Has a bump in the night caused you to change your self defense/home defense plans?

[Sheepdog1968]

I've had two bumps in the night both heard by wife over the last year resulting in me being woken up by her. She's not one to cry wolf so if she tells me she hears something I believe her. Also, these weren't dramatic things such as your door being kicked open or window breaking. Both required me to "investigate." No, I didn't go outside or anything that rash but I needed to go to the kids room at the very least.

Both ammounted to nothing.

I felt very comfortable with the firearm plans I had for such a thing. Again, I don't want to get into specifics of what I grabbed as I don't want to start a caliber or long arm vs pistol debate.

It did result in a few changes we've made:
-Extra strengthening of the likely entry points
-Using a simply baby moniter to be able to see outside of the bedroom
-Future plans for outside video and ability to talk to someone outside the frontdor without needing to be at the front door.
-Alarms

Have you had any bumps in the night that have led to some changes in your general plans? If so, what were they?

 

[FireInCairo]

One thing I realized was that I never want to turn the lights on inside when checking the house. That creates a glare upon an interior window pane, giving anyone outside the window a blind, and then exposes me to them perfectly.

My rule at night is the lights stay off when I check into noises. I have excellent vision, so even with just a bit of moonlight it's fine for me. If absolutely necessary I will use a small flashlight pointed to the floor (sparingly).

I also rely upon a dog, which I think is better at discerning whether or not an intruder is afoot than a sleepy wife.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I also rely upon a dog, which I think is better at discerning whether or not an intruder is afoot than a sleepy wife.

I rely on two large dogs inside the house but I am not sure they discern between an acorn hitting the roof vs footsteps on the walk. However I would still rather have them than not.

 

[zxcvbob]

Careful, it might be a deputy in your backyard, stumbling around in the dark with his finger on the trigger ready to shoot the first thing that moves:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...-startled-deputy-seeks-answers-193729306.html

 

[smalls]

My last bump in the night told me to get rid of my damn cats :banghead:

 

[Shadow 7D]

your plan should include this
'Call 911'

it isn't your job, most don't have proper equipment for handling a 'bump' in the night, you investigate thinking nothing is there and go to confirm such, maybe ready, to shoot what isn't there.

clearing a house is not a individual sport, no matter what TV and films show. I you really are concerned, call the cops.

that said, layers, get a video so you can 'see' out without exposing yourself, maintain a safe room and ensure that your family understands your action plan.

 

[cl4de6]

Yes, my bump in the night back in 2003 made me realize that my Plan A ("Hope that nothing bad ever happens") was seriously flawed.

That's when I put in for my NJ Firearms ID card. Now I have a Plan B.

My basic home defense strategy for a bump in the night is to call 911 and stay at the top of the stairs with my gun. The bad guys can take whatever they want. If they come upstairs, I have 46 reasons why it's a bad idea.

 

[Pit4Brains]

I rearranged the floodlights in my back yard to reduce dark spots. I also upgraded from incandescence to halogen lights.
This was after a mid-night police incident where the helicopter was scanning around looking for someone. I figured if I could illuminate my yard quickly and very brightly, it would not be a place for a person on the run to go. I know they have flir in those birds but if you get on the other side of a block wall, you could be invisible to that system..

 

[Valkman]

My last bump in the night told me to get rid of my damn cats

That's what has caused all my "bumps"!

 

[tarosean]

"Bumps in the night" made me buy a railed gun as I was getting tired of holding a flashlight and handgun.

*I live in the country, so "bumps in the night" have always turned amounted to be wild animals and or stray horses riling mine up.

 

[bikerdoc]

Motion detector lights about 10 years ago when some yahoo was nosing around my driveway.

Different house now with the same systems and more dogs inside and out.
Not a bump in the night, but one of the nephews pointed out a window near the hose reel that was vunerable. moved the hose reel. and put in a thorny rose bush.

 

[JustinJ]

your plan should include this
'Call 911'

it isn't your job, most don't have proper equipment for handling a 'bump' in the night, you investigate thinking nothing is there and go to confirm such, maybe ready, to shoot what isn't there.

clearing a house is not a individual sport, no matter what TV and films show. I you really are concerned, call the cops.

Not to get into this debate again but the reality is just about nobody is going to call the cops for a single bump in the night for various reasons and very few will feel comfortable going back to bed without checking first. So most will check unless they know the house has been intruded.


No bumps have ever made me change the plans. My dogs are actually damn good at differentiating between different sounds. The really cool thing is footsteps unfamiliar to them set them off but mine and the gf's don't when walking up to the house. Cars too. They know our cars so just wait patiently at the door if one of us pulls up. If its a strange car they go into full alert.

 

[smalls]

I agree that clearing the house is a bad idea. Unfortunately if someone comes through my back door my daughters room is between me and them, so I have to go that way.

 

[hso]

I had a defense in depth approach to securing my house already, but one lesson learned is to make sure you have at least one dog that will alert you to people on your property. Not a guard or attack dog, more trouble than they're worth for most people who won't go to the trouble to train with them, but a dog that will make sure you know someone actually is on the property.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I have plans to set up a video security system at my new house. Trying to sell my present home and building a garage at the new place, so funds are tight right now. The few "bumps" we've had amounted to nothing as well, but a solid security system was always the plan at the final home.

 

[WardenWolf]

Well, my family did change one major thing once I started collecting my own guns: previously it would be my father's duty to verify the house's safety if the alarm went off or there was a suspicious bump. However, our bedrooms were on opposite ends of the house, so there was the real potential we could walk out and have each others' guns pointed at us. So now that's my job. It's safer, too, because his bedroom door is in a very dangerous tactical location. Coming from my end of the house, possible entry points are limited and easily verified as safe (leaving no unchecked areas behind me), and giving me a good view to the rest of the house once I reach a certain point. One last good reason for me doing it: I have the Saiga 12.

 

[Ignition Override]

We have bumps when the a tree loses a small branch in the wind.
Three guys shot first, both into very dark hallways or a porch, and asked questions later:

A) One gent had no idea that his daughter might return home a night early (or was out much later than assumed). She had tried to be quiet,
to avoid waking her Dad. She died in his arms.
B) The second guy killed his fiancee, who he assumed was still in the bedroom, not by the garage. She also died.

C) A third bright guy responded to his wife's verbal panic when a guy entered their darkened porch in Louisiana, and walked towards the main door.
The kid was lost. That Japanese foreign exchange student had no idea what the slang word "Freeze!" means. He also died.

 

[Rexster]

Q: Have you had any bumps in the night that have led to some changes in your general plans? If so, what were they?

A: No. None. There have been bumps in the night, but why should that cause any changes, other than remind myself to be more quiet when moving about about at night?

 

[Kingcreek]

Nah. This time of year it's usually walnuts falling on the roof or a raccoon on the porch. I go right back to sleep. I've dogs, outdoor lighting and an alarm system and I live in a remote area. My home security is consistent and secure.

 

[Isaac-1]

The last memorable bump in the night was when a can of peas exploded in the kitchen pantry a couple of years ago, what a mess, it sounded like a fire cracker in a tin can. The pantry shares a wall with my bedroom so was very noticeable, and yes it did change my response plan. Now the dog gets to go investigate first and I follow. Part of this is the shock and awe theory, even under peaceful circumstances many people become nervous when they see a 120 pound Mastiff (hey he is the runt of his litter, his father weighed 185).

 

[Ehtereon11B]

I have an 80 pound chocolate lab that sleeps next to me on the floor. If she hears something weird she does a low bark in my ear that sounds more like a suppressed sneeze. Just enough to wake me up. Bedside weapon is a Remington 870 with flashlight and 3 kinds of shells. You know just in case.

 

[1-1 Banger]

No bumps in the night yet, thanks to the steel gate at my driveway,and the strand of electric fence wire running on top of my fence. However, an incident with a few of my trashier neighbors(read:meth cooks) had me upgrade to keeping my Garand in the corner in addition to the always present G21 on my nightstand. Knowing that it'll be a rather unamused infantryman responding to a disturbance, and them being terrified of my German Sheperd has kept the gate crashes at bay since then

 

[easyg]

One thing I realized was that I never want to turn the lights on inside when checking the house. That creates a glare upon an interior window pane, giving anyone outside the window a blind, and then exposes me to them perfectly.

My rule at night is the lights stay off when I check into noises. I have excellent vision, so even with just a bit of moonlight it's fine for me. If absolutely necessary I will use a small flashlight pointed to the floor (sparingly).

I also rely upon a dog, which I think is better at discerning whether or not an intruder is afoot than a sleepy wife.

I agree 100%.

your plan should include this
'Call 911'

it isn't your job, most don't have proper equipment for handling a 'bump' in the night, you investigate thinking nothing is there and go to confirm such, maybe ready, to shoot what isn't there.

clearing a house is not a individual sport, no matter what TV and films show. I you really are concerned, call the cops.

I have to disagree.
Just because you hear a "bump" in the night, that's really no reason to call 911.
And, yes, it is your job to check your own home.
A man's home is his castle.
The police do "serve and protect" the community at large, but they are not your own personal body guards.

Besides, if you call the police over every little noise you hear it will not take long for you to get a reputation with the police as "the boy who cried wolf".
And you know how that story ends.



Now if you hear your back door being kicked in, have your wife call 911 and stay on the line with the dispatch while you defend your bedroom.

 

[2DREZQ]

Yes.

Sound like downstairs door being slammed at 1 am. NOONE in the house but wife & I. Realized as I got out of bed that If I took my .357 my wife would have nothing. Suddenly remembered I had brought my carry 9mm into the bedroom that night. Handed her the .357 and the cell phone. My hallway is easy to clear from my door...nothing. No other sounds. eased flashlight around corner to look down stairs....

A weakened piece of the ceiling from earlier repair had fallen and slammed into the closed door.

Upgraded the number of guns in the bedroom. Don't go around corner anymore, just wait and listen.

Decided they can have anything downstairs that they can get past the cops outside that I just called.

drew an invisible "deadline" at the top of the stairs, where I can see perfectly, but person coming up stairs has to turn 180 degrees to see me.