Post # 107

Member
4304 posts
Honey bee
@SpecialSundae: No, I didn’t buy my dog for protection. But I know from having her for 6 years that she would hurt someone coming after me.
She doesn’t even like people ringing the doorbell. I hardly call that paranoid on my behalf.
Plus, my husband always says, that if someone were to shoot him, they’d better kill him on the first shot, or they’re in trouble.
ETA: A lot of states with stand your ground/castle doctrine laws have a duty to retreat law, too. Be careful!
Post # 108

Member
39 posts
Newbee
My Fiance is doing his medical residency, so I’ve spent many, many nights alone in our apartment. We live in a pretty large building (front desk, roaming security, etc) so I’m currently fine without any sort of real weapon in the place. If we moved to a stand alone house where I’d be truly alone, I would most definitely get a gun. I’ve been to the range various times and know how to handle a weapon. If, God forbid, someone does break in, I’d do my best to find a safe place, warn that I have a weapon, and hope the intruder leaves. I probably wouldn’t run out a la Rambo. If they set foot near me though, I will most definitely shoot.
@everridiculous: Krav Maga is the best! My brother, who has taken and is now teaching KM classes, was attacked when he was out alone in NOLA for my FI’s bachelor party. The (thankfully unarmed) guy was much larger than him and thanks to his training he was able to take him down (twice– the guy followed him down the street after the first confrontation) and get himself out and back to the safety of the hotel.
Post # 109

Member
4044 posts
Honey bee
multiple heavy things around the house like flashlights, frying pans, knives, rolling pin, books, etc.
Post # 110

Member
7638 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Our locks. My husband. Our motion sensitive light. The phone.
People who break and enter aren’t coming for you. They’re coming for your stuff and want to find an empty house.
Post # 111

Member
252 posts
Helper bee
@mrsfun: That’s such a crazy story! Stories like that are reasons why I wouldn’t ever think of NOT learning how to defend myself. Of course, I only started to hear them once I was already doing it. To my mind, at the very least, knowing how to be aggressive and put up a fight is necessary for anyone. Violent people take advantage of those who don’t turn on their aggressive side.
Post # 112

Member
7768 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
My dog is a maniac. She just scared the UPS guy when he reached in the door! 🙂
Post # 113

Member
39 posts
Newbee
@everridiculous: Agreed, you have to know what you’re doing and at least be able to put up a decent fight.
Post # 115

Member
396 posts
Helper bee
We don’t have any guns in our home. Nor an alarm or security system. All we have are about a dozen big-ass steel swords that my Fiance has made over the years. We live outside of town and the cops would take too long to get to our house if we called 911 (or 111 here in NZ). If someone breaks in, I’m grabbing a sword, yelling like a maniac and charging. Do you want to come into my house when I’m running with that? I don’t think so. When I was still living in the US and in South Korea, I slept with a cast iron skillet by my bed for safety. That would definitely hurt.
Post # 116

Member
685 posts
Busy bee
Can I just say… I hate being home alone at night.. I currently live in a granny flat downstairs at my parents place with my SO and when he travels I have the dog sleep on his spot on the bed.. thats is about all I have to protect me.. that and my dad sleeping upstairs at the other end of the house. We back onto a creek and it is super creepy at night so sometimes if I can’t sleep I will go upstairs with the dog and sleep in my parents spare room!!
Although, when SO and I were renting and he went away I always kept a screw driver under my pillow (Im a crazy person I know..) and we also had a baseball bat in the corner of our room in case of emercency 😉
ETA: Our gun laws here are VERY different to the US so we aren’t allowed to have them for protection or anything like that!
Post # 117

Member
369 posts
Helper bee
@RockStar33: Hahaha that sounds like me. I’d like to believe that my rage would protect me.