Deterring an Attack In The Home

The best way to survive an attack in the home is to encourage bad guys ( non gender specific) to go some ware else. Lets talk about deterrents.

The first thing you should do is ensure all windows have good locks. Sticks in window frames and sliding glass doors are not only inexpensive but they work. Make sure sliding doors and windows can’t be “lifted” out of their frames.
Put up a “No Trespassing” and “Beware of Dog” sign.
Security systems are a great deterrent and can also summon help. If you don’t have one make a nice sign and place it in a window where the shape can be seen but the writing is difficult. Make it look professional.

Use outside lighting. Plant prickly shrubs or cactus under windows. Don’t let shrubs get big enough or high enough to hide an attacker. Lock gates to back yards so no one can “accidently” walk in.
Secure your garage door opener. This can not only help protect your car but can also keep an intruder from using your own tools to break in.

Install solid doors and reinforced frames. Security screens are very economical and can be decorative. Use a double key dead bolt on the screen door so if someone does break in they can’t just carry everything out the door. NEVER lock a double key dead bolt when someone is home. This is so you can get out of the house quickly if you need to.

Dogs are another deterrent. Ankle biters that yap are more likely to drive off a threat than a big dog that would be more likely to wait quietly then counter attack. If you don't have a dog here’s some ideas.
Buy the biggest dog dish you can find. One big enough to water an elephant would be better. Put it outside your front door or where it can be seen. Keep it clean and move it a little every few days. Buy a Frisbee and have someone you know let their dog play with it and chew it up. Place it near the dog dish. Have a big chain placed in the back yard near a dish and disappearing around the house.

Beware of signs that reflect you might have guns inside. This could be a deterrent or an incentive.

Lights on automatic timers can work but must be altered so a pattern isn't easily detected. When your on vacation make sure there are no old newspapers in the driveway. Have a neighbor pick up the mail.

The Safe Room

Lets talk about the safe room. Most safe rooms are the master bedroom. That's due to the fact parents usually reside there and most attacks occur at night. The best way to set up a safe room is to actually consider options when you purchase a house. Assuming you already have a house this is just information to be used at a possible later date. Make sure you have safe fields of fire. If you need to shoot an intruder it will usually be in a hall or doorway. Ensure incoming or out going bullets won’t hit family members.
The safe room should only have one door. This is easier to defend. Since internal doors are quite flimsy this door should be changed and the frame should reinforced. Steel reinforced plates can be purchased at any home improvement store and are readily installed. It's not as good as the previous option but it is cheaper and quicker. I advise a longer deadbolt and latch plate. The safe room should also have a window. This would make it easier to contact police when they arrive.
A cell phone should be kept in the room. Old cell phones that are no longer active will still call 911 so one of them and a charger is not bad to have. A firearm and ammunition kept for personal protection should be available and stored in an appropriate device. A whistle would be a noise maker used to alert other family members of danger. I prefer an air horn, it will warn the family and startle the snot out of an intruder. There should be some packaged food and water, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and a good flashlight. This room may also be used in a natural disaster or other crisis. These are common things. Let's look at other items that aren't so well thought of. If you are threatened and you retreat to your safe room you are going to notify the police. They need to get into the house. If you don't give them a key they may have to break down the door. This will also make it more difficult to enter the house. You should have a house key on a big stick or better yet a glow stick. In the night you can throw it out the window so the police can get in.
If you woke up startled and are thinking you heard a noise you might not want to move to the door to close it right away. Make sure you have some method of defense immediately available while you are assessing the situation. If you place decorative mirrors or pictures in strategic places, along with placement of a night light or two you can use these items to see reflections around corners or along halls. If you are in the dark or not backlit someone won’t be able to use these devises to find you.
If the master bedroom is on one end of the house , with the living quarters in the middle and other bedrooms on the other side this is called a split floor plan. Split floor plans are very difficult to defend. Intruders frequently are between you and members of your family. Code words or sounds are needed to direct occupants on how to react in a life threatening situation. Fields of fire are more difficult to establish.
If there is an altercation use every tool at your disposal to win!

Fighting room to room.


What if you come home and someone is already inside the home? Set up your home to fight room to room until the threat is stopped or you and your family have reached your safe room. There are many implements of destruction in a kitchen, so lets look at other rooms.Bathrooms - is there a plunger that can be used for defense, a bottle of alcohol, any aerosol hair spray, any powder that can be thrown into the eyes of an attacker? Don’t forget about the toilet tank cover! Other rooms can be set up as well. Place items like baseball bats or T ball bats in corners or behind doors. How harmless is a little pink aluminum bat? How about a golf club? A fire extinguisher can be used. It may be difficult to pull the pin and spray an attacker but it can still be used for blunt force. Set up tables with vases or other items that can be used to turn the tables on an intruder. Glass items or large picture frames with glass thrown at an intruder to break and cut may provide a deterrent. Furniture polish in the eyes. Fireplace tools. A chunk of firewood. Laundry soap or bleach. Chairs that can be thrown. Look through each room of your house for things that are already there and things you can strategically place. Be sure if you have to fight your way through you house the aggressor is hurt, bruised, and tired. Try to keep away from your attacker. The more you fight the greater the chance your attacker will decide your not worth the beating your dishing out. Use your command voice and command him to leave or else. Criminals are looking for easy prey not a fair fight. You have the home field advantage. Use it!