I think that "clearing the house" is best left to the police. Normally houses are cleared professionally by more than one person or teams. If you can buckle down and stay put until they arrive, great. If you have children on the other side of your house, then you should develop a plan of tactical movements to get to your loved ones. I don't think you can just leave your children or unarmed relative alone. Don't consider it clearing the house, but getting to your loved ones. There may be a method of clearing necessary to get there. But your not clearing the "house." Again, just my two cents.
Should I "clear" my house?
- Thread starter Mudinyeri
- Start date
kajohns,
I agree with your assessment, it is my philoshophy as well. Get to the kids, get everyone in one place behind the gun, call the cops. Yes it involves moving through the house in my case. My floor plan isnt "tactically advantagous". Each one of us has an obligation to assess our enviroment, living situation, floor plan, and what it will take to acomplish "clearing" or staying put. Lots of situation specific details to consider.
Bottom line, make your choices carefully. Have a plan and practice it and know it and be able to be flexible cuz chances are, things wont go as planned. Make sure your family knows the plan, if you have family to consider.
I agree with your assessment, it is my philoshophy as well. Get to the kids, get everyone in one place behind the gun, call the cops. Yes it involves moving through the house in my case. My floor plan isnt "tactically advantagous". Each one of us has an obligation to assess our enviroment, living situation, floor plan, and what it will take to acomplish "clearing" or staying put. Lots of situation specific details to consider.
Bottom line, make your choices carefully. Have a plan and practice it and know it and be able to be flexible cuz chances are, things wont go as planned. Make sure your family knows the plan, if you have family to consider.
JSDinTexas
.270 WIN
catnphx said:
Good point here too, and I agree that in many cases there is more than one BG. Since I live alone, I suppose my additional thinking about tactics says take them one at a time, as they come (and with 00 Buck they should be down for the duration). One thing for sure, I am going to rethink my approach to all this. And also, in the back of my mind, I consider the situation will dictate the moves, which really can't be set in advance. So practice of various senarios may be in order here. Bottom line is I hope I never have to make these decisions and as you say, "it never happens." Thanks for the input.
ernestrincon
.410
1. If you have a fight not flight attitude.
2. If you have handled and shot four or more years you are a pro.
3 .if you have are one with your gun and can retain your wepon under any condition.
Go for it you know what to do ......police or military guys need to get over them selfves espically police there are 10 year old kids in iraq that can take them out in a fire fight . So moral of the story is u dont have to be gi joe to clear your own house .
2. If you have handled and shot four or more years you are a pro.
3 .if you have are one with your gun and can retain your wepon under any condition.
Go for it you know what to do ......police or military guys need to get over them selfves espically police there are 10 year old kids in iraq that can take them out in a fire fight . So moral of the story is u dont have to be gi joe to clear your own house .
Wow, there is a lot of useful info here. For me I get up in the middle of the night and go in every room to see what I can see and not see. It is important to do this often so you can see the difference that the moon/clouds make when the light shines in the windows. To do this correctly it will take a long time. As far as clearing anything I would do only what is necessary to make my family safe. Everyone's situation will be different, and I believe that you have to run " what if " scenarios to be ready, and even then it may not help. If I do have to clear the hallway to get to my family I don't mind putting a few rounds thru the drywall (up high) towards the BG's area, this could be a bad or good idea but I will deal with it depending on the situation at the time. I think this thread is a good idea because we (all of us)get a lot of input from each other, which is a good thing. I would like to add that there are a lot of wonderful dogs that need to be adopted and I can tell you that they will pay you back in spades if you give them a good home. I think that most people believe that an adopted dog is not as good of a dog as one that you raise from a puppy. Well I can tell you that this is wrong. My family has been a foster home and we have adopted many dogs since 1977 and everyone of them have, would and will protect us in any situation that arises, so if you are on the fence about adopting a dog do like Mikey and try it you will like it.
This subject has gotten touchy on several occasions, which makes me rethink even posting in it, but like Rossington, my family is spread out throughout the home, and the layout is awful to clear. Matter of fact, I feel more comfortable doing it with a handgun than I do a long gun, but that is probably a subject for another discussion.
But in the last 16 years of living here, I have gotten fairly proficient at it.
In the rooms/doorways that give me the most trouble (clearing), I like to use an old method called slicing the pie in that area.
Thankfully, I have never had an invader in this home, though I did stop one halfway in the window in the house where I used to live at.
It is not a good feeling. If it doesn't scare the hell out of you, something is wrong with you. That's about all I have to say about that.
But in the last 16 years of living here, I have gotten fairly proficient at it.
In the rooms/doorways that give me the most trouble (clearing), I like to use an old method called slicing the pie in that area.
Thankfully, I have never had an invader in this home, though I did stop one halfway in the window in the house where I used to live at.
It is not a good feeling. If it doesn't scare the hell out of you, something is wrong with you. That's about all I have to say about that.
If you take a defensive position in the house while waiting for the police to arrive, how do you know its REALLY the police when that bedroom door opens? I'm sure they are not going to respond well to a Mossberg being pointed at them when they open the bedroom door. I suppose dispatch tells them what room your in? Seems difficult to convey that kind of detail over the phone and under pressure.
I'm no expert, but in a recent experience, I quickly found out that my personal preference was a semi-defensive position. I put myself and my wife in a area in the home where we where covered, but could easily go on the offensive while we waited for the police to arrive. The last place I wanted to be was behind a closed door. When the police arrived, I knew they were there and it was really them because I could see it with my own eyes.
I'm really new to thinking about all this stuff. Lots of good information in this thread, thank you!
I'm no expert, but in a recent experience, I quickly found out that my personal preference was a semi-defensive position. I put myself and my wife in a area in the home where we where covered, but could easily go on the offensive while we waited for the police to arrive. The last place I wanted to be was behind a closed door. When the police arrived, I knew they were there and it was really them because I could see it with my own eyes.
I'm really new to thinking about all this stuff. Lots of good information in this thread, thank you!
Unless you have a room with bullet proof walls and door, waiting and hiding may just be putting your entire family into one location so they can all be shot through a door by a violent psychopath.
The police will be called first, but I will not wait to give the bad guys time to find a way to kill me and hurt my family.
The police will be called first, but I will not wait to give the bad guys time to find a way to kill me and hurt my family.
Kodiak
.270 WIN
My wife is the one that cleans the house, usually while I'm at work. Oh, sorry, you said CLEARING! My mistake.
For all of the time and energy some of you have spent typing and arguing, you could have been at the range practicing.
After reading all the posts, all I can say is there are way to many variables to give one definitive answer. While there are a base set of tactics, there are human beings that are involved. What's that saying about "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength" (or "no plan survives contact with the enemy").
No one here can reliably say what will happen in a HD situation. Hey, it may all go well. The BG is killed or captured, your in the papers as a hero. Now it may not go so well and as the blood runs from your body and your taking your last breath, you see your wife being raped and murdered and God knows what happens to your kids.
YOU will have to live with the choice you make (maybe) and your loved ones will reap the rewards or suffer the consequences.
The best advise from someone that is just a normal Joe is whatever your decision "Be prepared for the decision you will make". Afterwords we'll be seeing you in the papers. Maybe on the front page or the obituary section......
For all of the time and energy some of you have spent typing and arguing, you could have been at the range practicing.
After reading all the posts, all I can say is there are way to many variables to give one definitive answer. While there are a base set of tactics, there are human beings that are involved. What's that saying about "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength" (or "no plan survives contact with the enemy").
No one here can reliably say what will happen in a HD situation. Hey, it may all go well. The BG is killed or captured, your in the papers as a hero. Now it may not go so well and as the blood runs from your body and your taking your last breath, you see your wife being raped and murdered and God knows what happens to your kids.
YOU will have to live with the choice you make (maybe) and your loved ones will reap the rewards or suffer the consequences.
The best advise from someone that is just a normal Joe is whatever your decision "Be prepared for the decision you will make". Afterwords we'll be seeing you in the papers. Maybe on the front page or the obituary section......
My opinion is: It does not hurt to practice. I clear my home, especially when the family has been out (together) late at night or have gotten back from a vacation. You never know who or what has gotten into your home. Remember, practice makes perfect. It is better to have the skill and know how and not need it, than to need it and not have it. 
You make a good point here.
I think we "clear" our homes all the time. We may not think of it as a SWAT team kind of action, but we do it every time we walk through the house in situations you just described. Or perhaps its every time there is a noise that cant be explained without getting up out of bed to see what it was.
Same principal in my mind...
I think we "clear" our homes all the time. We may not think of it as a SWAT team kind of action, but we do it every time we walk through the house in situations you just described. Or perhaps its every time there is a noise that cant be explained without getting up out of bed to see what it was.
Same principal in my mind...
Spetsnaz Shovel
.270 WIN
Re: Should I "clear" my house?
I would have to agree with Ross on this. I heard thing s wasn't sure what it was and got up to check I didn't move around like I ninja I check the rooms and go back to bed. If it was something definitely out if the ordinary I might be more cautious.
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Rossignol said:
I would have to agree with Ross on this. I heard thing s wasn't sure what it was and got up to check I didn't move around like I ninja I check the rooms and go back to bed. If it was something definitely out if the ordinary I might be more cautious.
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petecamp
Copper BB
Just a quick comment based on my years wearing a badge. IF you hunker down and call 911 and expect the police to come in and clear your house for you, may I suggest what will likely be the response relayed through the 911 operator?
911: "Police are outside your home sir."
Me: "I think there is someone inside my home."
Questions back and forth about the situation...
911 "Where are you sir?"
Me "I'm in my bedroom with my family."
911 "Do you have any weapons in your home?"
Me "Yes, I have a shotgun and my wife has a pistol."
911 "Ok...ah sir, we'll need you to lay your weapons down and come out the front door with your hands where we can see them. We wouldn't want to shoot you by mistake."
Me "But there is a bad guy in my home and my wife and children..."
911 "Sir, let me repeat..."
And so it will go. In my experience, what will happen next is a cordon around your house, summoning of a SWAT team, lots of sitting around and waiting for the sun to come up, the news media will swarm, and the encounter will go generally downhill from there. Why? Because, as has already been said, the police will not enter a darkened home with known armed people inside fearful for their lives. Too much chance of tragedy. If you are lucky, you might get them to help you out through the window where you are hunkered down.
I think if nothing else, this thread proves that all of us need to have an individual plan for the possibility of what has been discussed. Only generalizations will work for all of us. We had better think through specifics that fit me now. Thanks for an informative discussion.
911: "Police are outside your home sir."
Me: "I think there is someone inside my home."
Questions back and forth about the situation...
911 "Where are you sir?"
Me "I'm in my bedroom with my family."
911 "Do you have any weapons in your home?"
Me "Yes, I have a shotgun and my wife has a pistol."
911 "Ok...ah sir, we'll need you to lay your weapons down and come out the front door with your hands where we can see them. We wouldn't want to shoot you by mistake."
Me "But there is a bad guy in my home and my wife and children..."
911 "Sir, let me repeat..."
And so it will go. In my experience, what will happen next is a cordon around your house, summoning of a SWAT team, lots of sitting around and waiting for the sun to come up, the news media will swarm, and the encounter will go generally downhill from there. Why? Because, as has already been said, the police will not enter a darkened home with known armed people inside fearful for their lives. Too much chance of tragedy. If you are lucky, you might get them to help you out through the window where you are hunkered down.
I think if nothing else, this thread proves that all of us need to have an individual plan for the possibility of what has been discussed. Only generalizations will work for all of us. We had better think through specifics that fit me now. Thanks for an informative discussion.