An intruder is in your house: What should you do?

This hub is meant to scare the crap out of you and maybe think twice about how much time and effort you put into the protection of your family, friends, home and of course, yourself. There is a violent crime committed on somebody just about every minute or so in this country. So don't think it can't happen to you. I know this is hard to believe but according to the " Bureau of Justice " website, ( I will provide a link down below ) the violent crime rate on people and property has actually gone down since 1973. I know, hard to swallow. To tell you the truth, I am surprised there is not more violent crime in our country because we are so overpopulated and the poor just keep getting poorer. And with so many guns circulating around our communities both legal and illegal, we all have to be aware of whats happening around us and keep vigil. I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and I am also a proud gun owner. I am very familiar with guns because I am a ex-marine and go to the gun range at least once a month to practice. When done reading this hub and you want to go get a gun for protection, I HIGHLY suggest that you take proper and legal weapons training courses both in gun safety and gun defense. The Israeli martial art " Krav Maga " is the best to train in how to disarm a person with any kind of weapon. Of course if you are a ex-con, then well.......you get to use a bat for home defense cause you can't get a gun. And if you have never shot a gun before, you should probably go rent a handgun at your local gun range and practice with it. You will need ear and eye protection when you go to the gun range also. OK, I am going to list what I think is the best way to protect yourself, family and home. I remind you that I am no kind of expert or have any degree in law enforcement. This hub is just my OPINION and nothing more. Its what I would do in a bad situation and I consider myself pretty streetsmart.

Home: Minding your own business

I live alone so the only person I have to worry about is me but alot of you who read this hub have families or loved ones that live with you so you have to worry about them also. Here is a list of the best defenses for the home in my opinion.

• Electronic Security Systems: There are allot of companies that offer affordable rates for monthly surveillance of your home ( door, window, garage alarms, cameras and motion detectors ). Just having a sign on your door or windows saying you have a security system will deter a home invader because if he is smart then he will move on to the next house that does not have a security system. Most home invaders are not professional so they are looking for an easy target but there's always that one who knows how to disarm one. But if you are anti-gun and a passive person who hates any kind of violence, this might be a good idea for you to invest in if you are worried about your security.
• Dogs: I think owning a large dog is the best defense and deterrent there is hands down. Even having a little yipper dog is a good idea not only because all dogs are beloved members of the family they also make a whole lotta noise and a smart home invader wants stealth not chaos. They want the element of surprise if they are committing a home invasion with the home owners actually inside the home. Having a dog is also ideal for the people who are anti-gun. If a possible home invader is casing a neighborhood and he sees a certain house has a large Rottweiler, then I am pretty sure he will choose another house, I would. And of course, a dog is a dog, meaning the dog will not hesitate or think twice about ripping a home invaders throat out no matter what kind of weapon he's holding. Most humans would freeze up in a situation involving a home invader in their house and I am sure there are dogs out there who are complete wimps or overly friendly so if you want a little piece of mind, get yourself a fierce dog that could also be a loved member of your family. There are dog training schools aplenty so if you can afford it, I suggest you get your home guardian properly trained to listen and defend your home.
• A good ole' fashioned baseball bat: If you have no intention of owning a gun or a dog and can't afford a security system then i suggest you get an ole' Louisville slugger and keep one or more by the front and back doors slightly hidden away and keep one within reach of your bed when you are sleeping or just chillin in your bedroom. If you hear someone in your house or trying to break into your house when your home, pick that bad boy bat up and get a proper grip on it and knock the jerks head off with everything you got. This is not a joke people, you better hit that home invader with all you are worth. A home invader breaking into your home knowing you and your family is there, they are not just there to steal from you, trust me. They have bad intentions and you better think that way. I am not saying beat his head in till he's dead, just knock that idiot out, call the cops and tie that idiot up with duct tape or whatever to keep him secure ( or them if there is more then one then you are in trouble with just a bat ). When it comes to home protection, you don't want to strike out.
• Various Weapons: If you find yourself at home alone or with your loved ones and someone breaks in while you all are home, you better not hesitate one second attacking and repelling that home invader with anything you can get your hands on such as a taser, large kitchen knife, mace, fire extinguisher, lamp, chair ( getting my drift now? ) anything you can pick up and will hurt someone with will do. If ya gotta use your fists, elbow strikes, knee strikes, headbutt or a well placed kick in the groin area, do it and do it with all your might. Make no mistake, you are fighting for your life here!!! You and any other adults or even teenagers better go at that home invader or multiple invaders with brute force and animal violence. You might be laughing at home now with my choice of words and you might not think that anything bad will happen to you but guess what? I have thought the same thing in the past but I am a victim of a violent mugging, vandalism, assault with a weapon, car theft and home theft. If it can happen to me it will happen to you and you better be ready for it.
• Last but not least.....Guns: Like I said before, if you are thinking about gun ownership for your home or thinking about getting a CCW ( concealed weapons permit-if legal in your state ) I HIGHLY suggest you take gun safety courses and proper gun self defense courses and of course, practice at the range with your gun of choice. And if you are a person with kids, then you need to invest in trigger locks for your guns and a gun safe or cabinet that securely locks. It would not be a bad idea for you people out there with CCW's to get a safe for your car also, since there are places you can't carry your gun inside. Now, what kind of gun is best for you? Of course if you have a CCW, you want to get something that is easily concealed on your body but powerful enough to knock a bad guy on his ass and keep him there. I would suggest getting an semi-automatic pistol since they usually hold more bullets maybe giving you that edge if you need it. A .22 caliber pistol can be quite small and hidden easily but you will have to put a whole lotta .22 bullets in a large man to put him down if you can at all. I would suggest a .32 or .38 caliber semi-pistol since they have more stopping power and can be concealed no problem. There are even some 9mm semi-pistols out there that are small enough to carry concealed. I would also suggest using hollow point bullets for your ammunition. What they do is expand and ricochet inside the body and will cause heavy internal injuries and leave a large exit wound. Like i said before, I might sound brutal but this is your life we are talking about. We only get one. For you people who don't want to actually carry a gun but want one for the house, I would suggest a semi-automatic or pump shotgun, 12 gauge or higher will do just fine. If you already know the intruder is in the house and you have time to arm yourself with a pump action shotgun, then most of the time, all you have to do to send the fear of God into him is pump a round into the chamber of the shotgun. That " click-clack " sound a shotgun makes is enough to make anyone crap their pants. Use buckshot ammunition ensuring a good hit on any home invader. Buckshot rounds expand when fired, throwing a wall of tiny pellets into the bad guy, so just aim for the chest area and i am sure you will hit them. A shotgun has a powerful kick to it so make sure you practice with the shotgun to know how it handles and kicks because I tell you, whenever I go to the range and fire a shotgun, I always leave with a bruise on my right shoulder from the kick. So a shotgun might not be ideal for a woman homeowner. A woman homeowner who is the victim of a home invasion....I am sure I don't have to tell you what will probably happen. A woman homeowner would probably do best with a handgun. Either a semi-automatic or a revolver. I explained some things about semi-autos previously but a revolver would be a great idea also for any CCW holders or home defense. A revolver usually holds only 5 or 6 bullets but they can be bought without any hammer to get stuck in your clothes if you are trying to pull it out and fire ( there are semi-autos out there too that can be bought hammer-less ). You can buy speed loaders for revolvers so you can reload easily but i always like the fact that most semi-auto pistols hold anywhere from 10 - 15 bullets and can be reloaded just as easily by a trained person. And for you CCW holders out there, its not a bad idea to carry an extra magazine for your pistol or a speed loader for your revolver. And for the serious homeowner who is not messing around, there are many semi-automatic rifles out there that are of high quality. Since I was a ex-marine, I knew the inside and out of a M16-A2 rifle which had a selector switch for safe, semi or 3 round burst mode. Alot of people think that the average military soldier has a fully automatic rifle like in the movies but not always. The reason being that a soldier would waste more ammo if he or she had full automatic selection on their rifle. But I am getting off track here, If you are really serious about your defense, then a semi-auto assault rifle might be your bit. Most rifles hold 20 - 30 bullets in one magazine and can be fired fast enough to take out multiple home invaders. I would suggest a caliber of either 5.56 or 7.62 to be effective in stopping power and accuracy. But again, if you have never fired a semi-auto rifle before, please get properly trained in safety and go to the range to test fire the weapon. Please be reminded that carrying a concealed weapon requires a CCW permit in most states ( please check with your state government ). I am talking about home defense here so don't be thinking you can walk around the hood with a shotgun draped across your shoulders. Please be reminded that you should not shoot anybody unless it is life or death for you and your loved ones. Use common sense and don't have a happy trigger finger. Do they have guns? Do they just have knifes and you are holding a gun? Are they running away when they see you are armed? You can't shoot a fleeing and unarmed man so think about it real quick before you decide to pull that trigger. This is as serious as it gets.

Car: When you are out driving around

I can't tell you how much I hate driving. I HATE IT!!! There....I said it. But lets face it, we live in our cars sometimes and we have to deal with assholes on the road all the time. I have personally been involved with road rage incidents and people trying to run me off the road for a stupid reason or another. I even thought i saw a guy point a gun at me but i got off the freeway too quick to see his license plate. I did nothing to provoke these people so I know it happens to everyone else too. You always hear about it in the news " Road Rage Incident Kills 2 Innocent People!! " well, its for real. Of course if you have a CCW permit you can carry it on your person in the car but remember, you can only pull that gun out ONLY if your life is in immediate danger. You can't be pulling it out and waving it at people. The best thing to do is just to get away from that crazy ass driver and if its serious enough then call the cops on your cell phone with the other cars info. Other popular items for the car is mace, taser or a little club. Always drive defensive and get home to your family. If you are stopped at a light and another person approaches your car to confront you about something, do NOT get out of the car. Roll up the windows and lock the doors and if its possible, drive away safely, looking in all directions to make sure the coast is clear and then call the cops. Listen people, you pay alot of taxes for city services so use them!! The police are here for a reason. They are the thin blue line between civility and chaos but if you think you are in a situation that is deadly serious then by all means, if you have the opportunity, then call the police 911.

Self Defense: When you are out and about

If you have a clean record and are for the 2nd Amendment, then a CCW might be a wise decision. I don't know if you readers know about what happened to the reggae star Bob Marley but I will tell you anyway. Its more what he said then what happened. A couple of days before Bob Marley was supposed to perform at a peace festival, gunmen broke into his home and tried to kill him. He was shot multiple times but still managed to perform 2 days later. When asked why he performed so soon after the shooting, he said " The bad people of the world don't take days off so neither can the good people ". Get what he's saying? Us good people should take advantage of the CCW laws and carry a gun because believe me, the bad guys have plenty O' guns. Always use common sense with guns and know the CCW laws and places you can't carry a weapon. A small folding pocket knife is always a good idea even for such occurrences where you might need one as a tool of some kind. I believe switchblades are illegal but these folding knifes have a small catch on them and if worn properly on a pair of pants in your front pocket, you can have the blade out in under a second with practice and proper training. Always be careful with knifes!! I cut myself a few times and it was not pleasant. Of course there's always the pepper spray or mace that you can put right on your key-chain or wear in a small holster where you can easily access it. It would not be a bad idea to take up martial arts too. I would suggest the arts of " Krav Maga " or " Brazilian Ju Jitsu ". I think those are the best martial arts systems for self defense and the most practical for the streets. Not only will you be more confident in life and in a bad situation but it is a form of fitness so it will help keep you in shape. And last but not least, just yell or wear a whistle and blow it. Make as much noise as possible to attract attention and run like hell to a safe place or where people are. Again, this is just all my opinion but as they say on Star Trek " my logic is undeniable ".

I will post some cool videos on this subject for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for reading and I hope you took away a different attitude on the protection of you and your loved ones. A better and more thoughtful attitude. When someone pushes you, you push back.

Coz