If a home invasion comes in our front door, I'd much rather be scampering out the back door rather than scrambling for my firearm.
I'm with you there brother.
There's only one non-breathing thing in my house that I'm risking my life for And that's really only in the case of fire or flood, because I don't think some thief is going to come in just for my Expert Rifle badge and my EGAs.
Unless you're a professional, I think the latter can all too easily lead to a false sense of security and bravado. My weapons training is shoot to kill, and I don't want that on my conscience as long as I can run away fast.
All my experiences heightened my appreciation for not being around when bullets start flying through the air. In that regard I follow the teachings of the Shaolin monks - the best way to deal with a fight is to not be there when it jumps off
Of course if the wife and kids are in the house I guess I have to stick around to protect them - or they might question my loyalty and whatnot.
And all of this running away stuff is predicated on the hope that Mr. Home Invader doesn't have some rudimentary understanding of dynamic entry, flood-and-fill, or any of the other aggressive tactics used to assault a residence and control the occupants before they can defend themselves. After all, a home invasion is not just a night-time burglary, it's an armed robbery with deadly force at least implied.
Executing a search warrant is just a lawful home invasion, and we were the complete victors a whole lot more often than not. And we were ready for them what wanted to jump out the window rather than hang out with us. So, I have tougher doors, an alarm system, and the cell-phone, flashlight and pistol next to the bed not because I want to get into a firefight, but because if the bad thing happens I probably will need every second just to wake up and try to address whatever is running toward me.
We are still talking about getting hit with lightning here, because as long as you don't engage in certain behaviors, business-endeavors, or belong to certain immigrant communities, the odds of you getting jacked in your home are pretty rare. It's just my little phobia. Probably some form of karmic revenge for being the home invader with a badge.
I agree with all your comments on the (lack of) structural strength of those strike plates and most hinges, but...
What keeps the bad guy from just breaking a window to get in? I can't see the point of hardening one point of entry when there are so many others.
We no longer lock the door from the house to the attached garage. I used to be all gung-ho about this, until I realized just how easy it would be for a bad guy to run a lever under the garage door (the car entry one), break the latches , open it, and then close it and have all the time he wants to inside a closed garage to open the door to the house. Heck, it only takes a minute to smash out the drywall between two studs and you can get into a house from the garage. So if he is going to break into the garage, he is going to break into the house, door locked or not.
Is there something wrong with my thinking?
-ERD50
Just one flaw - you're confused about what the real goal of all this is: to make your home burglar-
resistant, not burglar-
proof.
The former is doable, the latter is impossible.
While there are a lot of different motivations for the crime, the most likely reason is to quickly grab some of your stuff and make it to the pawn shop before it closes.
In and out as quickly as possible, try not to draw any attention, grab the stuff you know you can sell and get out of there.
Anything that interferes with, or looks like it might interfere with, the ease of entry and exit, quick getaway, and not getting caught is a point in favor of going to an easier target.
When it comes to the average residential burglar we're not dealing with Sir Charles Lytton. These guys are not looking for a challenge. And I'm betting you don't have the Pink Panther Diamond stuck in a shoebox under your bed. But I bet that you have a big-screen TV, a laptop, a little jewelry, some power tools and maybe a gun or two. Just like your next-door neighbor, the guy across the street, the dude on the other side of town, etc.
So, if Buzzy the Burglar perceives that breaking into your house might involve a little more work, or a little more risk, that might encourage him to leave your house alone and go steal your neighbor's Pink Panther Diamond.
You're shooting for as many of these kind of reactions as you can provoke in the thief's mind:
-This house has alarm stickers....but not
that one next door!
-Wait, his neighbor is looking out the window at us.
- Look at the size of the dog poop - let's go across the street.
- I think I just broke my ankle trying to kick this door in.
- We could break a window, but that's a lot of noise and I cut the #$% out of myself last time we did that.
- Well, we got in through the window, but we can't get the big-screen out because the doors all have
double cylinder dead bolts - take the small stuff and let's go.
-Damn, all the tools have the dude's driver's license number engraved on them - you know the pawn shop won't take those.
Etc, etc, etc.
You just want to make it seem like breaking into your house is going to be a big hassle, and thus make your neighbors house look like a more attractive target. Kind of like my Shaolin buddies teach -
Don't attempt to confront force, but direct it away from yourself.
There is a reason why they go for the doors: They're easy to kick in or pry, and it's easier to carry your stuff out back through them.
As far as your garage door goes - there should be a place to stick a padlock into the rails that the runners glide on.