Besides the horrible situation of shooting a family member, it does no good if I decide to attack and end up getting shot in the process because I did not realize that they had a weapon or there were even two of them.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I hope I've cleared this mistake up already, but just in case... There is no way in he!! that anyone should be trying to "clear their house of bad guys"!! That's a job for professionals, like the local police and that is what they are paid to do! Your goal is, or should be, simple. Get your loved ones into a safe area, call for help, and prepare to defend against anyone that breaks into your safe area with whatever force is necessary to keep your loved ones safe. In fact, when you call the police on the cellular phone that you have in your safe room, you should give them these instructions: 1) When you arrive, come to this area of the yard and say this word (pick a special word, it doesn't make any difference, asparagus will do, just to let you know it's an LEO), 2) When we hear the correct word from the responding officer, then we will toss a set of house keys connected to a cylume stick out the window, 3) the officer has our permission to enter our residence with those keys and clear out anyone that is not locked in the master bedroom (safe room), 4) we will be locked in this room and here's where it is located, the officer must contact dipatch over the radio and dispatch must tell us over the phone that the officer is outside the door to this room (hey, it doen't always happen, but it doesn't hurt to ask
, 5) the cylume-keychain will have a key to this room for the officer to enter (this is another way for you to tell if it's an officer that is coming in the door) and the officer should loudly announce that he is an LEO and is entering before and during entry, 6) we are lawfully armed and anyone who attempts to enter this room by forceful entry or without announcing who they are will be considered a murderous intruder and that threat will be stopped. You have just made yourself, your loved ones AND the officers all knowledgable of the situation and taken into account each person's safety... Belive me, LEOs really appreciate that. They just want to make it home to be with their loved ones like the rest of us. Being in a "safe room" is your best bet for survival.An example of why you should not try to clear your own house during an intrusion. In all the scenerio training for bad guys in a house, there is only one person that has ever survived... ONE!
His method for clearing the two-story structure was thus: When the "go" signal was given, he ran in the front door, running through the house at full tilt, shooting all targets, hostile and hostage alike, went to the second floor continuing that technique, ran to the back window and jumped through it to the ground doing a roll. He survived the drill and in the process "killed" every "hostage" as well as every "hostile"! He was congradulated on being the only person to survive and then scolded for killing "hostages". Soooo, he was allowed to try again, since he survived. When the "go" signal was given, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "ALL RIGHT ALL YOU HOSTAGES, STAY DOWN, 'CAUSE I'M COMING THROUGH!" And proceeded to do the exact same thing a second time!
These scenerios were being run for trained LEOs... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Len Testa:
We have a gun in the house. An old rusty rifle that has not been fired in 10 years and is never loaded. I always keep it somewhere nearby my bed. I never walk around the house while seeking out an intruder without this in my hands. It is real and in the dark it looks like it works fine. At least I can use it as a bat.
(snip)
I am going to get a laser pointer and secure it to my rifle. At least I can scare the heck out of an intruder when he sees that red dot on his chest. I am sure that he wont stick around to find out if the gun is really loaded.
(snip)
Would you do or say anything that may even sacrifice your well being to save your family. I assume that if I had my gun in my hand this time, it should be loaded, even though I don't know if it will fire anymore.
... You might have justifiable homicide while in defense of life and property in your home. But at what expense? Your family members, or even you, may be part of the carnage and no amount of money or property is worth that risk to me. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ummm.... Since you obviously have all the proper licensing in place (even longarms that have been neglected and turned into worthless hunks of rust are still covered under Chapter 180), I'd suggest cleaning up that rifle and taking it to see if it's well-regulated, ummmm, that's founding father's speak for "properly functioning".
Besides it won't do you any good if it doesn't work and is unloaded. Also, be aware that you just posted your tactic on a public forum... It's a good thing you're going to go and make sure that your chosen home defense firearm is in good working order. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) The laser pointer is a decent idea, but remember that in the dark you are also giving away your position by turning it on. Just a consideration. And I generally strongly urge people to refrain from "bluffing" in any confrontation. I've done it and it even worked... I know others who weren't so lucky. It's not a good tactic. Always be able to back-up your words with actions. Following the guidelines that I previously gave, you, your family and responding LEOs should be spared being part of the carnage (unless you've declared yourself a religion and failed to pay a $200 disputed tax), as for anyone else that is part of the carnage... TFS as long as my loved ones survive.
Just that awful word, "gun"...