Alot of great ways to protect ourselves on here. Knowing your neighbors and letting them know you is a great way to go. I have chased kids out of my neighbors garage at 4 am more than once. I am a BIG supporter of firearms as a means of self defense and defense of those around me. A .45 in the RIGHT hands can save lives, but as one post above noted be aware of penetrating walls and who is behind them. Get your family in a safe room, call the police and let the intruder know if they open that door they will be leaving in a big ziplock bag. My TV is not worth taking a life over, he can have it. I'm insured.
As for the salesman/ crook scoping out your house, usually your gut instinct and first impressions are right. DO NOT let them in your home. Get them off your property quickly. You are less likely to become a victim if you stand your ground and let them know you are not a pushover. I have friends who are officers and they say even fake signs, fake cameras are a big deterrent. The crook does not know it's fake.
When it comes down to your families safety, nothing beats a well armed AND trained homeowner with a gun.

Deuce_454 made a very valid point one that I agree 100% with. An AR is not the kind of weapon you need to defend your home. It comes down to having the right tool for the job kind of thing. Penetrating a wall is going to happen with just about any firearm and bullet. I can't stress enough the "Know your Background" rule. I'm sure you've all heard of it one way or another. It's also a good idea to have a plan of what you are going to do if you do have a home invasion. Keep in mind this could happen while your asleep...at that point the intruder has a huge advantage! Have a plan and practice it.

One other point that I hope you all will put into action.....Keep up on your training. Defensive shooting and Defensive tactics are a perishable set of skills. I don't know of one Law Enforcement agency that doesn't require recurrent training. Again...there's a reason for that.


:thumbsup:

Another good piece of advice, which I do every so often... is to take the entire contents of your wallet and place all the cards/papers/licences on a copy machine. Make a copy. They flip them all over and copy the back sides of them as well.

Take the two pieces of paper and lock them away somewhere safe. Bank, safe, etc.

If you ever lose your wallet - it'll make cancelling cards and getting replacements that much easier.

A little off topic, I know... but figured it was worth passing along.

That is a good idea.
I actually have done that myself.

That's funny! I just got one too! Just don't forget the hollowpoints. It's better to leave all the shrapnel in the intruder and not my soon to be daughter.

LOL!!!!:_paranoid

My friend and I were walking a few miles up the road to Dairy Queen down in Victoria Texas and took a break outside the school. It was the first time I have been there so I didn't know the people or my surroundings. Well, some random guy pulls up, gets out of his truck, then asks where we were headed. My friend stands up to him, pulls out his knife and tells him to get back into the truck. We are not small kids either, my friend is 6'0, 230, and I am 6'4 190. The guy nearly **** his pants and ran back to his truck. I was like "WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT!!??!?" I can't believe my friend pulled a knife on that guy, but now that I look back at it, that probably saved us from a whole lotta trouble.

I have been lurking here a while. And just thought I would add to this post. No one has mentioned the increasing amounts of thieves wearing body armor. A Glock 9 mm is just going to piss them off. A good old 45 ACP is just going to knock them back and piss them off worse. AR 15 with fragmented rounds made for home protection wont penetrate a wall but they go in a body with a 9mm hole and exit like a basketball. And a 38 revolver is a better throwing item than a shooting item. An old retired county police officer told me that he has seen 38's glance off of windshields. Everyone needs to do some research about ammunition, it is far more important than the weapon delivering it. Just remember the 2 bank robbers that were wearing body armor a few years ago in California. And don't think that you as an untrained, non regimented civilian you can "make the head shot". Way to many documented cases of trained police officers exhausting there ammo and scoring only 1 or 2 hits under the stress of self preservation.

I will be the first to admit that I don't know all the answers but I hope this adds to this thread,

FOMOGO

I do not mean to be offensive, but frankly your post is riddled with misinformation, and seems to be based more on something heard in a Dirty Harry movie than read in a reputable firearms publication. First, very few criminals are wearing body armor. It's very expensive, and not something you're likely to find and steal at your local Wallmart. Yes, there were the two bank robbers who utilized the stuff, but as you will recall, they also had fully automatic weapons, something that very few citizens, and even fewer criminals are likely to have.

Second, a good .45 shot, with a well designed round (Hydroshock, etc.) will undoubtedly stop most criminals on the first shot. It goes in with a nice 1/2" hole and expands to some three times that size before coming to a stop inside the target's body. Massive internal bleeding follows, causing a sudden loss of blood pressure and thus sends your perpetrator into shock. Even a good .38 can mess up someone's day in this fashion, though I would be more apt to recommend a .357.

Third, most police officers are not actually all that well trained when it comes to marksmanship. This is however changing due to some of the studies that have produced results similar to what you have espoused concerning the number of shots your average police officer can put into a moving target. Still, there are few officers who would not be able to to put more than "one or two shots" out of the 15 or so, carried in the average police officer's Glock or Barretta magazine, into their target while under duress.

Fourth, very few people are capable of taking a direct hit from a .45 into their body armor and just get "pissed off." The impact is likely to break several ribs, and frequently the chest compression caused by the impact is more than enough to send an average person into shock. Even without broken ribs, the resultant bruise is likely to cover an area of some 10" or more! Land two or three into their vest and you will in all likelihood incapacitate them long enough to be capable of holding them at gunpoint until the police and ambulance show up.

Lastly, most criminals have absolutely no wish to confront an armed homeowner. Unlike with the police, whose job is to apprehend a a suspect, the homeowner has much more leeway in the eyes of the law when he is in a situation where he fears for his or his family's life. Thus, in a very large percentage of situations, the criminal is more likely to retreat in the face of force than to stand his ground and risk an armed confrontation. You must also consider that the average criminal, with his stolen gun, has little to no training or practice with his weapon. He has chosen to carry a weapon solely for its intimidation factor and therefore is more than likely to discharge it out of fear than he is to fire it with any accuracy.

Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend to anyone who wishes to protect themselves and their families to pick up a copy of "The Truth About Self-Protection" by Massad Ayoob. It is a well written and fact filled book concerning the do's and don'ts of self protection, including the best ways to prepare for the aftermath of such a confrontation. He goes into many factors someone should consider, including what dog is the best for home protection (Great Dane), less than lethal means that are available, and the best plan should someone break into your home.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

Something else to consider - do not leave your insurance and registration in your car. Or, try and hide it somewhere other than in the glove box.

This happened to a co-worker of a friend of mine - She came out to her car after work and something didn't feel right. Long story short, thieves broke into her car but only took a couple things....

-garage door opener
-insurance and registration

They didn't take any other personal possessions from the car. They only wanted her address and an easy way to get into the house. She called the cops but it was too late - the thieves had already ransacked her home.