Tools for home defense

Posted on by Ghost
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Tools for home defense

Okay, I'll be stomping some toes, but if You know me in any way, You would know that I will not allow people to be misguided or get into a world of trouble as a result of any form of ignorance or lack of relevance. As I'm sure you know (otherwise you probably need to watch the news more often), the occurrence of home-invasions is increasing and the severity of it as well. Often a lot of friends and family members will advise you on a bunch of crap they use to smash in an intruder's face. Which is fine, in a sense, but is it as safe and effective as it could be? Sadly my friends and family members never gave me any proper advice on that matter most of them sounded purely insane or made me cringe (in a bad way).

So on that thought, Id, like to cover some basic tools every home should have handy. At least for 2 family members as well. And please do not stash your weapons and ammunition all over the damned home! You never know when, where, and at what time an intruder is willing to pop through your window for a surprise visit! And then, having stashed your weapons all over the home, you might find the least lethal weapon you can access facing a more lethal threat at hand! It's been seen over and over again that these invasions happen when least expected!

What is a home invasion?

A home invasion is not a normal type of crime, it is much more violent. Mostly committed by more seasoned criminals. A home invasion can turn very violent. With almost all home invasions the intruders have gained access using force, such as prying open a burglar bar or smashing in a window and even kicking down doors. Then they pull out their preferred weapons (force multiplier), usually a firearm or knife, they like to tie up the victims and beat them up for information on safes and other valuable items. In a worst-case scenario, women and children are raped and someone loses their lives. As such, you should take much more care to prepare for such a threat.

What type of tools should you have?

  • Flashlight with strobe and stun function
  • Force multiplier (Weapon of choice eg. a Firearm, Pepper spray, or Baseball bat.)
  • Bulletproof vest
  • Emergency phone
  • Medical kit
  • Tactical mindset - use your brain!

These are not necessarily in order of importance,  as you will have to rely on your skills and tactics to make things effective. If you're not trained in using a piece of equipment, then you should first seek some guidance and training. It is of no use if your out in the open swinging baseball bats and an intruder whips out a 9mm. Force either needs force or equally effective tactics to stop it. If handing over your car keys will save a family member's life, do it. If it would more likely lead to a family member's death or dare I say it, rape, then do not do it! Of course, you need to be ready to engage with all your might when that situation occurs.

Conclusion:

Having different types of equipment is not nearly as effective as having the proper training and mindset to go with it. Will tools save your life? No, your tools alone probably won't. But using them in the right combination will undoubtedly increase your chances of survival! The real solution lies in the plans you put in place for the tools and tactics you wish to use. Laws differ from country to country and state to state, making it easier or more complicated for some. Your job is to keep on learning and find a way to work around the barriers you face. Until then, keep safe and look out for coming posts on some tools I recommend.

Don’t be that guy

Posted on by Ghost
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Don't be that guy

We all know him, the mister know it all. The one who never trains reads or improves any useful skill, yet he seems to think he can take on anyone from a heavy-weight boxer to a master shooter. The little Jack-Russel of security. Sound like you? or anyone you know?

Maybe you are, you just don't know it yet?

I'm not trying to make you feel like an idiot, but sometimes each of us just needs a little reality check. A little slap in the face to wake up and see the threat. What threat is that? The threat of complacency of course! Ask yourself this, do you train for survival or self-defense? Are you actively taking steps in improving your security? Or do you just accept the fact that crime is a thing and if it happens, it happens? All too often I see this, and perhaps its something most not dares to tread on, but, to me its a BIG threat. Have you ever just sat down in a restaurant and watched a few people pass by, and come to think that you could easily defeat them in a hand-to-hand brawl or a shootout in the mall? If you haven't, then you have an even bigger problem than you think. If you did, then you probably at some point in time realized that perhaps 50% of those relatively "easy" targets are trained in some form of martial arts or weapons handling themselves.

What's the problem with that?

The problem with that is simple. And the legendary Mr. Bruce Lee summed it up quite beautifully - "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.". You could try and say the time you spend in the gym improves your overall skill set, but you won't fool me. Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect. Just because you drive your car every day does not mean you are a better driver than someone who only drives once a week. The same driver who only spends time once a week behind the wheel might be spending all his effort around a race track or advanced driving course for that day, and by doing such, he is actively developing his skillset, he can identify possible weaknesses and at his next driving session target those weaknesses specifically and develop them into strengths. But you, you just keep repeating the same routine over and over, thus it's safe to say, you are not improving. Experience is not always key.

Complacency - a slow creeping, yet an imminent threat.

You might be thinking that this post is a complete waste of time and why would I ever even consider spending time on this. Because it could kill you, it kills every day. Just ask around, you would be surprised at how many people lose their lives due to the fact they think they are on top of their game, they neglect simple security principles and create gaps in their defenses. I'm not the only one who thinks complacency is an issue, this is a good example of how it creeps in on any security detail or your own life for that matter. Just like hitting the shower once a day, you need to hit the training department once a day and make sure you are fresh and ready to kick-ass!

Uh - ok, what now?

Consistency equals accuracy! You simply have to consistently identify weaknesses, accurately implement strategies or training to minimize the risks, and then rinse and repeat if you want to accurately improve your security. That means hitting the gym with a plan on improving, not repeating what you know, it means studying material like this to learn more and it also means testing all of your equipment and defenses to be certain that you have it all covered! Cause if you truly know the human race, you would know that we are evil and fierce! And they will find a way, as long as the reward adds up to the effort!

Don't be that guy

So I call on all of you to get out there and improve your skills! And when the next BBQ calls on your presence, don't be that guy, accept the fact that you do not know it all and that you can and probably will be knocked the heck out! We all have something to learn from each other and something to teach each other.