Civilians & Home Defense

**C4IGrant** · 09-02-06, 11:38

The subject of civy home defense interests me greatly and thought I would share my opinion on this subject. My position is not the gospel, but simply how I intend to react if I have an intruder in my home/property.

Many of us live in States that do not allow us to shoot an unarmed intruder. We must first show that we used a non-lethal form of deterrent (OC/CS, Baton, Etc.). I know that many of us follow the saying, “better to judged by 12 than carried by 6”, but I wonder if that is really the best policy. How do I defend/support my family if I am in jail?

My personal home defense setup, includes the following:

G19 w/SF X200B, Crimson Trace laser grip
AR15 w/Weaponlight and Hornady 75gr TAP
ALS OC Grenade
Handheld Surefire
Two phones (one being a cell)

All of these items sit in my bedroom. The mistakes I think people make is that they only have one weapon in the bedroom. If for some reason you have to leave the bedroom, you have now left your spouse defenseless. This is a bad idea.
I set my G19 up so that all my wife has to do is squeeze the grip and she gets a light and a laser. I also like the Glock because there is no hammer or safety for her to remember. We (as men) have to remember that our wives don’t get to shoot a lot (if at all) and we need to keep things simple for them.

Now to the actual breaking in. It is 0200 and you hear someone coming in the back door. You have no idea who they are, if they armed and if there is more than one.
If you have a dog and they are in the bedroom with you, kick them into the hall and let them bark at or attack the intruder. In the dark of night, an English Springer (which is what I have) sounds just like a much bigger, meaner dog!

Now grab your children (if you have any) and bring them into your bedroom. I would then grab my OC grenade and toss it down the hall and close the door. Put a towel under the door and move a dresser in front of it. The spouse should have already dialed 911 by this time. From my understanding, it is very common these days for bad guys to cut the phone lines coming from your house. Keep a cell phone in your room (two is one and one is none).

You have now exhibited the use of non-lethal force (OC). You have barricaded yourself into your room and given yourself the advantage if the bad guys comes through the door. One of the side advantages of the OC grenade is that it tells you what type of person you are dealing with. Anyone that stands in a hall way filled with OC and attempts to break down a barricaded door is VERY serious about doing harm to you and your family. The last thing to remember in this chain of events (as the bad guy is coming through the door) is to yell as loud as you can “GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT” and then pull the trigger as many times as necessary to put the bad guy down (failure drill). The purpose of yelling for the person to get out is the last thing any neighbor or family member will remember before you pulled the trigger is that you told them to leave (which is an important point if you ever had to go to court).

This post was intended to be a discussion on what to do in a home invasion situation so please post your opinions/ideas on this subject.

C4

**Diz** · 09-23-06, 18:28

I think you have a sound tactical concept of operation there.
My plan is much the same, although I don't have the OC grenade and the duty to use LTL force first in my state.
My only concern is that with children present, you may not have enough time to retrieve them into the master bedroom and barricade in before the criminals get to you. You may have to run and gun in the hallway or make your stand in their bedroom. This becomes a complex issue when there are several loved one in different bedrooms.
My plan is basically the same, although we have no kids so it is vastly simplified. We are locked down at night, both outside and inside (master bedroom) perimeters. We have an alarm on every down-stairs orfice into the house. When activated, we assume battle stations in the bedroom, call 911, and wait. I run a G-19. My wife is an accomplished G-26 shooter so I have a built-in partner. We also have tac lights and BOK's. I will not go into detail about our specific tactics, but we have an inter-locking field of fire on the only door into our bedroom. If they come through that door, they will die. If they don't, I will not pursue. Their choice.
We also have G-19 and G-26 airsoft pistols that we practice scenario training with. While home invasion is a viable threat, I feel that we are much more likely to have a violent encounter outside the home so we also train for different scenarios, such as walking to and from your car, carjackings, etc.

**Snake RAH** · 10-05-06, 11:26

"I would then grab my OC grenade and toss it down the hall and close the door. Put a towel under the door and move a dresser in front of it."

If I may, some houses (mine included) have a cold air return vent in the hallway. Even if you stuff a towel under the door, OC may still come through your A/C vent.

Just something to consider.

**C4IGrant** · 10-05-06, 11:54

Originally Posted by Snake RAH

"I would then grab my OC grenade and toss it down the hall and close the door. Put a towel under the door and move a dresser in front of it."

If I may, some houses (mine included) have a cold air return vent in the hallway. Even if you stuff a towel under the door, OC may still come through your A/C vent.

Just something to consider.

Agree. One must know their house lay out. My hallway does not have an air intake vent.

C4

**SuicideHz** · 10-05-06, 12:27

OC Grenade? Where'd you get such a thing, or is it not that special?

**C4IGrant** · 10-05-06, 13:19

Originally Posted by SuicideHz

OC Grenade? Where'd you get such a thing, or is it not that special?

You need to spend more time in the dealer forums my friend!

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=1083

C4

**SuicideHz** · 10-05-06, 13:57

Well... I've actually checked out that page. Is the "OC Grenade (6oz) $14" the white can with black cap, black label and orange lettering shown underneath it? Is that what you've got for home defense or do you have the $40 version (Pocket CS Grenade) and what is the difference?

**C4IGrant** · 10-05-06, 14:02

Originally Posted by SuicideHz

Well... I've actually checked out that page. Is the "OC Grenade (6oz) $14" the white can with black cap, black label and orange lettering shown underneath it? Is that what you've got for home defense or do you have the $40 version (Pocket CS Grenade) and what is the difference?

Yes, it is the $14 6oz can. You don't want to ignite a pocket CS grenade in your own home (as you may burn it down and will never get the CS gas out).

C4