Five of us are going to a range Wednesday to practice home invasion skills, which are, from what I've been told, some of the toughest things to learn.
In advance, we have been told to consider:
Where is the gun?
Is it loaded?
Locked?
Where is the clip?
Where is the extra ammo?
What distance have you been practicing at (50-foot bragging rights mean nothing at home)?
If attacked, will your gun even work when pressed against somebody's body?
Who's at the door?
Is it a desperate relative or friend?
How do you make split-second decisions?
I think these are all good questions and I'll try to answer them after the training.
Your insights would be appreciated in advance as well.
Cheers,
Don
Unless your home-defense weapon is a Mauser K98, SKS, M1 Garand(?), etc, then don't call a magazine a 'clip'.
You should always keep your defensive, and/or carry/EDC weapon loaded. You do not have to keep it in a gun safe. There are no laws, mandates, or precedents that require people to keep a loaded weapon in a gun safe, and common sense will tell you that a criminal will NOT wait for you to enter the code, and unlock the safe, and grab your weapon, or find the key for the trigger lock.
Is there some component of a firearm that I'm unaware of, that will disable the weapon when pressing the muzzle against a soft target? Nevermind the fact that it's suggestive as heck of ill intent to word it that way... Makes it sound like you'd be pressing the muzzle against someone's head, and wondering if the weapon will work when you pull the trigger.
What distance? well, you'd be damned lucky to have more than ten feet to work with if someone broke into your home. There have been cases where people only had enough time, and distance between the invader, and themselves, to grab a pistol from the nightstand, and aim, while still in bed, before the invader comes in. Distance is a key factor, but teaching someone to work with a window larger than 10 feet, is a game of death and life, with death the stronger outcome.
Split-second decisions are a fight or flight instinct. If someone bangs on your door, and doesn't say "Hey john! Its me, Kevin, you're brother-in-law-twice removed! Your sister-in-law is having a heart attack! help! open up!" then most likely they are a foe, and treated as such. You should teach yourself, and friends, that not everything is a gray area, but not everything is black and white. If someone is a relative, or a friend, and they are trying to get into your home, they will announce themselves, and make noise. If they are banging on your door, or busting it open without saying a word, then they're a intruder.
And, I wonder, by the wording of your starting text, Are you training to over-come an intruder, or to be the invader? "...practice home invasion skills..."
Forgive me if I sound too critical, or harsh in my assessment of your questions, and intent.