false alarm at home today

[olympicmotorcars]

I received a call from my wife about 2:00 today saying someone was trying to break into our home. She said someone opened our back gate of our fence and walked around inside our fence, then went to the front door and tried to get in. ( Recently our neighborhood has had several burglaries and attempted home intrusions and everyone is pretty much on alert in the whole neighborhood . )

I tell her to go to the bedroom and lock herself in and get the Colt Python under the bed out and if anyone breaks into the bedroom to SHOOT.

I rush home (only about 5 minutes away) and find the exterminator's truck in the driveway. He was mistook our house for a neighbors and was waiting in the driveway for his boss to show up.

Just a false alarm thankfully.

A few observations I have made:

I was suprised how focused and under control I felt as I was driving home.
(I was carrying my Glock 27 at the time) Ten rounds of 40 cal. sitting just behind your right hip is very reassuring at times like this. I am not trying to say I am a great hero, I just felt I was equipped to deal with whatever I was going to find when I got home.

My dad was also with me and he also has his CCW and I assume he was also armed although he does not say much about it ever. I was glad he was there too.

I did make a pretty big error in retrospect, I failed to tell my wife to call 911, although I am sure I made it there way before any deputy would have. (we live outside the city limits a few miles)

It helps to have gone over lots of different scenarios in your mind before they actually happen even though usually nothing unfolds exactly like you have pictured it.

You have to constantly be prepared , bad things never wait for convenient times.

I need to practice with my Glock more, I have been carrying my PM40 the last couple months and shooting it, and the last time at the range I shot a magazine through my Glock and was shocked at how poor I did.
This also went through my mind as I drove home today, and was the one unsettling thought I had.

Just a few random observations, does anyone else have anything to add?

[Michael W.]

Glad to hear everything worked out ok and it's a good thing to go through
this "debriefing" process or SWOT analysis for you business types.

I had a situation a few months ago where my Jack Russell was making some very
unusual barking and growling noises downstairs at night. I know her sounds well enough
to sleep through her "I-wanna-pee-but-it's-only-5am" barks.

This time it was some low growls and really angry sounding.
So after some 15 years of keeping a gun in a nightstand safe
for the first time I had to get it out and go clear the house.

Well I was very surprised by a couple of things.....

1) pushing the buttons on my numerical keypad safe in the
dark is not as easy as I thought even though I open that safe
a million times because also keep my EDC in there along with my
home defense Glock 19.

2) Opening that drawer and fiddling around with the safe in the middle
of the night is LOUD.....woke my wife up and she says "What are you DOING???" heh

3) Even though I try to keep that particular drawer clear of clutter, somehow
it's become a repository for unused holsters and extra flashlights and other crap....
like the manual for my Bowflex...stoooopid stuff.

4) Feeling around in the dark for my tactical flashlight and having to rummage
through the aforementioned clutter took WAY too long and was WAY too loud.

So when I FINALLY got my stuff together and worked my way downstairs
and checked everything out turned out she was probably growling at
the armadillo that lives under the play set in the backyard....but it was an
eye opener for how really ill prepared I was.

So a few changes I've made is to first of all start keeping my
tactical light in the safe next to the gun instead of in the drawer
rolling around. That way I can grab gun and light from one place
where it will always be. And I've de-cluttered my nightstand drawer.
(Bowflex manual is now under the bed.....where clutter BELONGS

Still mulling over whether I need a better safe solution or not.

Michael-

[jlottmc]

Have you considered a "go bag"? Since I leave my street weapon on the night stand (if it's good enough to protect my furry butt there it's good enough in the house as well), I don't have to worry about access problems, my closet door may be shut it not locked, I also have everything else there. I keep my light right beside my weapon, and have my EDC gear there as well such as my knives and multitool, as well as my cell phone. I have also practiced clearing the house many times (I don't sleep anyway, and usually there is a strange noise that starts that.)

[cgo99]

I received a call from my wife about 2:00 today saying someone was trying to break into our home. She said someone opened our back gate of our fence and walked around inside our fence, then went to the front door and tried to get in. ( Recently our neighborhood has had several burglaries and attempted home intrusions and everyone is pretty much on alert in the whole neighborhood . )

I tell her to go to the bedroom and lock herself in and get the Colt Python under the bed out and if anyone breaks into the bedroom to SHOOT.

I rush home (only about 5 minutes away) and find the exterminator's truck in the driveway. He was mistook our house for a neighbors and was waiting in the driveway for his boss to show up.

Just a false alarm thankfully.

A few observations I have made:

I was suprised how focused and under control I felt as I was driving home.
(I was carrying my Glock 27 at the time) Ten rounds of 40 cal. sitting just behind your right hip is very reassuring at times like this. I am not trying to say I am a great hero, I just felt I was equipped to deal with whatever I was going to find when I got home.

My dad was also with me and he also has his CCW and I assume he was also armed although he does not say much about it ever. I was glad he was there too.

I did make a pretty big error in retrospect, I failed to tell my wife to call 911, although I am sure I made it there way before any deputy would have. (we live outside the city limits a few miles)

It helps to have gone over lots of different scenarios in your mind before they actually happen even though usually nothing unfolds exactly like you have pictured it.

You have to constantly be prepared , bad things never wait for convenient times.

I need to practice with my Glock more, I have been carrying my PM40 the last couple months and shooting it, and the last time at the range I shot a magazine through my Glock and was shocked at how poor I did.
This also went through my mind as I drove home today, and was the one unsettling thought I had.

Just a few random observations, does anyone else have anything to add?

Kudos to you and your wife for been ready to handle a difficult situation. The only thing I'd like to add is that sometimes the bad guys pose or are infiltrated on this services company's, being the cable guy or the phone guy or the exterminator. I wouldn't trust anyone, just my 2 cents.

[wyntrout]

I don't have an LE background, but I've read about and seen on the news situations kind of like this. If there seems to be any attempt at robbery or entry, 911 should be the first call. Whether your spouse makes the call or a neighbor does, you rushing into the situation armed is very dangerous. The cops don't always make the right judgment calls when they encounter armed civilians and have no idea who is the bad guy.
It depends on the situation, but your wife should grab a phone -- cellular is best, or cordless(line can be cut), a weapon, and light(maybe) and barricade herself within the closest, safest space with an inside lock. There she can call 911 and stay out of the back of the door and challenge anyone who comes to that door.
If you make the call and are rushing there, tell the cops that and describe yourself, but expect them to not judge you a friend when you show up.
Everyone has an adrenalin rush and could overreact before proper identification can be made sometimes.
When something happens like that, I know that you don't always consider everything like putting yourself in danger of "friendly' fire.
I know... preaching to the choir... but....
I've cleared the house a few times myself. I don't have a go bag or kit, but I did load up one of those black web belts with holster for gun (S&W 645), extra mags, light, phone, and tac-light... and stungun... no handcuffs... did consider those plastic wire ties, though.
I haven't checked lately... don't know if it would fit and the 645 wouldn't be the closest or first choice anymore... hmmm... need some preparation myself, for the PM45 and other stuff.
Wynn