How Serious Should We Take Home Defense?

This is a guest post by Rose Cabrera

Home security should never be taken lightly. In fact, with crime rates continuously increasing and burglars getting a lot smarter, people should start upgrading their home defense. Although having a security system at home can help keep your home safe, it’s still not wise to rely on it completely.

To really ensure you can protect your biggest investment, you should raise the bar on home defense. But, what exactly do you need to do?

On Building Home Bunkers

A home bunker may not be the most practical way to enhance your home security, but it can provide a real solution when a catastrophe strikes. It can protect you from natural disasters, invasions and tough storms.

However, since home bunkers are considered major investments, a lot of people may not afford to build one at home. Aside from budget concerns, some homes may not have enough space to accommodate one as well.

A good alternative to home bunkers is a safe room. You can pick out any room at home and just augment its security and features to provide protection in case someone invades your home. You can even use your bedroom as long as it’s easily accessible. Your basement also makes a good safe room, provided that you’re not living in a flood-prone zone. Another good choice is your garage.

A safe room should have a solid door. This is to ensure that it won’t break down in case someone tries to open it with brute force. It also needs to have concrete walls and not much windows. You should also check its frames. In case your room has wooden frames, you can reinforce them with steel sheet.

Keep emergency items in your safe room, such as food, water and first aid kits. You should also have a telephone line inside it to establish a connection with local authorities. It’s also a good idea to set up cameras outside the room so you can see intruders without exposing yourself. Stock up on batteries, toiletries and sanitation bags in it. Preparing all these items can help ensure that you’ll have enough supplies for a few days.

In addition to having a safe room, it’s also a good idea to invest in a home security system that offers complete protection. Such systems typically come with alarms that can alert you once an intruder gains access to your home. You can take this as a signal for you to gather all family members and lead them to your safe room.

On Owning Guns

While most people cringe at the idea of owning or having a gun at home, it’s actually essential if you want to increase your property’s defense. In general, each household should have at least two guns for every family member old and trained enough to use it.

For home security, three of the most common guns people rely on are the handguns, rifle and shotgun. A pistol is a nice option since it’s easy to maneuver. With a limited range, this type of gun may only be good enough for close combat.  A rifle, on the other hand, is good to have since it provides more accuracy at a longer range. It also results to a deeper penetration to the target.

If you’re not confident with your marksmanship, your best choice is a shotgun. It releases a number of pellets which can help you hit even moving targets. It has a range of up to 100 feet.

While owning a gun can help enhance your protection and security at home, you should still be conscious about the safety of your family. Keep your guns where they can’t be easily reached by children. When it comes to storage, you actually have a lot of options. There are safes and cases you can use to make sure your little ones can’t have access to them. If you have the means, you can invest in a biometric gun safe.

Keep in mind to inspect your guns regularly. Although it’s highly encouraged that you keep them unloaded while in storage, you still need to make sure that there is enough ammunition for all of them. Keep your ammunition locked as well.

Responsible gun ownership can help you avoid any freak accident.

On Hand-To-Hand Combat

Facing an attacker should be avoided as much as possible. Physically exposing yourself to burglars and intruders is highly discouraged, too.

Burglars usually attack in pairs or in a group. Some of them can even stand guard outside of your property. So, unless you are sure of their number, you should retreat and hide until they’re completely out of your home. Even though you’re highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, it’s unlikely that you’ll win the stand-off if you’re outnumbered.

This, however, doesn’t mean that you can’t defend yourself in case of an attack. If you are faced in a life-threatening situation, you can fight back. Keep it mind that you can only take aggressive actions if you’re sure that the intruder has his guards down. The idea is to stun him and once he’s distracted, escaping is still your best option.

This makes it important that you create an escape plan as part of your home security plan. All members of the family, including your children, should know where they should exit and where you’ll meet after. They should also be well-informed about which people to reach out to in case there’s an emergency at home.

 

Author’s Bio

Rose Cabrera is highly passionate about spreading awareness on home security and safety. Her latest work involves writing the best security system reviews.