How fast to access your protection

In Southern California, there has been a string of home invasions which have been specifically targeting homes with guns. A group of 4-5 thugs would enter the home and empty the gun safes, usually in the early AM hours.

How fast can you get to your guns in a case of a home invasion at 2 am in the morning when you are asleep?

What other measures can we take?

 

A home security system would probably be best. Hopefully it would wake you before they gained entry.

 

Try a quick access safe bolted down in a convenient location. Some have a hand shaped indentation on the top and by pressing your fingers you enter the combination to open the safe. The door pops open and an LED gently illuminates the interior. It takes about 2 seconds to open. If things are bad you can open the safe when going to bed and close it in the morning so your gun remains locked when you are not in the room. I do not like fingerprint locks as they can be fussy you scratch or cut your finger.

One of the best defences might be discretion. If thieves are targeting homes with guns and gun safes... don't make it known that you have guns. One of the worst advertisements is a big shiny safe out in the open where the cable guy, delivery person or any other shmo coming to the door or looking through a window can see it. When out don't brag about what you've got. Just keep your mouth closed and go low profile.

 

With a 4 number tumbler, I just don't see how they are "emptying" gun safes. It takes me nearly half a minute to open mine, but that's not where I keep my home protection weapons. I agree with Dane on discretion. I am always armed, but no one knows it. That is the fallacy of "open carry", too. You are the first one that will be taken down in a bad situation. Concealed carry doesn't advertise that you are macho.

 

MarkSR, I do have a home security alarm and we use it even when we are at home. It is a very good system. But with any alarm system, there is an entry delay (for unarm purpose) if they were to kick the main door down. I also have zone detectors outside of the house and we know exactly where a person is when on property.

Pilot Dane, I agree with everything you wrote. And for that reason, I usually do not share my gun stash, including online. If you read my two other posts in this firearm section, I tend to be limited on information as well. You are I are a like in that way. I will share that I can get (from any where in my house):

2-5 seconds to the destination
3 seconds to open
1-2 seconds to get into position

I keep a number of other things around the house to deter while I get to the destination.

But at night while we are sleeping, this means nothing.

I guess maybe my real question is what other counter measures can I take that is within the legal realm. I know this maybe an overkill but I am thinking of putting in solid doors for my master bedroom with deadbolts. I am also thinking of buying body armor and helmet for my wife and I. We have no immediate threats or so but for some reason, I just feel that we need to be ready at all time.

I opted this out because they can just cut your hands off to open.

Completely agree! The only exception to this is my 2nd Amendment sign. I will take that down.

I am not sure what you mean Chandler. The thugs break in the AM hours and hold the home owners at gun point, making them open the safes.

I have thought about this and the logic is true.

 

It is really hard to secure a home enough to slow down the bad guys. As mentioned they can virtually walk through most front doors and if that doesn't work all of those windows are easy alternatives. It takes a lot of planning and expense to actually secure a home.

The more important part is securing the people inside, along with some personal protection. A heavy bedroom door wouldn't stop them from going through the drywall, so more planning.

But yes, a secure bedroom surrounded by security alarms would buy you the needed time to access what you need.

Check your system to see if you can eliminate the delay when you head to bed. You want an instant alarm if the front door is opened.

Bud

 

As a pro alarm installer..... the systems I install have three modes of arming.
1) Enter code and leave house. Usually allows 60 seconds to exit.... 30 seconds on delayed door when returning to disarm. All other devices are active except for any motion detector in sight of the delayed door.

2) Stay with delay. Enter code and alarm is instantly activated except for the motions. Allows 30 seconds to disarm after delayed door is activated. That's important as all the other perimeter protection is instant.

3) Stay with no delay. Enter code and alarm is instantly activated except for the motions. There is no delay on the delayed doors. Any perimeter point will activate the alarm instantly.

I normally recommend three when at home unless someone will be coming home after you go to bed.

You can add a panic button to the system. It is a 24 hour silent alarm that operates whether or not alarm is armed. Cops love responding to a panic alarm.

 

I actually prefer that they go through the windows since that will set off the motion detectors and send a break in to the alarm company.


You are so right and I forgot all about this.


PJMax, I am writing an email to my alarm company to understand how Stay works on my alarm. Does it acts as #2 or #3 as you posted but thank you for the detail information. Your recommendation of #3 is what I am looking for.


I think my system can be programmed so that it can be "Stay" or "Away" at certain hours.

 

Does Kalifornia law require you store all firearms under lock and key? If not, do you live with children, a pet orangutan, a sleepwalking octopus or vindictive spouse, ...or have other personal reasons for wanting all guns locked up?

 

I'm a pretty light sleeper at night. I even wake up to the noise of neighbors starting their car or dumping a bag of trash in the container. Those are 40 ft away behind a block wall from my bedroom. Might be cause I have a cat with asthma and it seems she always has attacks in the middle of the night and I have to put her on the nebulizer til we get to the vet, so I possibly subconsciously listen for noises out of the ordinary.

I have my .45 in a bed holster at night and nightlights throughout the house (except my bedroom) as well as a small tactical light on my nightstand. My loaded (action open) 20ga Mossberg Cruiser loaded with 6 rds of #4 buck is hanging on a hook 3 ft away from the bed in a small closet, if needed.

I live alone and never have visitors so I don't have the concerns others may have.

Although this is a rental and I can't install any alarms, I've been thinking an interior motion detector connected to a lamp might be a good idea. I already have security strikes installed and steel doors in front and into the garage. Yes, I use the pipe in he sliding door track also, and all the windows have locks.

We don't have gangs as such as the do in KA, Detriot, NYC, etc. Our main issue is meth/heroin heads or teens. Kids normally only break into empty houses as a rule and will run at lights or noise from inside and the meth/H heads are too stoned to think clearly and just make a lot of noise til the cops show up.

And yes Fred, I believe KA requires a lockbox or safe approved by the State and they can come inspect it any time they want.

 

Years ago I used to travel for business a lot (driving) and wanted to carry, had my CC permit. But the businesses I was working in would have frowned on me carrying into their offices. My solution was the miniature revolver in 22LR. Small enough that no one ever guessed it was in my pocket. Now I know most would say "worthless", but it was 1000% better than pointing my finger at someone and telling them to leave me alone.

Today our state has eliminated the requirement for a permit to carry and I find I now carry that little guy 100% of the time. It's not much but combined with my size and loud mouth I can probably intimidate 99% of the bad guys. And the other 1% will be sorry they didn't back off.

The reason I'm addicted to this little guy relates to that access time. My other guns are all secured but even with the quick combination handgun vault I doubt I could get to it if someone came through the front door. At night my dogs would alert me and I could probably access my 357. But bad guys don't just come at night. Having "something" in your pocket or on your belt is a secure feeling.

Bud

 

While I don't rely on this for a firefight, it is, as you say, better than pointing your finger and saying "bang". .22 mag derringer in a wallet holster. It goes everywhere with me. I forget I have it in my back pocket.

 

Thats not actually true...

In this part of the world (and it's not even that dangerous here compared to lots of places) even people who aren't what you would call well off have houses that you can't get into that quickly.

It's not much of an engineering challenge. Don't make doors out of wood, don't make door frames out of wood, don't use cheap pin number locks, put iron bars and/or shutters on the windows.

Having poorly secured houses is a luxury of a generally high level of security. All things considered, it's a good problem to have. Especially since it being so hard to get into a house with a decent door and lock (we're not talking about international master criminals here) means the thugs usually go for the easy solution: Surprising you with a gun to your head while you're unlocking the door.

That tangent aside... One thing that will give you a lot more time to get to your weapon and may keep the criminals away in the first place are....... puppies.

Big puppies...



Better than an alarm IMO