Thoughts on Home Defense

A home in the martial sense is wherever one's guard is most relaxed.  Even the most adept warrior must sleep, and developing a safe space for such activity constitutes a basic survival skill.

The first consideration of home defense is location.  Only the ignorant begin a discussion of home defense with a weapon system, as this is a last resort.  The first consideration for home defense is an acceptable location.

A safe neighborhood is one that is well observed by neighbors with minimal turnover and a geographically isolated location.  A criminal should have a hard time finding, entering, and escaping the neighborhood relative to other neighborhoods.  A single entry road is ideal for creating a choke point for would be criminals by law enforcement or vigilantes.  Neighbors who have lived there longer tend to pay greater attention to suspicious situations and are more likely to be vigilant in reporting infractions and strange individuals.

Next, one should examine the relative location of the house or apartment.  Ideally, a home should be within close proximity of trustworthy neighbors.  If that cannot be accomplished, the home should be in an inconspicuous location tucked away from main access routes. 

For the home itself, points of entry become the next consideration.  All doors to the outside must contain a deadbolt at minimum to prevent silent lock picking. A peephole, chain, or small window is another necessity to discretely provide information on visitors.  A gate over the door can provide additional security.  Dog doors should not be used.  All windows must have secure, strong latches and sticks in their sills to prevent opening in the case of broken or forgotten latches.  Upstairs windows should be difficult to access without specialized equipment and balconies should be too high to jump and grab.  Ideally, upstairs windows should not have overhangs or extensive sills.  All windows should have steel shutters, if possible.  Screen doors should either open to an inaccessible balcony, or connect to the main living area of the home.  Screen doors to bedrooms pose an extra security risk.  Ventilation ducts, attics, and basements should not have direct entrances from the outside. 

Now that the points of contact with the home are covered, a home owner must establish a continuum of escalation during a break in.  Sleeping should ideally be done in a room that is accessible only through a lockable door and an inaccessible window, preferably on the second story.  Sleeping in a windowless room is even more ideal, though it may conflict with some preferences.  The main living area should constitute a safety buffer between the outside world and the bedroom, such that a break in will enter the main area and be detected before contacting the bedroom.  In a rich home, a panic room, or windowless, hidden, and reinforced room adjacent to the bedroom can be used to protect occupants before a breach of the bedroom is possible as well as providing a safe place to phone authorities.  If a panic room or tactical retreat is impossible, a homeowner must phone authorities and/or fight.

This is where a discussion of home defense weapons and combat becomes relevant: as a final line of defense when all other lines have been fully exhausted.  Use of a gun provides the advantage of range, speed, and ease of use, but other methods are possible.  When no gun is available, the defender should find an ambush point and wait with a heavy blunt object and knife.  This author recommends a large maglight and a tanto point.  Those skilled in gun disarms may find the knife alone is sufficient.  The first priority is getting out of the line of fire of a potential attacker, the second is to control the weapon's aim, and the third is to neutralize the attacker.  Striking the attacker with the maglight, grabbing control of the gun, and repeatedly stabbing the attacker in the neck is one example of these principles in effect.

Now that all possible levels of home defense have been considered, the reader should note the various kinds of criminals who will be deterred at various levels.  They consist of three types: opportunistic criminals, committed criminals, and selective criminals.

Opportunists seek easy entry and exit from homes, minimal resistance, and easy access to valuables.  These criminals may be deterred through simple neighborhood selection, attention to locks, and inaccessibility of windows.  These are the least selective criminals, as anyone's valuables will satisfy them.  These are the most common criminals who require the least amount of will power and they exist on a continuum from thieves to serial murderers. 

Committed criminals have chosen a specific home, but are indifferent to the occupants.  They will generally study a house for weaknesses and design a tactical approach to home invasion.  Such criminals usually remain committed despite disadvantages because of the high value of their targets.  These criminals will usually be deterred by a well locked bedroom, but some may require a panic room to avoid contact.

Finally, selective criminals are the most terrifying type, as they have chosen a specific occupant or set of occupants as their targets.  These criminals will not be deterred easily by mere difficulty of entry.  They will need to be removed by authorities or neutralized.  Such criminals tend to seek vengeance, information, hostages, or sadistic pleasure.

This author encourages the reader to meditate on their preparations for home defense, the sorts of criminals that are likely, and the layers of protection their home currently affords.  All self defense is a matter of probability and it is possible to reduce one's probability of victimization to nearly zero with appropriate preparations.