Home invasion/hostage... What would you do..?

[Double T]

Wow, I was not aware I was in the presence of a true combat warrior. I capitulate. For those who are not as seasoned here is some information that you can use to "stress inoculate" yourselves.

Adrenal Stress in Crisis

If you are not used to the dump, your hands will shake like you have full blown Parkinsons. Don't let the first time be the time you need your senses the most.

Everyone and their brother knows the fight or flight response, I'm just saying that if your heart actually goes to 200 bpm, you have more issues to worry about than trying to squeeze the trigger.

My heart HAS beat at 200 bpm trying to correct for atrial fibrilation. It's not fun. And it also takes everything out of you.

I've been in situations that required action and also included an adrenaline dump. I didn't feel any pain, that was about the only thing that happened other than time seemed to take forever to pass. Must just've been a fluke though.

 

[jon5212]

I have thought about talking to my wife for this type of situation to have a "sign" to give if she were taken hostage to go limp guaranteed bad guy won't expect that and she'll fall to the floor, while 10 rounds of 40 s&w are ejected out of my firearm.

 

[Light]

I'm not sure what I would do. It would depend on the situation.

Most likely I wouldn't disarm, that would be the last thing I would do. Second would be to take the first good available shot.

As far as with a shotgun, I don't know if I could take that gamble. Maybe if I had trained to do so, but with just range time I wouldn't chance my loved ones losing an ear, or worse.

 

[Aaron1776]

I'm not sure what I would do. It would depend on the situation.

Most likely I wouldn't disarm, that would be the last thing I would do. Second would be to take the first good available shot.

As far as with a shotgun, I don't know if I could take that gamble. Maybe if I had trained to do so, but with just range time I wouldn't chance my loved ones losing an ear, or worse.

This is probably stretching it but you could always throw a slug in the chamber. This would have to be extremely well trained though as you couldn't afford the time loss.

But you hit the nail on the head. You must train train train train.

For me I'm just learning the shotgun so it's going to be my carbine that drills his brainstem.

 

[SkullDaddy.45]

This has crossed my mind in the past. I hope to god no one is ever faced with this scenario but let's face it with all the crazies running around its better to be prepared mentally just in case...

Lets say a robber, rapist, thief, junkie, etc. breaks into your home in the middle of the night and snatches up a loved one he is armed, you wake and grab your sidearm, confront him and he says to drop the weapon or the loved one dies...

So what do you do? Do you put your gun down and risk him killing you and the rest of your family or do you stand your ground and risk him doing the unthinkable?....

I would kill him with one shot from a .45 to the head . Regardless of what the outcome would be, the robber,thief, rapist, junkie, would be dead!

 

[Manatee]

I've been in competitive shooting for more than a decade and it makes me glad to see all the folks who come into the sport with only the very basic knowledge of their firearms and become proficient with handguns shotguns and rifles in a year or so.

Training is key. Competion is part of it, but only a part.

As Hollywood always says: trust your training. They got that part right, for once.

I would also add, know your firearms. The guys who swap their HD guns for the latest and greatest new piece of polymer or 2# action job are putting themselves at a disadvantage. Stick with your HD gun(s).

The other thing Hollywood got right (because, in both cases, they were listening to professionals) is: Your plan does not survive first contact with the enemy. You can spend hours talking about what you might do....it's much better to train so that you understand what you are capable of doing.

 

[Bill of Rights]

This has crossed my mind in the past. I hope to god no one is ever faced with this scenario but let's face it with all the crazies running around its better to be prepared mentally just in case...

Lets say a robber, rapist, thief, junkie, etc. breaks into your home in the middle of the night and snatches up a loved one he is armed, you wake and grab your sidearm, confront him and he says to drop the weapon or the loved one dies...

So what do you do? Do you put your gun down and risk him killing you and the rest of your family or do you stand your ground and risk him doing the unthinkable?....

What do I do? The best I can. That's all anyone can ask of me, including me.

All I can do is pray it's both the right thing and enough of it.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[drysdaleg]

Get him to answer and shoot when he opens his mouth to speak. He will be distracted just enough to shoot first and get a shot off. Hopefully it's an instant CNS stopper and there is no twitching before he hits the floor.

I get super pissed when I'm muzzled with an unloaded weapon, let alone a loved one by a stupid criminal.

This ^^^

 

[rhino]

If the guy is willing to murder your loved on in front of you when you are armed and could logically be expected to end his life if he did so, what would compel him to not hurt both of you if you relinquished your weapon?

 

[ricochet22]

If the weapon in my hand is the only one at my disposal there is NO WAY I'm dropping it

 

[Excalibur]

I really don't know what I should do in this situation. My heart will tell me to do as the man say, but my mind would tell me what happens if I do. Would the man tie me up, kill me, and then rob the house while raping my family? If I have a good shot, I'd take it.

 

[rwhitmore8]

I think people take what they see in the movies and video games too much into effect when they think of things like this. People dont just instantly die when you shoot them. Even if it is in the head. If the assailant has a gun to your loved ones head and you manage to successfully fire a round through the head of the invader it is still very likely that his reflex alone will allow his finger to pull that trigger before he cuts out. With that being said, I don't think its as easy as they make it seem on tv to talk people down from situations like this. This is probably going to end very badly. Yes I agree with the fact that you should not surrender under any circumstances, but more importantly you need to be able to train yourself
to assess situations like this with rationality while being overcome with extreme adrenaline and emotion. The bad part of that is that is easier said than done, and the average person has no way of being able to prepare for that situation.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Disarmament is death.
Beyond that knowledge, I have no idea as to the certain outcome, only possibilities.
May the Lord God ensure none of us ever have to know for sure.

 

[Valvestate]

Let the assailant know if they kill loved one, there's nothing between them and the same fate.

 

[STEEL CORE]

How about the folks in California (Guy truckjacked/couple tied up) they and the dog were allowed to live by the cop killer, but hey its Cali, and not that they COULD do much ....but if my neighborhood was locked down and everybody was looking for a murderer/loose ZOO lion, or (FILL IN THE BLANK), I and my wife would have been armed. (And NOT taken hostage in my own home).

 

[gdunn]

I couldn't tell you what I would do for sure. There are a million other details that would factor in.
What is my loved ones current location, i.e. are they a shield?
Is the weapon pointing at me or a loved one?
And so on, and so on.

This. Too many variables. Weapon pointed at me? If have a fairly clear shot at something with a reasonable chance of ending the situation quickly. I'd take the shot. Weapon pointed at her, no shot opportunities, etc. I'd probably back out of line of sight and provide him an opportunity to escape/flee. Let him take what he wants and leave. If I am standing there with a firearm aimed at him, he is less likely to release her and leave. I back out of the room and explain I am giving him the opportunity to end this confrontation on his terms, nobody getting hurt, he can have the valuables he has collected, etc.

and pray for the best possible outcome.


EDIT - and as someone else pointed out. You give up your weapon he now has two victims. I remain armed and back out of view, next room behind partial cover he isn't going to be able to escalate things as easily as if you are disarmed. I couldn't imagine a scenario where you gave up a weapon and were tied up and had to witness someone you love be raped. There would be a lot of second guessing in those following minutes, hours, days... rest of your life.

It's unfortunate that anyone ever has to endure such horrible events and make such difficult decisions.

 

[public servant]

Teach your loved ones to tilt their head to the left.

 

[ghostdncr]

We practice this drill. All the girls know when my pistol comes up it's time to close their eyes and slowly rotate their face toward the perp's off side. In addition, I regularly practice the walnut shot under every type of artificial stress I can generate.

 

[halfmileharry]

Let's hope none of us are ever faced with life and death choices.
Hopefully we've all secured our homes well enough that this scenario never plays out.
Evil not only lurks but preys on the unprepared.
God Bless all from these evils.

 

[dangar]

If the guy is willing to murder your loved on in front of you when you are armed and could logically be expected to end his life if he did so, what would compel him to not hurt both of you if you relinquished your weapon?

^^This^^
Hopefully, it can be resolved without anyone dying. If that doesn't appear likely and his weapon is on me, I take the shot. If his weapon is to the head of my loved one, try talking to him. Perhaps during the course of the "conversation," he will redirect his aim giving me the opportunity I need.

Of course, all of that is easy to say while I'm sitting in front of my computer. Despite all of the advice to do so, I have not yet trained for such situations.