Do you have a plan?

Electronic muffs are great. I have a pair by Pelitor ($75+) and some no-name ones from Tractor Supply Store ($9.95). Both work about equally well.

The problem (at least for me) would be to remember to a) pick them up and b) put them on.

Did you ever do a drill of responding to a middle-of-the-night breakin? Being all stove in and handicapped I cannot move fast. My buddy, who is almost as slow and crippled as I am, took less than 10 seconds to get from the back door to my bedroom door. (Average time was 6.2 seconds!) Not much time to wake up, wonder what that noise was, decide I'm being invaded, and get my essential war gear. (Gunney Highway: People, let's have an equipment check-- weapon? Well, let's keep it simple. You got your boots on, you can walk into combat.) I'm hoping that flip-flops count.

stay safe.

Just a quick question

Why not arm the 14 year old?


If all else fails I want and teach my kids to arm themselves. I don't want them to go down like helpless sheep because it's not politically correct to teach out children how to shoot.

Packer fan said:

Why not arm the 14 year old?


If all else fails I want and teach my kids to arm themselves. I don't want them to go down like helpless sheep because it's not politically correct to teach out children how to shoot.

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It's a part of the rite of passage. Graduating from training wheels to two wheels. "Today I am a fountain pen."* No longer a liability to be protected but an asset to be added to the defense of the family. About the only thing left after that is going off on your own or contributing to the family income if you stay at home.

stay safe.

* - A prize if you know where that comes from. A bigger prize if you post the explanation.

Packer fan said:

Why not arm the 14 year old?


If all else fails I want and teach my kids to arm themselves. I don't want them to go down like helpless sheep because it's not politically correct to teach out children how to shoot.

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Absolutely agree. He's been pretty apprehensive about firearms, though he absolutely gets the need for it and the rights surrounding it. Firearms are fairly new to the home, so he has not grown up around them and though we've discussed gun safety exhaustively, I've not taken any of the kids to the range yet - though we will do so. My daughters, who are 4 and 10 are learning muzzle control (not pointing it at things you don't want to shoot), trigger finger position and general firearm safety with their BB pistols. My 9 month old boy will grow up around them for sure.

@skidmark - That sounds like something from Dead Poets Society.

Mantioch said:

....

@skidmark - That sounds like something from Dead Poets Society.

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BZZZ! Wrong. Any boy saying that would never be allowed in that school.

stay safe.

eye95 said:

I bought a pair of those this week. With the volume off, they muffle sound nearly completely. With moderate volume, you hear sound as though you are not wearing them. The sound is not electronic, it is quite pure, just as though you are hearing it directly. With the volume turned up, the amplification is so good that I hear better than I did 40 years ago! I haven't shot with them yet. I let you know how well they block out sudden loud noise.

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Vendor, model and link please? Sounds like a worthy investment.

Great thread.
====
Uh, on the reinforcing the top of the stairs, though good in theory, I really can't imagine any BGs trying to take you out from concealment by shooting an angle shot through the side of the stairwell. Concealment is pretty darn effective as we don't usually shoot at what we can't see except on TV shows. IMO

Agree with the OP about not being prepared for a full-on invasion with wire cutters, but I do religiously lock the connecting door with the garage - to me it's a very weak link. I have two doors leading in from the garage (which acts as an enclosure for the washer-dryer). I have a relatively low tech doorknob lock with keyed entry on both of them, but it would be simple to get through them - however, I like to think, not without making a lot of noise. I have an alarm, too, but in the event of an 'away' break in it's pretty easy to get into most houses. I've read thieves are reluctant to break in through ground floor windows (?!).

skidmark said:

"Today I am a fountain pen."*

* - A prize if you know where that comes from. A bigger prize if you post the explanation.

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Bar Mitzvah

In the past, a frequent gift at a bar mitzvah was a fountain pen. Before the popularity and price of today's ball-point, a fountain pen was a prized, cherished item not too far removed from a pocket watch. It signified accomplishment, achievement, responsibility, position, and arrival. The giving of the fountain pen was the acknowledgment of entry into adult life, with responsibilities accompanying it.

The cliché bar mitzvah speech usually began with "Worthy (or Honorable) Rabbi, Beloved Parents, Relatives, and Dear Friends," and ended with the forceful declaration of, "today I am a man!' To hear a 13-year-old assertively utter this always brings a wide smile. With the giving and receiving of the adult tool, a fountain pen, it was synonymous to joke, "Today I am a fountain pen."

Maverick9 said:

Vendor, model and link please? Sounds like a worthy investment...

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http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-01526-Electronic-Earmuff/dp/B001T7QJ9O


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>

XmmAuto said:

Bar Mitzvah

In the past, a frequent gift at a bar mitzvah was a fountain pen. Before the popularity and price of today's ball-point, a fountain pen was a prized, cherished item not too far removed from a pocket watch. It signified accomplishment, achievement, responsibility, position, and arrival. The giving of the fountain pen was the acknowledgment of entry into adult life, with responsibilities accompanying it.

The cliché bar mitzvah speech usually began with "Worthy (or Honorable) Rabbi, Beloved Parents, Relatives, and Dear Friends," and ended with the forceful declaration of, "today I am a man!' To hear a 13-year-old assertively utter this always brings a wide smile. With the giving and receiving of the adult tool, a fountain pen, it was synonymous to joke, "Today I am a fountain pen."

Click to expand...

Give that man a knish and a blintz!

stay safe.

Mantioch said:

My family's readiness was tested this morning............ Oh, and I didn't have to kill anyone.

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This is a good thing.

skidmark said:

....... there are places where you might want armor..............stay safe.

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I now keep body armor next to my house gun.
1. My Sweet Baboo is my backup and I do not want to get shot in the back
B. I do not know if the bad guy is armed and I do not want to get shot in the front.
III. Armor comes cheap on ebay, it makes a nice accessory in the dark of nite.

And that 2-way communication hook-up? Is it based on a landline connection? A cable connection along with your internet and phone and cable bundle? Both of those can be defeated with a pair of wirecutters, whereas a cell phone needs a tower taken down to be put out of commission.


Umm...Cell Phone Jammer? Cost, 20$-100$; a few of those even half-way well placed around the perimeter of a house can shut down cell/radio communications...hell...even just a single nicer one...so...wirecutter, wireless phone jammer...2 easy to obtain items can limit your communication...

Pros from Dover (at least on here): Not doubting, or making fun, or poo pooing your need for mass communications. Why worry about them being taken out? Having a plan for a hurricane serves the same purpose..
I have levels of security at the ol' homestead. I also plan for the most logical threats. I really don't plan for that guy that has all the gear to jam, or take out my communications...The biggest threat is the knucklehead that just wants to steal my stuff to make some cash. My alarm can't be jammed or defeated, it has to be killed and chances of all four "bells/whistles/growlers" being killled before I can be ready are pretty slim. Nothing is impossible, but, just like on the street I am not prepared for an armed assault by swat, I am not so worried about a CIA operative trying to get in my house.

Lights that come on automatically do seem to make the cockroaches scurry for cover.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...ing-Wall-Switch-White-SSD-VA-120-WH/203606977

I have switches similar to these installed in most ground floor rooms and the garage. These will not work where two switches (four-wire switches) turn on the same light(s) such as stair/hallway lights.