Using headphones at night - A serious concern? - Page 2

huntinaz · June 22, 2011, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Use the headphones and live life on the edge.

This is what I would do.

If you are that paranoid though, you could just take your computer and wait by the door or window with gun in hand. Or just skip the movies and go to sleep with your girlfriend. Or take turns with her every 4 hours or so standing guard while the other sleeps...

Don P · June 23, 2011, 06:51 AM

Unless you are bedding down for the night and leaving the front door WIDE OPEN I don't see a issue with it.

SHNOMIDO · June 25, 2011, 02:49 PM

I have a similar problem, i have trouble getting to sleep and would like to try earplugs, but that sounds like a terrible idea when it comes to home defense.

The way i see it is, i would hope an alarm system would wake you through your headphones/earplugs, and if you don't have an alarm system that's more of a problem than watching a movie with headphones on. An intruder could always get lucky and enter your home quietly, nice clean break on a window, through the basement, break in timed with a car driving by or a lightning strike. Those last couple are pretty far odds, but since when has good/bad odds affected our decisions to protect ourselves? that's a gun control talking point.

Personally, my home doesn't have an alarm system and i wish it did. I've been shopping around but our money is stretched out as it is. Got some loud mouth dogs though... and i don't sleep with the earplugs.

Nordeste · June 26, 2011, 05:03 PM

Interesting thread. My question is, is it that common that someone breaks into your house at night in the US?. I'm talking from the perspective of someone who hasn't ever been to America.

Over here we do have burglars, of course, but they usually prefer to break into houses whenever they are sure their occupants are away, so they can steal comfortably. This, however, has changed a bit during the last years, since now we have "imported" criminality coming from the former East Block European countries. Those are organized criminals, in a lot of cases with a military background. They're violent and they don't care whether the family is inside or not. And yes, there have been a couple of cases of the burglars being shot by the owners, and other cases where the occupants were unarmed and the consequences have been disastrous.

MikeNice81 · June 26, 2011, 10:42 PM

Nordeste, most criminals in America do still avoid breaking in when the home is occupied. However, in some instances they pick occupied homes, or just don't care if it is occupied.

Home invasions are not the common occurence that internet forums make them out to be. They do happen, but most often when they do it is accidental. Usually the burglar thinks the place is empty and gets a suprise.

Nordeste · June 27, 2011, 04:49 AM

Thank you, MikeNice. I guessed it was pretty much as you say, that it's not that common and people just lays on the "just in case" policy.

Owning a handgun in Spain is uncommon for a citizen unless there are very solid reasons for him/her to apply for it. People like judges, prosecutors, jewellers, gun shop owners or people who has been threatened/blackmailed by organized crime can have them, but that's it. People can, however, apply for a "sports license" and still have hanguns, but you gotta keep them in a proper locker at home and cannot carry them on the street. They can just travel from your house to the range, and back. The last case of burglars breaking in a house and assaulting the family, ended up with the Head of the family retrieving one of his guns (a .22, by the way) and shooting two of the assailants. One was pronounced dead on scene, the other was hit and fled (arrested quickly afterwards), together with the third one, uninjured. In this case they carried knives and batons, but make your guess if they had firearms (which they sometimes do). The defender still had to prove in court that he had to use lethal force because there was no other option. That's as stupid as our system is.

Different thing is the countryside, where hunting licenses and shotguns/rifles are more or less common. In the cities, most of us live in 2-3 bedrooms apartments. There's not much of the suburban culture with single-family houses, except in the typical wealthy areas or the countryside.

markj · June 27, 2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

is it that common that someone breaks into your house at night in the US?.

Day, night, anytime. I live out in the country, the next door neighbor (1/4 mile away) was out in the garden, 2 guys went into the house and stole their things then tied em up when they walked in on em. House is now with new occupants.

We get folks drive out to our area and look for stuff to take. Gotta lock everything up or it disappears. In the city folks are shooting each other.

jfruser · July 6, 2011, 11:43 AM

Use a mono plug, single ear jack. Also, dogs.

ChipperJones · August 1, 2012, 04:26 PM

Apologies for digging this up, but i ran into a similar situation with my "music" being to loud for my neighbors ( there lucky im a peaceful man). Either way my music was essentially deminished to a set of headphones or face eviction. I searched around and found these wirelesss Altec Lansing back beat stereo headset. They have an "open mic" button, that once pushed faintly allows the ambiance/sound around you to seep into your music. They are perfect for jogging/biking as well, just pop the open mic on when traffic gets thick....

**Frank Ettin** · August 1, 2012, 06:39 PM

A loud alarm is always a fall back.

But as an old guy from a prior generation, I see this as a simple matter of choice and trade-off. If you choose to listen to something with headphones on, you have chosen to limit your situational awareness.

If you don't think that's a good idea, maybe you'll want to consider going somewhere where you could listen without headphones and without disturbing anyone, as markj suggested. Or you could read a book.

Sometimes trying to have everything all at once isn't going to work out.

June 23, 2011, 06:51 AM	#27
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	Unless you are bedding down for the night and leaving the front door WIDE OPEN I don't see a issue with it. __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

June 26, 2011, 10:42 PM	#30
MikeNice81 Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2010 Posts: 579	Nordeste, most criminals in America do still avoid breaking in when the home is occupied. However, in some instances they pick occupied homes, or just don't care if it is occupied. Home invasions are not the common occurence that internet forums make them out to be. They do happen, but most often when they do it is accidental. Usually the burglar thinks the place is empty and gets a suprise. __________________ Here's my credo: There are no good guns, There are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone, except bad people. Charlton Heston

July 6, 2011, 11:43 AM	#33
jfruser Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 350	Use a mono plug, single ear jack. Also, dogs. __________________ Regards, jfruser "Books and bullets have their own destinies."----Bob Ross

August 1, 2012, 06:39 PM	#35
Frank Ettin Staff Join Date: November 23, 2005 Location: California - San Francisco Posts: 9,471	A loud alarm is always a fall back. But as an old guy from a prior generation, I see this as a simple matter of choice and trade-off. If you choose to listen to something with headphones on, you have chosen to limit your situational awareness. If you don't think that's a good idea, maybe you'll want to consider going somewhere where you could listen without headphones and without disturbing anyone, as markj suggested. Or you could read a book. Sometimes trying to have everything all at once isn't going to work out. __________________ "It is long been a principle of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully." -- Jeff Cooper

June 25, 2011, 02:49 PM	#28
SHNOMIDO Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 423	I have a similar problem, i have trouble getting to sleep and would like to try earplugs, but that sounds like a terrible idea when it comes to home defense. The way i see it is, i would hope an alarm system would wake you through your headphones/earplugs, and if you don't have an alarm system that's more of a problem than watching a movie with headphones on. An intruder could always get lucky and enter your home quietly, nice clean break on a window, through the basement, break in timed with a car driving by or a lightning strike. Those last couple are pretty far odds, but since when has good/bad odds affected our decisions to protect ourselves? that's a gun control talking point. Personally, my home doesn't have an alarm system and i wish it did. I've been shopping around but our money is stretched out as it is. Got some loud mouth dogs though... and i don't sleep with the earplugs.

June 26, 2011, 05:03 PM	#29
Nordeste Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2011 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 328	Interesting thread. My question is, is it that common that someone breaks into your house at night in the US?. I'm talking from the perspective of someone who hasn't ever been to America. Over here we do have burglars, of course, but they usually prefer to break into houses whenever they are sure their occupants are away, so they can steal comfortably. This, however, has changed a bit during the last years, since now we have "imported" criminality coming from the former East Block European countries. Those are organized criminals, in a lot of cases with a military background. They're violent and they don't care whether the family is inside or not. And yes, there have been a couple of cases of the burglars being shot by the owners, and other cases where the occupants were unarmed and the consequences have been disastrous.

June 27, 2011, 04:49 AM	#31
Nordeste Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2011 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 328	Thank you, MikeNice. I guessed it was pretty much as you say, that it's not that common and people just lays on the "just in case" policy. Owning a handgun in Spain is uncommon for a citizen unless there are very solid reasons for him/her to apply for it. People like judges, prosecutors, jewellers, gun shop owners or people who has been threatened/blackmailed by organized crime can have them, but that's it. People can, however, apply for a "sports license" and still have hanguns, but you gotta keep them in a proper locker at home and cannot carry them on the street. They can just travel from your house to the range, and back. The last case of burglars breaking in a house and assaulting the family, ended up with the Head of the family retrieving one of his guns (a .22, by the way) and shooting two of the assailants. One was pronounced dead on scene, the other was hit and fled (arrested quickly afterwards), together with the third one, uninjured. In this case they carried knives and batons, but make your guess if they had firearms (which they sometimes do). The defender still had to prove in court that he had to use lethal force because there was no other option. That's as stupid as our system is. Different thing is the countryside, where hunting licenses and shotguns/rifles are more or less common. In the cities, most of us live in 2-3 bedrooms apartments. There's not much of the suburban culture with single-family houses, except in the typical wealthy areas or the countryside.

August 1, 2012, 04:26 PM	#34
ChipperJones Junior Member Join Date: August 1, 2012 Posts: 1	Apologies for digging this up, but i ran into a similar situation with my "music" being to loud for my neighbors ( there lucky im a peaceful man). Either way my music was essentially deminished to a set of headphones or face eviction. I searched around and found these wirelesss Altec Lansing back beat stereo headset. They have an "open mic" button, that once pushed faintly allows the ambiance/sound around you to seep into your music. They are perfect for jogging/biking as well, just pop the open mic on when traffic gets thick....