It is sad to have to consider this matter, but the holiday create
distractions that criminals will use to their advantage. Be Safe, not
Sorry. Evan

by Angel Shamaya Director, KeepAndBearArms.com
December 4, 2000

Home Invasions — Things to Consider

The Christmas holidays typically bring increased home
burglaries and robberies. Sadly, the “the season of giving”
is for some the season of taking. Though some of our
members live in areas where crime is a foreign concept,
rural home invasions have happened even recently, and
precautions make sense in areas where your neighbors are
less likely to hear a commotion, as well.

In the last week, we have seen at least 10 reports of home
invasions around the country — three of them right here in
Phoenix. I plan to do a full report on home invasions soon,
but for now, here are some things to consider in the
interest of your own safety and the safety of the people you
love. While many of our members could have written the
following themselves, for new gun owners or those busying
themselves trying to be politically correct gun owners:
give it up; in America 2000, there ain’t no such critter.
Consider the potential of someone to kick your door in long
enough to know you’re prepared to handle it. Maybe the
following will get your gears cranking…

Have a deadbolt locked on your door at all times. If you
don’t have one, install one. You’re worth the investment.
Don’t rely on a flimsy chain to keep a bad guy (or several
big bad guys) out.

When answering your door, don’t open it until you’ve looked
at the person and identified him or her as someone you know
– through your peephole. If you don’t have a peephole,
install one now. If they hide their faces, tell them to
look into your peephole so you can see them. If they cover
your peephole, assume you don’t know them and act
accordingly. One man recently let someone in who covered
his peephole and got beaten badly, tied up and robbed. He
thought it was someone who’d just left minutes earlier. His
life was not only threatened directly, his hospital bill
didn’t help his day along, either.

If you don’t know someone who is at your door, they can hear
you just fine through your door. If you’re concerned about
“seeming rude” by not opening your door, remember that it is
your house and your privacy they are invading to sell you
something. You didn’t invite them; you set the terms of
your conversation. If they talk softly, tell them to speak
up. In fact, it is safe to say you NEVER have to open your
door to a stranger.

Listen to your instinct. If it tells you not to open the
door, for God’s sake don’t open it. Remember these words:
“No thank you. Have a nice day, and better luck at the next
house.”

Recent home invasions around the country have taken on many
forms. Two recently took place where the people claimed to
be FBI, several have claimed to be local police, one
recently told the homeowner he was injured and needed to use
the phone to call for help. The homeowner could have called
for the man, and his gut told him it was a ruse, but he
opened his door and got pistol-whipped, tied up and robbed
at gunpoint by a less than savory character — one who was
still at large as of last week. The three events in Phoenix
recently were people posing as if they wanted to discuss
buying a car the victim had parked on a street corner with a
for sale sign in the window. If you’re selling your car on
a street corner and someone wants to come over, offer to
meet them at the car. Crooks read the news, too, and they
get ideas from other crooks.

Consider answering your door with your cold steel friend in
your hand. One senior citizen in Las Vegas answered his door
with his gun in his hand a couple of months ago, and when
the people opened fire on him as they attempted to enter his
home, he shot and killed one of them on the spot and the
police apprehended the other one, I believe, with an
unsightly hole in his body. The homeowner didn’t get so
much as a scratch, and all he has to do is fix some plaster
on his wall where they rudely put holes in it. (Some
criminals are really bad shots.) Personally, when I answer
my door, even if I am expecting someone, My Friend The .45
is in my strong hand, and my mindset is on both greeting a
friend warmly as well as putting large holes in any fool who
picked the wrong house to invade. Notice I said “in my
hand” as opposed to in my always-with-me holster. When
someone kicks your door in, if they are pointing a gun at
you and your gun is in a holster, who is more likely to win
that gunfight? If your home is invaded, who better to
survive: you, or them? We want you around, not you in a
hospital or the morgue. While it’s unfortunate that some
home invaders need to be shot, it ain’t that unfortunate.
The boy scouts are right: Be Prepared.

Just a few thoughts in advance of a thorough, detailed
report covering at least 8 facets of the home invasion
issue.

Finally, Bill Cain, a retired Macon-Bibb County police
officer from Georgia, recently said of home invasions, “Keep
your mouth shut, give them what they want and get out of the
situation alive…resisting a robber is always
dangerous…” He’s only right if they get the jump on you.
If you’ve got the jump on them because you are fully
prepared for the worst, the greater danger will be faced by
the person at the business end of your firearm.

This same former police officer tells you that if you use a
gun for self-defense, you are more likely to be shot and the
criminal will take your gun and sell it on the street. But
you can bet that if some jerk comes calling on Mr. Cain by
kicking in his door, he won’t be “keeping his mouth shut and
giving them what they want.” He’ll be using his firearm.
Officer Cain surely means well, but he’s teaching
submission. With proper training and ample preparation, the
only one experiencing submission should be the bad guy, not
me or you.

QUOTES TO REMEMBER Americans who value freedom had better be
more concerned about the gun control crowd than the
criminals. The criminals want your money. The
Neo-Totalitarians want your freedom. ~~ Charlie Reese