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Honest Opinion on home defense rifle

ut755ln

Rub some dirt on it
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 24, 2011
541
384
Houston Texas


I am linking this to give context. This is the third break in of my home in five years. I have been keeping most of my firearms locked up in a safe and I keep a Glock 34 in my night stand. The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.

I am thinking the right answer is an SBR of some sort in 7.62 or maybe a 300 blackout? At this point I do not really care about the cost. Things are getting out of control and I am going to defend my home and family.
 
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I am linking this to give context. This is the third break in of my home in five years. I have been keeping most of my firearms locked up in a safe and I keep a Glock 34 in my night stand. The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.

I am thinking the right answer is an SBR of some sort in 7.62 or maybe a 300 blackout? At this point I do not really care about the cost. Things are getting out of control and I am going to defend my home and family.


I had a topic on this, but I like a KP9 with a light, stock or brace and a RDS




*I thought I won the shitty lotto with one attempted home invasion in my life, you got 3 in only 5 years, not sure where you live but

178314-Dam-Son.jpg



For those who are like me and don’t do the google/YouTube accounts, here’s the link that doesn’t requiring loggin’ into their creepy system

 
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Why not a bog standard 16" or 14.5" pin and weld M4orgery?
 
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An AR platform of some kind either 556 or 300 blackout. Keep it next to your bed and loaded. Light and red dot. Also, harden your entry doors (looked like yours was glass). Probably a solid door with a beefed up frame and non pickable locks. Motion sensor lights and cameras. Probably move cameras and lights farther away from your door/points of entry to give you more reaction time.
 
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The officer said you can only defend yourself once they enter? Shooting into the home doesn’t count as needing to defend yourself?

There is obviously a trend here. Big ass windows that they can easily see into would be the first thing I’d change. You may love natural light but I bet you like keeping your property too.

Cops looking for job security, imagine all the money the justice system™ could squeeze out of him if he defended himself properly
 
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13.9" mid length gas 556.
A bright ass light, forward grip of sorts and a dot. Geissele SSA trigger and a bandolier of ammo.

And one of those shoulder things that goes up.

Fuck man..


But really you need perimeter deterrents. They shouldn't be able to get that close. Gate, thorn bushes. Motion lights, etc. Sharks with laser beams.
Burn their crib down? I'd being doing some stalking to find those

In a perfect society they wouldn't do that, because they would get shot.
 
A 10" 300blk pistol with a modlite and an eotech shooting the 110gr hollow points or the nosler 110 varmegeddon load would be tough medicine. And handy inside the house. I know it's hard on pigs.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong in my line of thinking but I've always thought the light and fast varmint loads would be where it's at for home defense in a 556 platform. Light and fast bullets don't tend to over penetrate and they're bad news when they hit meat.

Personally my bump in the night special is an 870 with an 18" barrel, modified choke, and surefire foregrip. Holds a 10" pattern out to 30 yards. Might as well be slugs in the house.

Kid sleeps in the same end of the house as us so once I clear the bedroom door it's clear in all directions.
 


I am linking this to give context. This is the third break in of my home in five years. I have been keeping most of my firearms locked up in a safe and I keep a Glock 34 in my night stand. The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.

I am thinking the right answer is an SBR of some sort in 7.62 or maybe a 300 blackout? At this point I do not really care about the cost. Things are getting out of control and I am going to defend my home and family.

We're you home when this happened, what part of houston ? I'm only an hour south H town myself. They sure didn't seem to give a flip about those cameras.

One thing around our house, and I live in the sticks, when the sun goes down the blinds are closed. If we're not home the blinds are closed. It may deter the somewhat curious types but in your case I still don't think it would have helped. Couldn't hurt though.
 
A lot depends on the neighborhood you live in. If it's a dangerous area where you may have 3 or 4 gangbangers busting in I would go with a shotgun. If it's a safe low crime area I would go with a 9mm handgun or a 38/357 revolver.

The last on my list would be an AR. The 223/556 can go through your walls and your neighbors with no problem. That could very well cost you your life savings and your freedom.

An AR would make a good option in a rural or farm area. Not in the city or a suburban area.
 
Rifle calibercarbine with red dot, light and sling.

But... make sure your entry doors don't have windows that can be broken leading to unlocking the door.

Consider getting a large (ish) dog.

Cameras would be nice, not just for advance notice/warning, but also for evidence in the event of a confrontation.
 
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A lot depends on the neighborhood you live in. If it's a dangerous area where you may have 3 or 4 gangbangers busting in I would go with a shotgun. If it's a safe low crime area I would go with a 9mm handgun or a 38/357 revolver.

The last on my list would be an AR. The 223/556 can go through your walls and your neighbors with no problem. That could very well cost you your life savings and your freedom.

An AR would make a good option in a rural or farm area. Not in the city or a suburban area.
Use what you are most proficient with. But... over penetration is worse with handguns and shotguns than 223/556. Slow, heavy bullets (pistol caliber rounds and shotguns) will retain mass through walls better than 223/556 which is fast and light (which will fragment and therefore not carry mass/energy into secondary targets). This has been tested and proven many times.

Make sure you have a sling (hands free weapon retention should be considered). A sling probably saved Kyle Rittenhouse's life.

Again, I'm not trying to start an argument/debate, use what you are most proficient with between rifle and shotgun (with pistol being a distant 3rd), if you shot a lot of clays, a shotgun makes sense... but we don't need to spread misinformation. If you, or anyone, is truly concerned with overpenetration, use 223/556.
 
If it's a dangerous area where you may have 3 or 4 gangbangers busting in I would go with a shotgun. If it's a safe low crime area I would go with a 9mm handgun or a 38/357 revolver.

The last on my list would be an AR. The 223/556 can go through your walls and your neighbors with no problem.
Not this stupid shit again
 
Sig Rattler or 6.75" MCX in 300 BLK suppressed.
 
The fuck?

After your first break in you buy the perfect home defense weapon.

After the second you get a pair of guard dogs and move somewhere else.

After the third, you install kill boxes at each exterior door, security bars on the windows and a safe room with full surveillance of the house, a kill switch for power throughout the home and a locker with a plate carrier, fully stocked war belt, the SBR of your choice and filmless WP binos. Maybe even a mean sunovabitch donkey for outside.

When intruder #4 arrives go Buffalo Bill on his ass.
 
To answer some questions

1) I live in Tanglewood, it is arguably one of the two or three nicest (most expensive) neighborhoods in Houston with a 24 hour per day HPD patrol.
2) The house is completely fenced, front and back. They jumped an 8 foot wooden fence in the backyard on the way in and a 6 foot brick fence on the way out.
3) We have outdoor lighting everywhere, we also have 9 day and night cameras on the exterior.
4) The gunshot woke me up. By the time I got downstairs they had kicked in the door and they ran.
5) My eight year old labrador slept through it.
6) I do not have an elaborate alarm system, it is pretty basic.
7) The exterior glass is hurricane, it is not as good as bullet proof but as you can see from the shot it does not collapse either.

My thought process in this was always we are upstairs at night and the bedroom door is not one that you can easily get in and it is locked. I can see the cameras from my bed room and we have a basic alarm. I assumed that because the house is kind of lit outside with a fence and that the cameras are obvious, that it would be enough of a deterrent.

What happened was people that did not care jumped the fence. They fired through a door because they could see my wife's purse and were frustrated the door was lock. They kicked open some french doors to access the house. According to HPD, these were not teenagers looking for open cares but part of a robbery crew that is not afraid of violence.

What really messed with me was the idea that they would start shooting without any provocation. I thought that having the things listed above would be enough to keep everyone safe and I was really wrong. The HPD officers said that once they enter the house, I need to start shooting and worry about everything else after. At one of my neighbors house, they got them on camera again and at least two of the three were armed. To me, that is a level of escalation that I was not prepared for.

I am still digesting the firearm ideas but I keep going back to more than one intruder and that they are armed and feel like the Glock is inadequate.
 


I am linking this to give context. This is the third break in of my home in five years. I have been keeping most of my firearms locked up in a safe and I keep a Glock 34 in my night stand. The HPD officer who responded said that once they enter your home, once they start shooting that I should defend myself to the best of my ability.


Texas law say the moment they bust into your house it is legally assumed they are there to kill you or cause you grievous bodily harm, no need to wait for them to start shooting.

Are they breaking into your house while you are gone or while you are at home?

FIRST: Go out and get yourself a good lawyer on retainer, interview a few and put down money with who you think would be the best to be on your side in a self defense shooting (but within your budget). Pay for an extra hour of their time and go over all the details locally about the local DA's office and juries and such.

I'm going to suggest given the political climate there, you skip an actual SBR or braced pistol and go with a standard AR rifle, a shotgun or a handgun.

It sounds like either you need to move, or you need to seriously upgrade stuff around your house to keep folks from getting in.

As unpopular as it is to say, don't neglect a good long barreled, high capacity pistol loaded with hot ammo that you know how to shoot.
Carry that around the house with your religiously and NEVER be without it when around you home.
Chances are if someone does something suddenly, you may have to rock and roll with whatever you have on you and won't have time to get to where you have your rifle or shotgun ready.
 
The fuck?

After your first break in you buy the perfect home defense weapon.

After the second you get a pair of guard dogs and move somewhere else.

After the third, you install kill boxes at each exterior door, security bars on the windows and a safe room with full surveillance of the house, a kill switch for power throughout the home and a locker with a plate carrier, fully stocked war belt, the SBR of your choice and filmless WP binos. Maybe even a mean sunovabitch donkey for outside.

When intruder #4 arrives go Buffalo Bill on his ass.
With all due respect, move somewhere else is not the answer. That's his home. Home often has more than monetary meaning to the owner. I have property and have had stands stolen and trail cams broken, I can tell you that the opposite emotion arises after this happens if you are a certain type of person and that's stand your ground and protect what is rightfully yours. You don't want to run. I'm not saying it's always the answer, but it's easier said than done to just pick up and walk away from a place that may have significant meaning to you.
 
Whoa! That's crazy! Preparing for invasion is different than preparing for confrontation.

I'd get some cameras inside your house (might not be feasible with a family). That way, you at least have a record of what's happened once the invasion starts. I wouldn't plan on clearing a house by yourself against multiple people. Maybe secure valuables, find a nice shooting funnel and camp it out until they leave. That's probably a better plan than trying to clear a house by yourself with multiple armed people in it. I'd try to avoid that confrontation, if possible, but if you can't avoid it, I think you'd be well served by a carbine/sbr/ar pistol.

I think you are on the right track, that glock is inadequate. There is no reason to use a pistol for home defense. It's inferior in every dimension. Capacity, ease of use, hands free weapon retention, effectiveness regarding capacitation. A pistol is convenient for carrying, but if you have the opportunity to grab a rifle, it's not even a debate. I probably shoot more pistol than rifle, but a file is much easier to deploy accurately under stress/time constraints.

Given what you've said, it's not that difficult of a choice. Aimpoint T2, weapon mounted light, sling, BUIS, 20-30 round mags. 10.5 - 12.5" barrel. People who plan on violent confrontations, in close spaces, virtually unanimously chose this setup for a reason. Nobody who does this for a living chooses a shot gun or pistol.
 
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Whoa! That's crazy! Preparing for invasion is different than preparing for confrontation.

I'd get some cameras inside your house (might not be feasible with a family). That way, you at least have a record of what's happened once the invasion starts. I wouldn't plan on clearing a house by yourself against multiple people. Maybe secure valuables, find a nice shooting funnel and camp it out until they leave. That's probably a better plan than trying to clear a house by yourself with multiple armed people in it. I'd try to avoid that confrontation, if possible, but if you can't avoid it, I think you'd be well served by a carbine/sbr/ar pistol.

I think you are on the right track, that glock is inadequate. There is no reason to use a pistol for home defense. It's inferior in every dimension. Capacity, ease of use, hands free weapon retention, effectiveness regarding capacitation. A pistol is convenient for carrying, but if you have the opportunity to grab a rifle, it's not even a debate. I probably shoot more pistol than rifle, but a file is much easier to deploy accurately under stress/time constraints.

Given what you've said, it's not that difficult of a choice. Aimpoint T2, weapon mounted light, sling, BUIS, 20-30 round mags. 10.5 - 12.5" barrel. People who plan on violent confrontations, in close spaces, virtually unanimously chose this setup for a reason. Nobody who does this for a living chooses a shot gun or pistol.

So are you carrying that AR around the house with you every waking minute?
Let's not say sure I can always be sitting at the dinner table with a rifle at my side, give it a year of no trouble, how often are you going to be sitting there with your rifle while eating at the table or have it strapped to your back while you are cooking?

Too many folks take the load out and point of view from those actually DOING home invasions (like Police) and extrapolate that it must be the exact same for the other side of the party.

Yes by all means have a great rifle or whatever ready so that if you have time you can go for it.
But you are in the kitchen cooking and some Just turning their lives around folks happen to run up and kick in the door or jump the backyard fence and rush the porch. The pistol you have on your side right that moment is going to be a lot handier to start sending a swarm of bullets at the bad guys, than having to rush to another room and grab a rifle with them hot on your heels.

Now if your house is well fortified and you hear them slowly trying to break into your house and have time to grab your rifle and get into position, great, excellent.

But many home invasions happen rather suddenly and without warning and to folks that have not been able to armour up their door.

Or your wife and kid are walking up the door and some bad guy sticks a gun in their back as they unlock the door. By the time you see what is going on, after the door opens or they walk in, it's game on that instant, not run to another room for a rifle.

So while yes get something good, DON'T underestimate the utility of a good fighting pistol that is actually on your side at all times.
 
With all due respect, move somewhere else is not the answer. That's his home. Home often has more than monetary meaning to the owner. I have property and have had stands stolen and trail cams broken, I can tell you that the opposite emotion arises after this happens if you are a certain type of person and that's stand your ground and protect what is rightfully yours. You don't want to run. I'm not saying it's always the answer, but it's easier said than done to just pick up and walk away from a place that may have significant meaning to you.
To each his own.

My parents recently sold a home in Brooklyn that's been in our family ever since my great (great?) grandfather emigrated from a little village outside of Naples at the turn of the last century. I get the sentimental aspect. We had so many height marks notched into the dining room doorway over the last century the door trim looked like it had been assaulted by a pack of angry beavers.

Then again, the area was a shithole, and with three break-ins in five years there are more important issues at hand than sentiment.

Home is wherever family is. If you feel a sentimental attachment to a structure is more important than the safety and well being of your family I can't help but to question your priorities. We lost a lot of "stuff," family members and friends before this epiphany.

NONE of us have any regrets about leaving. I moved first, then my in laws, my parents, my sister and brother (and their families,) my wife's aunt, uncle and cousins, then second cousins, family friends etc. Altogether there are 40 or 50 of us.

Like anything else, it's easy to talk about fighting the good fight. It's a lot harder to actually live through it day in, day out as things get worse and worse.

If you know, you know.
 
All that money wrapped up in a shit-bird magnet. And to think that there are houses in Detroit/Compton/nameyour3rdworldshithole that get broken into less frequently...

Your house is the construction equivalent of a timid doddering old man fumbling with his overstuffed wallet as he toddles down a dark alley at night in a bad neighborhood. There is something about your house that says 'victim." Identify that- or those features- and rectify them. You don't need a gun. A gun is only useful after the crime has started. You need prevention. The following video is actually relevant...

 
First, I agree with some above....they bust in, start shooting as you are clearly in danger of your life. You live in TX...not the fuck stain communist state of Maryland where I reside and which dictates that I need to retreat when at all possible. Yeah, that's the ticket...let me corner myself in a kill box. sigh

I'm of the shotgun crowd....easy aiming, proximity weapon, will not leave the exterior walls of your house, and its loud and deadly.

Doesn't need to be a particularly nice shotgun either...well, unless you just want a nice shotgun.

I advise people who ask to go for a Mossberg 500...and it doesn't need to be the tactical, see what I'm saying, model.

The black cheap plastic stock model will do. Put an extended mag tube on it and you are set.


Just my view.

Cheers
 
A lot depends on the neighborhood you live in. If it's a dangerous area where you may have 3 or 4 gangbangers busting in I would go with a shotgun. If it's a safe low crime area I would go with a 9mm handgun or a 38/357 revolver.

The last on my list would be an AR. The 223/556 can go through your walls and your neighbors with no problem. That could very well cost you your life savings and your freedom.

An AR would make a good option in a rural or farm area. Not in the city or a suburban area.

Read this.

 
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I personally have a 870 with a Magpul stock, a bright light, and a tube full of #4 buck...not #0/00.

But wondering...does anyone have hearing pro next to your weapon to put on if able? I can't imagine lighting up most any weapon inside the house and blowing my ears out in the melee.
 
To each his own.

My parents recently sold a home in Brooklyn that's been in our family ever since my great (great?) grandfather emigrated from a little village outside of Naples at the turn of the last century. I get the sentimental aspect. We had so many height marks notched into the dining room doorway over the last century the door trim looked like it had been assaulted by a pack of angry beavers.

Then again, the area was a shithole, and with three break-ins in five years there are more important issues at hand than sentiment.

Home is wherever family is. If you feel a sentimental attachment to a structure is more important than the safety and well being of your family I can't help but to question your priorities. We lost a lot of "stuff," family members and friends before this epiphany.

NONE of us have any regrets about leaving. I moved first, then my in laws, my parents, my sister and brother (and their families,) my wife's aunt, uncle and cousins, then second cousins, family friends etc. Altogether there are 40 or 50 of us.

Like anything else, it's easy to talk about fighting the good fight. It's a lot harder to actually live through it day in, day out as things get worse and worse.

If you know, you know.
Ok you've you changed my mind.
 
I personally have a 870 with a Magpul stock, a bright light, and a tube full of #4 buck...not #0/00.

But wondering...does anyone have hearing pro next to your weapon to put on if able? I can't imagine lighting up most any weapon inside the house and blowing my ears out in the melee.
Fuck the hearing protection at that point in time.
I like hot pheasant loads myself. I keep a shorter barreled 12 gauge, an AR in 5.56, 2 1911's and a Sig in 40SW and a suppressed 10/22 at the ready and at hand in the bedroom. The wife keeps a 9mm Sig and a Lady Smith Revolver on her side on go and is well aware of where everything else is. I won't even consider giving any sort of warning.
 
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Man, this is a tough one...the pistol suggestions are not "bad," but the concern is if you have to go hands on, you cannot safely place that pistol any place that would be "safe." Obviously, you can mitigate this issue entirely by just sleeping with the Glock in a holster on your person;)

The other concerns with the pistol are hit probability, the impact of the hits when you do connect, and mag capacity. I can't count the number of people I have known who have been shot by pistols who have survived the encounter. One shooting that occurred very recently in my area included the bogey getting hit about 12 times in the torso, took an AR round through the jaw, and survived. If you're talking multiple bogeys, or even just two as in the video, mag capacity should be a concern.

I have trained many, many people in pistol shooting over the years. One thing many students will talk about is the difficulty in shooting a pistol accurately, even on a square range. There are several issues when discussing the ability to accurately deliver pistol rounds, in addition to having all of the fundamentals down 100%. These issues include the physical attributes of the gun against a rifle, which are the facts that they are much smaller, lighter, and shorter. The shorter sight radius and lighter weight of the gun mean that the introduction of even the most minimal muscle movement can dramatically impact a shooter's POA/POI. These characteristics can work against a shooter on a static, one-way range.

Now, let's take into account the fact that you're likely going to be rousted from a deep sleep, heart rate gonna go from about 60bpm to 180bpm in one second, your hit probability will diminish significantly. Unfortunately, the physiological stress the body endures by something as traumatic as a home invasion robbery can never be duplicated in any other environment. You cannot run long enough, do enough pushups, or push a turd out hard enough to mimic fight or flight. This leaves individuals in a precarious situation that they simply don't know what their body is going to do if/when such an event occurs, and thus, they cannot train alongside those sympathetic, bodily responses.

As far as the shotgun suggestions go, I can't disagree with much of it. I believe the shotgun is an excellent option. The only criticism I can think of comes back to mag capacity.

I know it is not popular in the field of options, but given the specific scenario outlined in the OP's video, I'd vote the venerable AK-47, chambered in the standard 762x39 be a consideration. The 762x39 is going to go through drywall and other barriers better, which may or may not be a good thing. However, we're also talking short distances, and the x39 is going to hit harder than the 5.56. An average x39 round is going to hit at about 1500ft/lbs of energy vs the 5.56's 12-1300ish.

Either way, the actions shown in that video are unbelievably brazen. These actions are never going to decrease. In fact, with justice systems nationwide acting with the limp-wristed force of a sledgehammer vs a cupcake, they will be increasing.

At the end of the day, I find these discussions fascinating, and enjoy the mental exercises involved in working them out. It is just too bad that they occur at the expense of good people being victimized.

Hang in there, OP. Regardless of whatever firearm system you end up choosing, just make sure you and your wife are well-versed and trained in it's application.
 
1. Reinforced strike plates for your exterior doors. Even the 12" ones use (6) 3" screws on the lock side, and another (6) on your hinges that will go through both 2x4s that your door frame is most likely made out of. They'll still kick the door in...but it'll take quite a few attempts, and get you that 20 second head start.

2. 3M window film. It doesn't make your windows bullet proof...but it's going to take a half-dozen plus swings with a sledge hammer to clear enough glass to enter...again giving you that 20 second head start.

I run a 16" 5.56, loaded with 55gr Speer Gold Dot, and an M&P 40 for backup...so that is my HD weapon opinion.
 
1. Reinforced strike plates for your exterior doors. Even the 12" ones use (6) 3" screws on the lock side, and another (6) on your hinges that will go through both 2x4s that your door frame is most likely made out of. They'll still kick the door in...but it'll take quite a few attempts, and get you that 20 second head start.

2. 3M window film. It doesn't make your windows bullet proof...but it's going to take a half-dozen plus swings with a sledge hammer to clear enough glass to enter...again giving you that 20 second head start.

I run a 16" 5.56, loaded with 55gr Speer Gold Dot, and an M&P 40 for backup...so that is my HD weapon opinion.
I'm interested in this 3M film that takes half a dozen swings with a sledge hammer to get through... Any links or videos?
 
I know it is not popular in the field of options, but given the specific scenario outlined in the OP's video, I'd vote the venerable AK-47, chambered in the standard 762x39 be a consideration. The 762x39 is going to go through drywall and other barriers better, which may or may not be a good thing. However, we're also talking short distances, and the x39 is going to hit harder than the 5.56. An average x39 round is going to hit at about 1500ft/lbs of energy vs the 5.56's 12-1300ish.

Rather than go with an AK and the 7.62 x39 round just shoot supersonic .300 BLK
Then you can stay with a common AR platform and straight magazines.
There is a lot better ammo options as well.
You could get varmint style rounds if you are concerned about going through too many walls and are not concerned about needing tons of penetration.

That being said, a .223 with a decent length barrel shooting actual hunting / varmint ammunition instead of icepicks, is going to be all the hard hitting you need at close range, you just need at least an 11" or greater barrel.

Ammunition selection is a complete game changer in the effectiveness of your weapon.
Barrel length for both pistols and rifles can have significant effect on the performance characteristics of your ammunition.
 
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that vid gives me the chills, f_cking animals literally on a hunting expedition at your home.

i guess double down on lights, cams and security. but remember you and your family need to go out and come back in so your castle won't protect you then. in other words, consider moving. you're planning for war and war has casualties which could be your family members.

i'd almost be surprised if you don't get a few offers from folks here for volunteer armed overwatch... that'd almost be fun, shooting those sh1tbirds as they're casing and attacking your home.
 
All that money wrapped up in a shit-bird magnet. And to think that there are houses in Detroit/Compton/nameyour3rdworldshithole that get broken into less frequently...

Your house is the construction equivalent of a timid doddering old man fumbling with his overstuffed wallet as he toddles down a dark alley at night in a bad neighborhood. There is something about your house that says 'victim." Identify that- or those features- and rectify them. You don't need a gun. A gun is only useful after the crime has started. You need prevention. The following video is actually relevant...


This is a good step one. I would consider a couple of dogs. An 8 year old lab is a great dog, but you may consider some dogs that are set up to protect. That brazen attitude they showed will dissipate when 2 (Rottweilers, German Shepards, mastiffs, etc.) come out of nowhere to settle the commotion. I promise those mother fuckers will run the other way when they see those dogs. The melee will buy you time at least. And even if they have guns, unless they're John wick they won't be able to hit those dogs when they bust in from the living room at 25 mph..... Security is about layers. A fence is a layer. Dogs in the yard is a layer. A securely locked door is a layer. If they get to you and your family past that, the gun is the next layer. You need more layers.....
 
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To each his own.

My parents recently sold a home in Brooklyn that's been in our family ever since my great (great?) grandfather emigrated from a little village outside of Naples at the turn of the last century. I get the sentimental aspect. We had so many height marks notched into the dining room doorway over the last century the door trim looked like it had been assaulted by a pack of angry beavers.

Then again, the area was a shithole, and with three break-ins in five years there are more important issues at hand than sentiment.

Home is wherever family is. If you feel a sentimental attachment to a structure is more important than the safety and well being of your family I can't help but to question your priorities. We lost a lot of "stuff," family members and friends before this epiphany.

NONE of us have any regrets about leaving. I moved first, then my in laws, my parents, my sister and brother (and their families,) my wife's aunt, uncle and cousins, then second cousins, family friends etc. Altogether there are 40 or 50 of us.

Like anything else, it's easy to talk about fighting the good fight. It's a lot harder to actually live through it day in, day out as things get worse and worse.

If you know, you know.
Similar experience here. I met my wife a couple years after she had moved to Milwaukee and unwittingly bought a home in a not so desireable neighborhood. Too bad as it was a nice little place to call home. But the neighborhood was in decline. All day long 13/80 types would cruise and case the area looking for anything not chained down. They'd come back at night to steel stuff. The decline continued and more and more often we'd catch somebody looking through one of our windows.

More and more people started putting bars on their doors and windows. Fences made no difference to those who run and jump like gazelles. Prepared for home invasion or not, we simply did not want to live like that anymore, sold the home and moved to a safer neighborhood outside of that failed city. So glad we did.
 
This is a good step one. I would consider a couple of dogs. An 8 year old lab is a great dog, but you may consider some dogs that are set up to protect. That brazen attitude they showed will dissipate when 2 (Rottweilers, German Shepards, mastiffs, etc.) come out of nowhere to settle the commotion. I promise those mother fuckers will run the other way when they see those dogs. The melee will buy you time at least. And even if they have guns, unless they're John wick they won't be able to hit those dogs when they bust in from the living room at 25 mph..... Security is about layers. A fence is a layer. Dogs in the yard is a layer. A securely locked door is a layer. If they get to you and your family past that, the gun is the next layer. You need more layers.....

Looks on a dog matters, but lots of tests have been done that many imposing breeds may act differently than expected when an attack by multiple people happens. Surprisingly enough, Rhodesian Ridgebacks have some of the best records of not backing down in a violent home encounter.
The thing with a dog is, that it has to fit with your family and your lifestyle, dogs are an integral part of your family.
 
More and more people started putting bars on their doors and windows. Fences made no difference to those who run and jump like gazelles. Prepared for home invasion or not, we simply did not want to live like that anymore, sold the home and moved to a safer neighborhood outside of that failed city. So glad we did.

A high fence like 8ft+ with broken glass or razor wire or a couple strands of hot electric fence can make folks think twice the first time they try to hop your fence. But again no challenge for someone who comes prepared.
You can have tangle nets on the other side of the fence for someone that is casually jumping over and landing.

Sounds crazy, but you live in some countries where you actually often have a guard house for armed guards on any decent property and you soon come to understand the old classic stuff that has worked for hundreds of years actually is still pretty effective.