Back to blog home

Protect Yourself From Home Invasion

home invasion defense protection

Keep Your Family Safe from Home Invasion

Reduce the chances of your family becoming a victim of a home invasion with these home invasion protection tips. While most states have no specific laws to define a home invasion or differentiate it from burglary, home invasion can be described as any entrance by force or by deception of an occupied property with the intention of committing a crime.

Home Invasion Vs. Burglary

There is a difference in burglary vs. home invasion as the average burglar will target homes that look unoccupied. Whereas home invaders look for homes in which the residents appear to be in.

Home invasions target occupied homes in order to use terror or violence to force occupants to reveal the location of valuables, force the homeowner to open the home safe, or force them to give up their debit and credit card pin numbers. Many home invaders are more than just thieves. They thrive on terror and sometimes murder. Home invasions are especially dangerous because they want violent confrontation to occur, whereas ordinary burglars prefer to avoid it.

Home Invasion Protection Tips

Know Your Criminals

If criminals know that your home security is lacking with poor quality locks on your external doors, they may force their way in with a few swift kicks to your door and hold any occupants hostage until they get your valuables. Invaders often use deception to get you to open the door. Common tricks are borrowing a phone due to an automotive breakdown, an injured person, or injured animal. Offer to make the call for them, but keep the door closed and locked. If they refuse, call the police as they may go down the street to a neighbor’s home.

Be suspicious of anyone claiming to be from any utility company. Uniforms can be duplicated or stolen and signs for utility vehicles are easily copied in the digital world of today. Ask for an ID to be held to the door viewer, get his name, and call the utility company he claims to be representing. Look the number up yourself. Don’t trust any number he gives you as it can be an accomplice.

Check Your Doors & Locks

Protecting against home invasion by forced entry requires the same physical barriers of home security as protecting your home against burglary. All exterior doors and frames should be of a quality as to deter forced entry, be in good repair, connected to a home alarm system, and fitted with deadbolt locks.

Know the construction of doors before you buy them. Steel clad is not as strong as steel doors. Wooden door frames are vulnerable and steel frames are stronger. Good grade steel clads for hinge and lock areas can strengthen any door, but it is useless if it is only attached to bare wooden frames. A 4 × 4 wooden post clad in a good grade of steel sheathing that completely encloses the 4 × 4 in the lock area is stronger than a 2 ×4 constructed the same way. Solid steel frames are even stronger.

Wood, as well as locks, have little to no resistance against a 16 pound sledge hammer. Recessed locks are harder to strike with a sledge hammer. Insist upon doors with features providing home invasion safety door protection. Nothing short of Fort Knox construction can completely prevent a forced entry. The goal is to buy your family time to escape, arm yourself, or retreat to a safe room.

Train Your Family

One of the most important features in home invasion protection is establishing good security safety practiced by the whole family. Do not open your door unless you know the caller or are certain of their intention. Do not count on door chains to prevent a forced entry. They are of light weight construction and easily broken. Always have a door viewer on the door or a home security surveillance system to establish who is calling. Surveillance cameras with monitors that will allow for two cameras are available for as little as $40. Intercoms are also helpful. Criminals may purposely speak too low for you to hear, hoping you will open the door.

Use Common Sense

The man who knocks on your door may claim he has been shot and there may appear to be blood on his shirt, but is the area growing? If he has a lot of blood on him and really is injured his lips may be blue or grey (central cyanosis) or he may be wearing makeup on his lips. Ask him to hold his fingernails up to the door viewer, if they are also blue he may be telling the truth-or not. He may even collapse on your porch and you should certainly call for help for him. Unless you have medical training that can assist him, the only thing you will be able to do is to call 911. Tell the bleeding stranger (through the intercom or closed door) that you are doing so. If he gets up and runs away then you know you have foiled a home invasion that could have cost you your life.

Ultimately you must use your own judgment, but never endanger your family due to your compassion. Always keep in mind that criminals are becoming smarter in gaining access. Sharing these home invasion protection tips with all members of your family may save their lives.

GrabAGun provides online guns for sale including concealed carry pistols, concealed carry holsters, tactical shotguns, and other home invasion defense weapons for your home protection needs.

Leave a comment