subject will most likely vary for different personal reasons or beliefs on the issue.

I've been around a lot of violent encounters in my life. I have been shot at, sliced, and stabbed in the palm of my hand. My personal experience tells me violence happens fast and first responders aren't always fast responders.

Do what you feel is best but make sure you train for it, even if the plan is the hunker down because you won't be ready to implement
even the simplest defensive strategy if you don't train.
 
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I live in a small area and the guys responding know me. That said the wife and I have a plan should we ne woken in the middle of the night. We have cameras covering most everything outside and some inside as well.
The lay out of our home puts us in a defensive position from our bedroom as is the same with most homes. But it has a shared bathroom ( 2 entrance points)which makes it much easier to defend with two people. I have been working with her on sidearm training and she is pretty good, but this last winter I built her a carbine, well I did not build it, but I added to it so that it is more comfortable to shoot. We will have to get it back out here pretty soon and see how much better she likes it. To me home defense is where these ar9 carbines shine. They work ok for a bug out gun, but I think anyone that is reading this form is not going to bug out with just a 9mm. They are an excellent little defense weapon for the whole family, Women love them because they are light and feel like a smaller gun they can control, so they feel comfortable with them right out of the box. Surprisingly the blow back design without some upgrades to reduce recoil, they can have a little recoil. nothing horrible mind you, but enough that should there be multiple threats you and your wife are going to appreciate either a quality build or add ons to help you get back on target fast. In the event of everyone bugging out for where ever it is you have a plan for, should things come to that point, she or you can easily function in a vehicle with it and go from side to side fairly easily. IDK maybe it is a saint pistol lite??? I do not own a 556 pistol so I can not comment on the comparison but being in a 9mm and sweeping with these ar9's you do not have to worry much about over penetration either (depending on your ammo choice of course). Which is a big consideration if you have family in other rooms of the house.
Sorry if that sounded like a plug for these little ar9 carbines, but I absolutely love love them. I think all said and done I will have around $1000 or so counting the purchase cost into the one I am building for my wife. Not exatly cheap but it is a nice little tool and fits the job perfectly. When it comes to tools, you have to have the right one for the job and the fact that it can carry 30 "adjustments" in it gives me the peace of mind that myself, my wife or even a responsible kid could pick it up (it is about the size of those crosman pump up bb guns) and could lay it down well enough that your average joker is going to leave dna evidence running down his leg in retreat. They also work well in the woods should you ride 4 wheeler, horses or kayak. Especially if you are where the wildlife might be tough to put down with a side arm and it's limitations.
 
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