Home defense, software over hardware

[mercop]

When the question comes up about what type of firearm is best for home defense you can choose between handgun, pistol or shotgun. Before discussing about what the best options is you first need to do a personal inventory of your needs and situation.

We teach that there are basically three types of situations where you would be most likely to need a firearm for home defense.

Bump in the night- the situation most people think of when the topic of home defense comes up.

The open door- when you arrive home and find that your front door is open, but no obvious signs of force. If there are obvious signs of force entry the best advice is to move to a position of safety and call the police. But if there isn’t you need to evaluate the totality of the situation and decide whether you think you forgot to close the door and make entry, or is there something else that leads you to believe it is the real thing and call the police.

Event in/around the home- this covers any other situation. Maybe you and your spouse are watching TV when your daughter’s violent ex-boyfriend begins to bang on your door. Or there late at night there is a loud knock at your door and you look out to see a neighbor covered in blood from a domestic assault with her husband walking up behind her. This actually happened to me.

When it comes to the bump in the night the vast majority of folks say they will grab a pistol or shotgun first. The pros of the pistol are that if it has a dedicated light it can allow you to open and close door, or even have a cell phone in your hand. The maneuverability of the pistol can also be a bad thing since its handiness may encourage someone without the proper training to go looking for the threat instead of barricading yourself in a room.

The shotgun along with the rifle are very formidable choices for home defense as well but have their own pros and cons even before you talk about which is better and the ammunition to load them with. The pros for the long gun include increased accuracy and sometimes round count. When equipped with a dedicated light they allow you easily illuminate your threat. The first con is that since they require two hands they may make it hard to talk on the phone or take physical control of family members. Clearing even your own house with a long gun without lots of practice can also be problematic. Things like leading into room with the muzzle and banging into things giving away your position can also be an issue. Another issue especially if you will be descending stairs is your footwear; do you make a habit of donning proper footwear when you pick up your firearm? Envision your heart pounding in your chest as you begin down your hard wood steps with your shotgun in hand to investigate a noise with your long gun. Your steps are steep so you usually use one or both of the railings when walking downstairs, but now with the shotgun occupying your hands your slip because you are barefooted or wearing socks. At least with a pistol you have one hand to catch yourself, or maybe not if you have a light in the other hand.

You arrive home after a late after work dinner party to find your front door ajar. What do you do? Chances are you will not have access to a long gun unless you get one from inside. Does your state allow CCW? Or even if it does did you leave your pistol home since you are not allowed to have it on company property. Is there an intruder still in the house? And if there is, were all of your firearms secured. This situation happened to at lease one young officer who arrived home with his young daughter in his arms and could hear the intruder in his bedroom. His pistol was un-secure on his dresser instead of on his hip. The intruder heard him come in the front door and fled out of a back window without his pistol.

Late at night, but before bedtime you hear a frantic knock at the door and look out to see your neighbor. When you open the first door you know focus on her head that is gushing blood. Something behind her catches your eye and you realize it is her husband walking across the street. He is covered in blood as well with a hammer in his hand. Do you wear your pistol at home? Do you even have a firearm on the first floor?

All of three types of situations are not far fetched and have happened to many of us or those we know. You can see in each where both handguns and long guns have pros and cons and that when someone asks “what is the best gun for home defense” we may need more information before arguing about caliber and effects on gelatin and drywall.

[ReefBlue]

I will say this, after I got my new shotgun, I decided to try to go down my upstairs hallway and clear my second bedroom . . . ya know, just for kicks.

It only has an 18.5" barrel and it was quite a handful in broad daylight.

Now, I didn't have a team of 3 other guys taking the left hand side of the room, so I had to clear the room by myself.

I had to avoid dressers, half open closets, then looking behind the bed and the door I just passed through while swinging this shotgun from side to side while trying to keep a clear sight picture . . . it isn't as easy as armchair commandos would have you think.

Also . . . don't forget about the cat following you and running between your legs because they don't understand what you're trying to do.

[Kaos]

I will say this, after I got my new shotgun, I decided to try to go down my upstairs hallway and clear my second bedroom . . . ya know, just for kicks.

It only has an 18.5" barrel and it was quite a handful in broad daylight.

Now, I didn't have a team of 3 other guys taking the left hand side of the room, so I had to clear the room by myself.

I had to avoid dressers, half open closets, then looking behind the bed and the door I just passed through while swinging this shotgun from side to side while trying to keep a clear sight picture . . . it isn't as easy as armchair commandos would have you think.

Also . . . don't forget about the cat following you and running between your legs because they don't understand what you're trying to do.

Officer, the cat posed a significant threat to my safety. I executed him with precision...I swears it.

[Coops]

This is making me think I need a shotgun AND a pistol for home defense.
Shotgun for holding up in a barricaded room and pistol for sweeping the premises efficiently.

[mercop]

It comes down to mindset, tactics and gun handling. Notice that guns were not mentioned since it is the easy part. Clearing a house with a team that you work with day and and day out is hard enough, but by yourself. Lots and lots of variables.

[panther76]

1. Coming home door ajar-my CCW (hi-cap 9mm)
2. Going to the front door, around the house-(my BUG, J-frame)
3. Bump in the night-shotgun

I am a post-911 veteran 11A. I think I know a thing or two about clearing rooms with a long arm. But personally, if I am dealing with a possible home invasion, my plan is the NRA recommended COA which is to retreat to my safe-room, retrieve my firearm, and call the police. I'm not going to attempt "clearing" jack-sh__ by myself.

If someone attempts to gain access to my safe-room, then they get 00 buck. If I am unable to get to my safe-room, I have alternate firing positions with cover and a good backstop in my field of fire planned around the house. I would simply hunker down there, let them come to me, and use my cell phone to dial 911.

I have thought about using a carbine instead of a shotgun for home defense but my neighbors are too close for me to feel ok with it.

[djturnz]

I will say this, after I got my new shotgun, I decided to try to go down my upstairs hallway and clear my second bedroom . . . ya know, just for kicks.

It only has an 18.5" barrel and it was quite a handful in broad daylight.

Now, I didn't have a team of 3 other guys taking the left hand side of the room, so I had to clear the room by myself.

I had to avoid dressers, half open closets, then looking behind the bed and the door I just passed through while swinging this shotgun from side to side while trying to keep a clear sight picture . . . it isn't as easy as armchair commandos would have you think.

Also . . . don't forget about the cat following you and running between your legs because they don't understand what you're trying to do.

The first time I did this, I was home alone. I decided to try it with my (unloaded) pistol. I was trying to be as realistic as possible and I tried to keep my heart rate up, as if I were stressed.

Well the phone rang, and scared the bajesus out of me. I was quite embarassed with my self.

[mercop]

I am impressed at how people are being realistic. The only thing worse than falling down a flight of steps is doing so with a gun in your hands.

The other thing I like to teach is to create a fatal funnel in front of your safe room door by locking it and also using a http://www.wedgeit.com/howitworks.htm. It will keep them busy in front of the door giving you a good aiming point.

We also have a challenge and password that only the family knows. If one of us is upstairs and gives the challenge and you don't respond appropriately we have a problem.

Another good idea is to have a door key on a chem light or tennis ball that you can toss out a window for the police to use to gain access to your home so that you don't need to give up your position to try to make it to the door.

[Nic]

Clearing your home by yourself is a bad idea. If you come home and your door is ajar, leave and call the police. If you hear someone in your house, gather your family, barricade and call the police. If you are not sure if someone is in your house, do it all anyway. There is a reason LEO's don't clear houses by themselves. If you are in a situation where you have no choice but to clear your own home... I hope you armed yourself with knowledge and sought out training. You bought the best weapon you could afford, now finish the process and take a class on personal and home defense.

[Carnes]

Lots and lots of variables.

Here are some considerations I came up with regarding home defense for a project I am working on. The fact is there is no one right answer to, "What is the best gun for home defense?" One, there has to be a weapon specific to the needs of the operating environment, and second, the firearm is only one component of a weapon system, or home defense system that the homeowner/tenant needs to develop.

Some things to think about

Think about the threat level you are dealing with. Is there a lot of violent crime and break-ins? If there are frequent break-ins, are these done by bottom of the barrel people down on their luck, or is there the possibility that there would be professionals with armor and training? Do you have anything anyone would want that bad? If you are a person with a lot of power and wealth living in a city, you will face a different kind of threat than if you are a middle-class joe living in a small town, or out in the sticks.

Think about how a rifle is only one tool in what becomes a weapon/defense system. You are the weapon, the rifle is a tool, and there other tools you may want to consider based on the threat environment.

If there it is a low threat environment, economy of force will dictate that you don't need to have a weapon that can defeat armor, a back-up weapon, a security system, a guard dog etc, etc.

To balance against the threat environment you are dealing with, you need to think about the operational environment. This is likely your home, or wherever you are developing a defense plan for.

What materials is the building made out of? How close are your neighbors? If you live in a stone building with no neighbors in range, you can maximize your stopping power. If you live in a trailer park, a long gun is likely going to be out of the question.

How many people are potentially going to be in the house? Do you have a wife and kids, that need to be accounted for? Do you frequently have guests that need to be accounted for? There is no set time when a home invasion can occur, so you have to think about how you are going to react to a situation when everyone is sleeping, or when there are 'friendlies' in the kitchen, gameroom and crapper.

How many levels are there in the house? How many points of entry are there? What are the avenues of approach and the natural lines of drift in your operating environment? Creatures have a tendency to follow the path of least resistance, so if your house has a natural flow leading to a particular bedroom, that needs to be taken into consideration. Is there a place in your home that is going to offer you superior cover and concealment while offering you a good field of fire? Is the house crowded and cramped, or is it large and open? In cramped quarters you may want to sacrifice some stopping power for a lighter and more maneuverable weapon.

Where are you likely to be during various threat levels during the day? If you have a big yard that you are working in, or a long driveway to shovel and someone invades your home while you are outside, when you come back in, are they likely to be between you and your primary weapon? Have you reduced their opportunity to get to the weapon before you? Keeping a shotty next to the bed does a person little good if someone breaks in through the bedroom window while you are watching a flick in the gameroom.

Have you identified positions in every room that will offer you maximum cover and concealment while also affording adequate fields of fire? Have you considered a specific 'fall back' plan that will allow you to transition from rooms where you have little defensive capability to rooms with better options?

You also need to think about how much you are going to invest in your weapon system. As I mentioned, the rifle is a tool, but there are other tools. Training, practice, weapon-lights, lasers, back up weapons, pets, security systems and communications are some other tools that thought needs to be put into.

Training and practice, these are not the same. How much are you willing to invest in training and practice? Training teaches you tactics, techniques and procedures, while practice is refining the knowledge you already have. An AK is going to be much more forgiving to a person with little training than a pump-shotgun. A pistol is going to be more forgiving than both.

You have to be comfortable and confident with whatever weapon you choose to use. If you are convinced that the AK is going to be far more reliable than an AR, don't bother with the AR. I can preach that the difference is negligible, but if you don't genuinely believe it, it will have a negative impact on your self defense capability.

Weapon-lights. You have to have a light associated with your weapon system. Remember, you are the system, not the rifle. You don't have to have a light mounted on your weapon, but you should think about the costs and benefits of that decision. Regardless you have to be prepared to identify your targets in a low/no light situation. Think about how you are going to deploy the light, and how that relates to your operational environment. If you have a wall that is entirely mirrored in your house, you should think about how that could affect you ahead of time. Are you going to switch a light on, or just use brief flashes of light for ID purposes? What are the costs and benefits of each technique?

Communications: Do you have a cell phone within arms reach 24-7. Do you have telephones in each room? If you have to go to a telephone, is that going to put you at a tactical disadvantage? Will you be hiding behind the dresser in your bedroom and the only way to call for help is the phone right next to the door?

What is the response time for your local enforcement agencies? Is the response time different during the day, vs during at night? How long can you hold a defensive position? If you empty your rifle do you have to get to the safe for more ammo? Have you considered making sure that you discuss recognition signals with the dispatcher? If you hear a voice from the living room saying, "police, it is safe to come out," are you sure that it is? Are you planning on saying anything to the intruder?

Have you considered what conditions are going to dictate when you set up a defensive position vs when you will need to move through your house, in spite of the known threat? It may not be best to stay in a defensive position when the kids are in the back yard playing. Are you aware that if you are in a defensive position waiting for a threat your arms will fatigue, you will be uncertain of when/if the threat will enter your field of fire, your mind will wonder as you run through scenarios and think about what to do and there is a good possibility that when someone enters the room they will have the initiative even though you were waiting for them? Do you have an idea about what some techniques for moving through building are should you decide you need to?

Home defense is a very complicated subject, it is dynamic and fluid. This is only a small sample of the things that you may want to think about when preparing for such a challenge.