[USMM guy]

There are a lot of what ifs here Harry.

Are your guests people that can defend themselves?
How secure is the apartment, easy to break into or not so much?
Is the access to the apartment visible to you from your house?
Do you have dogs?

It is hard to really make an assessment without further information.

One thing that comes to mind though with your situation with the long driveway. I would definitely get a driveway alarm. You might also harden up the door to the apartment, maybe a fence and some cameras. You can do a lot depending on how much money you want to spend. A couple of years ago I hardened up the door to my bedroom considerably.

 

[USMM guy]

OK this helps a bit

I am hoping to keep the topic on:

What conditions would exist for you to decide to go outside to help others? maybe some here will say never do it? Maybe some will offer strategies if I decide to go...

If I am in a position on my own property. Where I see people that I know and presumably care about coming into harms way. Or even innocent people that I might not necessarily even know. I will do whatever I think that the situation requires to neutralize any and all aggression by outside parties. I think that as a property owner I have a certain responsibility to provide a measure of safety to those that I allow on it.

Circumstances will of course dictate the level of response. Rowdy/possibly intoxicated people just making a fuss is one thing. Thugs clearly intent on causing bodily harm is another. But good, bad or otherwise. My general inclination is not to stand by and let other people that are clearly innocent of any wrongdoing come to harm. Now I will point out, as I am sure that subsequent posters will also be quick to do. That things are not always as they seem. One has to be very careful to make sure of what you are dealing with.

 

[USMM guy]

This is actually a really good tactic to use.

If the Sheriff says, they're "too busy - no cars available," tell 'em "NO problem - I just shot 'em all."


5 minutes later, when a DOZEN squad cars roll up, and the Sgt says - "I thought you said you shot 'em all," you can reply - "And I thought you said, you were 'TOO busy' - no cars were available."

Under the right circumstances, it can work well. A few years ago a neighbor of mine confronted a bunch of poachers on his property. He called in to the Sherriff's office on them and their response was that they did not have anyone to send out. So he told them to send out an ambulance instead. This got the response that he was originally looking for.

 

[USMM guy]

My wife and I did some remodeling a couple of years ago.

We put this door on the entrance to our bedroom suite. Just throwing it out there.

 

[USMM guy]

Country is a landlubber.

This stuff is right in wccountryboy's wheelhouse. Best to heed his advice.

Better rethink that "wheelhouse" thing Magman. :hrm:

 

[USMM guy]

Magmans response surprised me a bit.

He can generally pickup on if I am just trying to stir the pot or not. But certainly getting a detailed response from Country is pretty much a given in any case. It is good to know that some things can always be depended upon. By the way "Maru" means ship in Japanese.

 

[USMM guy]

Here is another four bits for you.

While I knew you were just shaking things up a bit....
You've just filled 4 bits of the hard drive that is my brain that cannot be deleted... the translation of 'maru"... I have no idea how this knowledge will benifit me- but its 4 bits that cannot be overwritten, a little tidbit that I'm stuck with for life...

Kobayashi is a fairly common family name in Japan. A Friend of mine Nato Kobayashi lives in Sapporo. He used to be Tensho (Captain) Kobayashi before he retired. He got promoted To Tensho after the previous skipper killed himself. Keeping it gun related Nato hunts deer in Northern Sapporo. Interestingly enough the only firearms that are available for them to use are 16 gauge shotguns.

 

[USMM guy]

You might want to look at LED lights Harry.

OK good.

As far as investigating - of course I do... but that is before I pick a CoA. Critters vs. BGs is a consideration.

I like your ideas about the Panic Button...I actually use SimpliSafe and upgraded to two siren alarms one in each building. Panic buttons are in both buildings and all my vehicles. LED motion detecting lights on all buildings as well as some battery powered motion detecting lights. I screw them in trees in the woods - positioned so the light shines away from me and my pre-planned routes and likely positions. I put them high - use a ladder to get to them. They aren't real bright but they illuminate. Kinda like a parachute flare. (they last about three or four months).

I have other ideas too but, i am hoping to see what others have for input.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant...stem}+power+{productName_nostem}++lca{554225}

They will cost you more up front. But you will never have to change bulbs or replace them. And it does not cost you any money to feed them.

 

[USMM guy]

No I was not thinking of these.

oh - you mean something like this? yea I will look into...do they have enough lumens - i will check. thanks.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooper-L...62587&wl11=online&wl12=14678371&wl13=&veh=sem

I did not know that power was unavailable where you wanted the lights. I have 38 watt LED spotlights hanging from the eaves of my house and they provide pretty good illumination all the way out to my shop which is a good hundred yards away from my house. I am happy with that.

You might want to just think about keeping your gate locked at night. That will deter a lot of people. I am actually in the process now of beefing up my gate from the negligible one that I have now. I keep telling myself that I need to make up a bunch of caltrops to keep on hand just in case.

Be careful about the bats. My wife and I had to be treated for exposure to Rabies some years ago thanks to a bat that got into the house.

 

[USMM guy]

Going just from what you have given, and only that.

A lot of the Posts so far have been about General Home Security...that is not really the topic of this thread. The topic is much more unique.

I am gonna give a very general scenario to hopefully get us back to the specific discussion.

It is night time. You have a guest staying the weekend in your unattached guest house. You are in your house when you become aware of something unusual at the guest house. From inside your house you see car headlights parked outside your guest house. This is not right. You call your guest, she answers, but is clearly in duress. You have known her all your life and she is very frightened. Over the phone you hear threats to her life from an unknown male. The line goes dead. You call 911 and report. The Sheriff is on the way - they say ten minutes out... but you know it will likely be longer.

You make the decision to move to help your guest. You end up in a position that gives you the best tactical advantage. The situation is horrible. There is a definite threat to your guest. You can see several BGs they are armed, they don't see you. You see your guest being beaten.

Do you engage without warning?

what other considerations are important?

IF I really know my guest well.
IF I think that I have a handle on what is really going on.
IF there are more than one bad guy, and I can see that they are armed.

I will assume that there will be more of them that maybe I can not see. Then I will try to put myself in a position of cover (not concealment). Try to cover them all as best as I can with a rifle. And calmly announce that they drop their guns and hands up. Non compliance gets a shot. Then who knows?

Again a lot of ifs here. But that is the way that I see it. As I stated before. If I invite someone onto my property, I feel an obligation to extend a certain measure of safety to them. With that said, I am fairly careful about who I extend this invitation to. I may have been born at night but it was not last night.

 

[USMM guy]

This is probably the best way to go.

In the above scenario Harry posted, I agree with USMM guy with one exception...after I moved to the best position of cover I could find, while still retaining coverage of the threats, if all was as Harry stated, and I was certain my guest's life or well-being was threatened as he has stated,
the perps would only become aware of my presence when I opened fire on them, as rapidly as I could put rounds on each that I was able to engage. I have no wish, in such an outnumbered scenario where there are obvious aggressors trespassing on my property, causing bodily harm to my guests (and I have every reason to believe I could be next), to engage in a fair fight or give any warning that could decrease the effectiveness of my defense. At this point, the parameters are clear to me, and I will fight as fast and ruthlessly as I can until the fight is over.

Any that drop weapons and run, their fight may be over, but the way the situation has been described, I would feel 100% justified in applying lethal force to the threats in as efficient and safe manner to myself and my guests' well-being as possible. That does not, in this specific instance, include any warning or chance to surrender first.

But that could be a little dodgy here in the commonwealth from a legal standpoint. I will have to look into this. I am glad that this came up.

 

[USMM guy]

If I ever let my dog loose on invaders.

May God have mercy on their souls. That is all that I can say.

"We shall disguise good nature with rage. And lend fair play a terrible aspect."

Henry V