Something went bump in the night...and I learned some very important lessons.

[massnee]

Years ago, my family and I lived in a rough part of New Jersey. We lived in a large home with no way to protect ourselves (if you think MA gun laws are bad try a stint in NJ). Unfortunately, we would often be awaken by sounds in the middle of the night. Over the course of 2 years most were false alarms...only one was likely an attempted forced entry. I distinctly remember the fear I felt being responsible for the protection of my family and only having a can of bear spray (bad idea for indoor use) and a 4 inch knife.

For the past 4 years I have lived in Mass. Last night, for the first time, there was an incident at my home. A little after 12am, as I was upstairs getting ready for bed, I heard a loud sound...seemed like someone kicking a door. Somewhat in disbelief, I grabbed my Glock 27 and went downstairs to investigate. I checked the basement door (it is a folding door), front and rear door. I began to doubt that I ever heard anything and went back to bed.

However, while I was up stairs I heard another loud sound. This time I knew I heard it. It sounded as if someone had made a basement entry and was trying to force the basement folding door open. My next actions made this situation very different from my life in NJ.

Utilizing a quick release wall safe I grabbed my 16” AR equipped with a surefire light and a 20 round mag. I then proceeded to make sure that all my kids were in bed...then I drew back on the charging handle chambering a round.

As I went down the stairs in a ready firing position I was not scared. I knew that I had the right tool to give any threat to my family a bad time. After throughly checking the house, I could not find any evidence that there was an attempted entry. I do not know what the sounds I heard were.

Lessons learned...

I am so very thankful to have the ability to have the defensive tool of my choice for the protection of my family. Having been in similar situations with out the proper tools I can tell you having a full equipped AR-15 makes all the difference in the world.

I also realized that I have to do more training shooting at a low ready. Navigating my small house with a 16” AR would not allow me to bring the rifle to my shoulder.

Since I had time, I should have taken an additional 30 round mag with me. Not knowing what was awaiting me downstairs...two is better than one.

This next lesson came as a surprise to me. I had always figured that if I was in such a situation I would simply wait upstairs, with my rifle, and call 911 if an aggressor made certain entry. What seemed reasonable in peace time did not work out the way I had planned.

Heres why... The idea that I spend, who knows how much time, sweating and listening for the slightest sound is not a good option. In this situation it turned out that there was no aggressor. That means I could have spent an hour listening and losing several years off my life because of nerves.

I also was not expecting visitors to my home. It was possible that I had left as a few mags or rounds lying around. If the police came into my home I may have opened myself up to problems. Now in retrospect there was nothing in my house like that...however, I feared, at the time, to take the chance of becoming an “unsuitable” person.

In conclusion let reiterate that I was not scared as I had been in other situations...my actions were somewhat automatic. I believe I had the training, equipment, and drive necessary to meet the task at hand. There is no doubt that if a psychopath did break into my home, knowing that my vehicles were in the yard...his desire would have been to hurt my family. And it is also true that in combat victory is never certain.

However, if you are a betting man, I say place your money on the man who will do anything to protect his family. My point is that I was more motivated and likely better armed than any adversary could have been. I believe that the drive to protect life is far greater than the desire to maliciously hurt others.

 

[Tiktock]

There is no doubt that if a psychopath did break into my home, knowing that my vehicles were in the yard...his desire would have been to hurt my family. And it is also true that in combat victory is never certain.

However, if you are a betting man, I say place your money on the man who will do anything to protect his family. My point is that I was more motivated and likely better armed than any adversary could have been. I believe that the drive to protect life is far greater than the desire to maliciously hurt others.

+1 IMHO the only appropriate response to a break-in when they KNOW you are home is aggressive, overwhelming violence, turning the tables of their expected roles as quickly and forcefully as possible.

The biggest question is: What the heck made that noise?

 

[dbhn]

I too think I will sit and wait upstairs. But I think this is when I KNOW there is someone in the house. I am not getting shot or ambushed coming down the stairs which is a terrible spot for the descender. They try to come up, they don't make it.

But, I too have investigated bumps in the night. Mostly because my wife won't fall back asleep if I don't. Even one that was a ridiculously loud banging on the door at 3am (turned out to be drunk friends in need). That one got my heart rate going.

 

[Chris]

One key skill is to be able to negotiate your home in the dark.

I have a very strict rule regarding stuff being left out. Before bed, everything out of place is picked up. Its all so that I can move about in the dark. Add a few strategically placed night lights to illuminate areas of 'concern' and I don't need a light at all. (of course I have one, but I don't need it to negotiate the house)

The one saving grace is that the dog hasn't "gone off" yet. He usually knows better than I do when people approach the house. Generally by the time I've verified the kid is OK Dukie is back in bed. I still check the house, but I would suspect that if it was a someone rather than a something the dog would have already gone looking. We've tested this on several occasions. I've come home late, parked away from the house where it could just as easily be a neighbor, purposely avoided the sensor lights (which is not easy) and gained access as quietly as I can. I've yet to not be met by the dog. What's cool is that until he sees the person, he's quiet. My wife has commented several times that she never even realized the dog has left the TV room.

Another thing to look at is ensuring that entry makes noise. Bells, unstable plant holders and other devices are employed to make all but the most cautious of entries difficult.

And of course, on an obvious entry, we have the "saferoom" plan in place and have drilled it to be sure my wife and I know the procedure. Same thing with the fire drills.

Of course, I always get the "do we have to?" reaction, but this is the same woman who requests that I check the mousetraps before she has to go near them. (^_^)

 

[benster]

Any thoughts about getting a home alarm? You can customize to set certain zones, windows and doors. Just arm it before going to bed. If someone is stupid enough to force an entry, ignoring the alarm and tries to head up the stairs, you 'd be ready for them instead of opening yourself up to an ambush as dbhn pointed out. You wouldnt want to be in a position where you are comprimised and now your opponent has your weapon and your family needs to fend for themselves without you.

 

[abiffmaster]

If I am reaching for a weapon, I am going to get the local PD on the phone (calls recorded) Much easier to have them hear what's going on and record it than to have a he say she say after the fact with your adrenaline levels off the chart and LEO handcuffing you. The tape is also going to be a good piece of evidence in a court of law.

 

[Tiktock]

Isnt it amazing how effective a dog is at bump-in-the-night identification? Lots of times i'll be watching tv, hear something "bump" and hit mute, sitting and waiting to see what the sound is. The dog won't even lift his head up 99% of the time. But man-oh-man, the few times its been someone at the door or an animal out on the porch, the dog goes completely haywire before i even notice the sounds. I swear its that 99% of the time, "bumps" are normal noises that you just happen to hear because its late and quiet, you happen to be awake and paying attention. The dog probably "feels" those noises through the floorboards all day long so knows they are normal. When an abnormal "bump" hits the dog, their animal instincts tell them something is wrong when we are still our dumb selves saying "another noise."

 

[massnee]

I may at this point consider an alarm system. As I said in my original post, I have not had an incident in over 4 years.

I understand the danger of "clearing" a house. The fact is it is really not possible for any one person to safely clear a house by himself.

However, two factors motivated me to move downstairs. First, I did not believe that entry had yet been made inside my house. I could have been mistaken, but you have to work with what you think at the time. Secondly, the particular set up of my house does not allow an ambush to easily take place.

 

[rscalzo]

Years ago, my family and I lived in a rough part of New Jersey

Whereabouts in NJ?

 

[MichaelJ]

Bumps in the night like that suck. Stairs when descending are just as dangerous as hallways. I do remember a thread on here a while ago about bumps in the night. If I remember correctly, it was a few pages long with stories from a bunch of us.

Chris...what kind of dog do you have? They do seem to have that knack of knowing.

I am reading the highly suggested book "The Gift of Fear". I will also suggest it.

 

[massnee]

Whereabouts in NJ?

We lived in a house next to some projects in Florence.

 

[mk70ss]

This scenario is why I love my two dogs. They will bark momentarily for a random sound that startles them. But if someone was there attempting entry or already in the house, they would bark like crazed maniacs. They are only Pugs (don't worry about being attacked by them), but they are an excellent early warning system.

 

[Admin]

Dogs are a great early warning system.

 

[Moderator]

Dogs are a great early warning system.

+1, Since I am in a semi-free state now my wife has full access to my guns when I am not home. But I don't think she'll need them with these guys.

 

[dbhn]

Chris, what kind of dogs do you have? I am starting to entertain the notion.

I also like the idea of making the entries a bit noisy. My one set of stairs heading to second floor and all the bedrooms creaks like hell. You cannot get up or down them without making noise. Sucks for the kids when they are young (they can be loud enough to wake them up) but work great as a warning system. Will also alert me to my kids on the move when they get a bit older. Everyone has asked if I am going to fix them and I say no way.

The ambush area I mentioned is that my stairs open on both sides (no walls) about 2/3 of the way down. They come down right in the center of home and are then open to almost the entire first floor on both sides. I couldn't even peak my head out safely if someone was down there with a firearm.

I love thinking and working through these scenerios... Most would think that is bit odd.

 

[Rockrivr1]

In conclusion let reiterate that I was not scared as I had been in other situations...my actions were somewhat automatic.

I'm not sure I fully believe that. Don't get me wrong, I don't see anything wrong with what you did. I've done the same thing when there have been noises downstairs and my wife is nervous. Grab the flashlight and handgun and downstairs I go.

My only thing is that you state your adreneline was pumping. That wouldn't really happen unless your system was registering some type of nervous/fear reaction. It's nothing bad, as I think some nervousness/fear is good. Makes you think before making a move that might get you seriously hurt or killed. I'll fully admit to being nervous when investigating a significant noise downstairs I couldn't identify right away.

 

[Admin]

I'll fully admit to being nervous when investigating a significant noise downstairs I couldn't identify right away.

+1 Besides Adreneline makes your hearing super sensitive.

 

[dbhn]

He may define nervous/anxious and scared to be different. I think I know what he meant when he said he was not scared but agree there is no way your not pumped up/nervous if the situation called for you to retrieve your AR.

 

[Fooped]

Years ago, my family and I lived in a rough part of New Jersey. We lived in a large home with no way to protect ourselves (if you think MA gun laws are bad try a stint in NJ). Unfortunately, we would often be awaken by sounds in the middle of the night. Over the course of 2 years most were false alarms...only one was likely an attempted forced entry. I distinctly remember the fear I felt being responsible for the protection of my family and only having a can of bear spray (bad idea for indoor use) and a 4 inch knife.

For the past 4 years I have lived in Mass. Last night, for the first time, there was an incident at my home. A little after 12am, as I was upstairs getting ready for bed, I heard a loud sound...seemed like someone kicking a door. Somewhat in disbelief, I grabbed my Glock 27 and went downstairs to investigate. I checked the basement door (it is a folding door), front and rear door. I began to doubt that I ever heard anything and went back to bed.

However, while I was up stairs I heard another loud sound. This time I knew I heard it. It sounded as if someone had made a basement entry and was trying to force the basement folding door open. My next actions made this situation very different from my life in NJ.

Utilizing a quick release wall safe I grabbed my 16” AR equipped with a surefire light and a 20 round mag. I then proceeded to make sure that all my kids were in bed...then I drew back on the charging handle chambering a round.

As I went down the stairs in a ready firing position I was not scared. I knew that I had the right tool to give any threat to my family a bad time. After throughly checking the house, I could not find any evidence that there was an attempted entry. I do not know what the sounds I heard were.

Lessons learned...

I am so very thankful to have the ability to have the defensive tool of my choice for the protection of my family. Having been in similar situations with out the proper tools I can tell you having a full equipped AR-15 makes all the difference in the world.

I also realized that I have to do more training shooting at a low ready. Navigating my small house with a 16” AR would not allow me to bring the rifle to my shoulder.

Since I had time, I should have taken an additional 30 round mag with me. Not knowing what was awaiting me downstairs...two is better than one.

This next lesson came as a surprise to me. I had always figured that if I was in such a situation I would simply wait upstairs, with my rifle, and call 911 if an aggressor made certain entry. What seemed reasonable in peace time did not work out the way I had planned.

Heres why... The idea that I spend, who knows how much time, sweating and listening for the slightest sound is not a good option. In this situation it turned out that there was no aggressor. That means I could have spent an hour listening and losing several years off my life because of nerves.

I also was not expecting visitors to my home. It was possible that I had left as a few mags or rounds lying around. If the police came into my home I may have opened myself up to problems. Now in retrospect there was nothing in my house like that...however, I feared, at the time, to take the chance of becoming an “unsuitable” person.

In conclusion let reiterate that I was not scared as I had been in other situations...my actions were somewhat automatic. I believe I had the training, equipment, and drive necessary to meet the task at hand. There is no doubt that if a psychopath did break into my home, knowing that my vehicles were in the yard...his desire would have been to hurt my family. And it is also true that in combat victory is never certain.

However, if you are a betting man, I say place your money on the man who will do anything to protect his family. My point is that I was more motivated and likely better armed than any adversary could have been. I believe that the drive to protect life is far greater than the desire to maliciously hurt others.

Good introspective post, and thanks for sharing. +1

 

[massnee]

I'm not sure I fully believe that. Don't get me wrong, I don't see anything wrong with what you did. I've done the same thing when there have been noises downstairs and my wife is nervous. Grab the flashlight and handgun and downstairs I go.

My only thing is that you state your adreneline was pumping. That wouldn't really happen unless your system was registering some type of nervous/fear reaction. It's nothing bad, as I think some nervousness/fear is good. Makes you think before making a move that might get you seriously hurt or killed. I'll fully admit to being nervous when investigating a significant noise downstairs I couldn't identify right away.

There is no doubt that I was not in the state of mind of enjoying an afternoon tea.

I was alert and hyper-sensitive. But I was not fearful. I was not fearful in the sense of suffering anxiety that would lead me to cower, submit, or flee.

I was not playing the "what if" game...ie. - what if I am killed...what if I have to take a life...what if my family is harmed... That is what I meant when I said I did not have fear.

I am not a man that is big in my own eyes. I have no desire to compliment myself. If there is any praise for me I will let others give it.

A major goal in my training is to have the mind set to do what I need to do when circumstances warrant (of course perfection will never be achieved).

The situation I went through was helpful in respect to that which is still unknown – Will I engage a fight with full resolve and force when needed?

I do not know the answer to that question...the fact is no one knows until they have been placed in a fight. I pray to God I never find the answer.

 

[Chris]

Chris, what kind of dogs do you have?

(that's the family just last summer. Click image to go to official Swedish Vallhund site.)

Dukie is a Swedish Vallhund. Like a Corgi in a lot of ways (they have the same ancestor at the time of the Vikings) but since they are not as popular, they have not been bred poorly or puppy-milled. Certainly not a 'protection' dog in any way, but all I really need is the alert and at that he seems to excel. As a herding dog, he's not like a terrier and wants to hunt everything. He does chase rabbits and larger though.

Sadly, if it was an intruder, he'd likely get himself killed, he likes people too much. But enough thinking about that.

We got Dukie at a breeder in Attleborough after running into them at the Charlton rest area on the Pike. We liked the size, (were actually considering a Corgi) and did some research and visited the breeder several times before we decided on the breed. Dukie pretty much picked us.

And best of all, the breed lives as long as 18-20 years and doesn't have any known health issues. Dukie is 8 and still plays as rough and hard as he did when we got him. I've met his grandparents and they were still very active at 13. Probably NOT a breed for an apartment. The breed is getting popular in games like flyball, agility, and herding competition. Just became AKC certified last year and appeared in the big dog shows this year. In fact, it a Swedish Vallhund was the oldest dog at Westminster at 14 a few weeks ago.

 

[dwarven1]

Certainly not a 'protection' dog in any way, but all I really need is the alert and at that he seems to excel. As a herding dog, he's not like a terrier and wants to hunt everything. He does chase rabbits and larger though.

He doesn't need to be protective, Chris, that's YOUR job... and I wouldn't want to be anyone you ever got pissed off at.

I'm not a real "doggy" person (I've only had cats), but Dukie is a hot sh*t. (That's a compliment!) Very cool pooch.

 

[Chris]

Dukie is a hot sh*t. (That's a compliment!) Very cool pooch.

You'll love this story Ross...

When we first got Dukie, I had him over at my goddaughter's house where they have several cats and a big dog (Great Dane mix) so my goddaughter had only ever seen BIG DOG.

Dukie runs over, and she says "here kitty kitty."

 

[Palladin]

I would have woken the kids ( I have 5, 3 are constantly here), put them in my bedroom with the wife & G30, then staked out the stairs from the 2nd floor. I'd much rather be in a position with an intruder coming up my stairs then trying to clear a house.

I have an alarm system, the next thing going in is a central lighting control system...hit one button and the entire house lights up.

 

[Jose]

+1 IMHO the only appropriate response to a break-in when they KNOW you are home is aggressive, overwhelming violence, turning the tables of their expected roles as quickly and forcefully as possible.

+2

I have had the same experience. Having been awakened by loud, unusual noises in the night or early morning, I know that I cannot hunker down. Each and every time I have moved aggressively to investigate. Anyone confronting me in my house is going to get hosed. Plain and simple.

Anyone coming in through the kitchen/living area will get a slight break to leave before having a Come to Jesus. Anyone unlucky enough to come in through a bedroom window (I live in a single story) will be given no quarter. Not when he's danger close to my girls. No sir. No hesitation on that one.

 

[Admin]

Home security cameras are pretty damn cheap. Having a monitor in your bedroom with shots of each room is pretty important.

 

[Twigg]

I love thinking and working through these scenerios... Most would think that is bit odd.

Only odd to the sheeple.

I have an alarm system, the next thing going in is a central lighting control system...hit one button and the entire house lights up.

Good idea !
I'll be renovating in the next couple of months, I need to look into this.

Home security cameras are pretty damn cheap. Having a monitor in your bedroom with shots of each room is pretty important.

+1 on the cameras Derek. I'm actually thinking hard on NV gear.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I'm actually thinking hard on NV gear.

I picked up a 1st gen monocular a while ago. I got it though with 1.5 magnification. My advise would be to get one without any magnification. Magnification, even a little, will make things hard when using it inside the house. If I were to do it again, I'd get one without the magnification.

 

[Palladin]

Only odd to the sheeple.



Good idea !
I'll be renovating in the next couple of months, I need to look into this.



+1 on the cameras Derek. I'm actually thinking hard on NV gear.

http://www.lutron.com/products/productSystems.aspx?sid=AuroRa&pid=WhatIsAuroRa&cid=0

Run you $300-400 or so...simple install

 

[JRyan]

Dogs kick ass. I have a huge newf/golden mix who is mostly friendly, but will bark and growl at people at the door etc. He has a deep voice, his growl sounds like a truck going by.

I know he scared away a would be break in once, I heard the guy say "oh f***" from outside my window when Iggy barked at him. I was running down the stairs with a knife like an idiot when it happened. I heard the window moving but the dog heard it way before me.