Some one tried to break in last night!!!!!

[Ghostrider 310]

Not legal to kill intruders in NY either, deadly force can only be used when confronted with deadly force. then you have the intangible of a jury, I like the knife idea a lot. Even better if we all never have to choose.

[Ghostrider 310]

Actually the coolest move I ever saw was the seal being screwed with by my cousin in the lake. Next thing I knew Bob had him totally underwater, out of sight with his legs only, just smiling as he appeared to be recreating in the water like everyone else. I can tell you this, what those guys can do in the water is astounding.

[FrayAdjacent]

I'm glad Texas is a 'Castle Doctrine' state.

You break into my house for ANY reason, I'm well within my rights to ventilate you. I like it that way... it's a deterrent to hot home invasions.

[jeffsquire]

Originally Posted by dbth

Dude , I'm glad the danger has passed and that your family is OK.
Law of averages dictates that unless you run with a sketchy crowd,you are well past your lifetime chances of psycho intruders.

Gun control is a hot button issue , I guess bleeding the heart crowd has the night off ,or is keeping quiet in fear of getting shouted (or gunned) down.

Too bad those poor auxiliary officers murdered in NYC last nighty were unarmed...

This thread turned crazy , glad race analysis was not a factor.

_________________________________________

Being born and raised in the Greater NY area, I'm familiar with attitudes about the hot topic of gun control. My parents were part of that crowd. But think about this: the same crowd which hates government, hates terror spy-tapping, hates the war, hates the patriot act, hates most capitalism, and "loves" "free speech" is the same crowd willing to cede the government sole monopoly having all firearms.

p.s. The following is predicated on stereotypes, either true or percieved, of course.

[dmcutter]

After reading everyone's preferences for home defense weapons, I would like to point out how important a flashlight is. The new gen weapons lights like the Surefire X200 are blindingly bright and will at the very least make a perp flinch and ruin his night vision. Most importantly, though, is it allows positive target identification. I have night sights on all my pistols, but you want to make sure you aren't shooting your teenager when he sneaks back into the house in the middle of the night. And another cool thing about them is that at short (read defensive) ranges, point of impact is pretty close to the focus of the light, so it's point and shoot which is easier than trying to take aim which you won't be able to do under stress unless you train that way all the time.

[jeffsquire]

Originally Posted by dmcutter

After reading everyone's preferences for home defense weapons, I would like to point out how important a flashlight is. The new gen weapons lights like the Surefire X200 are blindingly bright and will at the very least make a perp flinch and ruin his night vision. Most importantly, though, is it allows positive target identification. I have night sights on all my pistols, but you want to make sure you aren't shooting your teenager when he sneaks back into the house in the middle of the night. And another cool thing about them is that at short (read defensive) ranges, point of impact is pretty close to the focus of the light, so it's point and shoot which is easier than trying to take aim which you won't be able to do under stress unless you train that way all the time.

________________________

Funny you should mention flashlights. The new LED technology arrived to flashlights recently and I'm absolutely amazed. There are alot of manufacturers but MAGlite has these new flashlights and they are incredibly bright and last 4x longer than incandescent bulbs. I bought 2 of them recenlty and very, very pleased. 2d battery and aa battery size.

NOTE: I nor anyone I know is a stockholder, nor do I have any pecuniary interest in Maglite.

[Dr. Kill]

I agree with Grizzly about layers of defense. That is always the best approach to mitigate any risk. For detective controls, a loud home alarm and a barking dog are a good first line of defense:
1) It let’s the intruder know they are detected and gives them a chance to rethink their actions before the stakes go up.
2) The detective controls alert you to the threat and buy you time to locate a weapon (corrective control)
You obviously don’t want to have to shoot anyone, but having that option is a good piece of mind and might be the only thing that can save your family.

In terms of weapons, I would stay away from the .22, 9mm, and even 10mm. They tend to put holes in people, but go out the other side. A nice .357, .40, or ,.45 typically do a better job of transferring more kinetic energy to your attacker and that translates to stopping power.

I would also not recommend a shotgun. Yes the sound of a 12 gauge pumping is a good deterrent in and of itself, and if you do line up a good shot, you will likely paint the wall with your attacker, but in my experience clearing rooms, I would want something much much shorter – picture coming around a corner and running into your attacker at less than arm’s length – I would take an pistol over a shotgun any day in that scenario.

An MP5 would be my weapon of choice in reclaiming my house, but most of us (including me these days) do not have access to such a wonderful tool. In the absence of that, a good old fashioned M1911A1 or .45 revolver should be all that is needed.