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Self defense: How prepared are you?

What would you do?

  • Draw or grab a firearm that is immediately next to you

    Votes: 23 32.4%

  • Grab a clubbing weapon that is immediately next to you (ex. Golf club, baseball bat, etc)

    Votes: 6 8.5%

  • Grab a stabbing weapon that is immediately next to you (ex. Kitchen knife, pocket knife, etc)

    Votes: 4 5.6%

  • Run to another room to grab a locked up or hidden firearm and confront the home invaders

    Votes: 11 15.5%

  • Run to another room to grab a stabbing or clubbing weapon and confront the home invaders

    Votes: 3 4.2%

  • Run to another room and attempt to hide while dialing 911

    Votes: 2 2.8%

  • Run out the backdoor of the house and attempt to escape

    Votes: 4 5.6%

  • Freeze like a deer in the headlights

    Votes: 2 2.8%

  • Rush the bad guys barehanded

    Votes: 4 5.6%

  • Other (explain)

    Votes: 12 16.9%
  • Total voters
    71
Clubbing weapon

I don't really want to kill them with a gun. I figure if I sneak up on them with the club and take on of them out it is a fair fight. Then I still have the club and other guy doesn't.

If I see them with a gun though I would take the gun.
 
My weapon of choice in this scenario would be my 12-guage, 00 buck. When I'm in my house I'm often at my desk, that face the front door. Shotgun's behind my chair.

I'd stand and rack that **** really loud just to see their faces, then I'd try to apprehend them -- I'd put them on the floor right by the door and call the cops to come pick them up. If they bolted before I could detain them I would just let them go and call the cops. If they made any move toward me I'd be blasting mid-sections.
 
Retired Military Here! No matter where I am in my house or Vehicle I am never more than 5 steps away from a loaded (All My kids are now Grown and Live else where) weapon. I intend to defend what is mine and protect those that fall under my protection very diligently!
 
I do not reccomend apprehension. I reccomend Blasting, you can bet they will not hesitate in shooting you or yours. just My.02 Cents worth.
 
I grab my clubbing weapon and use it on the one that is not being savaged by my pit bull.
 
Zyphlin said:
Hard to say.

Is it just me at home or is my wife there too? How close am I to and exit? How close am I to her? How close is she to the exit? Do I see any weapons on the individuals? Have I heard about a string of robberies lately? If I have, where the men reported to be armed. Where am I in the house?

Scenarios like these on a board such as this are problematic because there are dozens of factors that are just missing. If I'm going to grab a weapon it'd depend on where I was in the house. I don't keep a gun hidden in every room, nor do I walk around my house with one at all times, so if I'm in my bedroom I may grab a gun where as in the kitchen perhaps something sharp where as in the living room something blunt. Or hell, if I'm near the door when they kick it in I may not have the chance to grab anything and have to use my hands.

Depending how close I am to a police station or how often I know a cop comes around the neighborhood, I may attempt to escape and value my potential life over my possession while hoping a cop can get there in time, making sure to take down their liscense number if they flee in a vehicle before cops arrive. However if my wife is home that may change this. Is she upstairs in a place that she's unable to escape? Then yeah, I'm definitely fighting. Is she out back on the porch and can get away quick? Then I may go with her.

Do I know these guys are armed with guns? Then I'm likely to grab a firearm if its close and get out of there, or just get out of there, rather than risking our lives...again, unless she's at a place she can't get out.
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Pardon my interuption, but if you stop to think of all that nonsense your dead my friend. Aim for the large center of mass and fire, thats really all this scenario calls for. Do some of you think you can reason with any one of any race that has just brazenly kicked in your door in broad daylight?
 
Bigkat80 said:
Pardon my interuption, but if you stop to think of all that nonsense your dead my friend.
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Most of that doesn't need to be thought about. I always know if my wife is at home, how close I am to an exit, whether or not I've heard about a string of robberies lately (and if the men reported in these robberies were armed), etc.

Do you need to think about these things? If so, I can see why you would believe that basing your actions on the particular situation you find yourself in would automatically lead to death.
 
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My US home sits on 2 acres of land with exterior IR trip beams and cameras. It would take a ninja to “sneak” up on it lol. At any rate, I have a number of auto-sidearms and a short-barrel shotgun at my disposal. In a worse case scenario, I have been a kickboxing participant for many years and acquainted myself with Krav Maga in the military.
 
For those that have weapons right next to them all the time


Are you really that scared all the time because you live in a really bad area (say Camden New Jersery) or just somewhat paranoid?
 
Someone breaks into my house, they better be trying to kill me because Ima be trying to kill them without regard for my health. They better be real serious, and they better be a badass - or they dead. I tell my friends, don't play - there will not be time to correct anything and I will not feel bad.
 
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Lord Tammerlain said:
For those that have weapons right next to them all the time. Are you really that scared all the time because you live in a really bad area (say Camden New Jersery) or just somewhat paranoid?
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Neither. All of us kids were/are military. It’s just something that I’m used to.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
For those that have weapons right next to them all the time


Are you really that scared all the time because you live in a really bad area (say Camden New Jersery) or just somewhat paranoid?
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Neither. You don't have to be fearful or paranoid to recognize the need to be armed. Merely aware.

I live in a semi-rural area. Crime is relatively uncommon.... but not unknown. The second "anniversary" of a local serial killer is just past... he would approach people at their home or biz about buying something, then use a pretext to reach into his car and come out with a shotgun. SOB killed five good people in as many days before being shot dead. I was already a pistol-packer, but this incident caused a lot of people in this area to change their security habits; many more now carry all the time than was previously the case.

Another factor I have to be aware of is the Interstate Highway that runs nearby. Everyone and everything, of every sort, goes up and down that highway... including big city criminals, gangbangers, and drug smugglers. Just yesterday the Sheriff busted a drugrunner on the highway not far from my home. A year ago a meth lab was busted a mile from my house. The convenience store near the highway has been subject to armed robbery at times. I know my neighbors and they are mostly good folks, but that doesn't mean that my area is entirely safe.

"Hot burglaries" (resident at home) are relatively rare in my state, because most households are armed and we have extended Castle Law. On the rare occasions that they do happen, they are often of the home invasion variety, where 2-5 thugs break in with guns and take the family hostage, threatening them to reveal the location of any valuables. Rape is frequently involved, and sometimes the vics are killed afterward. While the odds that my home will be targeted are very slim, the severity of the outcome of such an event argues in favor of preparedness.

So what are the odds that I'll ever actually need a gun? Technically they might be slim, but I've already been in a couple of near-miss situations where I was glad to be armed. Furthermore I consider it my duty, as a patriotic and law-abiding American, to resist crime whenever and wherever feasible, and to protect my fellow citizens at need.

So no, neither fear nor paranoia is necessary. Just a certain level of awareness and understanding.
 
Tashah said:
My US home sits on 2 acres of land with exterior IR trip beams and cameras. It would take a ninja to “sneak” up on it lol. At any rate, I have a number of auto-sidearms and a short-barrel shotgun at my disposal. In a worse case scenario, I have been a kickboxing participant for many years and acquainted myself with Krav Maga in the military.
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Damn, I'll have to be careful to pay you a late night visit. ;) :mrgreen:
 
I just want to add to what I have said before because so many people have answered with things that make no sense to me, and that is: Only a fool takes a knife to a gunfight.

Make no mistake the bad guys will always have and use guns and some times just to keep you quiet.
 
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Goshin said:
Neither. You don't have to be fearful or paranoid to recognize the need to be armed. Merely aware.

I live in a semi-rural area. Crime is relatively uncommon.... but not unknown. The second "anniversary" of a local serial killer is just past... he would approach people at their home or biz about buying something, then use a pretext to reach into his car and come out with a shotgun. SOB killed five good people in as many days before being shot dead. I was already a pistol-packer, but this incident caused a lot of people in this area to change their security habits; many more now carry all the time than was previously the case.

Another factor I have to be aware of is the Interstate Highway that runs nearby. Everyone and everything, of every sort, goes up and down that highway... including big city criminals, gangbangers, and drug smugglers. Just yesterday the Sheriff busted a drugrunner on the highway not far from my home. A year ago a meth lab was busted a mile from my house. The convenience store near the highway has been subject to armed robbery at times. I know my neighbors and they are mostly good folks, but that doesn't mean that my area is entirely safe.

"Hot burglaries" (resident at home) are relatively rare in my state, because most households are armed and we have extended Castle Law. On the rare occasions that they do happen, they are often of the home invasion variety, where 2-5 thugs break in with guns and take the family hostage, threatening them to reveal the location of any valuables. Rape is frequently involved, and sometimes the vics are killed afterward. While the odds that my home will be targeted are very slim, the severity of the outcome of such an event argues in favor of preparedness.

So what are the odds that I'll ever actually need a gun? Technically they might be slim, but I've already been in a couple of near-miss situations where I was glad to be armed. Furthermore I consider it my duty, as a patriotic and law-abiding American, to resist crime whenever and wherever feasible, and to protect my fellow citizens at need.

So no, neither fear nor paranoia is necessary. Just a certain level of awareness and understanding.
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Do you have a gun right beside you as you are watching TV, in the realistic or unrealistic chance of someone breaking into your home to rob and or kill you? If not a gun a knife or baseball bat?

To me that seems to be a whole lot of fear to be living under on a day to day basis
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Do you have a gun right beside you as you are watching TV, in the realistic or unrealistic chance of someone breaking into your home to rob and or kill you? If not a gun a knife or baseball bat?

To me that seems to be a whole lot of fear to be living under on a day to day basis
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I think you're confusing an emotion with a decision.

I made a decision long ago to live a lifestyle of preparedness; to take into consideration events that might be less-than-likely, but severe-in-consequences, and to make reasonable preparations to face such events.

I don't live in fear. I feel fear rather rarely.... most commonly on the highway when some idiot swerves into my lane without signaling. :lol:

I've made certain preparations against a number of possible (if improbable) threats. I keep a fire extinguisher by my bedside, and a couple others in other spots in the house.

Will you then presume that I live in fear of fire? Or that I am paranoid about fire? :lol:
 
Goshin said:
I think you're confusing an emotion with a decision.

I made a decision long ago to live a lifestyle of preparedness; to take into consideration events that might be less-than-likely, but severe-in-consequences, and to make reasonable preparations to face such events.

I don't live in fear. I feel fear rather rarely.... most commonly on the highway when some idiot swerves into my lane without signaling. :lol:

I've made certain preparations against a number of possible (if improbable) threats. I keep a fire extinguisher by my bedside, and a couple others in other spots in the house.

Will you then presume that I live in fear of fire? Or that I am paranoid about fire? :lol:
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Your emotions influenced your decisions

If the emotions were based on fear, and the decisions require active ongoing actions (like carrying a weapon in your home) then your emotions are driving your actions. The reason to carry a weapon in your home would be out of fear of someone breaking into your home while you were there. That is a level of fear of being robbed or killed that unless living in a crime ridden area (like Camden NJ) that I just cant see as being very rational


Fire extinguishers are a passive saftey device, not much different then having sprinklers pre built. You place put them in, and check every so often to ensure they are still operational, far different then having to make the decision to strap on the 9 mm every morning as you start to cook breakfast
 
Goshin said:
Will you then presume that I live in fear of fire?
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To a small degree, yes. I wouldn't say it is an overwhelming fear, but it is a fear. A perfectly reasonable one given the nature of fire.

Fear isn't really a bad thing when it inspires reasonable caution and intelligent steps towards prevention and protection.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Your emotions influenced your decisions

If the emotions were based on fear, and the decisions require active ongoing actions (like carrying a weapon in your home) then your emotions are driving your actions. The reason to carry a weapon in your home would be out of fear of someone breaking into your home while you were there. That is a level of fear of being robbed or killed that unless living in a crime ridden area (like Camden NJ) that I just cant see as being very rational


Fire extinguishers are a passive saftey device, not much different then having sprinklers pre built. You place put them in, and check every so often to ensure they are still operational, far different then having to make the decision to strap on the 9 mm every morning as you start to cook breakfast
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No, I'm afraid you continue to misunderstand.

You don't accuse me of fearfulness for having fire extinguishers in strategic locations in my house. Yet I'll tell you plainly that the idea of waking up to find the house is on fire is more frightening to me than the idea of waking up to the sound of the front door being kicked in.

But in neither case is fear driving the decision. Does fear drive my decision to have health insurance? Homeowners insurance? A tornado shelter? Or simply well-informed caution and prudence?

I say the latter, and the same for being armed.

You speak as if my going armed is some kind of dramatic decision I make every day. It isn't. The decision was made once, long ago, on the basis of a rational assessment of need and risk, and the severity of consequence if I ever needed one and didn't have it. I have a tornado shelter, yet I do not live in fear of tornados... nor do I think it likely I will suffer a direct hit from a tornado... but the consequences of it happening were I unprepared could be most severe. The same regarding firearms, and my life experiences after that decision was made have simply reaffirmed to me that I made the right choice.

I don't get up every morning and do a gut-check to see if I feel too fearful to go outside unarmed. :lol:

Hardly. It's more like this:
Pants on.
Shoes on.
Put wallet and keyring in pockets.
Put on belt.
Add leatherman tool and pistol to belt.
Put on shirt/etc.

I'm about as emotional about strapping on my gun, as you are about putting on shoes.
Why do you wear shoes? To protect your feet from the environment.
Why do I carry a gun? To protect my ass from criminals. :mrgreen:
 
Goshin said:
No, I'm afraid you continue to misunderstand.

You don't accuse me of fearfulness for having fire extinguishers in strategic locations in my house. Yet I'll tell you plainly that the idea of waking up to find the house is on fire is more frightening to me than the idea of waking up to the sound of the front door being kicked in.

But in neither case is fear driving the decision. Does fear drive my decision to have health insurance? Homeowners insurance? A tornado shelter? Or simply well-informed caution and prudence?

I say the latter, and the same for being armed.

You speak as if my going armed is some kind of dramatic decision I make every day. It isn't. The decision was made once, long ago, on the basis of a rational assessment of need and risk, and the severity of consequence if I ever needed one and didn't have it. I have a tornado shelter, yet I do not live in fear of tornados... nor do I think it likely I will suffer a direct hit from a tornado... but the consequences of it happening were I unprepared could be most severe. The same regarding firearms, and my life experiences after that decision was made have simply reaffirmed to me that I made the right choice.

I don't get up every morning and do a gut-check to see if I feel too fearful to go outside unarmed. :lol:

Hardly. It's more like this:
Pants on.
Shoes on.
Put wallet and keyring in pockets.
Put on belt.
Add leatherman tool and pistol to belt.
Put on shirt/etc.

I'm about as emotional about strapping on my gun, as you are about putting on shoes.
Why do you wear shoes? To protect your feet from the environment.
Why do I carry a gun? To protect my ass from criminals. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...


Fire extinguishers are passive once put in place unless a fire occurs, decisions to carry a weapon in your home and outside it, require an active process

You made the decision to place fire extinguishers in your home a long time ago, and I expect other then when you (I hope) inspect them every few months, doubt you think about them all the time. Neither do you carry a fire extinguisher around all the time, when you go to the bathroom you are not carrying one, but you are a weapon (or stated as such) when you go for a job, you dont carry an extinguisher, but are a weapon.

It is the active everyday decision to carry a weapon out of fear of being attacked that I cant seem to rationalize. I can see the point of having a gun at home for personal protection, but having right beside you when watching TV, or going for a walk to the corner store to me seems an irrational fear. Yes fear, even though you made the decision to carry long ago, it would have been out of fear and fear that causes one to carry it still
 
Goshin said:
Why do you wear shoes? To protect your feet from the environment.
Why do I carry a gun? To protect my ass from criminals. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Damn, most criminals I meet just want my wallet, you must have a great arse. :mrgreen:
 
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