[River Rat 1969]

I like the reply by kmoffitt, and agree. Having said that, think about these bits of information: dogs can be poisoned before the bad guys arrive. Most doors and windows on most homes came be kicked/rammed down by a determined bad guy.

I like lights outside that stay on. First, most thugs avoid areas that are lighted, and if they still come a calling, they are highly visible. If you look outside and see a light, or many lights out, you know trouble is on the way.

My situation is kind of odd, compared to most folks. We live at the point where three different counties converge. Our sheriff's department is clear across the county, and our little town has less than 400 people in it.........bottom line, almost zero police presence, with a thirty minute (or longer) typical response time. We're pretty much on our own.

Let me relate something that happened here several years ago. Those of you that are professional lawmen will probably rip me to pieces, but perhaps this post will help others think about their particular situation.

At the time, I worked nights, and on my night off, would keep the same schedule; i.e., stay up all night. Our house is the last house in the town limits, with a large field across the street, another field beside our house on one side, and a field behind our house. The house next to me was vacant at the time, so no neighbors there to help in a crisis.

At 2 AM we heard a car in our driveway lay on their horn...........a long, loud blast. I looked at my wife, and commented that nobody we know would pull a stunt like that, even knowing we would be awake. Self Defense Rule #1: always have at least one loaded weapon close at hand, at all times. We practice that rule. My wife picked up her handgun, and I put on my .45 (for backup) and grabbed a loaded Mossberg 590. I told my wife to stand beside the front door, where she would not get struck by it, if someone kicked it in. I went out the back door, and along the dark side of my house, to observe the two large American cars in my driveway, without being seen myself.

My particular situation had me on edge. My elderly In-Laws (ages 63 & 78) were sleeping in their camp trailer beside my garage, waiting for their new home to be completed. Neither of these people did I want to come outside. Our isolation made us an easy target. Our normally aggressive dog was on his death bed.......poisoned.

Mistake # 1: I had no light on my front porch, and the porch was lined with house plants belonging to my In-Laws, until they could get moved into their new home; consequently, I could not see my (unlighted) front door.
With a streetlight in my backyard, and the town streetlight in the front, I could stand in the dark behind a bush, and see inside the back lighted cars. The first vehicle was a dark large GM.......Buick? Oldsmobile? The back car was a white Cadillac. I counted five men in the front car, and six in the back.

In all of my "what if's" I had allowed for a car load of thugs at most.........not two car loads. As I was standing there concealed, many things were rushing through my mind; what if they all get out at once? As these thoughts are going through my head, another guy steps off my front porch. For about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, this #12 man had been checking the locks on our door. (Later on, my wife said he never rang the doorbell or knocked............just reconning the place.) When he stepped off the steps, in my gruffest voice, I said, "What do you want?"

The guy did not miss a beat. Rapidly closing the distance between us, he was saying "Sir, we're looking for the pool hall Sir". I leveled the 12 gauge at his head/throat area, and responded, "We don't have a pool hall in this town, and you need to leave now. He didn't argue, turned around, and in a very calm voice, told the driver in the lead vehicle, "He has a shotgun."
My only thoughts were to charge the lead vehicle, if all twelve guys started getting out, and unload the pump gun on the lead car, and hope the back car driver would panic and leave. Eight shots of 12 gauge buckshot for the front car, and 13 shots from my H&K .45 for the back car, with a extra reload for the pistol. That event scared me.
As they backed out of our driveway, they kept their lights out............and I could not read the license plate numbers. I went inside, and called the sheriff's department, explaining what had just happened, in case the thugs called them complaining about someone threatening them. The sheriff asked if we needed them to come out there? I told him no, not for us, but the two cars were heading into town, and those guys were up to no good. I never heard anything else, except reading where six guys in a white Caddy had been caught robbing a store in a nearby city. Same car as in my driveway? I don't know.

Now, I keep a vest with radio, light, extra ammo & H&K in a holster, and smoke flares. Hopefully this was just a once in a lifetime event and won't happen again. If it does, I plan to cut the back street light off, and pop smoke around the vehicles. I know my property better than any stranger, and figure that if they see the back light go out, and smoke starts boiling up around them, they will get buggered and leave. If not, then I have a better chance of eliminating them if they un-ass their vehicles.

Hope this makes everyone think.
Jim