a reply to:
horseplay
I see lots of good advice here, so I will just say this. I worked in the alarm industry before and I was often dispatched to scenes of devastation. I
worked both in installation and service and did work in homes all the way to top secret facilities. People often got an alarm after a tragedy. It was
too late. It happened to me too which is why it strikes a nerve. My wife was 6 months pregnant and she was 30 at the time. I carried at work, but this
day I left my weapon where I was putting my boots on. I realized it on the way in and called her and she out it under her pillow. I wonder today why I
left that on this fateful day. Anyway, I intended to come by at lunch and pick it up.
Well, at 11:00AM I was turning into my neighborhood and two police cruisers were right in front of me. It was about a half mile back into my
neighborhood and was a really nice area with little crime. I followed them all the way to my house and they pulled in my driveway. I parked in the
street as a result. I jumped out wondering wtf. The asked if I was dispatched there and I said no it was my home. BTW, I had an alarm system on the
bench in my garage and just hadn't had the time to out it in. Big mistake! The officer said, "We got a 911 call hang-up from here."
I started running into the house with them trying to catch up knowing my wife of 10 months was inside. When I opened the front door I immediately saw
the house was trashed. One hell of a fight had ensued. We found my wife unconscious in the kitchen, nude from the waist down. She was raped and
hemorrhaging because the fight and they broke her neck. Not severe enough to cause permanent paralysis. The fire rescue took her to our trauma
hospital and when I got there a couple of minutes later a doctor came up to me and said and I will never forget this, "We are going to try to save her
life first and then the babies life." I was an MP and just out of the Army and I was losing it. BTW, my wife and daughter both lived through it all.
And for those that know me, yes this was the same wife that shot me 10 years later.
Anyway, she had got up to go to the bathroom and left my .45 under her pillow. She heard our new puppy barking away in the hallway and stepped out to
see what she was barking at. There two scumbags were in the hallway. The fight was on. It turned out they heard me and the police pull up and escaped
out the back. If she would of had the weapon she could of defended herself. I had her trained and she had a CCW.
The thing is and I saw it over and over with other people that I dealt with is that you have to be prepared before something happens. In your case OP
living alone, you need to realize this is not some fairy tale world that some anti-gunners think it is. These criminals do not care about your life at
all. In fact, people that do these things are sociopaths or psychopaths and have no emotional feelings whatsoever that normal people have and
therefore don't have the same care for life as you do. You have to realize that if you are in their way or the target of theirs you are going to be
severely injured of murdered. That is the state of mind that you have to take when considering this. You do not know them, and you do not have time to
make any decisions at all about their motives. If they have broke into your home then you must be prepared to shoot or be shot, shoot or be raped and
potentially severely injured.
I would also recommend that you stay in your bedroom if it is at night and call 911, but be prepared to shoot the intruder if they come through the
door. I wouldn't be sneaking around the house in the dark looking for them because if they heard you, you may get ambushed where you least expected
it. I used to tell people that were carrying out in public that they better be able to fight if they were going to carry a weapon. The reason is that
many of us former soldiers, police, intelligence agents, etc. know is that people who hesitate will often lose their weapon. Personally, I have taken
guns from at least 5 people that pulled them on me. There is not always justification for deadly force if you understand the law, so you may have to
fight without your weapon and you don't want to lose it in the process.
You as a woman, but especially in your home or car are covered by the castle doctrine (check your state self-defense laws) and are justified in using
deadly force, especially from a strong male. If you would have been with me on the many scenes of violence that I responded to you probably would have
no doubt about your ability to pull that trigger. It is you or them. Considering the many, many terrible things that can occur, you need to realize
the nature of the beast. There are some people in the world that are destined to become victims because they can't act when the time comes. That is a
personal decision, but the fact you picked up your 9mm and went looking for an intruder says to me you don't intend on becoming a victim at least if
you can help it. Just keep in mind what nasty things may befall you if you don't pull that trigger. It is simple logic really and you can deal with
the emotional aftermath if you live to tell about it. At the time of the incident it is not time to consider your feelings on the matter. By
practicing over and over it becomes automatic to you. That is why law enforcement or military continually practices. Fear and adrenaline in a life and
death situation is normal. You want training to kick in on autopilot so you are effective when need be.
About an alarm. I was shot with a 12ga. 00 mad buckshot in the neck, back of the skull and chest because my ex came into my home while I was sleeping.
The click of the safety is what awoke me and had I not hit the end of the barrel I wouldn't be here. An alarm system is good for one thing, alerting
you to the fact you have a problem that needs addressed. A furry burglar alarm or two is good too. If you don't have an advanced warning system, you
may be caught sleeping. I spent years on a special task force and worked deep cover as well. I was always prepared then. However after decompressing
over 15 years I lost my edge so to speak. I didn't need an alarm back then as I never slept where a noise wouldn't wake me up. I think it is something
the body and mind compensates for under high stress and danger. Today, I could sleep through an Abrams rolling down the street, so an alarm or large
dog is a necessity to give me that extra second or two warning so I am not asleep when death comes calling.
Remember, it is you or them and it will help if you think about what can happen if you don't. Train for such a scenario over and over and do it to the
point where you don't need to think about it. Make it just a normal reaction to a threatening situation. Most people, if they are friends or family
will know not to go into your house at night or come in without yelling who they are etc. And it is that much more less likely they would come into
your bedroom unannounced. Another thing is at night, having a tactical flashlight that you can click on at the moment of truth will do two things.
Blind the attackers night vision and vision of you and also let you identify the suspect. You can get tactical lights for your weapon of choice as
well. Just realize that one light can blind your night vision as well and it take about 45 minutes to reacquire. Train, train, and train some more.
edit on 2/1/16 by spirit_horse because: typos