[Shadow]

Originally Posted by ClockworkC5

all the bedrooms are upstairs in our house

Even better.
You now have a tactical advantage
Do you have the ability to light up the lower level from the top?

Originally Posted by Rich Z

Damn if I'm going to hide in the bedroom while the cretins steal me blind.

That of course is your choice my friend and only you can make that decision if/when the time comes.
If that's your decision, I sincerely hope you prevail.

Although my courses are coed, most are attended by women, many of them business professionals.

Historically and physiologically speaking, most women are less equipped to deal with an armed intruder than an man, and most intruders, especially the nighttime burgler genre' are men.
Of course there's always the exception to the rule on both sides of the gender barrier.

When you do classes with such diverse groups, you have to be general rather than too specific.
If I'm doing 1 on 1 training at your place, then we can be more gender and location specific.
My recommendations are based on actual incidences, historical data and fact, not bravado.

If the cops even show up before they leave, they probably wouldn't prosecute anyway. Just make the perps give back what they were trying to steal and send them on their merry way, telling me I need to file civil charges if I can prove damages....

Rich, my brother, my friend,...,enough...as a friend...enough.

I am going to just have to assume that Connie and I are on our own in something like this. To assume otherwise COULD put us into leading roles in that funeral indicated above.

Well, you do live in the boonies, and any choice to do so carries with it, it's own set of risks.
The more remote I become, the less likely law enforcement will reach me before the bad guy.

Look at the recent hijacking of the rich couple doing a 7 year world tour on thier private yacht.
Talk about remote!

They're now in the hands of pirates off the coast of Somali...go figure?
The Coast Guard/Navy were never going to make it in time to thwart the attack and the pirates knew that.
Now everyone is in D/C mode.
Hopefully, it'll end similarly to last time with a few cheap rounds and a safe passenger and crew list.

But Somali pirates or not, they're not stupid.
They'll adapt.

These folks should have planned better.
Spend some money and hire some professionals!

Back to the post.....If you actually read my post, you'd realize I never said DON'T SHOOT the fecker!
I'm all for taking the bad guy out of play.
At the same time, I'm just as attuned to keeping the good guys in the game

In this scenario, you'll actually be setting yourself up for a much better shot while maintaining a high degree of safety for you and Connie.

And remember, this is still a property crime (until they come popping through that locked door).

In this case, you'll have a limited and controlled field of fire, potential backlighting from the hallway or ambient lighting to sillouette the intruder, cover and concealment, a stable and comfortable shooting position and a benched weapon at your disposal

A cup of coffee and a donut and you could wait there all night

You've also set up a PERFECT scenario to eliminate any hint of question, criminal or civil, regarding the perpetrators intent and/or your mindset.
This one's so simple, even Calhoun County and the DOAC (your CCW authority) could figure it out

If you're concerned about Connie's safety, you'll want to be there to protect her.
If you decide to go looking for the intruder, and she hears gunshots, she may not know if it's you or them?
This leads to other issues which we won't get into at the moment (just some hypothetical "training scenario" crap).

If things went well, you can shout to her and all is good.

If things did not go so well, you've now left her alone in the house, in the boonies, unprotected (save for whatever weapon she may possess), still waiting for the cops to arrive, with what are now really pissed off, and possibly wounded animals.

Not the best scenario I can imagine

This is the point i have the most difficulty making, especially to men.
You see, in these cases, it's not about "me" and my "bravery", my machismo, and it's not about my "property" or "my stuff."

It's about protecting my life and the lives of those I love and care about.

In my situation, when I hear something at night, I have to go investigate.
I have no choice.

While my son is 6'2" in great shape, a trained martial artist, and his room is further back in the house, away from the doors, my daughter and grandaughter's room is on the other side of the house, closer to the front door, sliding rear glass door and garage/washroom door.
The daughter is no where near capable of defending herself to any reasonable degree, and the grand baby is 5!

And aside from his ability to defend himself better, my son is usually gone until 3-4 am anyway (another "bump in the night" issue I have to deal with-but fortunately, he has a routine).

Many times, I'mm up until 2-3 am anyway and when my daughter is gone for the weekend, I sleep in the living room, esentially between my grandaughter and whatever harm may come to her.

There's no machismo there...it's a matter of necessity and planning.

Originally Posted by Rich Z

BTW, if you NEED to shoot a perp in your house, your first shot will likely temporarily blind you as well as deafen you, so make sure it counts. YOU will also be spotted at that time as well so don't stay where you were when you fired. Bear in mind that flimsy wooden doors and walls made of sheetrock will NOT protect you from return fire, if that happens. Your only protection will be to NOT be where they shoot at.

Good points.
Actually, your first shot will provide you with a momentary sight picture.
We've done a ton of night shooting betweeen the military and law enforcement.
it's not as bad as it might seem. Not ideal, but not a deal ender either.

The auditory senses actually shut themselves down to protect the body.
You're right though. You won't be able to hear crap well for a while after multiple rounds are discharged. You'll still be able to hear, just very muffled (ask me how I know?
(I knew I forgot something before I gave the command to fire!)