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Originally posted by griz78:
Let's say you live in a trailer park. One night you wake up to find a man in your living room with a gun in his hand. You are at one end of the trailer and your kids are in bunk beds at the other end of trailer. He's standing between you and your kids room.

In less than 10 steps the intruder will be out of your sight, in the hall, and standing in the doorway to the kids room. Your wife is still in bed behind you. All you have is a 9mm with FMJ in your hand.

This is not an impossible scenario. This didn't happen to me or anyone I know. Just curious as to the responses.

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Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I don't know how you're going to awaken in the middle of the night in your bedroom and see a man with a gun in his hand in the living room. Even assuming you sleep with your room door open, it has to a) face the living room and b) there has to be enough light to see that he has a gun. How do you know it isn't the neighborhood drunk with a beer bottle in his hand? Are you awake? Could it be one of your kids with a toy gun, stuffed animal? Finally if it takes 10 steps for him to be out of sight, then someone has a big mobile home with a bend in the hallway. Most of them I've ever been in have straight hallways running the length of the trailer.

I fully realize the use of the Castle/self defense doctrine, but I'd prefer to know that I was shooting a bad guy and not a drunk or absolute worse case, one of my children or my wife (maybe she heard a noise outside, got her gun, went to look and is coming back to bed, do you know she's still in bed, did you check?). That has happened way too many times as is. Personal history would come into play....for instance, is someone or some group out to get me? If that was the case, I'd likely take my best shot without any warning, assuming I was certain it was not one of my children. Other that that, bottom line, I don't know what I'd do, I'd have to be there and some of that would depend EXACTLY on my position, how much of the open area I can see and cover with my weapon, etc., but I'd slightly lean towards trying to get him to retreat or surrender. The command voice of "STOP RIGHT THERE or I'm going to kill your worthless ass" might get him to either stop or turn and run out the door. As mentioned above, if he does ANYTHING ELSE, then you have to take the shot. Unless you're a magician with a pistol, I think the recommendation for a headshot, probably in the dark, probably with poor lighting on your sights (after all, we know you didn't turn on the light in your bedroom to silhouette you), probably with a moving target, is just so much "who shot John" talk. I can make that shot standing up with a good position, etc. I used to shoot thrown bottles all the time with a pistol but in the dark, half awake, scared, adrenaline pumping, thinking of angles for kids, etc. nahh....I don't think so. I'd say you have to take a center mass shot and hope for the best. A missed headshot is a helluva lot worse than a center mass hit. A multi-shot gunfight with you shooting towards your kids room is the last thing you want.

PS: your home defense weapon sucks. Almost none of the problems outlined above would apply if you had a shotgun with #6 shot in it.

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Ignored post by BBBruce posted 23 June 2009 09:42

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Originally posted by jetdrvr:

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Ignored post by BBBruce posted 23 June 2009 09:42

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The sign of true ignorance is to blame a president for the actions of Congress.

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Originally posted by billinthewild:
All the above is hyperbole. A 9mm for a home defense firearm is a piss poor idea to begin with.
The only piece to have is a side by side 12 gauge coach gun or a pump shotgun.

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Originally posted by griz78:
Let's say you live in a trailer park.

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Originally posted by Wink:
You don't say if there is enough light to identify the intruder, you don't say if he is facing you, or threatening you, or walking away from you.

If you shoot someone in the back who is walking away from you in dim light, and just to add to the scenario the intruder has no previous arrests, you better have a mighty fine lawyer. You may be able to get life instead of the death penalty.

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Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
Won't work for me, no wife, no kids and I would not own a puny 9mm.

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Maybe that is the way it is where you live, but thank God it is not that way where I live. Castle Doctrine here and the intruder is in my home, if he is facing away that means that he is facing the childrens room and the intruder gets a bullet for his troubles.

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Ever hear of a cat scaring away a bad guy?

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Originally posted by 0X0:

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Maybe that is the way it is where you live, but thank God it is not that way where I live. Castle Doctrine here and the intruder is in my home, if he is facing away that means that he is facing the childrens room and the intruder gets a bullet for his troubles.

Yeah, this happened recently. The guy couldn't see the intruder, trying to come through a bedroom window.

Shot and killed the "intruder" -- who turned out to be his teenage daughter who had sneaked out of the house at night.

-- Or as noted elsewhere, your drunken brother-in-law whose wife kicked him out of his trailer.

quote:

Originally posted by griz78:
Let's say you live in a trailer park. One night you wake up to find a man in your living room with a gun in his hand. You are at one end of the trailer and your kids are in bunk beds at the other end of trailer. He's standing between you and your kids room.

In less than 10 steps the intruder will be out of your sight, in the hall, and standing in the doorway to the kids room. Your wife is still in bed behind you. All you have is a 9mm with FMJ in your hand.

This is not an impossible scenario. This didn't happen to me or anyone I know. Just curious as to the responses.