The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Tactics and Training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old February 11, 2012, 10:31 PM   #26
Win73
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 1, 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 401
One night while sitting in the living room watching TV, my daughter came in and said someone was trying to get in the back door. I grabbed my .45 and went to investigate. It was a dog trying to get into the garbage can which sits on a pad next to the back door.

A second incident happened one morning as I was preparing to leave for work. There was a loud bang as something hit the front door. I had the .45 out and was just about to jerk open the door and confront who or what was there. But my daughter came running in and said "Dad, no!" Turns out it was a friend bringing her baby for my daughter to baby sit that day. She had one hand full of diaper bag and such and the baby in a carrier in the other hand. As she tried to reach for the doorbell she banged the carrier against the door. I didn't tell her until a couple of years later how close she was to coming face to face with a .45.
__________________
(Luke 11:21 KJV) When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

(Luke 22:36 KJV) Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Win73 is offline  
Old February 11, 2012, 11:39 PM   #27
Doug S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 29, 2000
Posts: 745
I think the OP's comments were good food for thought, but I'm not so sure about all of the comments from others stating "that I don't keep a gun next to the bed because I might grab it and shoot". Talk about a perfect world...expecting the bad guy to always provide you time to get to your gun, and cycle the first round...just not so sure the world is always that perfect. I mean there is such a thing as self-control, isn't there? Just because a gun is close to the bed, and loaded, doesn't mean that someone has to jump up, grab it, and start shooting blindly when they hear a bump in the night. I would hope most people are wise enough to do as the OP, and identify the target. Now those with sleeping disorders, and vivid nightmares, may be a different situation, but barring that sort of thing, I pray the Lord, protects me from making such a mistake, but I also hope most people are smart enough to hesitate just long enough to ascertain what is going on before they start shooting. As a point of reference, I live about a mile away from where a famous shooting tool place 40 something years ago. A wealthy family (local political figure) that lived in a nice fortified house, were killed in their beds by a group of hired thugs who managed to get into the house without waking any of them before they were in their bedrooms.
__________________
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

Last edited by Doug S; February 11, 2012 at 11:55 PM.
Doug S is offline  
Old February 12, 2012, 07:20 AM   #28
Sparks1957
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 4, 2011
Location: Vermont
Posts: 1,552
Quote:
I mean there is such a thing as self-control, isn't there?
I think it's a necessary prerequisite for anyone using firearams for defense purposes. If someone doesn't have it, they really shouldn't have guns around.

Your brain is the real weapon, and the gun is just a tool for carrying out your brain's plans and strategies. Be in command of your weapon.
Sparks1957 is offline  
Old February 12, 2012, 07:37 AM   #29
Pilot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 21, 2000
Posts: 4,193
Quote:
Never attempted to kill the fan at night but did come face to face with a deer looking in the bedroom window, I still do not know what stopped me from emptying a full magazine into that thing.. I scared the crap out of bothmy wife and I.
I had an Elk do that to me once. Fortunately, my dog woke me up by growling at it, so I knew something was wrong. I guess he prepared me, so when I saw the Elk looking in at me, I just had to laugh. They are big creatures.
__________________
Pilot
Pilot is offline  
Old February 12, 2012, 07:49 AM   #30
hoytinak
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 5, 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,721
".357 vs. ghost at the end of the bed" would have have been the title if this was my thread.....not sure how well even a .357 would stop a ghost.
hoytinak is offline  
Old February 12, 2012, 08:25 AM   #31
thump_rrr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2010
Posts: 403
A gun should be your last line of defense in your home.
Fencing exterior lighting, video surveillance, quality locks, an alarm system, and/or a dog should be used to deter, slow down, prevent people from entering your home.
The more you do to make your home less attractive to thieves helps.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford all of the above but a few lights and $1.00 a day will get you a monitored alarm system.
thump_rrr is offline  
Old February 12, 2012, 05:06 PM   #32
Glenn E. Meyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2000
Posts: 20,064
Quote:
There was a loud bang as something hit the front door. I had the .45 out and was just about to jerk open the door and confront who or what was there.
With no offense, you could have opened the door to a gun blast.

I know of two cases where guys who confronted folks at the door and shot innocent teens and ruined their own lives forever.

I also know of a case where a wife shot the big blob coming out the bathroom. Said she couldn't ID it - so who usually comes out of the bathroom at night? Now she lives in the government hotel. Know the guy who testified that she could have ID'ed hubby.
__________________
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
Glenn E. Meyer is offline  
Old February 17, 2012, 07:47 PM   #33
curt.45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 28, 2008
Location: Fort Wayne Ind.
Posts: 866
+1 for a nightlight in the hall, saved me from killing a woman I loved.

and helps make the blob go away when your eye sight is in the neighborhood of 20/50
curt.45 is offline  
Old February 17, 2012, 08:11 PM   #34
pgdion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 22, 2010
Location: MPLS, MN
Posts: 1,214
Nice post.
If there was a big black blob in my door it would likely be my dog.

It's not popular here but I always keep my bedroom gun with the magazine loaded but the chamber empty. I feel the seconds it takes to load the chamber gives my brain time to clear the fog and ensures some amount of coherency before pulling the trigger. People are known to do funny things when just coming out of sleep ... or even while partially still asleep. I don't want to shoot one of my kids while in a groggy stupor! Of course part of my thinking is based on a second floor bedroom and a large dog both of which ensure extra time that wouldn't be available if dogless and on the first floor. I love having that dog!

Nice job keeping your head and your cool!
__________________
597 VTR, because there's so many cans and so little time!
pgdion is offline  
Old February 19, 2012, 07:57 AM   #35
rodfac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 22, 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,618
We've been retired 6 years now and our sons have not lived at home in over 15 years...that said, over Thanksgiving #2 son was here with his wife for the holidays...the two of them came home late the 2nd night after an evening partying with their old friends in the big city. They'd had a problem with the car we'd loaned them and my son decided to tell me all about it at mid-night.

I'd had two tours in Vietnam back in the 70's, the first in a Special Forces camp down in lll Corps and had always considered myself a light sleeper. I have kept a revolver by the bedside for as long as I can remember; but I didn't hear my son come into the bedroom that night, and through the closed door, too. He made it to the foot of our bed where he stumbled over a chair, and it woke me up. I grabbed my Smith and was turning to engage him when he muttered, "sorry Dad, just wanted to talk with you..."

I about messed my jammies...and he was pretty worked up too. He's a former Marine, knows that we keep loaded handguns by the bed for security, but under the influence of some KY "fruit juice", he and I nearly made a fatal mistake. It was a big eye-opener for us both....

My wife and I now lock the bedroom door each night...figuring that the commotion of trying to get through a locked door will help to awaken us...and I'm back into the hard reality of taking time to remember who's in the house, and advising all guests of the danger of surprising us after hours.

Too, at the time, we were between dogs...our old lab had died some months before, or we'd have had ample warning. Our new lab is really good about announcing visitors, day or night....friends, aliens or family, they all get a bark or two.

HTH's Rodfac
__________________
Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

Last edited by rodfac; February 19, 2012 at 08:09 AM.
rodfac is offline  
Old February 19, 2012, 09:09 AM   #36
Skadoosh
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2010
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 2,016
I still cant believe there are people here on this forum who don't keep some kind of flashlight within arm's reach from their bed.
__________________
NRA Life Member
USN Retired
Skadoosh is offline  
Old February 21, 2012, 06:38 AM   #37
silvermane_1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 6, 2011
Location: Burien,WA
Posts: 897
thats why it's a good idea to have a flashlight attached to said bedside pistol.
silvermane_1 is offline  
Old February 21, 2012, 09:21 PM   #38
Irish B
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 10, 2010
Location: Colorado
Posts: 359
That used to happen to me almost every night after I had a bear try to break into my house three times, one of which i had left my bedroom window open and i woke to the bear trying to tear out my screen, another time a bear was sniffing at the glass at my window, and one time he wassuccessful and actually broke into my kitchen. After that I would always wake up and see a figure standing there. Really messed with me for a long time. As it turns out it actually happens when you wake up suddenly in the middle of REM sleep. You're still partially in REM sleep and just waking up so your subconscious is projected into reality. I learned quickly though that reaching for a flashlight first instead of my gun brought me a lot more security.
__________________
If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live

Last edited by Irish B; February 24, 2012 at 12:45 AM.
Irish B is offline  
Old February 21, 2012, 09:48 PM   #39
Hansam
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 763
In a perfect world...

Motion sensitive exterior lighting, a good strong security door on all external doors with strong deadbolts and a dog (even little ones) are great security systems. Some will also install an electronic security system as well. Me I don't feel like paying someone else to monitor my home 24/7 so I just put those cool little magnetic alarms on my doors and set them to go off when the door is opened before I go to bed.

Indoors I have night lights set strategically throughout the house - they're cheap and don't cost a lot in electricity if you get the ones that are LED and have a light sensor on them so they turn off in brighter light sources. This isn't because I'm afraid of the dark - but because I have very young children in the house who will get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Don't want them to trip over something, walk into the counter etc. as they make their way to the bathroom.

This also helps eliminate the dark blob in the dark doorway problem. When I awake in the middle of the night I can see perfectly fine (albeit everything is fuzzy since I need glasses for really good vision) but at least I don't just see a dark blob.

If anyone broke into my home they'd have to contend with my dog - a big female mastiff. She's friendly and all cuddles when during the day and when she's with family but at night she's extremely defensive of the house. I nearly got attacked one night when I came home late after a party with some old friends - I opened the door to a very ferocious looking barking and growling dog that was frothing at the mouth. Of course once she realized it was me she proceeded to wipe the drool off on my pants as she nuzzled against me for attention. My wife was awakened by the noise the dog made and had come to investigate with my 12 ga. in hand.

So in my perfect world first a criminal would have to decide if they want to try to access a well lit home. Second they'd have the security doors to contend with or go through a window. Once they gain access they'd have to contend with a ****** off 180lb mastiff. IF they somehow got past her they'd meet me armed with my pump 12 ga.

Just to be clear I sleep with a loaded 12 ga. next to my bed - 5 rds of 2 3/4" 4 shot in the mag and the chamber clear. I also have a Bersa Ultra Compact 45 under my pillow - 7 in the mag and one in the chamber - decocked. My wife sleeps with her LCP loaded (full mag with one in the chamber) in her night stand. Are we afraid of being broken into? Not particularly. We live in the country and the chances of someone coming to our home to burglarize it or invade it are slim. Are we going to set ourselves up to become victims in case the slim chance becomes reality? Hell no - not with young kids in the house.

Oh and about the kids - my 4 yr old daughter spends time at the range with my wife and I - she shoots her pink Cricket .22LR rifle. She already knows and can recite the 4 basic rules of firearms safety and can knock soda cans off posts at 25 yds with her rifle. My 13 yr old daughter has been shooting with me since she was 4 and because she has better eyesight I think she can actually out shoot me from a bench... My 8 yr old shoots with us - he has his own 10/22 with a youth stock. He enjoys picking off soda cans at 50 yds on the range. I also have a 2 yr old but she already knows that she can't touch my guns unless I say its ok. She also comes to the range with us although she doesn't shoot. My kids all know where my guns are - especially the loaded ones. They've NEVER touched the guns except when I tell them to go get their guns for the range. In that case they each get their own respective guns and don't touch mine or my wife's.

Raise your kids knowing what guns are and what they can do - raise them with a good understanding of firearms and a healthy respect for them - and you won't have a problem with the kids shooting themselves.

Of course this is ALL in MY perfect world. Yours may vary quite a bit.
__________________
This is who we are, what we do.
Hansam is offline  
Old February 23, 2012, 07:38 PM   #40
bruno diaz
Member
 
Join Date: July 25, 2011
Posts: 38
When I was in college, living at my parents house, I had a similar experience. I walked out of my bedroom and turned to go into the bathroom. It was in the middle of the night and it was dark. As I rounded the corner, I saw a figure standing in the bathroom doorway that was definitely a person and at least as big as me. Without thinking, I punched it as hard as I could. Turns out, it was the mirror on the door, and the figure was my own silhouette from the picture window down hallway behind me. I know this is a firearms forum, and I was unarmed, but that's what this story reminded me of. I had lived in that house for 20 years and that mirror was always on it, but that night it scared the hell out of me. I was just thankful it was a hollow-core door and that I didn't punch my dad (who was pushing 70 at the time).
bruno diaz is offline  
Old February 23, 2012, 09:21 PM   #41
Ben Towe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 6, 2009
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 1,128
The nightmare thing worries me the most. I had one just a week or so ago, the subject of which was a female, uh, friend for whom I care deeply, and someone was presenting a threat to her. In the dream the "perp" turned a corner and drew his weapon and I drew mine and dove to cover her. I swear to God, I felt his slugs burn me, one on the shoulder, one on the neck. The whole time I'm triggering the Sig... but it won't shoot. I woke in a cold sweat, on my side, arm outstretched with nothing but air in my hand. Crazy, huh? But it was the most realistic dream I've ever had. I think that the only reason my hand was empty was because in the nightmare I drew from the hip and the Sig was laying on the floor. It does give me pause, but such instances are very rare.
__________________
'Merica: Back to back World War Champs
Ben Towe is offline  
Old February 24, 2012, 12:40 AM   #42
Irish B
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 10, 2010
Location: Colorado
Posts: 359
My wife is a nurse who often works nights. I used to keep my gun loaded at my bedside till one night she had to come home in the middle of the night and walked into the bedroom. I immediately woke up and drew on her before I even woke up. I was impressed at my reaction but I also scared myself not to mention scaring her. She tried to call me to warn me she was coming home but i didnt hear the call and i'm not willing to take that risk anymore. The time it takes to rotate in order to have a round ready is enough time for me to wake up and realize what's going on. If that's too much time then hopefully the intruder shoots me first and buys my wife enough time to shoot him with her gun.
__________________
If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live
Irish B is offline  
Old February 25, 2012, 05:21 PM   #43
Murdock
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2008
Location: Down East Maine
Posts: 431
Flashlight, flashlight, flashlight...and training in its tactical employment.
__________________
The United States Marine Corps: Providing the enemies of America the opportunity to die for their countries since 1775. Semper fi.
Murdock is offline  
Old February 25, 2012, 10:06 PM   #44
WebleyBloke
Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 20
Good (physiologically correct) advice to look somewhat away from the "blob" to let your rods do their thing in low light - 20 or 30 deg will do. I haven't flown at night in a while (as pilot-in-charge of a light plane) but doing this can help at times, trust me.

But yes, using a flashlight is better of course - just don't temporarily blind yourself with the darned thing ....

I keep a loaded (357 magnum) revolver in the bedside table. No kids. Like engine-out in a plane, you need to keep sharp by mentally practicing emergency scenarios.

And like everyone says, BEWARE THE FALSE POSITIVE !

I've learned a lot already from this forum (this is post #1). Think I'll stick around.
Cheers.

Last edited by WebleyBloke; February 25, 2012 at 10:33 PM.
WebleyBloke is offline  
Old February 26, 2012, 08:05 AM   #45
Murdock
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2008
Location: Down East Maine
Posts: 431
I keep a loaded 1911 rail gun with an attached light at bedside. No kids. Shine the thing at the ceiling and the entire room lights up. You don't have to point it at anyone to see them clearly, unless they are somebody who needs to be shot. Then they see two flashes, the first one brighter than the second.
__________________
The United States Marine Corps: Providing the enemies of America the opportunity to die for their countries since 1775. Semper fi.
Murdock is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10204 seconds with 10 queries