HOME DEFENSE: if ever a situation arises…

[thepunk76]

and hopefully it will never come down it, having a game plan that the family is comfortable with is important. Right? The game plan that my wife and I had in place was this (this game plan is at night when we are asleep):

If ever the situation arose, and we had to defend ourselves and our home we both agreed that we would stay in our room to make our stance. I would move to the opposite side of the door/bed with my XD and flashlight in hand and ready to go. My wife would move from the bed to the master-bath, as this is the safest place in the room away from any attack (bathroom is behind wall and washer & dryer in other room and armed with a 22 revolver) with the cell phone and dial 9-1-1 – describe to the operator there is an uninvited intruder in our house, we need police back up and an ambulance and will stay on the phone until the police arrive and secure the house. In a crouched position behind the bed and backup magazines ready to go, I would be yelling at the top of my lungs that I am armed and to leave the house immediately! We think this is a good plan.

Well now that we are expecting out first child in a few weeks we have also added to our home defense system – 12 ga MOSSBERG 500 (6 shot)… which means the game plan will also change. Right?

Until the little one moves into her own room the game plan will remain, BUT when she is in the room next to ours (one door down the hall) I will no longer be content in making a stance in our room but rather move into the baby’s room to get her and that means potentially engaging the unwelcomed intruder in the hall. The revised plan will be to have the wife move the same way (into the bathroom) and call 9-1-1 and so on. I will continue to yell as I advance down the hall to get my daughter. The question is do I take the XD, MOSSBERG 500 or both? Once I get to the room do I defend from there until the police safely secure the house or move back to the master bedroom with my wife? Is it better to have the wide spray pattern of the 12 ga or the rapid fire of the XD? Do I disengage the alarm if it is going off? The XD would be easier to fire as I move back to the master bedroom with daughter in-tow, right?

[swift]

After you request police and an ambulance, hang up. They will call back, ignore it. They are recording the whole thing for evidence to prosecute you, not the intruder.

[psc]

First off, congrats on the little one.

Okay, I am sure you are going to get a bunch of advice on this one. My only question to you is...what is the threat? Is your area condusive to home invasion? Burglaries at night? If so...get the hell out of there and into the burbs.

Having a set plan is excellent, but I would make sure you and the spousal unit remain flexible. I'd run a whole host of scenario's. Your mission--Potential Bad Guys--Your little Team--Layout of the house--the time it takes to equip & engage--collateral damage/cross-fire should all be considerations.

Cover, concealment, and announcement of your presence makes sense. I understand the desire to run and protect the kid...but it seems to me, you had better be prepared to engage in your hallway...the fatal funnel--not necessarily a good thing.

Think it through.

I'd get the wife trained up on the XD stat...I'd stick to the shotty. I'd be less concerned with trying to secure the kid and would focus on terminating the threat as it stands in the hallway or out in the living room. Move to engage away from the precious resource (the kid). With the kid in the crib, behind the walls and in the prone...not going to get much better than that.

Great question--I look forward to hearing from the others.

[agalindo]

At the ranges you'll more than likely be firing the shotgun will have a pretty dense pattern. Personally I'd go with the shotgun if I'm stationary and waiting for them to come to me.

[Likwid]

Originally Posted by agalindo

At the ranges you'll more than likely be firing the shotgun will have a pretty dense pattern. Personally I'd go with the shotgun if I'm stationary and waiting for them to come to me.

Handgun is for getting to the shotgun someone once said. That being said, my wife and I have a plan that involves her locking herself in a room with the shotgun pointed at the door with strict orders to shoot if someone tries to open the door without the password, sounds like overkill, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

[olywa]

How about you go out with the shoty and wife get the kid, she can retreat back to the room while you cover her. It might be hard to carry the kid and blast a BG. At the end of the hall you can see the rest of the house. What if the bgcome thru he garage and is behind you?
WhAT ever you do blast the BG don't hold him at gun point. That sounds stressful. And the po po might mistake who's who.

[SparrowBee]

I agree with getting your wife trained with the xd asap. Personally I wouldn't trust your wife's safety with a .22. I like the sound of covering the hall while your wife secures the little one.

I don't want to sound weird or anything but if you uploaded a drawing of the basic floorplan and potential points of entry, the users here may see something you don't and may offer some different or even better suggestions.

I live up in Reno and have my own plan involving my 870. Once I drew a floorplan and looked at it myself, I was able to formulate an even better plan. Both Reno and Vegas are getting more sketchy and I applaud you for considering your family's safety.

[Alpha]

Originally Posted by thepunk76

The question is do I take the XD, MOSSBERG 500 or both?

Interesting question.

I have a similar situation with my house and family, although my son is a bit older and more mobile than yours.

In my opinion, I think the XD is a much better choice for moving through a house in order to locate and secure a loved one. I used to consider my Remington 870 my first line of defense - until I actually tried moving though the house with it. Even with a 20" barrel, my shotgun is just too long and cumbersome when I try to carefully "pie" each corner. Frankly, its a nighmare and I'm vulnerable to a gun grab attempt as I transition out of the bedroom and into the hall way, which as multiple doorways leading off it. Now I would only pick up my shotgun if I was going to "shelter in place".

And you're definitely not going to be able to carry a baby and handle a shotgun simultaneously.

I say leave the wife in the bath room with the phone, shotgun, and .22, while you move into the child's room with the XD. Once there, you can stay put until police arrive. Once you make it to the kid's room, it makes no sense to me to expose the child (and yourself) to whatever danger might still be prowling around your house. You bunker up and protect the baby. Your wife will do fine with the shotgun and .22.

I'll be interested to hear what others think.

[theg33k]

If you can cover the hallway (leading to your kid) without leaving your bedroom and without the little one being in the crossfire that is definitely the way to go. Shotty for the hallway, XD for backup.

[CdnInAz]

two story or one story?

if two, best defensive position is top of stairs - blocks path to either your wife in mb or child in crib. Think high ground - a low crouch or even prone depending on floor plan and your personal mobility, several feet back from top of stairs. Yelling like you said that have a weapon, I always thought I'd make the call and lay phone down beside me, let 911 record that have given lots of warning. If BG comes up those stairs, he'd have to be well trained and experienced to avoid sticking his head and upper body into your field of view before being able to shoot on you