"If I may suggest it, though, there are other scenarios in which someone might be in the house illegally, and yet with no demonstrable intention of causing bodily harm. Some sort of graduated response would be needed; to shoot someone for stealing the TV would definitely be unlawful, and would lead to a world of legal trouble. Plus (for me anyway) it would be a tough thing to live with."

For me, If I find someone unexpectedly in my house, they will be confronted by me, armed, but also trained, reasonable and prudent. That pretty much covers the waterfront for me. It's about as "graduated" as I get under the stipulated fact of someone "in the house illegally."

Jeff

I don't take it as criticism my friend, only as friendly discussion.

You have very valid points as well. I don't want to come across the wrong way. If I am lying in bed and hear someone in my garage then no, I am not going to wait in the darkness in order to kill him on his way out. There is nothing in my garage worth killing for. I will however, get my HD gun and herd my family together in one room while I call the police. I will be ready in case he does decide to try to get in the house. Meanwhile I will keep the family safe and wait for the police to show up and do their job as they are the experts. If he tries to make it inside the house then that is a whole new story and now I don't know if his intent is to steal something or to cause us harm. I like to discuss things here with people , that is what makes the forum entertaining. I never try to force my views on anyone and I make a point to try and end any controversial post with IMHO to show that these are only MY thoughts and that they are not necessarily right or wrong, they are just my thoughts. The fact is that every situation is different. It is up to you to decide what is the best course of action to protect your own loved ones. If I see a stranger in my home I wont assume he is a simple robber. He may be a rapist, a robber or a serial killer for all I know. He may indeed be only interested in the TV but who knows? That is not a chance I am willing to take with my kids life. I am not a violent person. In fact I am one of the most relaxed and laid back people you are likely to ever meet. When it comes to protecting my family though, I draw a very clear line in the sand. If I happen across a stranger in my home and I am in fear for my families safety, then that person has obviously stepped over that line on purpose. That person should have taken that into consideration BEFORE he decided all on his own to bust into my home. I love discussing survival topics on this forum, but in the end it is my families survival that I am most interested in and not my own. Anyway, enough of my ranting. I do not want to be rude and hijack this post but sometimes the topic goes astray……..I apologise Gear freak.

Back to the original question. I wonder how a tazer or stun gun would work for those who don’t have guns in the home. You could zap a bad guy and then cuff him if he is down (assuming they are alone) These are highly illegal in Canada so I don’t know much about how well they would work for a HD situation.

There are lots of good blunt instruments that will do if you have room to weild them and the drop on the BG. Heck, a good wollup with a 3/4" steel plumbin pipe about 2 1/2 feet long is probably quite effective at subduing someone when effectively used by an average sized person (male or female). Even the best gun is not going to do you much good, though, if the BG gets the drop on you.

Personally, I would prefer the terror aspect of home protection more than simple self defense. If you scare the Byjeezes outta the BG before he finds you, he is likely not to want to engage further. I wouldn't mind having a 6 foot tall robot shaped like a trash can and a couple of dryer duct hoses for arms with big electrical arcs in between yelling "DESTROY!!!" in a deep menacing voice. Of course, a big dog may work just as well if not better, especially if he has a rubber hand as a chew toy in his mouth at the time. The best deterrent I can think of would be to have the walls all splattered with blood, piles of gore and body parts strewn about, with the sounds of a muffled chainsaw and someone screaming "NO DEAR GOD AAAGH!!!" from under the floor or a back room. Like something out of Doom or Half life or some such. Might be a bit difficult to stage, but ought to be effective.

Yep, I want home invaders to have a deep, instinctive fear that entering my premises uninvited is to give up all hope.

Come to think of it, a chain saw would also be a pretty good home invasion weapon. Swing it or jab it, doesn’t really matter. Just kind of messy afterwards.

I hear you Ben.
That’s why I have two signs posted in my front yard. "Beware of Dog", and "Beware of owner"
If a robber still wants to take a chance then he is either very brave or very stupid. Maybe I should post a third sign........"Beware of Mossberg"

Taurus, I'm glad to hear you've thought through the "rules of engagement." It's wise to be ready to respond, and to do so appropriately. Hope you never have to face that situation.

If it's not out of line, may I ask: what happens when you're not at home (that is, operating under different rules of engagement)?

I've put a few measures in place so DW can sleep well. A couple of big dogs (not vicious, but loud and impressive) are the first line. Also, I live in the country, so a latched gate at the road is a deterrent to "window shoppers" who would always arrive by vehicle. And close at hand is a fresh can of bear spray (bought for bears, but dual purpose) and other useful items.

A friend related this story:
Taking a nap under a open, but screened, window he became aware of someone lifting up the screen and climbing in over top of him. He waited until the guy was committed and unable to run. Reaching under his pillow he took out his .38 revolver. He pushed this literally up the guys nose and had him bent backward. He cocked the gun for effect.

And then told him that he was going to blow his brains out if he didn't do something. Assent was immediate. The instructions were to go home and tell all of his homies that there was a scary, deranged guy who has a gun living in this apartment complex. That there would be no second chances for anyone ever again. The next guy that he caught would be shot and buried deep in the woods. He then let the guy go.

---------

The small apartment complex in the story had previously been robbed three or four times a year. It went five years without a break-in. Evidently the message got out.

I once had a guy try my door and, finding it unlocked, he snuck into the dark apartment from the lit porch. At the time I was buck naked and listening to a concert on the radio using headphones. I was watching him approach my door. I picked up a large knife and was standing in front of him, ghost-white, naked and armed, when his eyes adjusted. The look on his face was worth it. He didn't so much run as evaporate.

He was a block away by the time the screen door slammed. Evidently quiet, naked, music loving guys with large knives aren't his idea of good company. Go figure. Kind of hurts my feelings.

As in the previously cited case the frequency of robberies went down for a considerable amount of time after this.

While there are exceptions, like home invasions that are usually triggered by the advertised presence of drugs or large sums of money, the vast majority of intruders wish to avoid human interaction. They are generally lazy, simple-minded bottom feeders who are easily discouraged by simple having well secured doors and windows. Almost all flee if confronted.

That doesn't mean you might not do well to have sterner measures handy but it is important to keep the shape and size of the relative risk in mind and to not treat every situation like your repelling a hoard of zombie bikers bent on eating your brains.

In my house there are more areas in which I couldn't effectively wield a bat than areas in which I could. Do a "walk thru" with a bat and check this out for yourself. Haven't given much thought to other impact weapons or even edged weapons, for much the same reason: fortunately I can legally own firearms here, and my personal choice is to protect my home and family that way.

"...areas in which I couldn't effectively wield a bat..."

Keep in mind that there are other ways to use a bat, or a broom handle for that matter, other than swinging away like Babe Ruth. A good jab to the groin, gut, throat, etc, can do wonders...

Standard riot tactics are to avoid swinging a club in a wide swing holding one end like a bat. Swung that way anyone trained, alert or lucky will step inside the swing and use the attackers weight and momentum against them to either flip them or pry the club away.

The preferred method is to hold the club near the ends and to thrust it forward like a battering ram against soft spots or to use it held horizontally to block incoming attacks or thrust if they get close enough.

These techniques can be used effectively in narrow spots like tight hallways and are more controlled than 'swinging for the fence'.

One of the important point in using a club of some description is to substitute many smaller but quickly delivered attacks to multiple aiming points in rapid succession. Short, sharp swings are less likely to draw you out of position or leave you vulnerable. They also don't give them any time to react or think. Multiple rapid attacks coming from different directions aimed at different targets tends to disorient and overwhelm.

Don't just aim for the head. Ribs, gut, knees, throat and groin are all good. If even a light blow lands in any of these areas you throw them out of position and force them to react out of reflex or pain. Every time they do you gain an edge for the next swing. Eventually building your advantage until they break and run or you land a decisive strike. When in doubt keep swinging as rapidly and as aggressively as possible.

I once saw a video of a lady rescuing her dog from a huge bear. The lady used a common broom and by shear aggressiveness and both the volume and pace of the punishment laid on she backed the bear off. The bear couldn't get a paw in edgewise. After the bear fled it looked back unharmed but with a dazed and confused look.

I'm not advocating people fight bears with brooms but it points out that a determined and energetic defense can work even if the weapon used is incapable of inflicting real harm. Fights are mostly mental.

A bat is clearly an effective weapon if well used. It can slap the silly out of a grown man, incapacitate or kill. Don't underestimate what can be done with one if it is used aggressively.