It's been mentioned, but when there is a home invasion, you don't have time to go anyware or look for anything.When I had mine, 31 years ago, I turned the door knob, and they smacked me right in the head with the door. I was still going backwards as 5 of the came in. I couldn't have drawn my gun, I got hit in the head with a pistol knocking me into the kitchen. Now this is all in the NYC police files because they stole a registered carry gun, they grabbed my live in girl friend, and took her away into another part of the house, it was a small apt, "as most NYC apts are. But to have a gunfight with 6 people holding shotguns and handguns would have resulted in either her or both of us getting killed. I knew I could take two of them with me, but she would have most likelly died. So all I am saying is that all the planning in the world wouldn't have helped, as much as a dog and an alarm, neither of which I had in the 70's. A dog would have alerted me that someone was outside the door. And a push in would have triggered a silent alarm with a dummy shut off code. All i needed was another second and that first guy would have been dead.That would have more than likelly stopped the whole thing. As it turned out he died 6 months later, I found out through great people on the side of the law, who did this, and they had done 17 of these. I got lucky and I was nasty as hell cusing and threatning them as they tried to find the 50,000, in cash that an ex girlfriend told them I would have on me, "Christmas bonuses and payroll". She's also gone as are all the others. This all was a setup from a girl I had dated off and on for over a year.
She turned out to be a Federal whitnes who rolled on her husband. She had a business drove a Vette, no one would have known that she was part of a "crew". She had gotten mad that I stopped dating her and had a live in, so she turned me over to them with this story. Since then I have always had a big dog or dogs, and an alarm that is always on when I go to bed, untill I get up and walk the dogs.I don't just carry, I have my hand on my gun when I leave or come back to my house. The same group hit a guy who I became friends with because of this, in Lido Beach. They lit his house up on the way out, because they couldn't find the "safe" he didn't have. They also took his kids '2", for a few hours. She worked for him, at one time.
The best thing was that they were federal whitneses, playing both sides. When my detective buddies asked about them, they were told to stay away from it. I got the name from my other friends, the ones who can find out anything. I gave it to the cops they had good intentions, but feds just screw up law enforcement. They allow bad guys to do business, as long as they keep giving up dealers and other bad guys, The police weren't able to touch them, I ate lunch with more top state and local law enforcement people that I finally told them to just take a hike. Having a gun on you may be the only "real" protection . You have to have a dog and alarm. When I hear my neighboors say they don't use their alarm, I just get so pissed off that they can be so stupid. The houses here come with them.Just try to remember that it's all over in seconds. If you can't get the gun up and running ina heartbeat, it's not going to help stuffed in a chair in another room, Take it from a guy who survived a serious event. I heard the head guy being told, "this guys nuts, he isn't gining us anything, either shoot him or let's get out of here". They spent 1/2 hour ripping my house apart. I even promised not to call the cops if they left the gun, which they promised to do but didn't. They kenw the girl knew nothing, the phone kept ringing and my receptionest was sending people over so they heard it on the machine and left. Her calling probablly helped save my ass that day, she knew I would never be that late and not answer, I lived 5 minutes from my business.
So it's all chance, I could have been killed, I chose not to fire, it worked that day. Maybe the next day it would not.
I decided back then I would never leave it to chance again. If I am going I am taking somone along. Having guns all over your house is not the solution. Having guns available is. How available is up to how seriouslly you take all this. Most folks say I can't live my life that way, well fine, then don't ask me what I think you should do, or why I carry.
Don't tell me you have a gun hidden up in the closet someware, and you are ready. Ready to get killed maybe. If it's not on you it's of no use to you in an instant. And if your guests don't like alarms, too bad, I tell anyone who comes and stays here, including family, The alarm goes on when I go to sleep, and stays on till I get up. You don't like that ,Go to a hotel. You don't like guns don't come here. And my dogs go where ever they want to go. Don't lock the dog out or your not coming back. This helps cut down on the number of unwanted guests also.