Ways to protect you and your family in your home when you don't have guns - Page 2

I only have a carport now but we used to lower the garage door after shutting off the car and before getting out of the car.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by aliadam 


We always put our garage down as SOON as we come in. We open the door, get out of the car and enter the garage, and then immediately put it down before even going in the house. We NEVER leave our garage door up even during the day.

I don't either ever during the day Unless ds is out playing.  We all have fences in our back yards, and the kids run back and forth to get toys and such from garages.  We live in a fairly safe area so I don't have any problem doing this during the day If ds is out playing otherwise, it is down.  I think it looks much better down.  Although we just cleaned it and I have to say in 12 years we finally have a pristine garage!

 Dh is working on a lot of outdoor projects after work, building a shed, doing a huge repair on our fence (replacing 5 posts - not easy) and needs access to the garage the whole time he out there.  It would be impossible to ask him to keep it closed when he is going back and forth like that.  So when dh comes home he does immediately put it down, but then he works sometimes until it is almost dark.  It's very easy to imagine how he could forget to close it.

My mom kept a giant Maglite next to her bed. No one's going anywhere once hit in the head with that, and she would do it, too.

When our adult-DD lived in an apartment complex after separating from her abusive husband, we gave her a 4-D-cell battery maglite. Around it we wrapped bright orange duct tape that had written on it: Call 9-1-1 for Apt XXX. Her husband used to corner her in her apartment - which was on an upper floor and really had only one door. We told her if worse came to worse, she could turn on the flashlight, throw it out the window (breaking it if she had to) and start yelling. We hoped someone would be curious enough to go investigate why the flashlight was tossed onto the grass below.

We do have guns in the house because hubby is in law enforcement..

We also have:

a dog

a metal baseball bat near the bed

a maglight flashlight to whack someone over the head

a cordless phone can also be used to hit someone over the head(learned that when I worked at a jail)

other ideas:

a vegetable peeler can be used like a knife to "stab " someone(the old fashioned kind) as can  pens and sharpened pencils

a small table lamp

broomsticks

thorny bushes outside of windows

a fence

hand held one to two pound weights can be thrown or held in the hand to fight

hammer

screwdriver

motion sensored lights around the house

Love all the ideas! 

I am a paranoid person, I do prepare and plan for things that may never happen. I have a baseball bat under my bed, a very sharp knife under my mattress, a maglite and pepper spray in my nightstand. I will add some wasp spray, I have some in the laundry room. I also have pepper spray in my car and purse. I don't think I need to worry though, b/c my dog scares the crap out of anyone and everyone that comes anywhere near my house. I do have rose bushes planted at the front and back windows, but I am going to plant some outside the kids bedroom windows, great idea. 

The oldies might remember I had an intruder in my VA house when I was in bed nursing my 3rd child. My dog cornered the guy on the stairs and I jumped out of bed, grabbed my bat, and ran out swinging (all while holding dd3). The oldest kids got in their hiding places. It went as we practiced. It turned out to be a drunk young guy that came into the wrong house (exdh forgot to lock door), so ex-dh wouldn't let me hit him, he took him out and to the right house. I'll never forget that! 

a fire extinguisher can be used to blind and hit

we make sure the doors and windows are all locked when we are not home or in bed.

we have a sensor at the front door that lights up the porch and deck area if someone comes near the door or front window and will flick the light on inside the front door too.

 there are TWO baseball bats in the house that we will not hestitate to use on someone if they come in this house( one is in DS room and the other is in ours).

we also have a can of bear spray to use( illegal in canada but hey...if i am here and DH is not....i will not hestitate to use it to protect my kids and myself).

Honestly, we are not very secure here. We live in a quiet, safe neighborhood. Crime rate is low. I have state issued pepper spray but can't even get to that super quick because if I could then so could my little kids. We have deadbolts on all the doors. I don't allow my kids windows to be open after I go to bed but I do leave my own open. We have a couple motion sensor security lites. I keep my phone by my bed. Now, when I lived in the trailer or in our house 2 towns over, totally different story.

We now do have guns in our home but before we did I had a doberman pincher. I got her when dh worked nights I did not like being out here in the boon docks by myself. She was well trained and friendly but would not let anyone but us in the door unless we gave the command that it was ok. I loved that dog she lived for 14 years wich is a long time for a doberman plus they are very intimidating looking.