Home Security

[Monk]

share your tips on home security! (systems, designs, specific elements of security, etc)

Thanks!

[ClubOfRomeII]

share your tips on home security! (systems, designs, specific elements of security, etc) Thanks!

Guns for everyone and dogs for early alert. By everyone, I mean anyone above the age of 4. Train'em young and arm them well I always say.

[Heineken]

Absolutely. Guns and dogs. A dynamite combination. Of course, dogs provide a lot more than just security.

I own a rifle but am currently in the market for a pistol, which I plan to wear holstered whenever I'm moving about on my large place. I've come to realize how vulnerable I am when I'm way back in the woods, far from the house.

[Monk]

I don't want this to turn into a gun thread but I was at an Army Surplus store a couple weeks ago and they had a pellet gun (pistol style) that looke liked a real gun... weighed the same as a real gun..... the barrel was spiraled to give the pellets more speed and better accuracy.... the guy said the pellet could easily go through somebody's arm.

I was pretty amazed by that.... and no weapon licence necessary.

[Heineken]

Which would you rather stake your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your home on, a pellet gun or a real gun? Despite what they told you at the store, there is really no comparison.

[aflatoxin]

I was always told of the importance of maintaining a secure perimeter. I live in a pretty rough neighborhood, and here is a little rundown about what has worked for me:

The outer perimeter consists of the neighborhood. Get to know who lives around you. Give them beer and smokes. Buy their kids birthday presents. Get their phone numbers and call them if something is up that you don't like.

The second perimeter is the property line. I have an 8 foot tall pyracantha hedge around my house. This stuff is the plant equivalent of razor wire. If I had less water, I would plant cactus. If I lived where it was truly wet, I would have blackberries. All of the gates lock.

From here, comes the third perimeter. I have a really nice alarm system with perimeter intrusion sensors. I also have one german shepard/rottweiler hybrid.

Then comes the next perimeter on the physical exterior of the house. Here the alarm system comes into play again. Plus, there is the shotgun at this point.

Then comes the interior perimeter. Alarm system again, plus guns both in use and stashed in strategic locations.

I could see how other features such as cliffs, deep bodies of water, muddy roads, and deep snow could also be used.

There are any number of booby traps that are easy to deploy. Steel-leadered fish hooks hanging from tree branches at face level. 5' deep holes covered with thin plywood. Small pieces of plywood with several nails pointing up placed in the leaves/grass. I

If you are worried about black helicopters landing in the yard, put telephone poles about 25 feet apart and string cable beween them. Of course, helicopters are only used when needed to raid your stash of tinfoil-lined caps.

[bae]

Live in a small rural community with little crime, and neighbors you can rely on.

[Monk]

Which would you rather stake your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your home on, a pellet gun or a real gun? Despite what they told you at the store, there is really no comparison.

I guess the main point of it is that you don't need a licence, hence if the gov't ever tries to ban ownership of firearms, you still have something in your arsenal.

[Doly]

Which would you rather stake your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your home on, a pellet gun or a real gun?

Neither. Guns of any kind don't make you bulletproof.

[Heineken]

Which would you rather stake your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your home on, a pellet gun or a real gun?

Neither. Guns of any kind don't make you bulletproof.

Of course guns don't make you bulletproof. They just give you a fighting chance against some gorilla coming at you with a gun, a knife, or a club.

However, by all means, doll, I invite you to be naked in such a scenario.

The concept here is "home security." Sheesh!

[ClubOfRomeII]

Which would you rather stake your life, the lives of your loved ones, and your home on, a pellet gun or a real gun?

Neither. Guns of any kind don't make you bulletproof.

So. They are wonderful at proving this point to the OTHER fella.

[Ludi]

Living in the country on a small road. No exterior lighting. Washed out driveway. Looking poor compared to neighbors.

[Heineken]

No exterior lighting.

That's an important one. I keep my place completely dark at night. I figure if someone invades I'll know my way around in the dark a hell of a lot better than the invader will.

Exterior lighting is stupid and a waste of money.

[elocs]

Just curious, but what exactly do you do when your bullets run out? Other than your odd thug, drug addict, or thief, how do you deal with maybe a small, armed group who wants what you have? Maybe this group has some smart guys with military training or maybe it is one of those militia groups with lots of weapons and ammo of their own. What if they laid seige to your house and when they tired of it they simply set it on fire? Can you save your house from fire because if I am a bad guy, fire is a great weapon --I can burn you out and move on.

What if somebody uses some kind of armored vehicle to penetrate Fortress America? I live just a few miles from a National Guard armory where I imagine some useful stuff could be found. Fortress America does sound impressive, but it would seem to be a better prison than a fort. Is it for keeping the cowboys in or the Indians out? Can you really hold out until the calvary arrives to rescue you? Who is that calvary going to be?

These are just what I would consider to be legitimate questions off the top of my head. I am sure that smarter people could come up with other hard, but straightforward scenerios. The ones I suggest might not be run of the mill, but under the suggested circumstances they would not be unusual. If you are truly going to defend your home by yourself you need consider more than strawman bad guys that can be easily knocked over or shot.

Or would a cooperative enclave or neighborhood be better with a larger pool of skills, tools, and resources and well as more people to watch each others' backs and defend their community?

[Heineken]

Perhaps the "enclave" would be better. But I don't know of any enclaves around here, and I'm not about to stick my neck out and try to start one---very dangerous, and I'm just not that sort of social animal. Anonymity is safest, especially when you're a man living with a another man like I do.

Enclaves are not necessarily smooth sailing, in any case. Another member could think you were fooling around with his girfriend and shoot you. Etc., etc., etc.

Even if a gun- and dog-based defense strategy fails in the final battle, and the hooligans are about to finish you off, at least the Glock in your hand gives you the means of a quick and painless personal exit. Always save that last round for yourself.

[strider3700]

Always save that last round for yourself.

Screw that. The last round goes into the first to reach me. The next one is the first one I hit with the butt of the gun, after that It's simply a question of how many can I take with me.

[Heineken]

But what if they decide, once you're helpless and captured, to torture you rather than just quickly plug you? Or maybe they're starving and decide to eat you a piece at a time, while keeping you alive and fresh as long as possible? Left arm today, right arm tomorrow, and so forth. Gad, I'd do anything to avoid being put in that position.

I respect your views, but for me, once I admit it's hopeless, the last round goes into my brain.

[elocs]

I wonder how many who talk so casually about blowing people away have ever fired a shot at a person or have ever actually killed another human being? I know of guys who talk like that who would probably either piss their pants if confronted with the situation or hesitate and be killed. There are many, if not most, who have been conditioned and socialized to believe that you do not shoot or kill people so even if it is justified they might find it difficult to do. I think that your average person who has not been in war or in law enforcement would find killing another human being difficult except in the most dire circumstances and even then they would probably find it psychologically difficult to deal with. I'm not sure if there would be a lot of joy and satisfaction involved with it.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Or maybe they're starving and decide to eat you a piece at a time, while keeping you alive and fresh as long as possible?

Someones been watching to much TV.

First you should think of the reasons why someone might come after you, (your food, you as food just to kill you and move on).

Realize that in most instances random violence is the exception, not the rule. People who need food or plan to kill for some other reason, will likely start withe the people they know, (its safer for them).

Think up the most likely reasons someone would come after you and the most likely scenario for each of those options. Then plan responses for each and prioritize them according to which scenario is the most likely to occur.

Then go on from there. But that is always the first step.

This is how I knew how to deal with the guy who came to my door at 2 am asking for help (this past winter), saying he fell into the creek was soaked and was freezing to death. Man the cops sure were useless! and clueless!

[Heineken]

After collapse the rules will change, and violence will become the norm. Hideous violence that will beggar the imagination. A sudden increase in the gas price of a couple of bucks could start it. We are that close.

I, my elderly parents, and my companion live on 25 acres in deep country. We're very isolated and definitely need guns to feel safe--to BE safe. A gun would be the only thing standing between us and a carload of rowdies who drove into our place intent on robbing and killing us.

I have no problem with shooting someone who's trying to destroy me or mine. This is not just tough talk, it's what feels right and obvious to me. I've been in the Army, I'm no stranger to guns or shooting. I've chopped off chicken heads. Killing a person would be a new thing, yes, but I've been in fights, and punching someone isn't a whole lot different when it comes to the emotion.

Obviously there are some people out there who just can't pull the trigger even if not doing so means they will die. But to me that's just stupidity.