Posted on 03/02/2018 10:14:06 AM PST by w1n1
A complete home security plan will go beyond the gun. While firearms are a key element for home defense, they are just one of the things you need to consider. By creating a layered defense, you can reduce the odds of someone breaking in, while also increasing your advantages if you are faced with a home invader.
Here are some things you can do to help keep you and your family safe at home:
MAINTAIN YOUR PRIVACY Be careful what you tell people and who you tell. For example, avoid posting details of trips in advance on social media so that you don’t tip-off potential robbers that the house will be empty.
If you need someone to enter your home when you are gone, give him or her the key in advance. Never leave a “hidden” key for someone to access. Even if it isn’t put in an obvious spot, you never know who might see you hide it or retrieve it later.
If you need work done on your house or your yard, keep an eye on the contractors, and don’t leave them unescorted in sensitive parts of the house. You should also avoid leaving empty boxes for expensive items, like new TVs, out on trash day or otherwise advertising what valuables you have.
DON'T MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM
Don’t leave ladders or tools in easily accessible places, like against the house or in poorly secured sheds. This keeps someone from using your own tools to break into your house.
(This is even truer for owners of gun safes. Don’t install them near the very tools needed to break into them.) And don’t leave a garage door opener in a car in the driveway, especially if you aren’t home.
DON’T GIVE THEM PLACES TO HIDE
By keeping your yard well lit, you deny potential intruders the cover of darkness. If you don’t want lights on all the time, use motion detectors, which are inexpensive and easy to install. They also have the added benefit of possibly alerting you when someone is in the yard when they light up.
Another trick is to plant roses or other thorny plants outside windows to keep bad guys from literally “hiding in the bushes.”
HARDEN YOUR HOME By “hardening” your home you make it physically harder for someone to break in. This may send some potential intruders off in search of easier prey, as well as keep out, or at least slow down, more determined home invaders.
The security of your home begins with all of your entrances. At the very least, lock all windows and doors, including upper floor windows.
All exterior doors should be solid.
Do not have “doggie doors,” as people have been known to crawl through to get inside.
Avoid doors with glass that can be knocked out to access the inside locks from outside.
Door locks should be grade 1 or grade 2 deadbolts with a four-screw strike plate box and a heavy duty strike plate.
The screws should be 3 inches long so they extend into the wall frame. This will make it harder for anyone to kick in your door. For extra protection, specialty products such as EZ Armor or security doors can be installed.
One common weak point is the door between the house and the garage. If this is a hollow-core, interior-grade door, it should be replaced with a solid exterior-grade door for added protection. Read the rest of the home security guide here.
bttt
Conspicuously missing: Get a couple dogs
According to a book on home safety I read fifty years ago, all you need is a safe room, telephone line, a broom, a pair of scissors and tape.
If someone breaks in, retreat to your safe room, call the police, if the line has not been cut, then break apart scissors and tape the blade to the broom handle.
Now that is easy isn’t it! No use of firearms mentioned anywhere in the book.
Watchdog barking, do he bite?
Yes, he do.
"We don't dial 911 around here."
"If you can read this, you're in range."
And have some hidden but easily reached weapons available in every room....
Another missing item:
It is ususlly easy to poke a tool through the gap at the top of the garage door and hook the door-opener slide. A strategically-placed 2x4 in the middle of the gap can prevent this.
And leave really big dog dishes out by your front door.
Haha :D
INCOMING FUR MISSLE!
LOL, that’s a classic. My daughter got taken down by a big dog at her vet clinic a few days ago and sprained her ankle. It’s a dangerous business!
1) Move to Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine.
2) Get a dog.
bkmk
Done.
Another item to consider is an alarm system.
If you don’t want a service that charges by the month, you can buy a wireless alarm system on Amazon. For about $250 you can get a wireless alarm system that comes with a console (for wall mounting) and a dozen or more entry sensors (doors & windows) If you don’t have enough sensors in the packaged box system, each sensor is about an extra $12-$15 (you’ll need 1 for each door and one for each window). You can also buy a prepaid SIM card for about $30 and use it until the minutes run out (mine allows 60 minutes and does not expire if no calls are made). This will allow your alarm console to call or text you and up to about 5 other phones in the event of a break-in.
I’m really glad I monitor my own, as my wife forgets and sets it off at least once a month.
I’ll have to look at the one at the house.
Thanks!
Another missing item:
It is ususlly easy to poke a tool through the gap at the top of the garage door and hook the door-opener slide. A strategically-placed 2x4 in the middle of the gap can prevent this.
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