I have a machette and a well equipped tool box, my doors are always unlocked unless we’re in bed or not home.
I don’t have a shotgun anymore, bit I do have a metal baseball bat, 2 broadwsords, a battle axe, and a large collection of claw hammers. Never had to use any of them.
Well, we keep the doors locked and stuff like that, and my first preference is to call 911 and let the cops deal with it - that’s what we pay them to do, right?
However, for those occassions when we just can NOT wait… we have a crossbow. We’ve only needed to use it once - on a truck thief who, when my husband said “What the *[expletive deleted] * are you doing to my truck?” pulled a foot long knife out and started making threatening moves and threatening words.
No sir, even if you do not recognize the device in the nice man’s hand, it is NOT a toy!
I used to have a S&W .38 Chief’s Special loaded with reversed wadcutters. When I had a carry permit it never left my side. I never had to shoot it and it removed me from potential life-threatening trouble several times just by “being visible.”
Once, in the dark, I actually had to cock it to get the guy running.
When I moved to Hawaii, no carry permits available, I slept with it under my pillow.
When I got a kid, I got a quick-access wall safe, so that I could get to it in a few seconds but no one without the combination could.
I had several times here in Hawaii where I had to get it out, then I think my reputation got around, and we haven’t been bothered for years. So, I got rid of the guns finally, and put in a good security system.
Oh, and I still have my target board from the range, sitting near the corner where intrusion always happened… man-shaped target with very small groups in the forehead and chest…
I actually feel pretty secure. I don’t think anyone is after me (except Marley), and I think my house is off the locals “possibles” list.
If someone gets through the security system I’m not going to count on 911, they have historically taken over half an hour on an emergency call. I’ll call, or rather let the wife call, while I grab various “weapons of opportunity.”
Another Mossberg 500 owner here, with a Taurus 689 .357 for backup
Glock 17 with Meprolight night-sights, a Glock-Light, and a 17rd mag full 'o Black Hills 147gr JHP goodness.
I have a pretty old house, and the doorways are pretty narrow. I have a Mossberg 590A1, but methinks it is too long to effectively wield within my house. Room-to-room could get tricky, and there is no way in hell I am going to hide behind my bed and wait for the cops if I hear a ‘bump’ in my house.
Eh. I live in a nice neighborhood, so it isn’t like I go to bed scared, but calling the cops is pretty much a ‘after the fact’ thing, IMO. Even the best police will take a few minutes to respond. The only person I know whose house was broken into lives in West Bloomfield, one of the richer cities in Michigan. Her dogs scared the bugger(s) off, but it just goes to show…
After the dogs, there’s a 12 ga. pump loaded with #4 shot. I live a long way (30 minutes, minimum) from the sheriff’s office and the like. I’d have to call 911 after the situation was resolved to tell them how many bodies needed picking up.
My 1920s style death ray, of course!
Nothing, and it’s honestly never bothered me. The doors are locked when we’re in bed, and that’s good enough.
.357 Magnum
12 gauge loaded with 00 buck
a 1st Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do
A very large and grouchy Boxer
I’d set The Beast (who masquerades as a domestic cat, but who is in fact a rottweiller/panther cross, and who has been known to onflict significant damage even on people that he likes) on any unwelcome intruder. Failing that, but only as a last resort, I’d wake up the teenagers. Facing the wrath of a sleep-deprived 17 year old should be enough to scare even the most crazed lunatic off.
I forgot: my K-Bar combat knife (too)
Used to have a nice cleaver, now it’s a wooded bat, perfect for snapping shins. I also keep a bucket of mud handy in case the intruder is a predator. 
On the nights I sleep home alone, I like having my bedroomdoor locked, a cordless phone by the bed, and my illegal in the Netherlands but readily avalable in Germany pepperspray.
It’s stupid; I live in an old house, and I never notice how it squieks and creaks unless I’m in bed alone.
:smack:
Let’s try wooden bats for $100 Alex
[sub]Need coffee[/sub]
I have a very protective Border Collie mix with a very loud, mean, scary bark. I also have a baseball bat and a very protective husband.
I’d call the police, but in terms of weapons I guess if I were pressed (which would be unlikely considering I’m a tiny Asian chick who knows absolutely no martial arts) I could make do with some very nasty looking cleavers and butchers knives, or if I had a couple of minutes, a mug of boiling water.
No problem, just tell them to “hang on, this’ll only take a minute”, boil 5 minutes, and splash in the face. Hey it works for bugs bunny right?
My wife. No seriously. She’s Brazilian, and you don’t want to mess with her when she’s angry. Also, if any harm comes to her, her extended family is coming after your ass, and there’s no place you will be able to hide.
A loud scary voice and comfy furniture. You’d be surprised how fast a thief gets moving when you pick up a couch to throw at him.