[Brew]

Yes in the quiet yuppie world where we live, we were watching tv in bed last night. Alarm system off, unsure as to the door lock status, and we both heard the garage door go up. Now the area has a long history of garage thefts and burglary through garage access. The cops do the best they can, but there are 5 cops for 50,000 people and some of them have to attend paperwork and the normal duties to keep everything running so no blame there at all. Give em the resources for more staff and the quality sky rockets. keep em hamstrung and we have what we have.

So laying in bed we hear the garage door go up, and flip on the lights. In the confusion of what handgun to grab I opted for the AK and snapped in a 40. By the time I got downstairs the light coming on triggered them to drop the door and take off, so I cleared the garage and came back in. Its common for thieves to have a box of garage door openers, and try several at a house to see if any work. Then come back after setting new combinations and try again a few times.

Thanksgiving on most of the folks here were at their families so no theft reports have come back in for the area yet according to the PD but they expect to hear some after everyone gets back.

I set off the alarm to test right after and the alarm company did not respond. This tells me our files are wrong or the modem is not working. Of course if the phone gets cut it won't work at all, and just add a confusing siren to the mix, so consider that if you have an alarm.

My corrective actions:
1. Chain through the door's tracks.
2. Set the alarm.
3. put the underfolder .30 carbine next to the bed till another weapon more suitable is in place. That is our only slower, weaker round.
4. change garage door opener combinations.

My mistakes:
1. Gun confusion (from someone who knows better)
2. Not locking the garage entry into the house and alarming.
3. Not checking the alarm with the company.
4. Picking up an AK that would have sent AP rounds through our walls and the neighbors. Stupid mistake. I have been sloppy mixing AP and Ball with no regard to day to day use. AP needs to be locked down in deep storage.

So yes, we were almost to the pink mist meltdown stage last night. We will be looking in to a 9mm that will stay inside the house as well as other measures for less lethal responses.

Your comments?

 

[trainedtosave]

I was gonna mention the AK thing, but you already caught yourself. My carry pistol, a Glock 27, gets home defense duty at night. I just pull the 10 round carry mag and put in a 15 rounder with hollow points. It goes on the nightstand, and in the morning I just switch mags and put it back in the holster.

Also, might there be a way to connect your garage door opener to an on/off switch?

 

[trixie]

big mistake turning on the lights! you need to be able to function in the dark in your home. what gun to go to should be decided beforhand, but you said that already. its easy to fall into complacency as far as locking doors and windows and such.

 

[madcritter]

"Chain through the door's tracks"

A lot of folks are using a large bolt fastened to the bottom of the door and sliding into the door frame. It is a bit easier for the ladies to unlock when they are ready to go out.

 

[MarkJones]

I am sorry you had to face what you did BUT no one was hurt and you learned some great information at no cost. Just remember that cleaning companies that do zombie clean up are hard to find lol. :thumb:

 

[trainedtosave]

"Chain through the door's tracks"

A lot of folks are using a large bolt fastened to the bottom of the door and sliding into the door frame. It is a bit easier for the ladies to unlock when they are ready to go out.

Would that burn out the opener motor, if it is activated, while the door is held shut with a manual lock?

 

[Brew]

It was a terrible mistake, but the only one handy as I had it out and unlock for cleaning.

AP belongs in the deep storage ammo cans. There is no excuse for turning a local isolated issue into a much larger one, due to sloppy practices.

We have had some real bad home invasions both to the north and south of us 15-20 miles so it can happen here just as easy.

 

[Brew]

Would that burn out the opener motor, if it is activated, while the door is held shut with a manual lock?

Yes. I can replace the motor, but not my wife.

 

[trainedtosave]

Yes. I can replace the motor, but not my wife.

Good point.

 

[Brew]

big mistake turning on the lights! you need to be able to function in the dark in your home. what gun to go to should be decided beforhand, but you said that already. its easy to fall into complacency as far as locking doors and windows and such.

That was the only right thing as it caused them to put the garage door down and take off. As mentioned zombie clean up companies don't come cheap and are not easy to find. I don't intend to hurt anyone, but I do intend to meet any level of force directed at either of us.

 

[nickeynova]

do u have a motion detector light on ur garage? i have a duel flood light on the front of mine. very bright, have it set to turn on when u get half way up to the garage. works very well.

 

[Hallofo]

I'll throw my support in with the motion sensor light thing, it works well for me AND keeps the critters away.

However, for dealing with late night visitors I prefer Mr. 12 Gauge with a half-dozen 00 arguments as to why you should not steal things from me.

 

[trainedtosave]

I'll throw my support in with the motion sensor light thing, it works well for me AND keeps the critters away.

However, for dealing with late night visitors I prefer Mr. 12 Gauge with a half-dozen 00 arguments as to why you should not steal things from me.

I won't shoot someone over property, but if they are in my house, they are threatening me and my family, different story there.

 

[Brew]

do u have a motion detector light on ur garage? i have a duel flood light on the front of mine. very bright, have it set to turn on when u get half way up to the garage. works very well.

Yes we have motion but it did no good. The lights in the garage also come on, but the target time was when most of the town was gone to relatives homes. Our street is pretty much empty right now, except us. Most all of the homes here have motion lights and alarms too but it doesn't make a dent in the garage entries. We have good top notch cops here. They are just underfunded and no money for patrol units in a larger residential neighborhood and city.

 

[blacktree]

1. You might think about a shotgun. I like my Mossberg 590. Too many times a druggie can take a lot of 9mm.

2. NEVER turn on the lights. Know your house and practice. Meeting the perp in the dark is another reason to have a shotgun. You would be amazed at the number of shots missed by trained LEOs under pressure. A shotgun rarely misses and does very little incidental damage.

3. I noticed you had to put in a magazine and chamber a round. You do see the wasted time, right. An unloaded weapon is, at best, a club. What if someone picked the lock and came in your room before you saw them. You did have the tv on, so you might not have heard them. Good reason to have one of those possessive, yapping little dogs in the house.

 

[Brew]

I won't shoot someone over property, but if they are in my house, they are threatening me and my family, different story there.

Same story here. Take whatever. The garage to house door being unlocked was the critical mistake, that would bring on the shoot or no shoot response with the adrenaline running. The place where stupid kids that don't know any better or came from poor environments end up getting killed for a few dollars worth of stolen goods. If the door was locked and kicked, the threat responses change, but now being unlocked I let an idiot walk in front of a loaded weapon.

For all we know it could have been a serial killer just as easy.

 

[Hess]

Glad to hear you weren't hurt. I prefer my Moosberg 590 with 00 buck in it for in home protection. Even in the dark it's hard to miss. In 1991 we shot 44 inmates during a riot and they came apart quite readily with 00 buck. The sound of the slide scares them too. Good luck in the future , I don't we are going back to Norman Rockwell's America anytime soon.

 

[madcritter]

Would that burn out the opener motor, if it is activated, while the door is held shut with a manual lock?

probable but a motor is cheaper than a familys life. Object is to keep them from coming in that way.

 

[eeyore]

Sounds like you have learned from your experience. Just keeping up the practice over the long haul will be the hard part.

I would perfer to meet a situation as you discribe with a 12 or 20 gauge.
You don't have a manuel lock on the garage door?

Sounds like you are doing the right thing.

 

[pete7469]

Long guns are tough to manuver w/ in a house. A springfield XD w/ a light attached would be my primary tool. The wife can stay w/ the kids and the shotgun if I don't make it.