Staying Safe in Your Home – Home Invasions – Guns & Home Protection

Six years ago I wrote an article on how people could protect themselves from home invasions. It got a lot of read time on many blogs across the country. With all the hits it got it also received some complaints.

Most of the complaints came from people who strongly believe in gun possession and gun protection. Most of those complaints were about where I placed firearms on the list of positive actions people can utilize against home invasions. On my list, which had nothing to do with level of importance, I wrote, “Consider having a firearm” and had it last on the list of things one can do to help themselves. By far, the vast majority of people complaining were reasonable and just venting their strong beliefs. Most knew that my article was written for a diverse crowd and that some people do not want guns in their home and for some, it’s not an option they want to use.

One person also complained about my version of an average man or woman’s safe-room and that it was not truly safe. He opined that a safe-room is never really safe unless the walls are reinforced as well, which my recommendation did not suggest. However, another reader responding to his comment explained that much of home security is about shoring up weak areas, buying time and also discouraging criminals. That commenter hit the nail on the head as that is what true home security is about for the majority of people.

There is no such thing as complete 100% home security no matter what we do. You could hire an armed guard to sit in your living room with an automatic shotgun 24/7 to augment an alarm system and yet the guard could be sleeping or the alarm could have been disconnected by someone who had access to your home. We can add and add to this scenario always coming up with possibilities where things wouldn’t be 100 secure.

The fact is that there is no 100% home security, however, there are very real positive steps we all can utilize to significantly help ourselves. There are some outstanding safe-rooms that some rich people have that I am familiar with and that have concrete walls, separate air, power and water systems, but factually, they too are not foolproof and the rich who can afford such rooms may very well have to contend with sophisticated criminals who will come prepared for those measures.

However, there are great things we can do to lesson our chances of being a victim of a home invasion and working toward sound home security. But before I go into the basics of my original article let me state emphatically that I believe the single best self-defense tool is a firearm. In my book, “Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Women Need to be Safe and Secure” I clearly state that a firearm is the best tool to protect one’s self. It is a fact. The bigger question would probably be what is better for inside home protection, a hand-gun or a shotgun or perhaps a different firearm even yet. Generally, a shot gun might be best but that too is open for debate. I am SWAT trained and I excelled at combat handgun shooting not shotguns or other long guns, so for me, a handgun would clearly be my choice. However, and here is the point of home protection, there are many options and choices for people’s needs, abilities and beliefs.

If you’re concerned with the seemingly ever increasing home invasions occurring in certain areas of America, read these tips and see if they can help you and your loved ones.

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit.” Unless you’re trained in getting hit, fighting or handling vicious in your face confrontations it is hard to tell how you will react when you are attacked and that goes for home invasions too. The vast majority of average people will react poorly. The way to stop negative effects that stem from a complete lack of experience in these shocking and vicious matters, is training. For the average man or woman the way to lessen the ill effects of this is a form of mental training. It is to affirm and realize that ugly, scary, vicious acts do occur every day and they very well may occur to you—and that you will do SOMETHING to survive them. Knowing that the manure may very well hit your personal fan any day will gear you to be ready, unconsciously. Then it is much easier to utilize your security strategies that you have initiated.

Here are my personal tips to lesson your chances of being abused in a home invasion:

• Lock your doors. Many families, mostly in “good neighborhoods” do not lock their doors. A locked door, even a screen door can momentarily stop and thus stall a would-be intruder giving you extra time to do actions in your favor
• Get solid, strong, wooden or metal doors for your main entrances
• Install DEAPLY set deadbolt locks into any outside entrance doors
• Place a piece of wood in the window track of sliding glass doors–this keeps them from being quietly (relatively) forced open
• Get motion detector lights for the outside of your home. These are inexpensive and unbelievably easy to install. Put them at all corners of your home. They light up when motion crosses its path. Predators do not like light
• Install an alarm system and get an outside loud and annoying siren installed to notify your neighbors in case someone intrudes. Alarms, utilized correctly are great, even though many talk against their effectiveness
• Consider having a firearm to protect you and your family in case of home attack. If you chose this option get trained in its storage, safety and use. In trained, responsible hands firearms are great protection tools
• Create a safe-room in your home. You can choose any room such as an unused bedroom or your master bedroom. It is a simple idea. Pick a room and install a strong security door with a long, deep deadbolt lock along with reinforced door hinges (if you need help talk to a locksmith). Keep a cell phone in the room (in case your land-line phone is disabled), flashlight and any weapons you may choose to use. Have a family plan for everyone to run to the room in case of trouble. From there you can make a stand or have more time to call authorities.Home security is a tradeoff of personal needs, beliefs, monetary capabilities and personal abilities. Choose the one or the ones that you can implement. Stay safe.