We Suggest You Get Instruction From a Qualified Gun Instructor Prior To Attempting Any of These Techniques
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Get Two Guns...Luke 22: 35-38
Safe Room!
A safe room is a room you make your defense from in your home, if an attack occurs onto your person or family while you or they are in your home. Since most attacks into one's domain can be made at any time, the safe room is generally the master bedroom. If you have a children's room, this should be a second safe room. These rooms are ‘hardened.' They should be arranged such that you have not only concealment from threat(s), but also cover.
Concealmentdoes not stop bullets; Cover does. There is not much cover in a home. Thus, you have to think about what your cover will be. It can be a hardened book case with thick heavy books on the shelves. You would take "cover" at the side in case a projectile move through it. The projectile would lose energy traveling length wise through the shelf before it can reach you.
If an attack occurs in the middle of the night, and there are small children in the house, you must go to the room to check them out for safety; there, you make your stand from this second Safe Room. You spouse makes another stand from the hardened master bedroom. This is all very important if an attack occurs. You don't want everybody running up and down the halls making a commotion and creating a target, or hostage taking situation. If you present resistant, if the opportunity presents, the threats will take hostages to attempt to make you servile!
You must have a plan. It can go something like this:
We're are under attack! You hear a crash through the plate glass window; or some indicator that your home has been breeched by a threat. It can be something as simple as an odor, such as perfume. A man's aftershave. In one case, Dr. "B", when assimilating such a practice with a Safe Room recently, had his "assailant" who was attacking his class, use a smoking machine such that the pantomimer smelled highly like strong tobacco use. This smell was a target indicator! You had been breached!
Times are such now — and they will get worse, whereby you must consider having a safe room. The second thing is to have a plan in place. Talk with your children and explain what you are reading now. Explain the reasons why they must not wander around if they hear a noise and you have not. They must, if highly responsible, come to the master bedroom and alert their parents. Otherwise, secure their door, and it should already be secured with lock and key using a deadbolt. You should have a second key; your wife a third. Place them on a hook next to the throw down key for the police.
The main thing is to have a physical and mental plan, so one does not panic on what to do. Someone's breaking into my house. You may hear nothing except an indicator that your safety has been breached. It may be as innocuous, such as a door left ajar, or a window left open. Intruders tend to make a quick get away if discovered. The children love the practice and thought experiments when the parents go through this with them verbally and physically, making known why they all need to be alert. In some actual cases, the children noticed the breach and quickly and silently notified the parents, and all made it safely to the safe room together and then a defensive posture was maintained.
How To Create A Safe Room
As given above, it should be Hardened.
There should be only one point of entry. If not, reinforce the other door's security. It is easier to defend the safe room if only one entrance is available. But, with two entrances, being now advised; being now aware, you can take plans to reinforce not one door but two. If your safe room has a bathroom off to one side and then, it too has a door into the adjoining house, this must be hardened too.
There should be at least one window so you can throw the house keys down to the police to get in when they arrive, after calling 911. Do not leave the safe room when the police enter. They do not know you from the threat and you may find yourself put down hard physically and cuffed or shot! If you use your window for escape, you may run into ‘layouts,' the threat(s) accomplice(s). Some burglaries are well-planed! You do not want someone waiting out in the shadows for just such an opportunity.
If your safe room is second story, have a fire escape rope ladder with a hook on each side at one end to hook onto the windowsill; drop it to the ground and make your escape if need be. (Again, the intruder's accomplices may be waiting!) But, you need to practice with this. Many people now-a-days are lacking in arm strength. A rope ladder can be unwieldy. So practice first.
Your Safe Room Should have the following Equipment:
Telephone. Since land lines are often cut or taken off the hook by experienced burglars, have a cell phone with fully charged batteries.
When under stress, memory, even short term, can fail just then. Therefore, have phone # and street address taped to or near the phone. A push pin with such information affixed to the wall where you have hardened cover.
Ammunition and Firearm.
Police-style flashlight (having a pressure switch for on/off) with fresh batteries.
If you have to leave the room; or house, have nearby a dark colored sweat pants and shirt, if you sleep in minimal clothing.
Have an extra set of house keys attached to a large flourescent glowstick or reflector to throw out the window to the police when they arrive. Give instructions to the police or 911 dispatcher what room you are in; that is, in the back of the house, front, or side. Tell the dispatcher you will flash the lights when they arrive and they can come to the correct window and you will throw down the key on a reflector. Do not hang up the phone. They will tell you this. Throughout the entire ordeal, they will keep you on the phone. And remember, watch what you say; it is being recorded.
Both adults should be armed. Establish in advance your fields of fire. This means you must go to the range and practice, assuming you are in your room or rooms. Watch for cross firing. Have a place where in the hardened rooms where the armed parents/adults will be and in what direction they will shoot. Be aware of your backstop. If you fired wildly, and penetrated your wall and the projectile entered the next door neighbors and kill him, you could find yourself facing a manslaughter charge. Be aware and have a plan.
Your plan should consist of a coordinated drill including members of the household. Adults should practice with toy pistols. Make positive identification of the threat; people–family members, have been shot when "grandma" went to the refrigerator and knocked over a vase and as the "threat" was approaching the stairwell to go back to bed, the "threat" was seen to be carrying a "gun" in her hands. When the police arrived, it was discovered grandma had gone for a snack and was carrying a banana in her hand pointed as if it were a gun. Grandma had been shot!
Have each individual in your house assigned a safe spot in the safe room. Everyone stay where they are during the emergency and not leave until told to do so by the adult parents. Threats have been known to shout loudly, after a few tense moments, "Everything's ok. They're all gone."
When The Hell Breaks, many people have opted to have family and friends over to stay with them. Many are having them because they are bringing with them more guns and feel safe with this. If you do this, you see the problems that can be involved with all those possible guns present. You must make it very clear that this is the way it has to be. Go through practice sessions with all those who come with guns. You want established fields of fire! No wild-ass shooting; no cross fire for established fields of shooting. We are going to see a lot injuries because of Machismo Fire.
When You Enter Your Safe Room, Do The Following:
Lock and secure the door. If you live alone; are a woman; have a solid core door.
During this time, we do not recommend you retrieve your firearm; you should have it on your person in its holster; ankle or hip; or elsewhere, such that you can retrieve it quickly. You should be armed and ready in less than 5 (five) seconds.
Have your cell phone ready.
Have a pressure switch flashlight.
Then, listen.
If they approach your room and try the doorknob, you are now fully aware someone else is in your dwelling. Sometimes, the assailants look carefully and quickly at the door, know it to be a simple thin veneer panneling over a frame and bust through. In many cases, the threats were surprised when they were met with a solid core door and was thurst backwards to the floor. One such threat went at it with such force on a second floor bounced back and went over the railing falling to his death. However, if after 20 minutes of listening — don't come out too soon, and do a house clearing, even if you know how to do it. Call 911 if you hear anything suspicious.
If the threat is trying to overcome your secured door to your safe room, NRA teaches to shout in a loud determined voice:
"Stop!"
"Go Away!"
"The Police Are On Their Way."
"I HAVE A GUN."
"If YOU COME IN, I WILL SHOOT YOU."
Since 911 calls are recorded, you have evidence that you were being threatened, and this justifies your fear of Serious bodily harm or that you are about to be killed!
However, When The Hell Breaks! There will be little or no police service and you will be on your own totally (do you truly grasp this!). If you do not warn them; they bust in, put them down. If you warn them, they may retreat to the outdoors and burn you down! You have a judgement call. We advise to put them down with stealth when this situation arises and 911 does not work; or, no one answers the call.
As we have been telling you in the Chembio Update newsletters and in places on this website, if you talk, or have talked, about what you are reading now, you will have probably set yourself up for a ballistic entry into your home.
What criminals have told us, when we interviewed them at various prisons, was that the first thing they tell people, "We won't hurt you if you do as we tell you. Do you have any guns in the house?" Criminals look for guns because they can get a high price for them on the black market, and/or use them as a "throw-down" if they shoot somebody. Or they can simply keep the gun because it can't be traced back to them.
You will find they will not only be looking for the three "F's" (food, fuel, and females) when the hell breaks in earnest, but they will also be looking for firearms to defend themselves against other threats coming to them. It is going to be a time of harrowing chaos and confusion.
When the police arrive, they often send in a dog first. As given above, stay in your safe room. Give advance warning to the police if you have others in your house and pets. Give their location. Wait until the police tell you to come out via the dispatcher. Do not be surprised if you are covered by them. They can't be too safe!
Do not greet the police with a gun in your hand! Do not turn toward an officer of the law with a weapon in your hand.
Do exactly as he says. Keep in mind that the officers arriving at your home do not know what exactly the situation is. To them, it is an unknown variable. You will be on an epinephrine (adrenaline) high! You logical thinking goes out the door. Until you come down, you will be up. We have told our students to be very patient with the police when they arrive and are in your house. Do not be surprised if you are treated rather roughly or if they listen to you with skepticism. They have to sort things out first.
We have had students cuffed because of their sullen and gruff attitude and mannerisms. Remember to do exactly as the police order you to do. Do not swear at them or question them. Let them get the situation under control.
If You Shoot or Kill Someone, there will be an emotional and legal aftermath.
At first, you will feel a sense of elation. It was them and not you. This is a normal reaction experienced often in first war battles. Not all persons react to a situation as such similarly. Having survived a violent encounter can leave marks, known as the ‘Mark of Cain'. "Oh, you're the person I heard of in the media that murdered that creep!" And there are both mental and physical disturbances. You may need counseling. The first person you should consider is your priest, pastor, religious leader. You should be able to talk to your doctor in doctor/patient confidentiality. But, nowadays, everything they may write on you may cause you to undergo a review by the concealed carry board of your state. Be careful!
Revulsion. It is not every day that you maim or kill another human being. It is understandable from the biology of an organism to have a mental to physical response, such as vomiting because of nausea. Some even faint from the experience or when explaining the situation of ‘What Happened?' to the police. Various negative responses and feelings can come and go over a period of years. It has caused problems in marriages and in the lives of relatives.
Remorse Sets In. Many decent citizens feel remorseful after such an event. It has nothing to do with guilt, but one may feel such. They have revulsion at having been placed in such a situation where a life was ended by them.
After a while, Self-doubt can take over. This is normal for a normal law-abiding citizen to experience this. He questions over and over again...running it through his head...relieving the violent encounter: could I have done something different? If he hesitated, this could have led to his family's torture and death. It could possibly lead to a "Stockholm" situation.
You many have recurring stress attacks. This is a form of Post-traumatic stress.
If you need counseling, you can talk, as given above, to your pastor, priest, religious counselor. Your physician. You can seek counsel from an attorney. You may want to see a social worker or psychologist. Spouses are often great listeners and make valuable contribution to easing any pain felt. Support groups may be available in your area. Friends with whom you can talk with can give invaluable advice. The point is you need to ‘ventilate,' and have an understanding ear and get good advice.
There may be gastrointestinal problems. You may have incontinence. Impotence (male or female). This is a Stress Reaction and it may be chronic and manifest in different physical as well as mental problems.
Start telling yourself now and if you undergo a violent encounter:
I Am Not Going to Feel Guilty For Being A Winner!
I am not going to feel guilty for something I did not start!
I am not going to feel guilty for someone bringing the fight to me and I finished it a WINNER.
I shot to stay alive!
I shot to keep from being killed.
I shot because I was afraid for my life and my family's.
I shot to keep from having serious bodily injury done to me or another innocent person.
By doing this, you are programing yourself to survive such an encounter in good mental and physical health. There is more. When and if the encounter goes down, tell yourself:
I am a decent person.
I did not invade their physical space nor their privacy.
I did not try to hurt them or another innocent party.
I am morally upright as a human being.
I am justified morally in defending my life and my family's from serious bodily injury or death.
I have possibly saved other peoples lives from being destroyed.
Calling The Police
After a shooting, call the police. When they answer, say, "There has been a shooting."
That will prioritize your call. Then be prepared to be frustrated and perplexed when talking with 911 operators. They are trained to ask a number of what will seem to you at the time to be incredibly stupid and illogical questions. Don't panic or become verbally abusive. Just speak slowly and clearly and answer as best you can. If you don't know the answer to a question, don't guess and don't speculate. Just say, "I don't know" and leave it at that. Remember, emergency calls to police are always recorded. Under the circumstances, you will probably be out of breath and your voice will be squeaky and raspy so you're going to sound a little crazy in any event. Don't make it any worse than it already is.
Stay away from the scene. When the police arrive at your house, they will have guns out and you don't want to approach them. It is usually best to let them come to you. Talk them over to your location with your (cell) phone, if possible.
When police officers approach you, (1) put your open hands in front of you with your open palms facing outward. Be sure (2) you're not holding a gun; have a (3) gun visibly stuffed in your waist band, or have a (4) gun anywhere it can be seen—conceal it.
Greet them by saying, "Officers, I'm the one who called." Follow with, "A man broke into our house and tried to kill us." Finally, "Officers, I'll be happy to answer all your questions as soon as my lawyer is here." You should have called him too.
If not, stick with the facts and let the scene support it. Oftentimes, people have talked too much and cause themselves a jail sentence, when they were innocent! Do not make statements like, "He got what he deserved." I'm sorry I had to kill him. This implies guilt and that you may not have had to destroy another human being. A good criminal attorney can run with that one. Say only what actually happened. Do not embroidery the answers nor volunteer more than what describes what happened.
Do not alter the crime scene. Don't look for support from the police and justification in what you just had to do, it is naturally to do so. But this leads to too much talking and may "hang" you later in court, criminal or civil, if it goes that far. Your desire to justify what you just had to do may come out looking bad and cause charges to be filed against you. You will be wanting someone to agree with your actions and thus will tend to talk too much…don't!
Remember. Be factual and brief! If you don't know the answer, say, "I don't know." Do not be lulled into making statements, especially if the D.A. interviews you later. They may be wanting a conviction, especially if they are new and want credits to their record; or, they may be "anti–gun."
Understand that, regardless of the circumstances, when you shoot someone, you are a criminal suspect in the eyes of the police as are the other members of your family. The police will attempt to interrogate you as they would any other criminal suspect and you may be arrested. It is always in your best interest to decline to answer questions until you've had a chance to talk with your attorney. If you must talk, tell only what actually happened! Let the crime scene support what you say. It will!
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