Video: For Home Security, Good Judgment Must Accompany a Gun by the Bedside. Thunder Ranch

Glad to see I'm not the only one saying this. In one of his other videos, his method for clearing stairs is to back up, call in a JDAM and go see what was there afterwards. I like that approach.
 
I am not clearing my home, I'm calling 911. EDIT: Just myself and my wife, we have a home alarm system central station. 'Home invasion in progress'.
 
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Generally, good advice. But, everyone's situation is different. And as he alluded to, practice clearing your house a few times, in case you have to. Remember, it's your turf and you can stack the deck to your advantage. Practice clearing will expose the problem areas and allow you to fix them ahead of time.

Just sayin'
 
I am not clearing my home, I'm calling 911.
This is what a cop friend told me, after I told him that if I hear a noise in the house, I grab the gun I and go looking.....he said I'm *not being smart, and to lock myself (and my gun) in a room with a phone, and to call the cops! LoL. Good advice.

(Actually, he called me *an idiot.)
 
What does that old man know... ? I bought the gear I am going to use it. I have been waiting to use that weapon mounted light. ;)
 
This is what a cop friend told me, after I told him that if I hear a noise in the house, I grab the gun I and go looking.....he said I'm *not being smart, and to lock myself (and my gun) in a room with a phone, and to call the cops! LoL. Good advice.

(Actually, he called me *an idiot.)

Calling you an idiot, unless in playful banter, isnt a sign of a good friend.

I will say I dont think his advice is necessarily wrong, but it does not apply equally across the board. For a single person living alone then taking up a defensive position in a locked room and waiting for backup is perfectly reasonable. No reason to lose the advantage of cover/concealment.

However, for those with family, we cannot do this. If I were to hear a window break, or someone working on a door handle somewhere, I have 4 kids upstairs. I am not going to lock my door and hope for the best.
 
I am not clearing my home, I'm calling 911.
This is what a cop friend told me, after I told him that if I hear a noise in the house, I grab the gun I and go looking.....he said I'm *not being smart, and to lock myself (and my gun) in a room with a phone, and to call the cops! LoL. Good advice.

(Actually, he called me *an idiot.)

Calling 911 and waiting is an option - but not the only option, and may not be the best option in every situation. What if the intruder is in your kids bedroom or your bedroom where your partner is? You going to call 911, wait the 20 minutes and see what happens? No, in that situation you're going to confront the threat.

Think about and practice as many scenarios as you can. As has been said, you most likely have the advantage because you know the layout of the house - having said that, an intruder is going to move randomly in an unknown environment, because depending on what they are looking for, it's unlikely they know where it is. Your house layout and family situation is going to dictate your typical action based on whether there are other people you need to protect and where they are in relation to you.
I think a lot of people assume they'll be in bed during an invasion too. Don't bet on it - make sure you plan to be in the most common rooms, and have a plan for answering the door and either being pushed aside or having another intruder come in another way while you're distracted.

It can be a lot of planning, and can be hard to get the rest of the family on board with running routines/drills - but make it part of a bigger safety practice (for fire, tornado or other weather etc.) and it seems less daunting and a little less dramatic for everyone that way.

All IMO of course. And what do I know, I'm a Brit... UK intruders come at you with illegal butter knives. :)
 
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Waiting won’t be an option for me as the kids’ bedrooms are on the opposite end of the house from mine with all other rooms in between. Gonna have to go check...
 
That is nice to say wait for the police, but given the current situation where the police are not responding or delayed an inordinate amount of time, it may be better to go on the offensive, especially in a riot situation where arson may be involved. Standard burglar agree, if he thinks there is someone in the house, he is most likely going to leave. In a riot, if the intruders are bent on harm, a defensive position is good, but if arson is involved all bets are off.
 
You going to call 911, wait the 20 minutes and see what happens?
More like 40 minutes, out here in the sticks. lol.
Now, I'd probably stay in whatever room I was in and wait for them to try to get in there. I will try to make them unhappy if they do get in......
 
Calling you an idiot, unless in playful banter, isnt a sign of a good friend.

I will say I dont think his advice is necessarily wrong, but it does not apply equally across the board. For a single person living alone then taking up a defensive position in a locked room and waiting for backup is perfectly reasonable. No reason to lose the advantage of cover/concealment.

However, for those with family, we cannot do this. If I were to hear a window break, or someone working on a door handle somewhere, I have 4 kids upstairs. I am not going to lock my door and hope for the best.
Well, we're the sort of friends who can call each other names and not get all weird about it. lol. We yell at each other a lot, and disagree on most things....
I do live alone in the woods, and there are always noises. A lot of them used to be the cat knocking stuff off various surfaces. He's gone now. So a noise in the night may actually be something not good.....lol.

These days with all the mess going on, I would hope I'd have the sense to stay in the room and call 911, at least there would be someone aware of what's happening. The suspense might kill me though!

I do have the .45 near me/on me at all times at home (now it's my current carry gun, too) with many extra magazines ready to go. lol.
 
Clint's a good dude, good at what he does and I have a great amount of respect for him. While he does dispense some sound advice in the video, not all situations are going to be carbon copies of each other...he even stated in the video the scenario would be dependent upon different factors..and as some on here have already said, when you have other family members in the house, especially kids, it changes everything.

Personally, I believe we have a moral obligation to ourselves and our loved ones to prepare for unwanted person(s) forcibly crossing the threshold...really no different than preparing for an unwanted fire in the home. Trying to figure all that stuff out when the ball drops may not work out too well. Planning ahead, so that everyone knows, "If X happens, I should do this" is no guarantee of a good outcome, but there is a higher likelihood of it with preparation vs just winging it.

The advice Clint gives is a blade that's got two edges. While locking yourself in a secure location and making "them" come to you may be safer than you getting ambushed, once you call 911, you have placed yourself in "dependency" mode. You are trusting that whoever shows up to handle the problem is professional, proficient and can think on their feet. In some cases, that may be exactly what you get...in others, not so much. Thing is, you ain't gonna have a clue what sorta gum ball's going to come out of the machine once you put the quarter in the slot and turn the handle. Not trying to bash anyone, but just being realistic. I know..."training / trained professional". Well, lemme tell you something about training from my observation(s): I know some folks who have been at a job for quite a while and have endured hundreds of hours of training, but when they roll up with smoke/flames showing, they lose their minds. Being able to think clearly goes out the window, they fall apart and they lose their ability to make good, solid, common sense decisions...you don't even have to see it, but can hear it in their voice over the radio.

Long story short, you may be equipped to handle the situation much better than those you have called due to your preparation...taking stuff seriously, being committed to those you care for, practicing/planning religiously and constantly evaluating plans/practice. Majority of the time, you will get out of it exactly what you put into it. If you half-ass it, you cannot reasonably expect to see stellar results if/when you have to put your preparation into practice. Ultimately, the responsibility for the safety and well being of me/my loved ones falls on my shoulders and it's why I do everything I possibly can to make myself/those around me better.

Not attempting to be a Tier 1 Jedi gunslinger, but just trying to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband and a dad.
 
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Great video! I agree with @wsfiredude also! I hope to never have to think about either way for real but instincts are instincts. My final vote would be to pressure the invader to leave....whatever that took.
Rooster
 
I'm going to pay attention and listen to my dog that was telling me 3 minutes ago that she heard/saw something in the yard. She has alerted me and now it's my job to prevent the entry to begin with. They aren't kicking any doors unless they brought lunch and a couple of friends to help. And that way when I call the cops I can give a good physical description and a direction of travel before I go back to sleep.... Preparation is best....
 
Planning ahead, so that everyone knows, "If X happens, I should do this" is no guarantee of a good outcome, but there is a higher likelihood of it with preparation vs just winging it.
This is why we have an ATM, a dinner table and a car to shoot from here. We want all to measure from where you sit and sleep to the farthest point you may have to shoot. We help people shoot like they might actually have to. Sitting, prone, front and back.
We can't make you a Spec Op Seal Recon Ranger, But at the very least you won't be in the middle of OJT if the SHTF. You will be more comfortable when you leave. I have heard this a hundred times. And there will be cookies or cake or pie AND All is free!!!!!!
 
This is why we have an ATM, a dinner table and a car to shoot from here. We want all to measure from where you sit and sleep to the farthest point you may have to shoot. We help people shoot like they might actually have to. Sitting, prone, front and back.
We can't make you a Spec Op Seal Recon Ranger, But at the very least you won't be in the middle of OJT if the SHTF. You will be more comfortable when you leave. I have heard this a hundred times. And there will be cookies or cake or pie AND All is free!!!!!!
Your drills are surely eye-openers!
 
This is why we have an ATM, a dinner table and a car to shoot from here. We want all to measure from where you sit and sleep to the farthest point you may have to shoot. We help people shoot like they might actually have to. Sitting, prone, front and back.
We can't make you a Spec Op Seal Recon Ranger, But at the very least you won't be in the middle of OJT if the SHTF. You will be more comfortable when you leave. I have heard this a hundred times. And there will be cookies or cake or pie AND All is free!!!!!!
Do you validate parking? :rolleyes:
 
I'm just going out on the balcony and firing off two rounds from a double barrel 12 guage.
Ah yes, the ol' "Doh! Biden" move... completely empty your shotgun. I'm surprised he didn't just suggest having a recording of a shotgun firing on your phone and play that to the intruder :D
 
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