At Carryconcealed.net we have had many questions on home defense. These questions have a common theme. How do you protect your loved ones for the lowest cost? There are several aspects to home defense. They are proactive measures like lights, making your home looked lived in even while on vacation, dogs, and security video systems. There are reactive type protection measures like fire arms, pepper spray and calling 911. Home alarm systems monitored by security systems or by the police can be expensive if they are installed correctly with sensors at every window and door. Dogs are one of the best proactive solutions for security. There are some problems with the use of dogs for security. Some people are allergic to their pets, or people just don’t take the time to properly train their pets. We have had great results with our dogs over the years. They have stopped many bad guys and been a great addition to our family. As a family we have taken the time to play and integrate them into our daily lives. 

                There are resources to help families pick the right dog and the adoption can not only add a new layer of security to your home, but also may save the life of a deserving puppy. Picking a breed that has the herding or the natural will help in training for protection. I cannot recommend a PitBull for any reason. The working class or herding dogs understand their relationship with a family. Their natural ability to protect is amplified when the dogs are integrated into the home. There are breeds that make great family pets, but do not have the instinctual ability to protect a home and children. An example of this would be the beloved Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever is one of the best family dogs that anyone could want; they just cannot protect anyone because they would help the bad guy carry out the burglary.  The cost for the dog would be approximately $75 to $100 for the adoption and $50 per month for food and pet supplies. Veterinarian visits would be an average for $200 per year and this would be a total of an estimated $900 per year. Remember the dog is one of the best proactive systems as they will alert you before an attack.  Do not forget to put the signs around your house warning of a guard dog.

                Alarm systems can range in prices from $100 for an installation of a motion sensor and two key pads with a monthly charge of $35 to 50 per month. This solution is a tried and true method for home defense with the signs in around the house. However, we have seen that even an alarm system will not stop the home invasion, but rather it will help alert the home owner if one is happening.  We had a neighbor that had a very expensive home alarm system and she was home one day. The home invasion started while she was in the shower, and they cut through the wall next to the door on the other side of the house successfully bypassing the alarm system.  Our neighbor was able to scare them off and she was lucky enough to have police on site within several minutes.   The alarm can run a yearly solution between $250 to $300, and up to several thousand dollars if you add video and 24x7 surveillance.

                Cameras and video can be very expensive. We have added several “Trail Cams” around our house. This is a reactive solution as the “Trail Cams” do a great job taking pictures of who has been around our house. We are in the process of placing them in several places to find which neighbor or regular individual is stealing gas from my truck. Pictured on the right are some of our neighbors that we like hanging around. The deer and raccoons are my kind of neighbors. These remote cams are not expensive, but they are reactive. You can only see what has happened after the fact. When trying to find out who is “casing” your home or stealing your gas they are a good tool. Sams have a Wildview for $128 dollars with a remote power supply and optional locking cable. This will activate on thermals. This will help with taking pictures of animals, burglars, and even cars. We have tested the “Cams” and they pick cars up from the engine heat.  Just knowing who is around your house, or if your home actually does get broken into, having a few “Trail Cams” around is a starting point for the police to start the investigation. The “Trail Cam” can range from $128 to $500 depending on how many “Cams” are needed to place around the property. Having the knowlege of who is around your house can also help you change your defense plan to be ready for the right senerio.

                We have talked about proactive and reactive, and that leads us to the moment of the home invasion.  At the moment of the invasion is the ultimate reactive point. Having a plan of action for the family is important and will save lives. Our readers have asked what guns should be considered the best for home defense. With the tone of the article on keeping the cost down, I would recommend a combination of several guns. If you can only buy one gun, it would be best to buy a 12 gauge shotgun. One of the best shot guns we have tested is the Mossberg 500. The cost of the 500 is between $154 and $250. A 12 gauge pump shotgun has the most distinctive sound in the world, especially at night. There are accessories that you can get for the shotguns that are inexpensive, but help with handling in tight quarters.  I have added a folding stock and heat shield to one of my 500s. The folding stock was $45 from Advanced Technology and the heat shield was $30.  You do not need to add the additional folding stock or accessories. So the solution for a shotgun could be between $150 and $300.  There are also different kinds of rounds that you can use in defense.  There are non-lethal bean bag rounds, or you can use the defense rounds that are devastating at close range.  Many readers use normal game or pheasant loads just so they do not have to have several different loads around the house. There are racks that are available so that the shot gun can be kept secured, but yet still available. We have other folks that have used combination trigger locks that allow for security with quick access.

                The pistol or handgun solution is one of the most difficult as there are so many to choose from, and there are so many variables for the selection of a handgun. We have always recommended using the largest caliber handgun that you can shoot safely and consistently.  For example, we have a Ruger P95 in a quick access safe. My wife can use the 9mm and it does not have too much kick for her. She also has 4 extra 20 round magazines in the safe. Only my wife and I have access to these quick access safes. They range in price from $50 at Academy to $400 for biometric reading quick access safes.  Now I have a quick access safe in my office and it is where my 1911 is stored. I prefer a Springfield Arms 1911 with nightsights for my home defense pistol. If you cannot operate a semi-automatic a revolver may be something that you need. A Taurus .38 or .357 is around $325 and is a solid handgun.  This part of the home defense plan will need the most amount of research and practice.

                In summary:  Home defense is something that does not “Happen” without a plan and a lot of work. A home needs more than just a gun for home defense. It needs proactive and reactive measures for defense. Lighting, signs, dogs and alarms with signs are excellent proactive tools. The lighting and signs are the easiest, but also have the least potential to stop a home invasion.   Finding the right dog is not expensive and is an excellent proactive solution. The problem is most people do not take the time necessary to train and integrate a dog into a family as a proactive protective solution. The time and integration is the costly portion of the dog solution. The shotgun is a great tool for defense but it needs to be locked up until needed, and the owners need to take the time to practice and understand how to use the “Action” of the shotgun. The handgun is one of the most difficult decisions as most people do not take the time to consult with an Instructor prior to purchasing a handgun, and they never practice. Taking the extra time for matching your specific needs for a handgun with the different models available can not only save your life but save the life of your family members.

Get a plan, implement the plan, and practice the plan; the life you save just may be your own.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. Clark –Carryconcealed.net