Thought I was gong to need my SD pistol last night...

[jblomenberg16]

You've all made some really good points. My wife and I have talked about it since, and look at it as a good trial run.

We did determine the root cause of the noise. We heard it this weekend while we were watching TV in the middle of the afternoon. Our 16 month old daughter was taking a nap, or so we thought. Turns out she has figured out how to kick the wall through the slats in her crib. Since its an interior wall and pretty much hollow, a small kick makes a pretty big noise.

We surmise that somewhere in the middle of the night that she either woke up and was playing, or may have gotten her foot stuck in the crib and was trying to get it free.

Hopefully we've learned a bit on how we'll react if and when we ever have a real situation. I know I've definitely thought about it a lot more over the last few days in terms of how I'll deal with a real situation.

 

[Wabatuckian]

If I hear something strange, I come awake (don't really sleep actually...) but leave my eyes closed and lay in the same position I woke up in.

I listen.

If I feel it's important, I reach for the 1911 stowed in a convenient spot when I take it off for bed. Only my arm moves, and my hand grips the pistol, then I stop and listen again.

My room is my gunsafe, and while I won't go into detail about how it's set up, I will say that the walls are impenetrable by all but AP rounds and higher, and the door will not give way easily.

Also, any ne'er-do-wells will have to come through two dogs - one a very protective Black Lab and the other a 95lb, protective, Yellow Lab/Alaskan mix.

I have both a cordless phone and a cell phone by my bed. Also have a computer with internet here.

Should they cut the main, I have plenty of flashlights (one I wear). Also, I have this wired for battery backup (totally separate circuit than the 120VAC.) I can run for about 2 hours from this lil' bunker with no power, then I lose the computer. The backup lights, being LED, are good for right around 8 hours. The cell, about 3 days. No worries.

Josh <><

 

[MikeyG]

I always keep one in the chamber. Who knows when you might not have time to rack a slide.

 

[dclaarjr]

Its best not to clear your house unless you have someone else to back you and/or you have been properly trained to clear a building.

Heck I was but I still dont want to... unless I have no choice - Its best to let the LE do the work.

Without a partner, you may be caught off guard. I would stay and let them come into a fatal funnel.

...Unless you absolutely have to ... in order to get to a phone etc. Just my

+1 I agree with you on this.

My home defense plan does not include clearing the downstairs. The floor plan makes it just as dangerous for me as it would be for the BG. The master bedroom is the safe room for my wife (and grandkids when they stay over), I go to another room where I can stay concealed and cover the landing on the stairs, where there is a huge window that allows plenty of light and makes a nice silhouette out of anyone coming up the stairs. If I deem it necessary I have a signal for my wife to call 911. We always have 2 cell phones in our room at night.

If you do have kids in bedrooms in another part of the house, I agree that it is necessary to clear the house for their safety. Anyone who has not had the proper training should sign up for a good class where they will learn to properly clear their house.