I agree with Mike. Have a plan and practice it. Purchase sintered or safety ammo like Glazers that will not penetratre walls. Have a cellphone and flashlight besides your primary gun. Have a corner or area you can move to that has good fire coverage and provides not only concealment but cover. Above all, have reliable locks on all doors and windows, as well as motion detectors that advise of movement in the house, whether the alarm is on or not. When the perp is standing over your bed it is basically too late to do anything.
While I don't doubt what the thug told Eric about alarm signs, my experience has been that houses with alarm signs are basically left alone, (people who install alarms and have signs out also have safes inside for their valuables. No 10-15 minute window is going to allow anybody to get to items in a safe or safely concealed. They will end up stealing low end crap and risk a lot for the effort). 99% of thieves are lazy and will go for the low hanging fruit. They will steal from homes that leave garage doors open, have items left in the driveway or patio. They look for slider doors they can lift off tracks, doors with thin windows they can place a coat over and smash.
Home invasions of occupied dwellings are almost always done after casing a place. The thieves most likely believe that there will be a huge payout that is worth the risk. Avoid showing expensive jewelry, keep your possesions low profile and above all else, don't tell everybody you meet about your fabulous gun, coin, stamp or whatever collection!
I live on a busy corner near a school in Miami and my home has a converted garage. To this day I wait until there is absolutely nobody in sight either walking or driving by before I walk a guncase out to my car. Neighbors gossip and sooner or later, the wrong person will take an interest in you. Although I was broken into some 20+ years ago. I have never had a problem since the prominent display of alarm signs on my property.
|