Guest Post: Time's Guide To Home Defense

 I asked Time from HT if he would do a little thing on home defense for us. He took a little prodding but agreed to write up a little something and answer questions and take comments over at HT. I hope this stirs a good conversation on an often over looked subject. Far too many people think owning a gun makes them safe, and too many more don't even own one. At the end I'll post a link to the discussion page for the post. It's on a separate forum so if you want to participate you'll need to sign up. You will however be able to follow the discussion freely without becoming a member.

There are people out there that want your stuff. Or worse, they may want you or your family members. It’s true now and it’ll be true ten years from now. But if times get really tough it’s almost certain you’re going to need to defend yourself, your family, your friends and your stuff. In some cases, losing your food and water could be the end for you.

I think of these things fairly often. Am I going to be able to protect me and mine? The simple truth is, I have no choice in the matter. Sure, today I can dial 911 for help. That is, if I have the opportunity. But, help may not make it in time and there is no guarantee that the option of calling police will be there next month, next year or in ten years. It’s too late to think about it then. Self defense starts now and even then, you’re late to the party.

So, you have weapons. Right? If not, you need to make it a priority. You can’t protect yourself or your loved ones if you take a knife to a gun fight. I really can’t stress this enough so I’m going to lay a bit of a guilt trip on you here. Do you care what happens to your wife/husband, daughter or son? Do you have the will to live? If you haven’t given yourself the opportunity to protect them or yourself, the answer to both questions is no.

You have some type of early warning system in your home, right? Dogs are great for this. If your protection from being snuck up on is simply a locked door, you’re not ready yet. You’re not prepared to protect yourself or your family.

Okay, end of guilt trip. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes. If someone does happen to get into your home and you have no one to rely on but yourself, do you know what to do? If they’re seemingly intent at getting to you, being armed may not be enough. You need to use your brain too. You have to remain as calm as possible and think clearly. In order to have the confidence you will need to keep calm, you need knowledge. An initial plan is good but these situations tend to be fluid. If you rely too heavily on a well designed plan, one blocked path can ruin everything. Your confidence drops and you no longer think clearly. Notice I didn’t say anything about being scared. You’re going to be scared. I would be scared. Get a grip and do what you have to do. In that light, knowing proper technique and tactics is far more advantageous than a plan.

I have a fluid plan for my home. We should all have a room, some people call it a “safe room”, to retreat to and hold a defensive position. I’m not talking about a concrete bunker in your home complete with six inch blast door and surveillance equipment. Those are for the wealthy. Just a room that everyone can get to in an emergency like this. A room with one entrance and possibly an exit to the outside for escape. If it’s possible in your home, you want to choose a room so that if it’s necessary and you have children in separate rooms in the house, you can go room to room clearing the rooms, hallways and doorways to get everybody into a single room. Something to think about here, if the room has a window that you may be able to escape from, it also has a window that intruders can enter through. For a purely defensive standpoint, it’s not really a good choice to try to hold a defensive position. But if you’re confident there are not others outside, a windowed room or other exit might be the best choice. It’s these unknowns that make these situations fluid.

Once in the room with only one entrance/exit, you have created a “fatal funnel”. An open or closed door is optional I suppose. I think many would prefer to close the door but personally, I want to be able to see them move past the open door. Basically, there is only a small space for intruders to get in or to be able to see in and you’re on the big end of the funnel giving an intruder a wider area to scan. You want to get yourself and any family member behind cover in the farthest corner opposite the door. Move a couch, bed, dresser drawer across if you have to. They won’t stop any bullets but they help keep you from being spotted quickly. Now you have the advantage. If anyone comes through the door, they must locate you before shooting with any accuracy. You’ll see them first and you are already aiming at the doorway so it only takes a fraction of a second to be on target with minimal movement. Um,,,,,pull the ---- trigger!

There is also something else you can do to help prevent being targeted quickly and accurately if it is dark. Shine a bright light in their eyes. But, there’s a trick to it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use a flashlight or turn lights on in the house if there is someone inside. I know the house and walk around in the dark often. I don’t need to see very well. If I use a light, I tell the intruder where I am. I don’t want to do that until I am in a position to fire first. So, until the light is pointed directly at their face, I wouldn’t turn it on. And to be honest, if I’m hiding in the corner of a room protecting my family, I’m pulling the trigger on the weapon, not the flashlight. An exception to that may be if I had called police or others for help. Chances are if someone had shown up to help, I’d know about it though. I’m still prone to not bother with the light.

There some things I brushed over that people should take some time to learn about. There are tactics to use to clear each room, hallway and doorway as you move through the house. There are proper ways to approach corners. These things can be topics to themselves and there is a good deal of information out there, some with diagrams and videos I just can’t match. So here are some phrases to google.

Tactical building clearing
Slicing the Pie
Fatal Funnel

The main point to the article is to learn these tactics to the point that you are comfortable using them. When the situation is as fluid as a home invasion is bound to be, a steadfast plan might not work out so well. Having the confidence that you can work through a situation and get youself and family in the best position available to defend yourselves is as important as the knowledge itself. But, it's the knowledge that gives you the confidence.

Let's be honest here, gun in hand or not, if your plan is to rush forward blindly or even run out blindly, your chance of being successful comes down to luck.


 Please feel free to comment, ask a question or three, and just follow the conversation here:

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=5764257#post5764257