PEAX Equipment

Shooting an Intruder

Just make sure the intruder isn't a drunk college kid that stumbled into the wrong house and slept on your couch. Yeah, I know that guy. Lucky for him the people made him breakfast instead of shooting him full of holes.

Well, here in South Dakota a home owner filled one full of holes when he broke in. No charges.

The threshold of your home means something here.
 
My aunt at age 60, 5'1" and 100 lbs dripping wet had an intruder come in her living room while she was in there taking a nap. Billings. She woke up and came at him pointing at him with her finger and a stern lecture. She was a high school teacher and dealt with some rowdy kids. Anyways, he about wet himself as he stumbled over his feet and fled.
 
Or you're under extreme duress because you fear for your life.

Extreme duress is not necessarily a valid defense. There are certain things, such as perceptual narrowing that are actual physical phenomena that are scientifically proven and can be used as a defense. Shitting yourself and acting irrationally is not.
 
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True story. 12-13 years old, babysitting my little brother and sister. My parents has just left and we get a ring on the phone. The guy says "I know your parents just left and I'm coming to get you". I didn't call anyone, but I did load up a Rem 1100 and parked my ass in front of the door.

He didn't show, probably a wise choice.
 
What about battle axing an intruder... we all good on that front?

I’m more of a tomahawk man but sometimes the battle ax is closer when I need it.
 
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I have been the home invader in the past, I have watched supposedly "hardened individuals" put up zero fight when the goons came through their bedroom door.

A few thoughts:
1. Put a light on your weapon, and make damned sure you have positive ID. There is no such thing as too much light shed on what will be a very chaotic/confused situation.
2. Don't assume you will be capable of all of these rational decisions, or that you will have a lot of time to determine anything. You will act on instinct, you will probably make mistakes, just hope they aren't big ones.
3. Bullets go through walls, even pistol rounds, you better think ahead about where everyone is in the house. Shotguns with #5s will put the hurt on someone at in-home distances, and will be much less dangerous on the backside of a sheet rocked wall.
4. Have an alarm and set it. This will probably stop any encounter before it starts.
5. You will lose sleep. Even if you did everything right, you will lose sleep.

It is not safe to assume you are going to perform when the meat is hitting the metal, overconfidence is not your friend.

I'll generally agree, but if you are at a point you decided to use lethal force to stop an attack, I wouldn't use something that might not stop the attack (like #5). If it won't go through a little dry wall, will it go through enough bad guy?
 
I think anyone who prepares themselves for self defense should include with the process the consideration of the value of human life. While I agree that a person's home is sacred, there is a big difference between protecting self and family from harm and shooting the idiot teenager (or even adult) that made a stupid decision to break in just because you can. As in all things, common sense and situational awareness is a must. For my fellow vets out there, everything is METT-TC dependent.
 
Man, what a tough situation to be in. I hope none of us ever have to face that.

As some have mentioned, there is often a tremendous amount of nuance associated with these situations, so it's important to understand how to navigate that nuance. In the majority of states, use of deadly force is codified only in situations where force, or threat of force, is necessary to defend yourself or others against death or serious bodily injury. You typically cannot use it to defend property, and if an individual is fleeing you cannot use it. For example, I represented a gentleman, and good friend, who came home from work to find two individuals robbing his home with crowbars. One of them fled in a car while the other laid down on the grass with his hands behind his head. My friend fired a shot at the fleeing car's tire without success. Several minutes later, the individual lying on the ground got up some courage and ran away into a neighboring gorge. My friend fired a shot into the gorge, but away from the robber and instead into some nearby bushes (basically trying to scare him). There is a lot going on in a person's mind in those situations, and maybe some of us would have reacted the same way. I certainly found it difficult to criticize him, even with 20/20 hindsight. In the end, robbers arrested, but my friend was also prosecuted for unlawfully discharging a firearm in city limits. Right call? Debatable.

Now, every situation is different and every state's laws are different, but I really appreciate @Europe's post because I think it gives us a reason to wade through some of those nuances and hopefully we act in the most responsible manner possible if something like this does happen to us.

*Disclaimer: nothing in this post is intended to offer legal advice of any kind.
 
I can’t comment with any experience about shotguns and humans but I do have a friend that thought he would teach a 200 lb. black bear a lesson since it had come up on his porch several times. He scared it off the porch and torched it broadside at about thirty yards with a full choke and a #6 turkey load. The bear made it about 50 yards and keeled over. He felt pretty bad about it. The game warden dryly suggested that if he ever planned on doing it again he should probably use low brass birdshot and let it get further away before shooting.
 
After reading most of the comments in this thread, I’m left wondering, how many of you who say “shoot’em” have ever taken a life.
It’s not as easy as you think. Nothing you can do now will prepare you for it. I hope and pray that no one here has to experience it.
x2. but better to experience it then let the intruder experience it.
I seriously doubt there are many who experienced an intruder killing one of their loved ones , who would wish to experience it again.
 
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If it won't go through a little drywall, will it go through enough bad guy to 100% incapacitate when required?

This is enough to penetrate heavy clothing, strange angles, whatever else is likely to prevent penetration to where stopping the threat is what is important.

If it won't go through a little drywall, will it go through enough bad guy to 100% incapacitate when required?

This is enough to penetrate heavy clothing, strange angles, whatever else is likely to prevent penetration to where stopping the threat is what is important.

I am not here to tell you not to use your souped-up 1911 or AR with a Beta mag, but a 12ga shotgun with birdshot is plenty inside your house, and will reduce the potential for collateral damage.

 
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