Story time. Lesson learned.

[RiverBend]

1. install night lights, they are bright enough to not need a WML, and with battery backup type always on and deep sleep-then quick vision is much better in the low light then most wide awake intruders would be. A light shouldn't even be needed outside, the home and garage should be lit up to thwart most thieves.
2. rack a round ?, get something always at the ready, bobbed or hammerless revolver for instance, that racking sound could get you shot, or worse a family member, surprise, surprise, surprise is your best ally.
I have 4 Cats and am used to bumps in the night, only their bumps sounds are by now, cataloged in my sleep security mind, so unless a intruder is doing kitty things, I'll know the different sounds, and no jokes about it being a cat burglar, they don't cough up hairballs in the night.

 

[cmshoot]

Something a lot of folks don’t think of when they check for that bump in the night; flipping a switch and turning the lights on. A lot easier to see that way. There are very valid arguments for doing so, especially if you don’t have a WML, or don’t train with a handheld or WML.

I train in lowlight a lot more than most. Even so, in most cases if I hear that noise in the night, when I have to get up and leave the bedroom to locate the family, I immediately do two things; shoo the dogs out of the bedroom ahead of me (a GSD and a GSD/husky mix), and flip on the lights.

 

[Glock 21]

You encounter someone in your house, they appear to be unarmed, and are totally compliant. You haven't called 911 yet because you thought you'd check it out. Now you are holding the suspect at gunpoint.......does the room that you are in have a phone? Did you remember to take your cell phone with you when you went a-checkin'? If the room doesn't have a phone, and you didn't take your cell phone ("Why would I need a phone to clear my house?!"), how are you going to call 911?

I know several of y'all read that last paragraph and said to yourself, "I'm a-gonna shoot any sum***** that enters my house uninvited!". That isn't what the Castle Doctrine means; it isn't carte blanche to shoot anyone you don't want in your home.

Personally I’m asking the guy questions in a forceful and threatening manner to determine if he is alone then escorting him out the door at gun point and calling law enforcement after. Sure I could pull the trigger as most would say they would but if I can de-escalate the situation without killing anyone. Pulling that trigger right or wrong can have some very long last effects most people never consider

 

[GFB]

Personally I’m asking the guy questions in a forceful and threatening manner to determine if he is alone then escorting him out the door at gun point and calling law enforcement after. Sure I could pull the trigger as most would say they would but if I can de-escalate the situation without killing anyone. Pulling that trigger right or wrong can have some very long last effects most people never consider

Are you talking about carpet stains?




Just kidding.

 

[2007]

So, there ya' go!

 

[Kman]

I’ve always had large dogs and they do a great job letting me know if a stranger is in the house. I never have to investigate a bump in the night unless the dogs let me know they need me to. Great for watching the family and house.

 

[cmshoot]

I’ve always had large dogs and they do a great job letting me know if a stranger is in the house. I never have to investigate a bump in the night unless the dogs let me know they need me to. Great for watching the family and house.

Yessir!

 

[cmshoot]

Another consideration on whether or not to attempt to clear your house yourself, or call 911; how sure are you that someone is in your house?

To me, there is a difference between waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I heard a noise (especially one that doesn't repeat itself), to being able to ascertain 100% that there are one or more intruders in my house. If it's that random, single, unexplained noise.......I'm checking it out myself. If I'm certain that there are intruders in my home, I'm securing my family and calling 911.

I'm not calling 911 every single time I hear a noise in my house that I can't explain. That's ridiculous.

 

[MaconGuns]

We cover all sorts of scenarios in these courses, and have numerous proven solutions. For instance, you're upstairs in your bedroom, got the door barricaded, and have called 911. The police arrive and find all your doors securely locked. Exactly how do you expect them to enter your house and clear it for you?

You encounter someone in your house, they appear to be unarmed, and are totally compliant. You haven't called 911 yet because you thought you'd check it out. Now you are holding the suspect at gunpoint.......does the room that you are in have a phone? Did you remember to take your cell phone with you when you went a-checkin'? If the room doesn't have a phone, and you didn't take your cell phone ("Why would I need a phone to clear my house?!"), how are you going to call 911?

I know several of y'all read that last paragraph and said to yourself, "I'm a-gonna shoot any sum***** that enters my house uninvited!". That isn't what the Castle Doctrine means; it isn't carte blanche to shoot anyone you don't want in your home. There's a true story that I tell in my classes about a call I handled on Morning Watch when I worked at Marietta PD. Long story short, it's around 2am and a woman is calling 911 because a guy was beating on her front door and yelling. She ran into the bedroom and locked the door, then called 911 from there (not everyone had cellphones at the time). We arrived within 2 minutes, during which time the "intruder" found an unlocked back door and was inside the woman's house. 3 of us went in hot. We found a gentleman that lived 2 doors down from this woman. The gentleman was elderly, a US Navy WWII combat vet with Alzheimer's. He went for a walk around 2am and came back to the wrong house. His key wouldn't work in the door, and he was beating on the door and demanding his wife to let him in. His wife had been dead for 20 years. How bad would you have felt if you had shot him?

CASTLE DOCTRINE

The Castle Doctrine is a common law doctrine that designates a person's abode (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as a car or place of work) as a place in which the person has certain protections and immunities and allows such a person in certain circumstances, to attack an intruder instead of retreating. Typically, deadly force is considered justified homicide only in cases when the actor reasonably feared imminent peril of death or serious bodily harm to oneself or another. The doctrine is not a defined law that can be invoked, but is a set of principles which is incorporated in some form in the law of most states. Forty-six states, including Connecticut, have incorporated the Castle Doctrine into law.

STAND-YOUR-GROUND

Stand-your-ground laws allow someone to use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a threat, without an obligation to retreat first. Twenty states, excluding Connecticut, have stand-your-ground laws. Generally, these laws require the person to (1) have a legal right to be at the location and (2) not be engaged in an unlawful activity.



So I am a bit confused as to how a person is suppose to feel waking up at 3am to a noise and seeing an unknown person in the hallway. How many seconds do you have to scan both hands and ask them if they have a friend helping them out in another room? If I hear commotion inside the house, my bedroom door is locked and anyone break the door open will get a 3 inchs of 00 12 gauge center torso. If I hear minor noises outside I'll pick up the pistol and scan around a bit. Just my wife and me in the house so, I do not have to clear children. Most every person carries a deadly weapon. Their are plenty of cases where people have been bludgeoned to death by fists or kicked to death. I have no idea of that persons martial skills or state of mind. I do not understand how criminals in the process of a crime get any rights.

 

[cmshoot]

CASTLE DOCTRINE

The Castle Doctrine is a common law doctrine that designates a person's abode (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as a car or place of work) as a place in which the person has certain protections and immunities and allows such a person in certain circumstances, to attack an intruder instead of retreating. Typically, deadly force is considered justified homicide only in cases when the actor reasonably feared imminent peril of death or serious bodily harm to oneself or another. The doctrine is not a defined law that can be invoked, but is a set of principles which is incorporated in some form in the law of most states. Forty-six states, including Connecticut, have incorporated the Castle Doctrine into law.

STAND-YOUR-GROUND

Stand-your-ground laws allow someone to use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a threat, without an obligation to retreat first. Twenty states, excluding Connecticut, have stand-your-ground laws. Generally, these laws require the person to (1) have a legal right to be at the location and (2) not be engaged in an unlawful activity.



So I am a bit confused as to how a person is suppose to feel waking up at 3am to a noise and seeing an unknown person in the hallway. How many seconds do you have to scan both hands and ask them if they have a friend helping them out in another room? If I hear commotion inside the house, my bedroom door is locked and anyone break the door open will get a 3 inchs of 00 12 gauge center torso. If I hear minor noises outside I'll pick up the pistol and scan around a bit. Just my wife and me in the house so, I do not have to clear children. Most every person carries a deadly weapon. Their are plenty of cases where people have been bludgeoned to death by fists or kicked to death. I have no idea of that persons martial skills or state of mind. I do not understand how criminals in the process of a crime get any rights.

In a nutshell, in the state of Georgia deadly force is justified when you feel your life is in danger, or feel you are under threat of serious bodily harm, or you are protecting a third party from death or serious bodily harm. Also, in prevention of a forcible felony.

Here’s the actual code section: https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-3/article-2/16-3-21/

I can’t tell you how to react to an intruder in your house. You already know what the Castle Doctrine is, as well Stand-Your-Ground, and I’ve given you the code section that covers the use of deadly force in Georgia. The rest is up to you.

Folks think that Castle Doctrine means that if someone is in your house, that’s free rein to use deadly force; it is not. If someone is in your house AND you feel that your life is in danger from this person’s presence, that’s a different story.

During a Residential Room Clearing Class I taught last year, I had a role player that was a small female; average build and about 5’3”. The student in this particular scenario was a male, about 5’11”, heavy build, and a military veteran/former LEO/competitive shooter. The scenario was the student finding the role player in his house during the wee hours of the morning. The role player was instructed to be totally compliant, and she was unarmed; she was supposed to be drunk/on drugs and entered the wrong home.

The student confronted the role player, had her put her hands up, then shot her. When I asked why, he stated, “Castle Doctrine”. I told him he better have a dang good attorney. It wouldn’t be an automatic conviction, but it would be a tough court battle......I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.