Statistics prove that your home is going to be invaded and you and everyone you love most
will be brutally murdered.
Well, that's if you live for about 1,000 years, given that of the 2.5 million burglaries in
the US every year, only 1.6 or so million are home invasions.
With a current population of 331.5 million, you've got some really long odds to actually
end up the victim of a home invasion.
However, it can still happen to you and it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
The first rule for surviving a home invasion is to make yourself a hard target.
In the world of security, 'hard' targets are targets that have taken measures to either
protect themselves or make an attempt at attacking them so difficult or time-consuming that the
odds of a successful attack are dramatically lowered.
Common measures for hardening a target include security patrols, alarms, a quick reaction
force, and physical barriers.
Even just the appearance of being a 'hard' target can often be enough to deter an attack
in the first place.
For a home invasion, this means taking steps to make your home a hard target for would-be
burglars.
The first can be as simple as leaving a light on in one of the public areas of the home
even while everyone else is asleep or the home is empty.
Even better if you accompany that light with a television or radio- anything to give the
illusion that someone is not only home, but awake and aware.
The vast majority of home invasions aren't looking to actually hurt anyone, and if burglars
were aware someone was home they would more than likely simply choose a different target.
It should go without saying, but having strong locks is key to deterring a home invasion.
Most burglars use the front door when breaking into a home, and this means your first line
of defense against an invader is a sturdy front door with an equally sturdy lock.
You can even purchase tools such as door stops that slide in from your side of the door and
make it virtually impossible to open without tearing the entire thing off its hinges.
Security lighting is also a vital home security tool, as burglars are far less likely to strike
at a well-illuminated home where they might easily be spotted by passersbys.
There are plenty of options for security lighting available which include solar cells to make
them energy efficient, and motion sensors which activate bright lighting the moment
they detect movement.
Many modern home security systems even include active recording for later prosecution, and
having your bright outside lights suddenly flare on can be a good warning to you inside
the house that a prowler, or bigfoot, is lurking outside.
Only half of US homes have security systems, and with 83% of burglars checking for a security
system before striking, this leaves un-alarmed homes with a 300% greater chance of being
broken into.
Security systems often not only include loud alarms to deter an intruder and alert you
of a penetration, but also have a feature that automatically dispatches either a security
patrol or contacts police for a fast response.
But having an alarm isn't good enough, the entire point is to make it clear that the
home is alarmed.
That's why most alarm services come with large stickers or signs that can be posted in the
yard which prominently display the alarm company's logo, and warns would-be intruders, and bigfoot,
that the home is alarmed.
Once more, even the appearance of security can be a huge deterrent, so if you can't afford
an alarm system maybe just get yourself an alarm company's sign and stick it in your
front yard.
Dogs are great deterrents as well, though they don't have to be beefed-up Cujos to keep
you safe.
Even a small, yapping Chihuahua can serve as a deterrent, making loud noise that can
bring unwanted attention to an intruder.
Of course having a large, protective dog can be a visual deterrent as well.
But what if intruders get inside the house?
Well, now it's time to think fast and be prepared.
First, have a plan.
You and your family should know exactly what you're going to do if someone breaks into
your home, so the plan can be initiated immediately and without the need for everyone to congregate
and figure out what to do next.
If possible, a safe room should be established in the house.
This would be a room that is very difficult and time-consuming to break into, and that
has some way of contacting the authorities.
This is your fort, where you'll wait out the home invasion until police arrive.
Take the advice of professionals, and no matter how many Chuck Norris movies you've recently
seen or how big your gun collection is, get your ass in your safe room and stay there.
Trying to repel home invaders can not only get you killed, but could actually land you
in jail if you open fire and kill or severely injure one of the burglars.
In some states, if a burglar isn't posing a direct threat to your life, shooting one
just for breaking into your home can end up with you in prison.
If you can avoid a fight, do it and just hop into your safe room.
Valuables can be replaced, your life can't.
However, if your home doesn't have a good safe room available, you need to amend your
plan.
The goal, once more, is to get to safety, so exits via windows or back doors should
be well rehearsed.
Children can be taught to leave their rooms via their bedroom windows, as long as there's
a safe way to do so.
Exiting via a front or backdoor can be risky, as this is likely how the invader got into
your home in the first place- the last thing you want is to run full-tilt into your home
invader.
Keep in mind that most burglars don't want to add murder to their potential charges,
and thus fleeing is always the safest option.
If you're surprised however and have no way to flee, cooperation is the next best option.
Vast majority of burglars simply want to make a quick score and get out before a neighbor
calls the cops, so giving up a few material goods and cash is an infinitely better choice
than getting killed.
If however you have the means to defend yourself, or your state allows you the full use of force
in defense of your home, fighting back can also be an option- but it should be an option
of last resort.
Again, a few material goods isn't worth getting killed, or killing over.
When it comes to a home defense arsenal, there's a variety of choices- and most of them are
bad.
For tips, we turned to our resident Challenge expert, who happens to have almost a decade
of close quarters battle experience under his belt.
First, you shouldn't assume that you will be the single line of defense against a home
invasion.
A variety of things could take you out of the fight before it even begins, or you might
not even be home when an invasion occurs.
For these reasons, everyone in your household should be taught how to use a firearm properly-
and yes, that includes even children.
In fact, proper firearm training for children is one of the best ways to prevent an accidental
death or injury.
A gun is a tool, and if children were growing up since the 1700s hunting with firearms as
young as six, today's children are no worse suited for learning how to respect and even
use a weapon.
What firearm you choose however is also critical.
A 9mm pistol is an excellent home defense tool, as it is incredibly easy to operate
and learn how to use.
It's also very easy for smaller or weaker members of the family to use effectively,
and doesn't have the kick of say a .45.
That also means it doesn't have the stopping power of a .45, but let's be honest- you're
not looking to take on a squad of enemy infantry wearing body armor, and the vast majority
of home invaders aren't looking to get into a shootout.
A 9mm is simple, reliable, and a great home defense choice for the entire family.
If you're looking to scale things up, don't fall into the easy pitfall of macho gun porn
nonsense.
Sure, a huge rifle can make you feel like a Billy Bad Ass, but oftentimes they can be
terrible choices for home defense.
In fact, our CQB expert doesn't even recommend a rifle at all.
A hunting rifle is simply not suited for close quarters, and has an atrocious rate of fire
plus can be difficult to be used effectively if wounded or by smaller members of the family.
A civilian model assault rifle such as an M-4 is an excellent close quarters battle
tool, but it comes with its own problems.
First, a 5.56 is going to punch through one or more walls in your home, which means you're
now putting your family's life at risk every time you take a shot.
You can't predict the geometry of a firefight, and if you end up forced to shoot in the wrong
direction it could be you, and not an invader, putting a bullet in one of your family members.
Second, most home invasions take place at night, so you should always assume the worst
case scenario- a confrontation at night, when you're likely groggy or tired, and in very
low light conditions.
An assault rifle needs some expert marksmanship to be effective in these conditions, and while
you may be hitting bulls eyes at the range it's a whole different story when you're scared
for your life and just got woken up from a deep sleep at 3 am.
That's why our resident expert recommends a good old fashioned shotgun.
Shotguns are incredibly easy to operate, but best of all excellent accuracy is not mandatory
in order to drop a perp dead- or at least make them seriously reconsider breaking into
your house.
Any member of the family can use a shotgun with great effectiveness, even though yes,
they do pack quite a kick that can make it difficult for weaker or smaller members of
the family to operate- but one shot is often enough with a shotgun anyways, while an assault
rifle- as many US troops found out overseas- can take multiple hits to ensure a kill.
A shotgun's wide dispersal also makes it easier to get hits on target under less-than-ideal
conditions, such as you being sleep deprived and scared for your life at 2 am in the near
pitch black.
A shotgun is also less likely to penetrate through a wall and place your family at risk
from wayward shots- and even if penetration does occur most of the pellets will be stopped
or deflected, with the remaining having large amounts of their kinetic energy sapped.
Resulting wounds would be much more survivable than taking a 5.56 or 7.62 in the gut- both
rounds that can easily penetrate even concrete cover.
Fighting should be a last resort, but if you have to fight, it's important to have the
right tool for the job.
Owning your very own AR-15 or M-4 can make you feel like a pretty cool guy, but trying
to use one in tight quarters will quickly show you why our military and police spend
countless hours training on CQB courses.
Plus, with every trigger pull you run the risk of putting your family, or even a neighbor,
at serious risk.
While you're out shopping for a new home defense shotgun, make sure you get yourself a good
old fashioned pump-action.
Semi-autos may sport a better rate of fire, but they're well known to be finicky and prone
to interruptions.
Pump-action shotguns have been defending American homes for two centuries, and will likely continue
to do so for centuries to come.
Now go checkout How To Actually Survive Getting Shot, or click this other video instead!