How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Gun? No gun?

Security system? No system?

Locked doors? Open doors?

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

In the fictional case of a zombie apocalypse, I presume?

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Right now we just lock our doors, but I'll be getting a gun soon (or in my case, retrieving my firearms from my parents house). All you need to see how vulnerable you are is to be woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of broken glass. Thank God it was just my storm door slamming in high winds. But until I discovered that fact, I had to operate on the assumption that someone was breaking in, and I've never lamented not having a gun on me until that moment. Walking down the stairs to face the unknown with nothing but a folded up hamper frame is not enjoyable.

Until that moment I would have laughed at people who reacted like I did, but something changes when you are married and own a home... it's all up to you. Your home, your family... it's all on you if someone breaks in and wants to do harm.

When it comes right down to it, the only person who can defend yourself and your family is you. Cops can't get there fast enough and the justice system punishes, it doesn't protect. That said, I know how to operate firearms and how to properly store and safeguard them. I grew up with guns in the house and was taught the utmost respect for them and their power. I wouldn't advise anyone to own a gun unless the are responsible enought to take the proper measures and educate themselves on their use and treatment.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

At my parents house we don't even lock our door. We're pretty out there in the country and I've never really felt threatened. Sometimes if I spend the night there alone it is slightly nerve-wracking, but I think the front door doesn't even have a functional lock.

At our new studio space we installed a security system. With thousands of dollars worth of gear it is definitely worth the cost for the peace of mind that we aren't going to lose it all. I'll definitely feel safe when we leave on tour for a few weeks.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

My parents are the same way. They live in a pretty rural area, and my dad's thoughts are that if they drove all the way out there to rob them, they're aren't a target of convenience and they're getting in, so he'd rather not pay for a broken door or window on top of whatever they steal.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Im going to go with guns... lots of guns.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

A moat. A dragon. And a 1000 year old curse.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

My dad is the same way but he lives in the city, in a suburban neighborhood that is not exactly the highest class one around. I think we've had two or three bikes stolen in that neighborhood while I was growing up. His thought-process is that if someone really wants to get in then a lock is not going to stop them.

Which I think is stupid. Most petty criminals IMO probably usually only commit crimes of opportunity. For example, most people if they saw a laptop in the backseat of a locked car, probably wouldn't bother breaking the window to steal it. But what if the door were unlocked? Or, what if you left it in the bed of your truck? Now that person thinking about stealing it, even a person who wouldn't normally steal anything, has to make a stark decision between their desire for something and their conscience telling them what's right and wrong, instead of just making the decision for them by locking the car. You're just asking someone to take it. Kind of the same reason Napster (or its equivalent) was/is so popular.

As for me, I have nothing more than a couple locked doors and my hope for humanity protecting me and my home.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

I always lock my doors. I have 2, one leads to the corridor, the other leads to the real world. I don't have any weapons, unless you count the content of my kitchen drawer. The one (already small) window that's always open at night has 2 security bars. So unless they take a few minutes to unscrew it, there's no easy way of getting in.

I like zombie threads better by the way.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

We lock our doors, though this area of Arlington is extremely safe...

The house whose pantry I lived in for 3 months was never locked... Night, day, home, vacant... Mostly because they didn't have a key to the front door.

Though if I moved to a new area, bought a house, started a family, etc. I could see myself shoving a gun in the closet, loaded, rigged up with a string on the trigger, pointing directly at the wife's side of the bed.
Just in case.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Nice! Stick it to your future wife! ;)

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

It's best to be honest from the start. Good basis for a healthy relationship.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

Right now we just lock our door, both the bolt and a latch. I will probably own a gun in the future, though...same reasons Prof S outlined.

I was back at home alone one time last summer, and I thought I heard someone moving around on the other end of the house. I went into my brother's bedroom, which is right across the hall from mine, and he collects swords/weapons.

So I ended up stalking through the house with a huge a broadsword.

There was no one there, and I have no idea what the noise was, but it was pretty terrifying. But I think if I had found them they might have been so flabbergasted by the sight of a guy with a medieval broad sword I might get the jump on them.

Re: How Do You Defend Your Home?
 

I don't live in a house, I actually live in a apartment complex, and the only way into my apartment is the front door since I'm on the second floor. To be honest, I've never felt threatened by the idea of someone trying to break into this place. There's simply too many windows that can be watching my front door at once.

(That works against me when I bring a lady over, then my neighbors want to question me about it.)

Plus.. once someone breaks in.. what is there to steal? I don't have little electronic devices, jewelery.. getting the big screen down the stairs would be a bitch.. And why would someone steal weights? I don't even own a new video game console.

The worst thing that could happen is someone trying to rob me directly.. and I carry little to no cash on me, so it'd be easy to play off that I'm broke. And if they didn't have a gun, I'd just kick their ass.. easy enough.

-EDIT-

If I got a house, and was married with kids or something.. then I'd want a gun and security system.