FOG HORN Commentary February 2010

Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved. ~ 1 ~

A Strategy for Home Defense That You Can Live With.

By: Sal Palma

“To Serve and Protect” How many times have you seen that venerable logo stenciled on the side of law enforcement vehicles? Yet, there is not a day that goes by, when a family or

individual isn’t robbed or assaulted in their own home. Statistics on home invasions are difficult to find because tabulation of the data is based on the type of crime committed. If someone broke into your home and robbed you, the crime would be reported as a robbery. The same holds true if you were robbed while walking down the street. Reporting agencies generally don’t make a distinction. I think that should change and I am sure that it will. The same holds true for crimes of violence against individuals such as rape, kidnapping and murder. Why is this all happening when law enforcement agencies are here to “Protect”? The reality is that law enforcement may deter but they simply cannot protect you. This is your job as a responsible individual or parent in our society. Law enforcement will deter, investigate and prosecute and you need to come to grips with it so that, as a responsible individual, you can develop a strategy that works for you and your family. However, all is not doom and gloom. For the first half of 2009

the FBI has reported a 4.4% decrease in crime across the country1. For years, the various fire departments across our country have been visiting homes and apartments looking for potential fire hazards. They have also been and continue to be very active in developing community awareness. The underlying theme of fire safety has always and will continue to be prevention and reaction. I’d like you to keep that frame of mind when we address defensive issues. Let’s begin with prevention. There are a number of highly effective and inexpensive steps that you can take to prevent crime from coming to your home?

Don’t invite crime to your home by leaving windows and doors open or leaving items in your yard, where they are visible to people passing by.

If you are traveling, have your mail held at the post office and stop your newspaper deliveries.

You can also install zone timers that will turn your lights on and off at random intervals. I am suggesting zones because you don’t want to be turning on the same garage light every night –all that does is telegraph your absence.

Assuming you can trust them; communicate your absence with

1 Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime

Report.

FOG HORN Commentary February 2010

Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved. ~ 2 ~

your neighbors. There is safety in numbers.

Just those simple things can go a long way to keeping crime from coming to your home, but what should you do to defend? There are a several schools of thought here ranging from spending two weeks at a warrior dude ranch to keeping a shotgun under your bed. Here are my suggestions, and let’s begin by talking about defensive infrastructure.

Ensure that exterior locks and doors are solid. All exterior doors that provide access into your home should be a solid wood or other material of your choosing. Hollowed out doors are fine for interior doors but they do nothing to keep someone from kicking your door in.

The weakest point on your door is the lock. In order to install your lock, the door has to be hollowed out and this creates a weak spot. Make sure that this area is reinforced – usually done with a stainless steel plate - to add strength and rigidity to the lock.

Make sure that the locks you choose do not provide a gripping surface where something like a strap wrench can be used to twist off the lock.

Make sure that deadbolts extend all the way through. In other words when you engage the deadbolt, the bolt should extend completely into the molding and that the hole in the molding is reinforced.

Install an alarm system that monitors fire as well as intrusion. Whatever system you select should have a panic button or ambush

position. You’ll use this feature very little so don’t get something that requires you to enter a string of digits because in a panic you will forget. I also suggest that you purchase a system that functions on a cellular network.

I am a great fan of having a trained guard dog. They are not cheap but they are wonderful around the house and family. Once they bond, God help the SOB that tries to harm you or your kids.

I don’t like door chains because you need to open the door to talk to someone on the other side. Instead, install an intercom so that you can speak to the individual behind a closed door. They are not expensive and well worth the money.

Last but not least, for every adult in the house there should be a firearm, why? The Marines have a saying that goes like this,”…one is none and two is one…” Translated it means that you need a backup in the event that you can’t get to your primary. Firearms are important and you should have them.

I left the gun issue for last because this is a measure of last resort. Shooting someone is not a pleasant thing and equally important is the fact that when the projectile leaves the barrel it is indiscriminate.

I’ve addressed prevention and defensive infrastructures, and what I’ve suggested to you are minimum requirements. Now let’s talk about strategy. Our friends at the fire department have always advocated planning. I am going to

FOG HORN Commentary February 2010

Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved. ~ 3 ~

do the same and this is particularly true when there are children involved.

Create one or two safe zones in your home. A safe zone is any place that you can defend, and I’ll discuss this a bit further along in the article.

In the event of an intrusion you and your children should move into your safe zone. This has to be an automatic response from every member of the family. In your safe zone, you should have your firearm, a phone and/or your alarm console with a panic button. Once you’ve collected your family, your first step is to notify police by calling 911 or hitting your panic button on your alarm console. The absolute last thing that you want to do is wonder around the house trying to catch the culprit. Doing so exposes you to grave danger. You could be overpowered and lose control of your firearm. Nothing in your house except for your immediate family is worth your life –NOTHING!

Armed, and with your family in the safe zone with you, you are in an excellent defensive position until law enforcement arrives. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that I pity the poor bastard that tries to get to you.

Your safe zone should be a location with only one access point such as a door or hallway. Doors and hallways are funnels that can be used to concentrate your fire. Anything coming through that door or hallway will get shot period!

Finally, your key to successfully defending your home from an intrusion is to plan. The same way you plan your household budget. Once you have your plan, walk through it on a regular basis so that the human response becomes second nature. Finally, if you take my advice and have a firearm for every adult in the home, take the extra step to enroll in a gun safety and a defensive pistol class Make sure that the trainers are NRA certified. You’ll develop confidence, you will lose your fear of guns and you’ll have a blast doing it. Take it from me. I kid you not. -SP