[Chong]

What would your training tell you to do tactically if you heard someone break into your house? Would you a) engage them b) wait for them c) anything else you can think of. Would you take factors such as wall thickness into account, light switch positioning, etc?

 

[matt g]

Leaving the house dark, I would clear it room, by room, up stairs to down. When/if an intruder is found, the flashlight comes on to verify the 'intruder' as friend or foe. If the person is found to be in the wrong house, a command to lay on the floor would be given to the intruder and my wife would be told to call 911. If the intruder complies with the orders, they would get zip tied and informed that they were under citizen's arrest for B&E, etc. If they weren't compliant, they'd be informed that they were under citizen's arrest for B&E, etc and I would use what force I felt would be necessary to detain them until the police arrive.

If, and only if, there is life, limb or eyesight at stake, would lethal force be used.
If, and only if, I need to use deadly force, does the firearm make an appearance. I've been taught my whole life, that if you let a foe know you have a gun, you need to be 100% ready to use it. If the gun does come into play, shot/s will be fired as necessary to eliminate the threat.

 

[mredmond]

What would your training tell you to do tactically if you heard someone break into your house? Would you a) engage them b) wait for them c) anything else you can think of. Would you take factors such as wall thickness into account, light switch positioning, etc?

FIND THEM AND SHOOT THEM DEAD !!!!!
A dead man no talkie, so your view of the scenario is the only one heard.

 

[Jay]

Depends on where I/we are in the house when the break-in occurred.

In bed...... I'm armed with the nightstand gun.....wife calls 911... we're at the far end of the house.... one way in or out of our bedroom except for a window. (2nd floor) I'll let the cops clear the house. Intruder comes upstairs, he gets a verbal warning so the 911 opr can hear, then he gets shot.

If we're elsewhere in the house, we're only a few steps away from a "one entrance room" (we're always between an entry door, and that room if we're downstairs). I know my house, the intruder will have to come to me..... I'm too damn old to chase 'em.

Surprises would be unlikely, as our two 70 lb Chows make nice early warning systems, and when I'm awake, I'm carrying.

 

[pioneer461]

Good advice from Jay. Semper Fi.​

Your response should depend on various factors. Assuming a night time forced entry, in my case I have no kids at home and my wife and I sleep in the same bed, so I won't have to worry about a rescue mission for family.

I have a night stand gun, and so does my wife. I also have several powerful LED flashlights handy which will temporarily blind an opponent. We have a cordless phone, a hard-wired phone and at least one cell phone in our room. I have a lock on the bedroom door, and have converted a walk-in closet into a sort of "panic room," although I really don't like that term. I prefer tactical room, or redoubt. In that room are three fairly well stocked gun safes and plenty of ammo for each.

The physical lay out of my house is such that anyone approaching the master bedroom must walk down a long hallway and is back-lit by a nearby street light. They will be silhouetted, while I / we are well hidden by darkness. Our dog, if able, will provide a degree of early warning and will put up a defense against anyone who enters the house. She’s getting pretty old now, but she still has some fight left in her. (Shepherd / Chow / Wolf)

It’s difficult to say exactly what I would do. It would depend on how the situation goes down. I would like to be able to call for back up from the cops, issue a strong verbal warning and then take a defensive posture and engage as needed to assure our survival.

In the event of a night time knock on the door, I would never open it for anyone who I don’t know. I don’t care what kind of hard-luck story they may have, they are NOT coming in, nor will I open the door. If they say they are the cops, or whatever, my experience allows me to verify that. I have a peep hole and nearby window from which to look. Before going to bed for the night, while watching TV, I always have one of my pistols nearby.

At all times I’m in at least “condition yellow.” I usually don’t have a pistol on my person while puttering in the yard or walking around the neighborhood, but do have some sort of tool that can be used as a weapon. Since I live in a gated community, we don’t get a lot of unknown traffic passing through. I’m surrounded by home owners who each had to pass a background check to qualify to buy.

I have an unlisted phone number and I live about 30+ miles away from the city I policed, so the likelihood of a goblin I had arrested stumbling on my house is very low.