Here’s What to Know . . .

By Cara Conry

Have you ever considered what you would do if someone broke into your home?  The FBI reported that there were nearly 450,000 home invasions (burglary at a residence) in 2022.  Of those burglaries, over 53% occurred during the daytime.  Don’t be complacent if you think having a security system or a dog will fully protect you, having a plan is the best way to prepare if the need arises to protect people and property in your home.

What is a home defense plan?

A home defense plan is something everyone should consider to protect themselves and others residing under the same roof in case of a home invasion.  That plan should account for every member of a household and should be revisited often, especially as everyone gets older.  When revisiting, consider that people’s roles in that plan may change, or the entire plan itself may change.

The following items might influence what your plan includes and how it is executed.

• -Are there young children in the home that are not capable of protecting themselves?
• -Do you have teenagers or adult children that may have access to the home and could arrive during the middle of the night unannounced?
• -Are there any disabled persons in the home that cannot easily move around?

Your plan should include as much detail as possible.  For example, parents with a small child may have in their plan on who will go to protect the child and who will call 911 in the event of an incident.

There is no standard plan to follow, and there are many varying options on what a plan could look like on the internet and your plan may or may not include a home defense firearm.  A home defense plan needs to be personalized to your situation and may look very different from someone else’s plan because of situational factors.  Most importantly, every state has different laws regarding defense inside of the home and it’s important that you know and understand your state’s laws so that your home defense plan remains within the boundaries of those laws.

Where do you start?

The first step is drafting a blueprint of your home.  Roughly draw out each room, wall, door and window.  Even consider yard access in case there would be a need to escape.  Note where defensive tools may be located within the home.  Finally you might have a couple of copies so that you can place on the blueprint where residents of the home would likely be in the house during the day versus during night hours to analyze.

Then consider the residents of your home – What is their age?  Just because a family member might not be old enough or able to wield a firearm or a bat does not mean they have no method to defend themselves.  We teach children at a young age how to protect themselves if they are on fire “Stop!  Drop and Roll!”.  That is giving them some measure of responsibility to protect themselves.  Even a young, mobile member of the family could be taught as part of the plan to take specific action based on a code word.  Only you know the maturity level of your children and what you can entrust them with.  Maybe it’s climbing out of their first floor window and running to a neighbor’s home (who would have to know that would be possible) to escape an invader.

Are there helpless occupants in the home?  This could be babies and small children, or possibly an older child or an adult with a disability, be it physical or mental.  It could even be an elderly adult with mobility issues.  Each member of the family needs to be considered as part of the plan, and some plans can be very complex based on the number of people in the home.  Who is going to be responsible for these members?  And what if that person is not around?

This is the heart of the plan.  What actions need to take place in a home invasion?  Who is responsible for each action?  Who will call 911?  Does the plan include confronting the invader or do you employ an exit strategy?  Does the plan change based on where the invader may be located?  Split floorplans are very common now where children’s rooms are separated from the primary bedroom.  That might change the plan because having the invader between you and your young children could pose lots of problems.

The key is to be creative, think outside the box for what could happen to create your plan.  There’s no way you will be able to plan for every scenario, but make sure the basics are covered.

What is the best firearm for home defense?

Just as your home defense plan is personalized to you, the same goes for what firearm you may choose to have for home defense.  Your home defense tool may be a firearm, or it may include other less than lethal weapons.  Ensure what you have is within the legal bounds of your state’s laws and that you can legally possess the tool that you choose to have for home defense.

Common firearms used for home defense include pistols, AR platform rifles, and shotguns.  It is important to note that no matter what firearm you may choose for home defense, safety still applies!  It is your responsibility to ensure that firearms remain out of the hands of those who should not have them including, but not limited to…

• -Children
• -Those who are not trained or not legally allowed to handle a firearm
• -The intruder themselves

There should be some consideration on how you will store your home defense firearm.  If it is stored in a locked safe, make sure it is also quickly accessible by those who are authorized to use them.  Biometric safes have become much more affordable and are available for both pistols, as well as long guns, and make quick access attainable.  Just make sure you regularly change or charge the batteries if the safe is not powered by a plug!

Pistols are commonly used for home defense due to their size and concealability, allowing a pistol to be stored in close proximity to someone, yet secured in a safe.  They are easy to maneuver with and work well in short distance situations.  There are options with many pistols to install optics for sighting and pistol mounted flashlights to illuminate an area.  Pistols are one of the most difficult firearms to use due to having the least stable platform, and with a shorter barrel, it may be harder to get an accurate shot at longer distances.  With training and practice a pistol can be a viable choice for a home defense firearm.

AR platform rifles have gained popularity as a home defense firearm due to their size and adaptability to the owner and a vast selection in multiple price points.  People have found them to be easy to learn to shoot with training, and can customize the AR rifle to their needs with an adjustable stock and options for different sized barrels to make the rifle shorter.  A shorter barrel makes it easier to maneuver in smaller spaces compared to a standard hunting rifle, yet having a higher likelihood of more accuracy at distance than a pistol.  Most AR rifles have handguards that have rails and slots to mount additional tools like optics and a flashlight.  One limiting factor for AR rifles is that they can be heavy for some people when fully loaded, and they are not as easy to conceal and generally would need to be stored in a larger rifle safe.

With manufacturers designing shorter barreled shotguns for law enforcement use, the shotgun has gained traction as a home defense firearm.  Shotguns have proven very effective when used with the correct ammo as a self-defense tool.  Most instructors and law enforcement departments recommend using 00 buckshot (pronounced double-aught) for self-defense purposes.  Birdshot does not reliably penetrate deep enough, even at shorter distances.

Choosing to use a home defense shotgun takes special consideration because of its power, and if it’s a pump shotgun, the strength to be able to rack to chamber each round.  There are reliable semi-automatic shotguns on the market, which takes away the need to chamber each round, but the most reliable brands are expensive.  Recoil from a shotgun is also something people struggle to control without professional instruction and training to properly handle the gun.

It is also key to know that unlike most pistols, shotguns cannot be stored loaded as they are not “drop safe”, meaning if the shotgun was dropped or if it falls, it will go off if there is a round chambered.  This can be helped by staging your pump or semi-automatic shotgun in a “closet/cruiser ready” state in the safe to be quickly deployed and remain safe while stored.

Less than Lethal Home Defense Tools

There are many less than lethal tools available to people for self-defense and these tools could be used for home defense purposes as well.  Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray, commonly known as pepper spray, is an option and many manufacturers who make OC spray for carrying, also make larger models to have around the house or in a vehicle.  Ensure you are buying a quality brand that discloses their Major Capsaiacinoid percentage (MC %) and that the product you choose is legal in your state.  An MC percentage of 1.4% is the maximum recommended limit for use on humans, but states have authority to set laws to reduce that limit.  For example, in New York, the legal limit is only 0.7% MC.  Every OC spray product has a recommended range of distance that the unit is rated to spray within.  Buy and practice with inert trainers that mimic the units and be sure to set reminders to change out expired products.

There have been multiple manufacturers who have introduced airsoft (CO2 or green gas) based projectile launchers that may dissuade an intruder.  These launchers can shoot projectiles made of rubber or metal or even pepper balls at an attacker to inflict pain to turn them away.  It is important to know that even though these products are considered less than lethal, they are still considered weapons in most states and if used incorrectly could still be considered to inflict serious physical injury or can even be lethal (especially using metal projectiles).  It is important that you do your research on these products from reputable experts to determine what tool works best for your home defense plan.

If You Look Like Food, You Will Be Eaten

Having a home defense plan is key to reacting to an intruder, but also consider hardening your home to make it undesirable as a target for the intruder.  Outdoor and indoor lighting, even if you are not home, takes away the privacy intruders want.  If you are able, install a security system to help warn and buy your family time to react when an intruder has breached your home.  Keep garage doors closed and bushes and trees trimmed when near the home.

Make it a habit to lock all exterior doors all the time.  That includes the door from your garage into your home!  Speaking of doors, replacing original deadbolt strike plate screws with longer, 3 inch reinforced screws to anchor into studs make any intruder have to work harder to kick the door in.

Practice Your Plan

Regardless of what your home defense plan looks like or the tools it involves, it is imperative that you review and practice your plan regularly.  Set up mock scenarios and involve all people in executing your plan so that if you ever have to put into play, it won’t be the first time.  Not sure what to mock up?  Here’s a playlist of actual scenarios that have occurred and advice on what went well or could have been done better by the occupants of the home.  Take the scenario from the video and apply it to your home and your situation and enact your plan against it.  Most likely you will find small changes you will have to make based on each scenario.

If a firearm is part of your home defense plan, consider keeping your skills sharp with dry fire training at home with Mantis Laser Academy or the Mantis X10 Elite Shooting Performance System.  Seek out training for both firearms and your less than lethal home defense tools from quality instructors.  Know your skills and what your capabilities are at specific distances.  Talk to your area police department to find out what information they might want to know on the 911 call and if you have the option to text 911 if you are needing to be quiet.  This is available in many jurisdictions now!

MX – Real Life Scenario – Intruder – 20240416 BusterBedDrillReel01.mp4

Another great tool that you might consider using to help authorities out on a 911 call is Smart911.  You can access via an app or on their website.  This is a group that works with dispatch centers to provide as much or as little information that you choose to enter in about your home and household, medical conditions and even pets.  It is free and you can check to see if it’s being used by responders in your area by checking here.

Your chapter could consider requesting a Mantis demo kit, and with using some inert laser pistols, recreate scenarios and analyze as part of a meeting.  Hang a Laser Academy target to represent the home intruder and walk through the scenario.  Use the Mantis X10 Elite to run a MantisX Benchmark drill, then raise the heart rate through some jumping jacks or running in place (don’t over exert too much, safety is key) and run another MantisX Benchmark drill and see how much the score changes under a higher heart rate simulating stress.  Analyze how different the directional chart is from the first run to the stress run.  Learn more about Mantis products at https://mantisx.com.

You could use painters tape or even tables or chairs to mark out walls, hallways, etc.  Chapter Leaders, there’s a great meeting bundle as a part of Situational Awareness called “Be Your Own General” where members can walk through scenarios with plans using game pieces or army men as people.  It’s amazing how much you can learn when someone else looks at a plan in action and can see perspectives that you necessarily didn’t identify when you created your plan.

Bringing It Home

Brian Stuart Germain puts it best in his book Transcending Fear.  “Until you have the courage to let yourself surrender to the brave task of envisioning the story of things going well, you are destined to walk another path. The body cannot go where the mind has not gone first.”  Planning for an event you want to avoid is the brave task and by doing so, you are putting your family’s safety first over just hoping that it won’t happen.  Your home defense plan should be the plan of last resort when keeping the intruder out has failed.  Make the choice to have a plan and practice it regularly.

This article is provided by AWA’s .50 Caliber Sponsor Mantis!

About The Author

Cara Conry’s passion is to help people become more confident and competent with firearms and personal safety through education and guided training.

She specializes in semi-automatic pistol training in a small, intimate classroom setting or one-on-one basis.  She also has obtained credentials in the specifics to training women.

She is a consummate student and constantly furthering my learning and training to bring you the best and latest techniques.  In addition to being an AWA Chapter Leader, she is owner and lead instructor at Spirt Firearms Training.

Her “day job” is working with Mantis (www.mantisx.com) to help educate end users and instructors on their suite of firearms training products.

Cara has lived in Northwest Arkansas for over 25 years with her husband, Brian.  When she is not doing firearm training, you can find her shooting in competitions, practicing at the range, spending time cooking in the kitchen or streaming cooking shows on TV.