Home Security / Defense
The number one rule of home security is to use as many deterrents as possible but don't rely or count on any of them. It's like a safety on your firearm, we use them but don't rely on them we rely on ourselves following the safety rules to keep us safe. We must do the same with home security, use security measures but don't rely on them solely. The harder we make our homes to break into the less likely your home will be hit. Criminals like easy targets, they prey on the weak. This can be a weak person or a "weak" security measurement placed on your home. Lets look at some different measures we can take around the house to help us keep ourselves and loved ones safe.
I've listed a lot of different things to do to help you stay safe. Most of them I can beat personally, some I can't but know the general idea of how. I'm not going over how they can be beat simply because I don't want someone on hear reading how to beat it and then getting a "bright" idea.
Social Media:
We all love to chat it up on social media sites and stuff. There are a few things we want to avoid when on these sites. You don't want to show pictures of your valuables, firearms, jewelry, etc. Criminals troll these sites to find great scores to hit. If you post your valuables on them it makes their job easier. You also don't want to post on these sites that you'll be out of town. This lets them know that you are gone and they can come get your stuff with no problem. If you have kids you don't want them to post it either or that their parents will be out of town. There are also child predators that troll these sites waiting for this so they can come to your house knowing you're not there and attack your kid(s).
I know everybody wants to share there fun with everybody but it's best to wait until you return and then post everything so you are back home and these trolls have missed their opportunity.
Fences:
This would be one of the first lines of defense for your home. The taller the fence the better and the stronger material it is made of the better. A 4ft chain link fence is good, a 6ft is better. A 6ft wooden privacy is even better and then a 6ft iron would be even better. The shorter 4ft chain link fences work to a point but someone can still jump over or simply cut through them. The wooden privacy fence would have to be kicked in or pried apart which makes noise so they're a little batter deterrent The 6ft iron fences would have to be jumped unless they have some sort of tool to cut through them quickly so they would be the best deterrent. The fence must completely surround your house and close somehow and it helps if you have dogs that can roam around freely. Again, this in itself won't totally stop someone but is a deterrent which is what we're looking for. The harder to get to us the more likely the criminal will go somewhere easier.
Driveway Alarm:
This is another way to alert you of someone coming up the driveway or if placed right in your yard. You can also place them along your house to alert you of someone coming up to a door or window. Make sure you get a good one that doesn't read everything that comes within so many feet especially if placed at the road. It'll read every car driving by, or person walking up the road.
Doors:
Make sure you have a deadbolt on your exterior doors, and keep doors locked even when at home. Make sure your exterior doors are either good solid wood or metal. If you use glass doors we suggest you use some type of reinforced glass. If you put a spare key outside just in case don't just hide it under a rock. Put it in a lock box. They make some pretty good inexpensive ones that you can hide and bolt down that opens with a code, use these instead of just hiding them.
Garage Doors:
If you have an automatic garage door make sure you have a deadbolt on the door in the garage to the house. If you have a way on the door to manually lock it after everybody is home do so. If you have one that is manual pull the opening mechanism off so it can't be opened by the knob on the outside.
Dogs:
They are not only a great deterrent by barking to ward off would be criminals, if trained properly they will defend you in an attack. They also make great companions. However, they can be bypassed or silenced by the criminal.
Security Sticker / Signs:
This is a simple deterrent that will deter some criminals. They make many different ones, anything from alarm stickers to one that say: "protected by 2nd Amendment", "Nothing inside is worth Dying for". These are probably more blunt and "scary" ones but if you use these make sure your firearms are secured so when you're not home they are really hard to get to.
Alarm System:
These are great deterrents for most of your non drugged up common thieves. Most of your life of professional thieves know they have enough time before the police arrive to get in and out with what they want. Your drugged up ones won't care either way.
If the criminal means to do you harm all the alarm is going to do is make noise and alert the police and unless they are right around the corner they will get to you or your loved ones and do whatever harm they intend to do before the police are able to get to you. This in itself will not actually stop an attacker.
Motion Lights:
A great deterrent for a lot of common thieves but most of your professionals will tell you it just makes it easier for them to see as well as someone meaning to do you harm. When placing your motion lights in your yard for security you will want to set them to come on as the person is entering your yard and you want your lights to shine right at them making it very hard to see around the light. This in itself basically puts a spotlight on them which is a great deterrent.
Car Key Panic Alarm:
Another great deterrent for most of your thieves that might not know you're at home. It will not stop someone trying to get to you to do you harm. How many times have you heard an alarm go off in your neighborhood and didn't check on it thinking it went off on accident or it was kids playing around the cars?
Security Cameras:
Another great deterrent for most thieves but won't actually stop someone from getting to you wishing to do you harm. It will however get a thief on tape that breaks in and steals your stuff while you're away or give the police footage of them attacking you which can give you a good witness to why you had to shoot them.
Door Blockers:
They make several different styles of devices that will beef up your door or block the door from being kicked in. Someone tried to kick in my parents back door and actually ended up kicking part of the door out of the frame but was unable to get in due to this type of door blocker. This is a great deterrent that does work most of the time keeping the intruder from getting in your door. Just make sure if you use these that you can remove them fast so you can get out in case of fire or the intruder comes through a window or something.
Windows:
Make sure to have window locks on all windows and keep them locked. You can also use window bars that will keep most intruders out but it will also make it hard to impossible to get out in case of fire or they enter another way. If you use these try to get some that will remove from the inside easily but can't from the outside at all.
Safe room:
Probably the best overall way is to build a safe room that is supplied with necessary supplies to keep you alive long enough for the intruder(s) leave. It must be bulletproof and able to withstand someone trying any and everything to get in. However, these rooms can be super expensive if they are done right. It would need to be fireproof and you would need a supply of oxygen (just in case they set your house on fire) to do them right. You don't know how mad you're going to make someone by not allowing them to do you harm.
Unarmed Defense:
Another way I believe is a must. If the attacker gets close to you before you can utilize a weapon you will need to be able to defend yourself. You can take some self defense classes that are 1 day or maybe 2 or you can go all out and take a style of martial arts. I do suggest to at least take a basic class. If you decide to take a martial arts class be aware that there are many different styles. There are what they call hard style which is really aggressive and forceful and then the soft styles uses the attackers momentum against them. They are all good and work well it just depends on your taste.
Baseball Bats:
These can be great as long as you can use it well enough to take your intruder down without them taking it from you. They are very effective if used right. Just remember you have to be up close and personal with the attacker and any wrong move on your part or any right move on their part would be bad. This would cover any other object that can cause blunt force trauma to the intruder.
Stun Guns:
This is another good option but you have to get up close and personal to use it and they are not effective on some people. Some will be totally taken down and others it won't even phase.
Tasers:
These are a little better than the stun gun. They are more powerful and will actually shoot out at someone. Most have a distance of around 15 feet and work well. They will take most people down but will not effect some at all. The bad is you have 1 shot and then have to get up close and personal. Some of them you have to be certified by your local law enforcement center to carry.
Firearms:
This is the one way that pretty much anybody can have one that suits them that they can control well enough to stop the intruder. You have multiple shots with most firearms and can reload fairly fast with them. The firearm is really the best way to go out of any of these options especially if the intruder has a firearm, or any tool that can be used against you if they are close enough.
I am a big fan of some of these ways and not others but they will all do there job to deter criminals to a certain extent. We use more than just one of these ways to deter the criminal first but will stand our ground and defend ourselves if needs be. The main thing we must focus on is deterring the intruder with these things first but not to rely on them solely. It is imperative that we have a way that we can defend ourselves in the end. If someone really wants to get to you they will find a way and you must have a way to stop them.
Below is a list of items you'll want to have for other emergencies:
Fire extinguishers
Smoke Detectors
Fresh water
5-day supply of food
Candles, matches, flashlight
Extra batteries
Bedding
Toilet facilities
Sterno stove, fuel
Shortwave or other radio
Medical/first aid kit
Have a safe zone set for your family to meet up if you have to flee the house. Have all of these items at this safe spot as well.
