Personal Home Defense Scenarios Exercises

[bhunted 887]

Purpose of this thread:

To determine how you would/could handle a real life scenario in different facets and times in your home.

 

Preparation:

Stage various types of weapons and/or carry if you do that already. If you stage your HD weapons, try staging the ones you use now. At the end of this exercise, if you felt in any way uncomfortable and was not able to control your current weapon, try a different one. What I mean is, if you stage a Shotgun or AR and that didn't work, stage a Hand Gun. Or Vice Versa..

 

Procedure:

Set up various scenarios in your home involving different times, points of entry by intruder, getting to your defense weapon of choice, etc.

 

Determining Outcome:

Was your drill successful? What can/will you do to get to the end of the a successful scenario? WHERE/ARE YOU READY TO KILL OR BE KILLED to protect your family?

 

Expectations:

I don't expect any replies to this unless you have fullfilled the excercise. Please refrain from anything not pertaining to this exercise unless you have done a similar one before. I would like to see any experts in their field, ie.; LE, etc... to lend a helping hand.

 

Summary:

Did you learn what you only thought you knew? How can you plan better? How can you practice in your home.

Determine what tools will aid you in this endeavor.

 

Disclaimer:

I am a qualified instructor in another world, but I'm by no means an instructor that trains any HD techniques. I assume no responsibility in anything you do or cause in your life. That means you get hurt, shot or anything of a sort, I am not responsible. Most of what you will read in this particular post is food for thought and some of my personal obstacles.

DO NOT USE LIVE AMMO! THIS IS NOT A LIVE FIRE EXERCISE! Please warn any family members to stay clear or do it while they are not around.

 

Comments:

This thread was created out of necessity IMHO. I see so many questions here over the years like, but not limited to: Which HD weapon is the best? Where can I get trained? etc., etc.

What someone considers the best, may not be the best for you. What you need to do is determine what is best for you in all scenarios. I will list some below but before I do that, please understand that I am not under minding anyone's recommendations or comments. Please also, do not make this thread into a who is right and who is wrong pissing match.

I also don't expect comments of what your house looks like, how your furniture is set up, etc... What I want to see is how you would handle common day obstacles in your way of creating the best outcome.

 

Couple of my problems and scenarios, (copied from my posts in another thread and edited for clarity and spelling)...

 

- I got hypothetical questions for yaz. (I know the answers, but want to see your responses).... Using any weapon in your home for defensive purposes. Has anyone considered, the 'when and where' you'll be using your HD weapon? Now where, is almost obvious. It will vary by room. The 'when' is more of the question. And have you trained in the various locations. Here are a few to consider. I use these examples because we ARE all different.. Scenarios will also vary depending on type of your home. For example, a Ranch, a Colonial, location of bedrooms, locations of staged weapons. There is also the bloody hand not being able to open a bio safe or any combo vs staged guns. But let's answer that one separately.

- You don't have to shoot. I want you to use your own house. You can use snap caps if you desire. Or don't use any type of ammo. Just your weapon of choice. Quick Note: I do not carry in my home. Most of the time I'm in gym shorts and a T-Shirt.

 

Scenario 1) Ok, here is what I mean. I take naps on my living room couch. Where would my mind be, where is my weapon staged compared to my couch? What condition am I in when I wake up? Is my head in a fog? Can I get to my gun without tripping over the ottoman if I'm not fully awake? How much time did it take to get my weapon ready and draw down or investigate?

 

Scenario 2) I'm older than most. I have to take meds before I go to bed and depending what time I'm arisen due to noise, dog barking or whatever, I'm a little dopey/dozy... Can I get to a weapon ready status? Can I get out of bed without shooting my foot? My 2nd flr. bedroom is tight as I'm not a bedroom person. I sleep and whatever and I leave it when I'm done. This means I have no room to swing ready a shotgun or AR... Hence, my 1st line of defense is a 45, then if I can make it to my closet, the AR is ready. Is the threat already on the 2nd flr? Did he only make it half way up the stairs, etc...?
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There are 2 for you to configure to your situation. This is how I train in my own home. Sometimes they are just dry runs, others might be with a laser system. Reason why I bring all this up is because I can almost bet that hardly anyone takes these things into consideration. This is why I question people about HD and what weapon they will use. There is always the best weapon, but it may not work for everyone. Hence, I try not advise people what I think is best. It may not be for them.

------

Please only post your full scenario and your out-come and do you feel your current training is adequate. Run and gun training, tactical training and other types are all fine. But will they work for you in your home? If you do not have any or much training, can you save your life or the life of your loved ones? THIS IS WHAT THIS THREAD IS ABOUT!

What you may fine is your weapon of choice may not be good for you after all. Please take everything I typed here in this post into consideration. Because most of the time an invasion might occur, you might not be at the ready or be able to respond like you would if you were.

Use YOUR HOME as the only example. Use or avoid your walls, furniture, safe rooms, or any obstacles. Think how you awaken from a deep sleep. Can you handle your weapon safely when you do awake? Can you see good enough without your glasses if your wear them? Can you get your family to a safe room or similar? Forget about the dog unless he/she is willing to step in. Forget about hiding and waiting for the threat to come to you, especially if you have a yappy dog, you are toast!

 

This is about you as your family's main line of defense. CAN YOU DO IT?!

 

Outcome:

What was your outcome? Don't be shy... you are here to learn.

Was your first weapon of choice the right one for you after all?

Did your drills all work successfully or fail?

Do you need more training? Did your training help?

 

Final Thoughts:

I've learned a lot in life in all types of crazy tasks. I'm retired, but I've been involved for many years as a first responder and in various types law enforcement.

I am in no longer an expert. Techniques have changed over the years. For example, I trained using the Weaver stance and am good at it.

Today, Isosceles is the recommended stance and even though I can do it, I'm better at Weaver and my muscle memory just automatically goes to it due to the original training.

There are many here that have extensive knowledge of weapons and training in many facets. From Law Enforcement to Military.

I've learned in my life, I'm not as good as I use to be. This is not because I don't train. It's because I'm getting old and more broken as I do. I have had multiple injuries over the years that are getting worse. Some that cannot be reversed. My eye sight is going. Not super bad yet, but for pin point shooting, I have to wear my glasses. But I train home without them. Beings I don't wear them all the time, I may not get to them if I'm in bed or have to fumble for them. ( I can make head shots anywhere in my home! )

Again, don't be shy. We are all here to help. Just PLEASE try keep this thread on track. No arguing or flaming please.

 

Links to some training tools/courses:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=laserlyte+training&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Alaserlyte+training

 

http://gunforhire.com/home-defense-shotgun/

[bhunted 887]

Ok folks! Been awhile. How about a SitRep? Any try these tasks in your home? How have you done?

 

 

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[kwadz 11]

Definitely some good stuff to consider.  I like the idea of trying each exercise with all of your different guns to get a feel for which works best in each scenario.  Now, to find the time to do it...

[High Exposure 5,664]

Just got my hands on a SIRT pistol and AR bolt. I am gonna try a few things and see but I know I can clear my house with a rifle and I am confident my skills are better then theirs.

 

I have a spent a lot of time in a shoothouse practicing my FISHing TTPs. I have also spent a lot of time playing the what-if game and visualizing how things could go down. Of I have access to a gun when something happens I know I will prevail.

 

The issue is when you don't have immediate access to a weapon. When you run out of time.

 

My family and I have a plan or two and we are building the foundation to implement initiative based tactics if we ever need them.

 

As far as equipment, I am a big fan of an AR for HD. That will always be my first choice - if I have the time and the wherewithal to grab one. I also have armor for everyone if we have time to don it.

 

You can prepare all you want but if the gun isn't on your person or in your hand when you need it, you are at a huge disadvantage.

 

I am not going to stash guns all over my house with a 5 year old living here. I try to discreetly carry around the house but that doesn't always work either. It's a game of balance.

 

You have to be careful though. You can think to much. You can "what if" anything to death and that's not productive to a positive winning mindset.

[bhunted 887]

Just remember. This is not really for what ifs. The exercise is personal to each individual. What I want people to grasp is whether in any scenario in their home, can they execute a plan. Age and experience can either be a downfall or advantage.

 

HE, you are an exception to the rule. You are highly experienced. Others, not so much.

 

This exercise is intended to mark failure and to correct with proper techniques.

I said it before. I can almost bet most people only think they can perform this. But with different hurdles, they won't know until they try.

 

 

 

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[AVB-AMG 530]

bhunted:

As I explore more of the threads on this forum I came across yours here and your advice on having a plan and practicing it and wanted to respond and share with you what I have done.
I applaud your taking the time to write out this very important exercise to help others understand that just purchasing and owning a firearm for home protection is not enough. One must learn how to use it properly and become comfortable with it in different scenarios.

My motivation to purchase and learn how to use a handgun was originally for home protection. As I have been taking multiple courses sponsored by the ranges where I am a member, I have discovered that I really enjoy shooting as a recreational sport and plan to continue to explore this interest further with different shooting platforms, calibers and styles of guns. My first gun purchase was a Glock 17 that is my go to handgun for home defense. I have modified the gun to make it even more fun for me to shoot more accurately. For the purpose of home defense, I have added a combination LED light/Green Laser accessory to the gun, since I believe that the chances are much greater that we would hear and encounter an intruder at home when we are in bed asleep. I have a Hornady Rapid Safe under our bedside table where I store my Glock, with two (2) magazines loaded with hollow point ammo. The magazines are not inserted into the gun but are next to the gun.

Even before reading your post here, I had essentially followed most of your suggested routine and have run a “what if” intruder drill three times in the past six months. I have performed this drill on a Saturday night, when my wife has been visiting her family, so I do not freak her out. I set up a travel alarm clock downstairs in our living room by our front door, set to go off around 3:30 a.m. I also put an empty magazine into the gun safe. Here is what happened during each of these drills:
 

1. Drill #1 - I woke up and had initially forgotten that I had set the alarm for this drill and was in my groggy semi-awake state trying to figure out what it was that I was hearing. I realized afterwards that I had wasted several minutes as I was thinking about different causes for the sound. Once my brain awoke and my memory clicked I jumped out of bed, put on my eyeglasses, I intentionally did not turn on any lights, I opened the gun safe and retrieved my handgun. I did not put one of the loaded magazines into the gun. I flipped the on/off switch on my light/laser and….. nothing happened… no light and no laser…. I then realized that I had inadvertently stored the gun with the laser switch on which of course drained the batteries while the gun was stored. The next day, I replaced the batteries and made sure that the light/laser was turned off when I stored the gun.
(Drill #1: FAIL)

2. Drill #2 - About a month later, this time when the alarm went off I woke up and realized/remembered what it was. Since it was mid-January and our radiant heating system was doing its thing, our house like many this time of year, was very dry with low humidity. Many evenings my wife and I will apply hand lotion before bed to deal with drying skin. I had done just that this evening before bed. When the alarm went off I repeated the sequence of events, but when I picked up my handgun from the gun safe my hands were sort of slippery from the hand lotion and the heat from the radiators made my hands sweat a bit. Not a good situation to securely hold, let alone accurately rack and fire a handgun. I realized that this could be serious impediment to confidently, let alone safely using a gun.
I decided that I would place and have at the ready, a small towel in my bed table to wipe my hands if this situation happens again. (Drill #2: FAIL)

3. Drill #3 - Again, about a month later, this time when the alarm went off I woke up and realized/remembered what it was. I repeated the same sequence of events. This time the light and laser worked. I racked the gun, without any magazine inserted, and practiced verbally speaking to the hypothetical intruder. I would tell my wife to call 911 from either our home phone or her cell phone. I spoke loudly and clearly, saying something along the lines of “We have called 911 and the Police are on their way and will be here in a few minutes. I have a gun and know how to use it. Leave our house immediately….” I remained at the top of our stairs in a semi-kneeling position aiming my gun, light and laser down the stairs, trying to present a very small silhouette/target.
I do not really think I would venture downstairs if this were a real possible break-in since the Police would be here very quickly. In that scenario, I would only go downstairs, leaving my gun behind, but taking my wallet with my ID, to open the front door to greet the Police.
(Drill #3: PASS)

 

I am glad that I did this and actually practiced this at home, at night, so I would have a better idea of how I would react.  By doing so I discovered what some of the potential problems or impediments could be and what I may want to do differently or prepare to address those issues.  I appreciate your advice and encouragement to me and others here to not just have a conceptual plan but to actually test it and practice it so you are satisfied that it makes sense and you would not be doing it for the first time in an actual home intrusion/robber/invasion incident. Thank you….

AVB-AMG

[magnawing 5]

When I'm home, my .45 is on my hip...when I'm in bed, it's in the nightstand next to me. After almost 20 years in emergency services, when I wake up I'm fully cognizant immediately. I can shoot just as well left handed as I can right handed because I practice with both hands on every range visit...I'm considering shooting an upcoming IDPA match entirely left handed just to see how I do. When I moved into our new house, I practiced clearing it before my family moved in. The only problem I found was that the 6th, 7th, and 8th stairs creak really loud, the rest are completely silent. I prefer a handgun for the task because that's what I trained with and what I'm most comfortable with.

 

 

This signature is AWESOME!!!

[bhunted 887]

You are very welcome. Glad someone finally gets it. Now if you are like me and retired or spend odd times around the house napping or doing hobby type things. Take into consideration on how you'd handle an intruder in some other scenario. In basement building a model? Napping on your sofa? Tinkering in your shed on your motorcycle? Etc,....

Intruders can happen any time.

 

This story is real and I witnessed it from my 2nd floor window because I too was working at my desk. This very well could have been me.

 

One winter day, it looked like a police invasion in front of my house. A 5 town chase ensued when a suspect ended up at the house across the street. He bashed in my neighbors door all bloody while my neighbor was working at his desk. My neighbor doesn't own guns. But he ran downstairs when he heard the racket. He told the guy to leave . Big whoop right? Luckily he did and hid behind a shed outside. Shortly later, caught after being cornered by a K9... He was lucky.

 

Question is, as a gun owner, what and how would you handled that? Where were you in relation to your gun? Assuming you do not carry at home.

 

 

 

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[Howard 538]

^^^^That is a very good point, the gun by the night stand does you very little good if you are on a different floor in the house when confronted.  If you don't carry on your person it is best to have gun(s) in strategic locations just in case.....

[1LtCAP 4,262]

my house is tiny. in the 20's it was a sort of summer vacation cottage, which canoes were rented from for the lake out back. it is a single story home, with the attic converted to a bedroom(mom's), and a storage room. i am never up there, as the storage room is all her stuff.

 

 my room is right off of the front of the house. when i'm home, i'm either always holstered, or always have a pistol within arms reach. clearing such a small house is relatively easy.

 

 i sorta got a chance to real life practice a couple weeks ago. i'd ordered pizza. they told me it'd be a bit longer than normal, so while i was working, i forgot i'd ordered it. i took a break from the work, and was in my room watching a couple videos on youtube(ww2 aircraft stuff). i suddenly heard my front door opening. unless mom's up here, i live alone, and she isn't. thus, the door shouldn't be opening. i unholstered the 1911, and went to my bedroom door, and just peeked my head around the frame just enough to see who was trying to enter, the pistol at my side. it was the pizza dude. why he didn't knock, i haven't a clue.

 anyway, i re-holstered, pulled my shirt over it, and went out to the porch to meet him. i didn't say anything to him(about the pistol), as i felt it was unnecessary. i did however, tell him to knock in the future.

 

 i don't know how i managed to forget to lock the door. it could've been due to me being in/out as i was working on the living room. it could be due to me being tired. i don't know. either way, it turned out well......

 

 the section of town i live in is still kinda ok. it's going downhill quick though. turning into a camden east kind of place. there was an attempted robbery across the street by someone just walking into that ladys home. they called out in low voices, to see if she'd hear them. she did. luckily, when she came up out of her basement, they simply left.

[Smokin .50 1,907]

I applaud you for this.  When I tried to offer it (long ago, using Pro's in each field as needed) I was told I wasn't trained enough, lol.  So glad to see some here have come-around to my way of thinking.  I guess I was ahead of my time, lol!