Fighting Off A Home Invasion | USCCA

If you are more than three seconds away from your gun, you are unarmed. When you are unarmed and attacked by someone who is armed, your options are limited to the most dangerous type of personal defense: the hand-to-hand fight.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/into-the-fray-317-fighting-off-a-home-invasion
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While I agree, and I understand that this is USCCA’s mission, I get a weary of being told I’m going to die if I’m not carrying all the time, cocked, locked, and at the low ready. I’m not in a combat zone, I’m in my house. I invested in the tools I need so that I can relax and even sleep without posting 24 hour watch.

This is just personal feedback for USCCA community, I’m not trying to be argumentative or whiny, but sometimes I leave this forum feeling as if there’s no allowance for anyone who’s not living in perpetual condition orange or red. Anyone who’s in condition yellow or even temporarily in (gasp) white is unwelcome. I think that’s unhealthy, and we should allow for different people in different situations to find their own unique state of readiness.

I’m just a relative noob and I’m probably not using approved USCCA terms, but in the continuum of readiness when faced with physical conflict:

  • it’s better to be armed than not
  • it’s better to own a firearm than not
  • it’s better to have a firearm near than far
  • it’s better to have your firearm on you than near
  • it’s better to be loaded and ready than unloaded

In that sense, I agree with everything this short article says. But yet I understand that we don’t all walk around ready to fire at home, either. Some of us even clear our weapons when we’re home. Many of us keep our rifles locked up. A lot of us have to take extra precautions to deal with curious children. Maybe it’s not always ideal, and maybe we’ll all make different decisions, but I think that’s ok. As long as I continue to improve my situation, I don’t think I have to be the same as everyone else.

That’s why I feel unwelcome, here. Maybe that’s my problem and not yours. Again, I only mean this as feedback.

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I am one of those who is not armed and ready 24x7x365 compared to a lot of people here.

I value everything shared by this community and I have learned a lot of things that helped make me better prepared. I understand that everyone’s risk tolerance is very different. I just analyze all information shared to see how it applies to my situation or needs to be modified to meet my needs. Whatever doesn’t apply right now is filed away in case it’s needed in the future.

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You stated that better than I could have done. Thanks.

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That is a bit over the top, but I understand your sentiment. It is about thinking and learning to be prepared. Part of being prepared for the worst (which we never know when and where that will be, if we did, we would avoid being there), is having the necessary tools available. One of those tools is a firearm. Another, the most important tool, is your mind. Being situationally aware will likely keep you safe 99.99% of the time.

Being situationally aware isn’t being paranoid or living in “condition yellow/orange/red” all of the time - no one is nor can be. At home, probably in most areas, you are likely to be the safest, and if not have at least some advanced warning. Security systems, animals, sounds of breaking glass, etc., would hopefully give you enough time to get prepared in the bad situations. Again, situationally aware, what situation are you in?

Prior to the COVID-19, I traveled for leisure at least several or more times per year, many times abroad where in some countries even my pocket knife with a locking blade is illegal. I have encountered situations, both in the USA and abroad, where my situational awareness I believe has kept me and my family safe. All of those times I was not armed with a firearm, not that that would have mattered as I would have handled the situation the same as I did - get away. I did have one instance late at night, alone, where I drew and clicked open my knife, hidden from view, and bladed my body defensively, that made the perp decide to find another target.

So, yes, being aware and prepared does matter and can keep you safe. But you need to learn the mindset so that when the unexpected occurs, you are able to use your learning/training to protect your family and yourself. I was always a pacifist, and the idea of harming someone is repugnant, but the idea of harm coming to my wife or child is even more so. I have learned (from that incident that night) that I do have the willingness and ability to protect myself and my family, and enough training to listen to my gut and to react as needed.

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That’s probably fair, that I was over the top. I should stop posting late at night. And I do understand the need to be vigilant, and I understand that being prepared is what allows us to relax.

I’ve had a lot of friends suffer from PTSD, though, and when the lead starts off stating that someone could sneak in my house and get me if my firearm is more than 3 seconds away, that sets off my spidey-senses. Again, I’m not arguing the point, I’m sure it’s true. But if I really can’t secure my own firearm in my own home, there’s something wrong.

Overall, I think it’s just the cumulative effect here, with one article after another warning me about new ways I can die. I’m probably just too sensitive. But I can mitigate that by taking a break from the community every once in awhile, like I do with the news. I appreciate your response.

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I view it differently. I see it as training for different scenarios. We always go through “what if”, and these stories help us envision it and address what we can do if something like that occurs or best, how to avoid it entirely. One thing always stated about training and being prepared is that your body cannot go where your mind never went. It is difficult as a normal person to envision bad and evil as it is fortunately rare in most of our lives. We do know from news stories, police reports and FBI stats that bad does happen, and can and does happen to innocent people.

Yes, a home invasion is certainly a situation that would be difficult to imagine and a scary idea. Thankfully they are rare. I live in a safe neighborhood, little to no crime; children leave bikes and toys, etc., in their front yards. However, I came home one day to a police officer in my side yard, next to my driveway. A neighbor was with him. As I pulled in, I noticed his rail fence smashed and tire tracks in my side yard. When I asked what happened, the officer stated it appeared to be do to a drug deal gone bad, as he found a small scale in the grass that he said is typically used in drug deals. There were two sets of tire tracks and pieces of a tail light(s) in the yard. I live across the street from an elementary school - a drug-free zone, obviously it isn’t in reality, just like GFZs. It occurred in my driveway sometime after my daughter got home from school. She was on the other side of the house and thankfully heard nothing and thankfully was not just getting home at the time.

Another time I was working from home and noticed several police cars drive past my home - very unusual. I looked through several windows and then noticed two officers at the top of my driveway. As I began to step out, wondering what was going on, I was told to get back in the house and stay away from the windows. Right after that, two SWAT members with rifles began walking down my driveway, through my back yard, over a neighbor’s back fence, and to their back door. Apparently the renter living there was involved in several armed robberies.

So even “safe” neighborhoods are not necessarily as safe as they appear. I have been living here for about 30 years, and those are the only incidents that I am aware of. So, as much as we do not like to imagine bad things happening, they do happen. I certainly never imagined drug deals in my driveway directly across the street from an elementary school while I was at work, and I certainly would never have imagined an armed robber living several houses away, either. It is better to be prepared and have nothing happen, then the other way around. That is what we are here for - to learn and become better prepared.

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Thanks for resurrecting this topic @Blacky ! Unfortunately the link to the original story is not working. At least for me @moderators .

Think @Ouade5 @PDA3 and at @Dave17 bring up good points about finding the right balance of sufficiently preparing for potential threats while not letting those rare potential threats negatively impact our day to day lives. That balancing point is likely different for all of us based on where and how we live but still important to consider.

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Sorry about that broken redirect, @Shamrock. It’s been fixed now. The link will take you to:

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/into-the-fray-317-fighting-off-a-home-invasion/

Thanks for the tag and letting us know!

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Thanks for the fix @Dawn !

Looks like the second home invader is carrying something that looks like a pistol. It does not appear that he fired it? If it is a pistol the residents are lucky he decided not to use it or couldn’t use it for whatever reason.

Not sure where the being unarmed if you are more than 3 seconds from your gun comes from? There are situations where having the gun in your holster (or even in your hand) won’t help you and others where might have minutes to react. 3 seconds can be the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on the situation.

If I lived in an area where home invasions were more likely I would definitely be armed all the time. In my safer than most neighborhoods, I am typically 2 to 5 seconds from a firearm in a quick access safe and always have a folding knife in my pocket. This allows me to play with my son without having to worry about the firearm coming lose or to have a drink with diner without breaking the law or offending the temperance movement folks.

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