Protecting Your Home Gun-Free
Home security tips minus the firearms. Your home is your castle; it’s your private domain. It’s also a target for opportunistic thieves who see burglary as a ticket to fast financial gain. Imagine coming home to an empty house or worse yet, being at home when a burglary is taking place.
Now that travel restrictions and quarantines are being lifted, it’s a good time to review your home security stance. You don’t need to be paranoid about home defence and buy a gun. Having a firearm in the home is just one option for home defence. There are other ways to make your home safe against a burglary attempt without using a gun.
Are you one of those guys that thinks it can’t happen to them?
Well, think again. According to 2019 Criminal Justice Information from the FBI, residential properties amounted to 62% of all burglaries and 55% of those were forcible entry crimes. It should always be in the back of your mind that your home could be on a thief’s radar.
Does owning a gun make you feel safe?
You might choose to keep a gun in the home for security, but statistics about accidental gun-related deaths are sobering and disturbing. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that 77% of accidental gun deaths happen in the home. in 2020, there were over 220 unintentional shootings by children. This has resulted in 92 deaths and 135 injuries.
Here are a few strategies for securing your home that don’t involve a gun.
No Easy Target: The first thing that you can do to protect your home is to make it a hard target. That means that potential burglars don’t view your property as an easy hit. You can do this by viewing your property at night. Are there lots of shadows and hiding places around the perimeter?
Make sure that the front entry is well illuminated and be sure to trim any hedges or bushes that might provide cover for an intruder. A burglar might also be deterred if you own a guard dog. That loud bark almost certainly will keep a thief from trying to gain entry into your home. If you have an alarm system, make sure that the sign is visible to passers-by. Some people even use fake security signs to throw off intruders.
Increase Your Detection Levels: If a burglar does decide to break into your home, then you need to know about it; the sooner the better. Here’s where a guard dog helps out again. When that dog barks, your eyes and ears should perk up, as well.
A security camera system is also a good investment. Seeing a camera could deter thieves, and if you detect an intruder, then you’ll have more time to call the police or make sure that you’re in a safe place. Some camera systems even send alerts to your smartphone or connected device when an intruder is detected. This way, you’ll increase your detection levels even when you’re not at home.
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No easy entry points: A determined burglar will probe your home until he finds a way to get inside. So, you need to make sure that your doors and windows are locked at all times. Check all of your windows. Some homes have faulty window locks and guys just put off the repair thinking that it won’t really matter. Don’t give a burglar an easy entry point.
You can go a step further by reinforcing your entry points. You can add an additional lock to your front door, and you can also reinforce the glass on your windows. 3M security film will make it harder to smash your windows and a second mechanical lock can make it more difficult to operate the window if the first lock is compromised.
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Delay the Intruder: Sometimes, a burglar isn’t deterred by any of the security protocols you’ve put in place. They could be desperate, on hard drugs, or simply insane. So, you need to give yourself more time to effectively respond. You do this by making it more difficult for the burglar to get what they want. A burglar wants to get in and get out quickly. Make it a chore and the thief might think twice about robbing you blind.
Make sure to place valuables out of sight. Don’t leave your wallet, jewellery or other valuables laying around. Store them away in a hidden spot, ideally a lockbox or safe. You could also turn out all of the lights in your home if you know that a break-in is eminent.
Shut off the switches or kill the breaker box. This might seem counter intuitive, but you’d know the layout of your home way better than a thief would. You have the advantage in the dark. Get somewhere safe and call emergency services.
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Self-Defence: You might think that having a firearm will protect you against an intruder, but if you don’t have the skills to use it, then you could just make the situation worse. Even with skilled training, the panic-filled moment might cause you to make a fatal mistake. Even if the burglar is armed, you can still defend yourself without using a gun.
Look around you. Your home is filled with tools and items that double as weapons in an emergency. A leather belt with a big buckle is an effective ranged weapon if your attacker doesn’t have a gun. You can use it to keep distance, or you can use it as a strangulation weapon. Pepper spray or even insecticide can be used to cause stinging irritation to a burglar.
Your kitchen drawers are filled with knives, but again, without proper training, you might be making the situation worse. The best thing that you can do is enrol yourself in a self-defence or martial arts class. This will give you the confidence to engage with an intruder to protect yourself long enough for emergency services to arrive.
The Takeaway
Guns aren’t always effective just because they’re lethal. You might be a tough guy, but anything can happen in a fight. Also, accidents happen with guns and you could inadvertently hurt yourself or someone that you love.
That being said, you still need to make sure that you’re prepared to defend yourself. Self-defence should be a last resort option during a home invasion or burglary. Follow the steps above to create an environment that is inhospitable to criminals. Don’t make your property an easy target. Use cameras or a guard dog for early detection and delay the intruder’s advance long enough for help to arrive.
So, have you been thinking about home defence lately? What security strategies have you put in place? Drop us a line to let us know and stay safe.
