Fortress America

Guns Magazine, Jan, 2001 by Massad Ayoob

From good old-fashioned locks to high-tech electronic countermeasures, there's much more to real home security than just knowing how to use a firearm.

Violent crime is trending downward in this country. That's the kind of news that builds false confidence, One is reminded of the rural cop who once asked firearms trainer John Farnam, "How often do you think people get killed around here, anyway?" Farnam's reply was not only memorable, but classic: "Same as anywhere. Just once."

Home invasion is the forcible entry of an occupied home by presumably violent and usually armed criminals. In some statutes, it is described as "violent and tumultuous entry." Given that occupants are present, the criminal justice system sees it as a much more serious crime than burglary, which occurs in an unoccupied place and is a crime against property rather than life and limb.

The laws of reason and prudence dictate that those intruders who would confront the lawful residents in such a situation would do so in a violent manner. This is why, when intruders force their way into an occupied dwelling, a situation has been set in motion that can quickly rise to the level of justifiable homicide in self-defense or lawful defense of others.

Hard Targets

Some people who haven't read the fine print think the law allows them to shoot anyone trying to enter their home without permission. This is not the case. As a rule, the law still demands some action to have taken place to cause the armed defender to reasonably perceive immediate physical danger before pulling a trigger is authorized.

As any bodyguard (or "executive protection specialist") can tell you, the best fight is the one that's prevented. Shooting it out with the intruder is a last-ditch option, an act of grave desperation that should be avoided if reasonably possible.

Every gun owner concerned with home security should practice what those executive protection specialists call "target denial," a series of strategies that thwart the intruders before they ever come close enough to physically harm you or your family.

The first line of physical defense of your home should be solid doors in solid frames with good locks. While deadbolt locks are superior to spring-bolt locks, you want one of each on every major door. The spring-bolt lock can be "loided," or opened with a piece of celluloid like a driver's license, a trick that won't work on a locked deadbolt.

However, if a member of the family has been chased to the door, he or she may not have time for the necessary manual turning of the deadbolt that locks the door behind them. The spring-bolt lock activates automatically as the door slams shut, buying them time to then turn the deadbolt and "double-lock" the portal.

Barred windows are in vogue in some neighborhoods. If you choose them, make sure they quickly release from the inside. Statistics show us far more people burn to death in home fires than are murdered by home invaders. You don't want to restrict your own exit potential; you just want to prohibit unauthorized entry from anyone on the outside.

Let There Be Light

Some home defense hardware should come from the gun shop, but some can come from the electronics store. Two of the most useful defensive items are intercoms and remote switches.

Intercoms let you communicate with family members in other rooms. They also allow you to project your voice into other rooms in the house without giving your own position away. Intercoms can, if budget and family privacy views allow, offer the option of listening to what's going on in any room in the house.

Remote switches for interior or exterior lights can be activated from a radio console, which should be kept near the door of the "safe room." (The safe room is the room the family understands will be the gathering point for all members if security is breached by intruders.) These switches allow you to control light in any room in the house. You can keep yourselves in the invisible darkness, while lighting up the intruders and denying them much of the concealment they want.

Imagine that you are the intruder. You are two rooms into the house when the lights start going on and off around you. A disembodied voice booms, "Intruders! Do not move! Police are coming! If you enter the sleeping quarters you will be shot!" The technology required for this level of home security is surprisingly affordable.

Coming Through Not!

An extremely common form of home invasion is the "push-in" robbery. In this scenario, one criminal shows up at your door pretending to have legitimate business, to be lost or seeking emergency assistance. As soon as a member of your family opens the door to see what he wants, he shoulders his way through, often accompanied by multiple armed companions. The person at the door is commonly the first to be brutalized in this type of assault.

With the affordability of modern technology, there is no longer an excuse to open the door to someone you don't recognize. Go beyond the minimum-recommended peephole and get a closed circuit video camera. This allows you to not only hear, but also see the person at the door. Even the cheapest intercom lets you talk with a visitor without opening the portal.