If you have kids in your home, even occasionally this is a very bad idea. They will find them and play with them. Kids are very good at this.


and I'm not sure what you mean by graduated response, if someone breaks in and you are in fear for yours and your families live. You point a gun at the problem guy and tell them to stop, if they don’t, you shoot (to kill) to protect your live. No graduation about it, stop or die, that’s it.

Mine too.

Along with the Ruger GP100 I have a Remington 870 with Brenneke "Black Magic" slugs.

Rem 870 w/ 00Buck backed by a Glock w/ 147 gr Gold Dots.

You need to practice with the shotgun too. At HD ranges it needs to be aimed cause the pattern is still tight. I've found shooting Skeet with an IC choke is very good practice.

No kids.

"I heard a noise where none should have been and grabbed my bat and turned on the outside light to investigate. I was shocked to see a couple guys carrying some kind of weapons and tools and realized my bat would do no good, so I got my pepper spray and handgun.

When they tried to break in and didn't stop when I told them to, I dialed 911 then, or maybe I dialed 911 later, it was chaos and i don't really remember. I didn't think they could get in but suddenly it looked like they could. When I used the pepper spray through the hidden vent above the door it slowed them down but after a bit they returned. I was now in fear for my life and grabbed my shotgun, too, and yelled that I had it and would use it if they didn't leave.

I heard them now trying to get in a couple different places. There was no where for me to excape the situation. I discharged my handgun into the ceiling to prove I had it in hopes they would leave. I was afraid for my life.

They were not deterred and began firing into my house. I hid behind the couch. I thought they were going to kill me. I did not wait for them to succeed in getting in and fired my handgun through my doors and walls. I was afraid for my life.

No, they fired into my house before I fired at them.

It got very quiet except for some cursing and crying - none of it mine. I waited for the police to arrive, and then threw up a bit in the toilet; I flushed it three or four times and cleaned things up. The police took my stuff as evidence.

I don't know why the victims don't remember me yelling at them to stop or hearing the warning shot I fired into the ceiling.
Yes the couch I hid behind is reinforced to be relatively bulletproof. I thought they were going to kill me.

No, I didn't discharge my handgun into the ceiling after the fact. Yes, that part of the ceiling has been reinforced so you fire a handgun into it with minimal damage to the house and none to the roof, HVAC, electrical, or other home systems.

It was a graduated self-defense response that met the escalating threat to my life. I thought they were going to kill me. I was afraid for my life. My brother suggested all this; here's his card. Yes, he is in law enforcement - I'm guessing he will be here in a few minutes whether I call him or not.

Yes, this is a form letter I prepared ahead of time. I used it as a way to think through this kind of situation, never intending to use it, of course."

IIRC according to my last CCW instructor, the accuracy rate among LEO's under duress (in a gunfight, for example) is 2 out of 10 rounds. Now I know statistics are fraught with problems, but *still*... LEO's usually have lots more training than citizens when it comes to taking down a bad guy.

Ever had buck fever? The shakes? The buck isn't out to kill you. In a gunfight, the bad guy is. I've been in one gun confrontation and my brain just went on autopilot. I forgot to take the safety off the shotgun even though I practiced it over and over. Luckily the perp that was on the other side of the door was unarmed. This is why a DAO is such a good option. (BTW, the racking of the shell with the slide didn't phase the perp in the slightest...he was so stoned I don't think he even knew what the sound was)

So, missing six rounds is not unthinkable and may not indicate that one's aim sucks.

Why did you waste ammunition and put your neighbors at risk with a warning shot? If you are justified to shoot, you are justified to shoot center mass.

A bad guy knows he's a bad guy. He knows he isn't supposed to break and enter. Getting shot by a scared homeowner is part of the job description.

The police have a requirement to notify that they are police, "Stop or I'll shoot" and all that, but even they are responsible to account for every shot they fire and warning shots by definition don't hit the bad guy. Do police fire warning shots?

I don't think warning shots are required, desired or wise. Those are just stray rounds that need to stop somewhere and you better hope nobody -- specifically your neighbors -- gets hit by your warning shot. I like my neighbors, no way will I put them at risk with warning shots or firing through doors. Shotgun rounds/shot/balls that exit a body are moving much slower.

If put in your scenario with bad guys breaking in my door with the knowledge that I'm inside, my first shot will be center mass as soon as the door is out of the way. The second guy can listen for the shotgun racking in the round with his name on it. I'll probably be on the walkaround with the 9-1-1 operator until the shooting starts, the phone will fall where it falls.

I believe this is still on topic because the original post stated "all that goes with it."

Ditto on debunking the myth of shoot-to-wound. No such thing should be attempted in a self-defense situation.

However, it was said above that using deadly force on a burglar should be only when you are in fear of your life. In my state, that is most certainly not the case.

You may be surprised to find the legal freedom of engaging someone that has entered your home without your permission in some states that have "castle" laws. In my state, the perp does not need to be armed nor threatening your life. You do not need to retreat to a back room. You can come out with guns blazing and the law will be on your side.

In my state, if you enter (even without breaking a lock!)uninvited you are in dire danger if the homeowner knows the law.

I'm so glad I live in this state. :-)

And, BTW, having such laws behind the homeowner helps you defend yourself from the inevitable lawsuits that will dog you.

For a novice, I recommend getting a big well trained dog too. A good dog will buy you some precious time while you fumble for your gun.

It never hurts to have options. What if the "problem guy" was a disoriented alzheimer's patient in pajamas who thought he was home? Target identification is a necessity, as is a plan to deal with lesser threats.

A Chicago federal judge was stalked and her family killed a while back by an unhappy defendant. Local media interviewed a US marshal subsequently. His recommendation for home security-not a gun, not an alarm: a dog. Most bad guys just avoid places with dogs in them, and even if no one breaks in, you have a dog. Attack cats qualify, too but you gotta have signs cuz they don't bark.