George, I believe when interviewing former burglars the #1 deterrent to breaking into a home was a dog. Not a bad way to start.

Another reason why they don't like dogs is it alerts the owner or neighbor and the burglar becomes the victim.

Yup. The sound of a barking dog inside is enough to spur most burglars on to your neighbor's house. Lots of lighting and alarms are also frequently mentioned.

I live in a rural area with lots that are a minimum of 10 acres (wooded). Neighbors are not close by. LE are at least 30 minutes away driving (assuming they come immediately, but there are only a handful and they might be preoccupied. Like others have posted, it seems that without a weapon, I am not really able to protect my family. Especially as I age and slow down a bit.

That said, I recently added an ADT alarm here and in my second home. Someone broke into my second home in another state a few months back and stole all the appliances from the home. This was in a small, high-end, gated community in broad daylight. After that, I felt particularly vulnerable and added the alarms. I am very pleased with them and like the fact that I can monitor them on my Iphone. I also set the alarm every night when I go to bed...even though I was mainly concerned about being robbed when I was away. If the alarm did not scare someone away, it would give me plenty of time to prepare a response and would also alert LE, allowing me additional prep time upstairs.

Personally, I'm not a 'gun nut', whatever that is. I just recognize the right to own and use one. During the incident described earlier, I used both the gun and the phone with law enforcement. Had the perp not backed down after seeing the gun, he most likely would have kicked the door in well before law enforcement arrived. They were slow arriving because the roads were iced over. Without a gun and him inside my house? I guess I could have tried to reason with him, offer him a hot coffee, cower in a closet, beg for my life, or maybe he was just delivering a late-night bouquet of flowers ... yeah, probably should have given him the benefit of the doubt :rolleyes:

Many years ago in my single days I had a girlfriend spend the night. About 2:30 AM someone was pounding on my front door trying to come through it. Back then I had a doberman and she was barking and growling at the door and making noises that would have made me wet my pants if she did that looking at me making those noises.

All I had in the house for a weapon was a big butcher knife. :eek: I have never been in a knife fight and I don't want to try it.

Fortunately my dog made the guy decide to leave. I never saw him or whoever it was. I was shaking and scared. I decided then and there it was time to purchase a handgun.

The girlfriend later tells me her ex boy-friend is a stalker and that he was likely the one pounding on the door. We broke up soon after that.

Personally I would rather have a revolver in hand than a shotgun for reasons mentioned above and also because that is what I am comfortable with. I can shoot a shotgun and do reasonably well with clays even out to the 27 yard line, but I have thousands of rounds with a handgun and can hit a hard drive at 25 feet without having to use the sights, which is actually a good way to destroy the data and have fun at the same time. No, I am not a crack shot at all but as was mentioned it is what I shoot all the time and know how it all works by instinct.

With a handgun you have more options for cover and don't have to expose as much of yourself and it is much easier to lean around a corner with a handgun over a long gun.

This really depends on how folks classify home defense. I have no intention of "leaning around a corner" with my SG but rather retreat to a place where I can cover the access doorway with family behind me. Phone on speaker with 9-1-1. I'll leave the room/house sweep for the authorities.

Brent - you are absolutely correct in picking the firearm you are most comfortable with. My post above in no way is meant to argue that. Only to point out that actively seeking out a home intruder to shoot and kill may very well get you killed or in one hell of a lawsuit.

David, I agree. Retreating to the farthest room while telling the intruder you are armed waiting for the police, you still need to be hidden if they continue to advance your direction. It may be a bathroom door, closet, whatever, I would want room to get a hand out but not an arm when there is nowhere else to go. Mostly I would not want to be in that situation in the first place.

What do you think of this? When my kid was living alone her bedroom was on the second floor. We mounted a VERY, VERY bright light at the top of the stairs aimed straight down the stairs. She had a panic button next to the bed to turn it on. We tested it with the house completely darkened. I was at the bottom of the stairs heading up when she turned it on. I was prepared for it but lemme tell ya' I couldn't see shyt. It gave her time to get to the fire escape. She never had to use it but I thought it was clever.

All, take a look at this video.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qKk45i9DzDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Another issue, racking the slide either:

1. Showed the intruder you were not ready
2. You just tossed away a perfectly good shell

Depending on the type of intruder, assuming they even hear you rack the slide, only some will be deterred. Someone high on meth will probably not hear or care.

Should have pulled a Jeff Foxworthy and told the guy you were the girl's hairdresser........

Treat her Right

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/63X5vz0pByM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-politics-religion/728290-self-defense.html

Having 911 on the phone and yelling at the intruder to "get out, the police have been called, I am armed" is a good way to prevent going to jail if the invasion continues and you have to shoot. Especially if you have an alarm going off in the back ground. Shoot till he is no longer a threat.

Bernie P

I love PA.

I do not have to, nor will I, shout a warning, rack a shotgun or retreat to the recesses of MY HOME to accomadate a POS criminal.

It would suck killing someone, even a POS that broke into my home.

It would suck ALOT more if by my inaction, or degree of inaction, that my family was injured or killed.

In PA, not being a police officer, I have no obligation to shout a warning nor fire a warning shot if the above mentioned POS crosses the threshold of my door.

I've been told the sound of a shotgun being racked will go right through an engine block.

Wasp spray. Shoots 50 feet.

rjp

Anyone ever short shucked a shotgun?

I have, hunting turkeys before when I needed a second shot at one on the run.....

THAT is the reason my HD shotty is a mossy 930

18 inch barrel, pistol grip with buttstock, 12 ga AUTO LOADER with magazine extension.

I hope I never have to use it for the primary purpose for which it was purchased. However, once the music starts, you better be ready to dance....http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388795302.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388795346.jpg

I have a CZ 75B, too that I keep ready for immediate use. I really do not like a hand gun for home defense, however....... especially for people who do not practice a lot.