rifle vs unholstered handgun for checking out trespass situation

[Jhaydeno]

I made my recommendation based on what I would do or tell my wife to do. I can tell you if a women confronts a small group of men on her own then that tell's the men that it's quite possible only that woman lives in the house all a lone and by herself which is not something you want to let scumbags know.

Being smart is just that not sexist.

Excellent point about living alone.

[Coops]

Flood lights and siren on a motion sensor. Cockroaches hate that.

[Sandcut]

I think the first thing that your girlfriend should do is understand the value of always carrying a sidearm, even when home and farting around around the house. This removes the need to worry about "which gun should I grab". That question has already been answered.

I've pointed out on this forum multiple occasions where I've gone out to check out odd goings-on around my house. So far, all have been benign (even if one involved my one former neighbor DTing and showing up at my house at 0400 in boxer shorts, one slipper, one boot, and carrying the frame from his front window screen while claiming someone broke into his house and jumped him). Weird, but benign. I've had legitimate cases of people's cars breaking down at the end of my driveway. I've potential suitors to my daughters stop just short of the driveway in order to prolong the length of the date. And the last episode was a year ago when I "walked out to the mailbox" to see what was going on with all the cars parked up and down my road leading to boxer shorts boy's place. That ended up not being the party that I thought it was. It ended up being multiple police cars (with no lights flashing) investigating a home invasion, which resulted in murder convictions.

The end result of all of these investigations is this: a rifle would have only complicated every one of the situations. However, in none of the situations was my OCed/CCed pistol ever noticed or mentioned. I had a good flashlight. I approached cautiously. And everybody went home happy. I was protected if needed, but at no time did a firearm escalate any possible tension in the situation. Most interactions will be benign.

If your girlfriend won't come around to the idea of carrying while at home, get her a decent paddle holster that she can slip inside her waistband quickly if she needs to. That way she's armed, but not holding it in her hand (which implies a threat). Get her a good flashlight. If she still feels compelled to investigate people dumping at night, have her make contact from a distance using the light to her advantage. I imagine that most people dumping will skeedaddle once they hear someone confront them. If they decide to become hostile, she should have already called 911 to alert them and she has the benefit of distance between her and the dumpers.

[ExFlyinguy]

I think the first thing that your girlfriend should do is understand the value of always carrying a sidearm, even when home and farting around around the house. This removes the need to worry about "which gun should I grab". That question has already been answered.

I've pointed out on this forum multiple occasions where I've gone out to check out odd goings-on around my house. So far, all have been benign (even if one involved my one former neighbor DTing and showing up at my house at 0400 in boxer shorts, one slipper, one boot, and carrying the frame from his front window screen while claiming someone broke into his house and jumped him). Weird, but benign. I've had legitimate cases of people's cars breaking down at the end of my driveway. I've potential suitors to my daughters stop just short of the driveway in order to prolong the length of the date. And the last episode was a year ago when I "walked out to the mailbox" to see what was going on with all the cars parked up and down my road leading to boxer shorts boy's place. That ended up not being the party that I thought it was. It ended up being multiple police cars (with no lights flashing) investigating a home invasion, which resulted in murder convictions.

The end result of all of these investigations is this: a rifle would have only complicated every one of the situations. However, in none of the situations was my OCed/CCed pistol ever noticed or mentioned. I had a good flashlight. I approached cautiously. And everybody went home happy. I was protected if needed, but at no time did a firearm escalate any possible tension in the situation. Most interactions will be benign.

If your girlfriend won't come around to the idea of carrying while at home, get her a decent paddle holster that she can slip inside her waistband quickly if she needs to. That way she's armed, but not holding it in her hand (which implies a threat). Get her a good flashlight. If she still feels compelled to investigate people dumping at night, have her make contact from a distance using the light to her advantage. I imagine that most people dumping will skeedaddle once they hear someone confront them. If they decide to become hostile, she should have already called 911 to alert them and she has the benefit of distance between her and the dumpers.

I just have a problem telling anybody that a rifle is the WRONG choice, just like letting anybody tell me I DONT NEED more than 10 rounds.

[Sandcut]

I just have a problem telling anybody that a rifle is the WRONG choice, just like letting anybody tell me I DONT NEED more than 10 rounds.

Agreed. But I don't think that anybody said that a rifle was the wrong choice. I know that I didn't.

But a rifle/shotgun sends a different message than does a holstered pistol or a pistol held in your hand, just as it does when people OC publicly. Me walking over to my mailbox with a holstered pistol on my hip with a row of cop cars down my street is handled one way. Me walking to my mailbox with an AR at low ready is going to be viewed in a much different manner. Both are lawful. One just has more potential to get complicated. Depending on where this occurs, I could make an argument that a lone woman in the sticks would be better served to approach the situation carrying a long arm under the right circumstances. The trouble is, you never know what's in the box until you get the lid off of it.

[Carson]

Holstered and concealed pistol.
Let the ass*hole make the first move.

"say when". ....

Maybe in your case, but in the OP’s scenario it will be his girlfriend, outnumbered and behind the eightball. Not very good tactics.

[JenniferG]

The cameras are the best idea in my opinion. A woman inexperienced with a firearm confronting unknown individuals at night is a recipe for disaster. Get her trained in handling a firearm so she can protect herself in any situation. When she does go outside at any time of the day or night then a holstered handgun and trained how to use it in my opinion is the best option. It leaves your hands free to use the phone or do other tasks and is still ready to use for protection. Get the pictures of illegal dumpers with license numbers with night lens cameras and get them over to the police. Let them deal with these unknown individuals. Rifles and shotguns have their place but it takes two hands to handle them correctly.

[markshere2]

What about the rifle vs handgun question? We all know it's a bad time waiting to happen, but things happen... Who of us hasn't gone outside to investigate a sound- armed or not? Having run down a thief in just my shorts without a gun, I can promise you that sometimes you just respond.....

Shotgun cradled in the arms (not aimed at the miscreants) is the BEST option.
Real obvious attack deterrent
Accurate enough to engage from a distance.
This is huge. Don't let them get close to you.
Lots of stopping power.

[SgtRecon]

Flood lights and siren on a motion sensor. Cockroaches hate that.

find a nice hiding spot, tag them with one of those cheap laser pointers, make sure they see the dot and light up a of string of M-80's ?

[Berncly]

Lots of good advice in the thread.

Just would add that a slung rifle is the equivalent of a holstered pistol.
A rifle or pistol carried in the hand can be interpreted as brandishing (real or imagined).

Specific to the OP, as was already mentioned, it would not be wise to possibly instigate an armed confrontation over a nonviolent trespassing trash incident.
You have no idea if the trespassers are armed or how proficiently violent they may be.
Better to handle it with hidden trail cams and documentation reported to the police.

As was also already mentioned, in a unavoidable and potentially violent situation, best to have your cell phone recording audio/video in your front shirt pocket.