MOUNT FOREST TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN — Two burglars allegedly rang the doorbell of a woman living alone in vicinity of Mount Forest Township. She reported to police that when she did not answer the door, the robbers moved around the back and kicked in her back door. When they entered, they found the woman with her pistol aimed directly at them. She did not reportedly fire any rounds and both burglars escaped in a vehicle.
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating this case but obviously, after the bad guys get away, there’s little chance much is going to happen from it. The woman successfully defended herself and her property — and ultimately, that’s the most important part.
As concealed carriers, we need to learn the tricks that burglars and home invaders will try to use to “check to see if we’re home”. Having the lights on, a TV going in the background or even a stereo aren’t really much insurance in this arena. Home invaders aren’t particularly careful to make sure you’re not home — and sometimes they don’t care if you are. The only thing, unfortunately, they’ll respect is the threat of deadly force.
Holding suspects at gunpoint isn’t always a safe bet, either. A couple things you might want to ponder when dealing with a potential home invasions scenario:
- Don’t pursue the suspects
Even if you have every suspicion in the world that you can catch or capture them, you’re putting yourself at risk. Additionally, you don’t know who’s armed, what they’re armed with, or if the driver of the getaway vehicle is ready for you with a stolen gun of his own. This can sadly be pointed out in this story we covered where a young veteran concealed carrier was shot and killed after he tried to capture two bad guys robbing him at an ATM.
- Don’t answer the door
If you don’t personally know who’s on your doorstep, don’t answer it. It’s as simple as that. If it’s a bad guy and he wants to try to break down your door, that’s your opportunity to prepare yourself accordingly and hopefully notify police.
- Don’t shoot through doors
No matter how certain you are you’ve got the bad guy right on the other side, never open fire until you’re absolutely certain what you’re aiming at is the bad guy.
- Call the police the second you’re unsure about the situation
There’s a lot of “gray area” scenarios where you’re unsure about someone’s intentions on your property. When in doubt, give the heads-up to your local 5-0. It may just be a guy off his meds or any number of other scenarios where deadly force isn’t a necessity. Don’t do anything to endanger your life or the life of someone else needlessly when it can be resolved peaceably.
