# What to do when you awake to find someone Breaking into your house? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152 "2003-12-15T17:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/41 "2003-12-19T12:38:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fireman \* > \*\*In my youth I was able to fire it one-handed a la Dirty Harry. Wouldn’t try it now. Come to think of it, that might explain the arthritis in my shoulder joints. \*\* Dirty Harry? He did that in a movie? Dang, I miss all the good stuff. I would’ve thought you’d mention Linda Hamilton in T2. I agree with you, **EJsGirl** , about the shotgun being a good choice for home defense, but for different reasons. I recommend loading that thing with steel bird shot, not slugs or buck shot. That way, if you miss your intended target, you have less chance of endangering occupants of adjacent rooms/apartments/houses. And you might be surprised at the pattern bird shot makes at a range of ten feet - it’s actually pretty dang small. There has been at least one shotgun marketed specifically with women in mind: the Mossberg Home Security .410 shotgun with vertical forearm. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/42 "2003-12-19T13:53:56Z")
One night a couple years ago … 3:30 AM we were awakened to a huge bang. I didn’t know what it was but I was immediately sitting up in bed with my adrenaline pumping. I went to head downstairs and realized I didn’t have ANYTHING at all that would be useful to help me defend myself. Ugh, not a good feeling at all. That combination of fear and anger sure gives you some energy, though. Anyway, the sound turned out to be (as best as I can guess, anyway) a heavy brush falling in the shower. I finally got back to sleep and the next day on my way home from work I stopped and bought an aluminum softball bat. That is now within easy reach of my bed. We’ve strongly considered getting either a 9mm or a 12-gauge shotgun for the house. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not…I would readily kill anyone who was in my house who didn’t belong there. ---
**Author:** ![fireman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@fireman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fireman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/43 "2003-12-20T02:06:09Z")
_radar ralf said_ > [@](#): > > Dirty Harry? He did that in a movie? Dang, I miss all the good stuff. I would’ve thought you’d mention Linda Hamilton in T2. Well, Dirty Harry did it with the .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. And I was speaking of the shooting style, the one handed, arm extended, as opposed to the two-handed grip generally used today. I do believe that if Linda Hamilton was shooting live loads, it would knock her ass over teacup. Anyway, it’s something I’ll not try again, and I outweigh Linda by about 100 lbs!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![verbenabeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@verbenabeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbenabeast)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/44 "2003-12-20T02:52:10Z")
shoot the f\*cker, then dial 911… but then here in Alabama that is the standard operating procedure… as I recall that was the exact phrase my D.A. used when asked that question back in pre-law… My shotgun is loaded, no “racking the slide”… I would not dig being shot at whilst trying to sound bad-ass. My “Government Model” .45 auto is cocked and locked on the bedstand… if they get me it won’t be because I wasn’t shooting back! ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/45 "2003-12-20T11:42:07Z")
\*\*Well, Dirty Harry did it with the .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. \*\* - aha Of course, you already know this, but the .44 Magnum is no longer “the most powerful handgun in the world.” Not sure it was true when Harry uttered that now-famous line, actually… I thought you were saying that you shot your shotgun with that method, **fireman**. Sorry for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/46 "2003-12-20T17:28:47Z")
If you want to ambush the intruder, keep quiet. If you want to scare him off, make noise. Hey, **Master WK** , does “Blue Area” mean Blue Star? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152/47 "2003-12-20T19:21:39Z")
Since I have kids, my first priority would be to shepherd them into a common room\*. Then I’d move the dresser in front of the door. Then if the phone was out, I’d open up the window and scream loud and long enough to wake up all 465 homes in my subdivision. \*Mr. Pundit and the dog would, unfortunately, be on their own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-you-awake-to-find-someone-breaking-into-your-house/219152.md?page=2)