Season 2: Episode 2: The Family Plan

[Rob Pincus]

You may feel you’re prepared to react to a home invasion, but what about your family? If an attack happens, would your spouse, kids or anyone else who lives with you be prepared as well? True home defense means keeping everyone safe, and that means having a plan for every member of your family. In this episode, Michael Bane, Rob Pincus, and Michael Janich guide you through the strategy and tactics of family-based home defense.
On Outdoor Channel, Wednesday January 6, 2009. 1:30 PM EST, 5:00 PM EST and 9:00 PM EST


We'll be covering violent home invasion again on TBD Today and tonight!

-RJP

[bulldog75]

Thanks, we are taping and will get to watch it tomorrow.

[garand4life]

Here is one subject I am at a severe disadvantage with in regards to my own family's temperament. I moved to Ohio to live with family after my job went belly up in NM in 05. Since then I have been living with parents and going back to school for the last few years while until recently working full time. (I won't get my own place till I have a job I know will not dump my after 9 months).
My dad is a minister, my sister is in HS and my mother is a stubborn mule of a Texan who's skull is almost as thick as FQ's.... no offense (it could be a good thing at times). None of them will give 2 seconds of time to contemplating defensive preparation. My dad came close in wanting to get a handgun for home defense with training but that was the end of the conversation. I have tried weekly to get them to go to the range for familiarization on what I keep in the house with no success. Same with convincing them to watch BD. And my own words seem to fall on deaf ears. I can't even get them to put a damn deadbolt on the front door. I'm at a loss with what to do next.

[Rob Pincus]

Garand,

A lot of people are in the same place you are. I'd suggest taking a pass on the "big goals" and even the "medium goals" for now. As we tried to get at during this weeks episode: Just get them to acknowledge a response plan. If you tell them every week or so "don't forget, if someone is breaking down the door, run to the bedroom, grab a phone, lock the door, hide in the closet and call 911!" they are very likely to do just that in the event of a home invasion situation. You will likely have cut down the "denial" and "deliberation" phases dramatically for them during their critical incident by planting this seed and watering it every now and them through reminders.

You can come up with other seeds for other scenarios that require NO EFFORT from the passive family members for you to plant.

-RJP

[DonWorsham]

I liked the piece on "time" as in how long it might take to go from one part of the house to another, get the gun out and be prepared to defend yourself. In our home the wife and I can go to several rooms, shut the door and have access to a gun. I've never given much thought as to how long it would take to do so. I'm thinking about it now.

Thanks The Best Defense!

[Sponsor]

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello and thanks for a most interesting program.  Food for thought and just more confirmation that both making our dwellings harder targets and having a plan are necessities in surviving criminal deadly force scenarios.

Best.

[Abouttime]

Interesting episode... lots of food for thought. Made me change where I keep my locked pistol. Couple of questions...

1.  Why wasn't the locked up gun loaded? I have the same kind of locked case (highly recommended) and I don't know why the pistol couldn't be kept loaded (decreasing the time to bring it to bear).

2.  I appreciate the set-up for the show, but what if one of the family members is downstairs and the safe room is upstairs and the access to upstairs is by the staircase (as in the show)? What if one family member is upstairs and another is downstairs? My house might find family spread out throughout the home. Someone busting in will not allow them to all gather in a safe room.

3.  What about homes where the master bedroom is at one end of the house and other bedrooms are at another end of the house or upstairs. Advice about picking a "safe room"? One of my concerns is a break in at night, with family scattered to different bedrooms at different ends of the house. Suggestions?

[Rob Pincus]

Interesting episode... lots of food for thought. Made me change where I keep my locked pistol. Couple of questions...

1.  Why wasn't the locked up gun loaded? I have the same kind of locked case (highly recommended) and I don't know why the pistol couldn't be kept loaded (decreasing the time to bring it to bear).

That is a personnel choice issue. A lot of variables there. Many responsible gun owners do choose to keep their secured firearms loaded.

2.  I appreciate the set-up for the show, but what if one of the family members is downstairs and the safe room is upstairs and the access to upstairs is by the staircase (as in the show)? What if one family member is upstairs and another is downstairs? My house might find family spread out throughout the home. Someone busting in will not allow them to all gather in a safe room.

Yes.

3.  What about homes where the master bedroom is at one end of the house and other bedrooms are at another end of the house or upstairs. Advice about picking a "safe room"? One of my concerns is a break in at night, with family scattered to different bedrooms at different ends of the house. Suggestions?

This is another one of those "lots of variables" questions. Many people like the idea of having guns & supplies in the master bedroom (and their is usually more room) as opposed to in the kids rooms, but others recognize that if the "alarm" goes off in the middle of the night, it will be easier for the adults to move to the kids reliably and then it would be more efficient to stay in that part of the house.

***

I really appreciate the questions AboutT, it demonstrates that the show is making people think and possibly realize that these issues are not as simple as one might want to believe. Of course, we can't pretend to offer all of the answers to all of the questions from all of the people. THat is why we are emphasizing the concepts and the idea of "training in context" so that each viewer can find their own Best Defense answers!

-RJP

[MikeBjerum]

Rob,

I may have asked this before, but I'm going to do it again.  This week you talked of the importance of a solid core door.  In other shows you have talked about cell phone with a script, storage of weapons and lights, and cover vs. concealment.  For next season, can you discuss construction details for both new construction and retrofit for a safe room?  I'm thinking about both storm shelter as well as home invasion.

Thanks for all the good info

Mike

[Rob Pincus]

m58,

This is something that we have talked about. It might be something that you see over the course of a season, as a recurring segment. Might also show up as a DVD in my PFD Home Security series... it is a BIG topic, but one that we are interested in covering!

-RJP