A good friend of mine recently moved back to his hometown after being away for more than 20 years. What he found was the place kind of looked the same, but the crime rate was at a level of a third-world, cartel-controlled drug town. Home invasions were a daily thing, and he has a family to protect.
He was what some would call a gun guy growing up but had not spent much time shooting other than some sporting clays. The call went something like this: “Sammy, I need some advice on how to better secure the house. What guns should I get?”
After some discussion about alarm systems, cameras, a big dog and making the house more secure, we got into the guns part. Bill immediately took my advice about selecting the proper firearms and getting some quality training so he could get his concealed pistol permit. He’s even doing some shooting competitions to keep his skills sharp.
During one of our many conversations, the topic of where to keep guns for easy access while in the house came up. This took us down the road of “what if?” questions as they pertained to what I call “repelling boarders” or “defending the castle” from a home-invasion robbery.
Home-invasion-type robberies are at the top of the list for violent crime — just under premeditated murder. More often, home-invasion robberies involve those in the home being beaten, raped and murdered. I’ve seen the aftermath of home-invasion crime scenes firsthand, so what I’ve seen drives me to always be armed in my home. If a well-organized robbery crew breaches your home like a SWAT team doing a dynamic entry, you will not have time to get to a safe or other secure location to retrieve a firearm. You will have to fight off the initial wave with what you have on you.
by S.H. Blannelberry
