Back To Reality
Typically, things are ambiguous enough you’d feel silly to invoke a major law enforcement response for what simply might be the sound of grandmother’s favorite fern falling off the windowsill due to a passing truck. Therefore, since you’ll probably be investigating some of these instances, I’ll share a few thoughts.
Use lights to your advantage. Most homes have light switches positioned so you can illuminate the areas ahead as you leave the sleeping quarters. While you should still be carrying a high-intensity flashlight, use of overhead lights prevents nasty little surprises such as a bad guy hiding behind the credenza.
Verbally identifying yourself isn’t a bad idea, either. Don’t worry about giving up the element of surprise as our ultimate goal is to stay safe rather than to capture a criminal or engage in gunplay. Most burglars worry about escape more than fighting so announcing your presence will likely cause such people to flee. If they do, let them — it’s just stuff.
When clearing an area, speed isn’t important because it’s a matter of careful, thorough and safe checking rather than performing a one-person Delta Force hostage-rescue mission. If you don’t have a good, working knowledge of things like “slicing-the-pie,” “fatal funnel” and other standard concepts, you might not want to check the house on your own anyway.
Another odd but fairly common situation is finding someone inside your house who isn’t actually a criminal. I’ve handled several instances where drunken or narcoleptic friends, neighbors or even strangers have entered residences under the impression they had made it home, sometimes even breaking in when they couldn’t unlock the front door. If you have teenagers, there is also the distinct possibility someone is sneaking in or out.
You might want to kill these folks in a slow, painful and public manner but don’t. Always identify and challenge people from cover or concealment before taking any non-revocable actions.
I once pointed a shotgun at my own son, a flash sight-picture I’ll never forget. If I had decided to shoot first and ask questions later, my own life would have ended that very moment. Just keep in mind someone standing in the living room isn’t always a homicidal maniac.
There are a few more points we could discuss but everybody is asleep and I just heard the unmistakable sound of moldy bread and coffee grounds being eaten in the foyer — I need to check it out!
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