LOW-LIGHT HOME DEFENSE
Handgun/flashlight tactics that work!
By Rick Miller
Combat Handguns, April 1994
One favorite topic that is often repeated in the shooting
press concerns the choice of weapons for home defense. The scribe
in question will discuss the options available in great detail.
This will generally run the full spectrum of shotguns. carbines and
handguns, as well as proper ammo for each. Seldom, however, will
other related subjects be brought up as part of the overall
picture. Other topics of importance that come to mind include
tactics in the home (have a game plan.) keeping two guns ready
instead of just one. and acquiring a good sturdy flashlight such as
the type used by the police.
First of all, you, your spouse, and children should devise a
game plan to cover an intruder in the house. Ideally, everyone
should congregate in the master bedroom or other safe place, where
the defense weapon is stored. If that is not possible, the children
should be instructed ahead of time to lock themselves in their
bedrooms in case of emergency, while you sort the situation out,
and your spouse calls the police.
The best course of action (if possible) is to remain
barricaded in the bedroom, call the police, and let them handle the
situation. The most dangerous thing you can do is to personally
conduct a search of the house. If there is indeed an intruder
present, a confrontation is almost guaranteed. Of course, if there
are family members in other parts of the house, you won't have much
choice but to go to their aid. Sometimes there is no "best"
solution.
When I am not at home, my wife has standing instructions to
stay in the bedroom in the event of an intruder. The first order of
business is to acquire one of the house pistols, secondly to lock
the bedroom door, and only then to call the sheriff or dial 91 1.
She is then to stay put, if at all possible, and to let the
deputies handle the situation. This way the intruder must come to
her through a locked door. If he breaks through. she will be pre-
pared, and should have the advantage.
For home defense I prefer a good handgun of adequate
caliber(nothing less than .38 Special or 9mm Parabellum.) Action
type is optional, either revolver or auto will do. It is important
that all people in the house who might have to handle it, be
checked out in its use. This includes safe handling and basic
marksmanship. My personal choice is the Colt .45 Auto loaded with
Federal HydraShok ammo. A good auto is more efficient than a
revolver, and the .45 Hydra-Shok is a proven stopper. Your choice
might be different. but the important thing is that you know how
to use it.
I prefer the handgun over rifle or shotgun for home defense,
for several reasons. The pistol or revolver is handier and quicker
in tight quarters, and cannot be taken away from you as easily as
a long gun. Shotguns kick too hard for some people, and most
centerfire rifles have way too much penetration for indoor use, not
to mention flash and blast.
Why do I recommend TWO pistols in the night stand? It is
simple. If you MUST search the house, the second weapon is for your
spouse to use . If you confront the intruder and you lose, the rest
of the family won't be defenseless. It is a good idea to make the
second gun of similar type and caliber to the first, to avoid
confusion in time of stress.
Speaking of equipment, have you given any thought to a good
flashlight? There should be one located by your bed, or wherever
the house gun is stored. A surprising number of folks never give
this any consideration. Don't buy a cheap $1.98 "bargain" at the
local hardware store. In certain situations that flashlight can be
very important. Spend a few extra bucks for a good one, one that
won't let you down when the going gets rough,
There are a lot of sturdy flashlights on the market, but I
prefer the type designed for police use. They are machined from
aircraft grade aluminum, use rubber O-rings to seal out moisture,
and are quite rugged and dependable. I like the size that takes
four "D" cell batteries. They are not too big, and can double as a
weapon in a pinch. If you want a smaller and handier size, they are
available in two and three cell versions. You can't go wrong with
a brand name such as Mag-Lite or Kelite. Expect to pay between
$20.00 and $30.00. It's not a bad idea to have one in each of your
cars as well.
If you suspect an intruder in the house, and you feel a search
must be made, it would be best initially to keep the house lights
OFF. Should the lights be turned on, the intruder will be
immediately tipped off that he has been detected. If he runs, that
is all well and good. But if he has a more sinister purpose in
mind, you have made his task easier. With the lights on, he can
easily see the layout of rooms and furniture. With the lights off
you have an advantage. Here is where the flashlight comes
As you SLOWLY search the house, keep the flashlight turned
OFF. If you walk around with it on, as is done in the movies and on
TV, you advertise and pinpoint your location. Keep it off until
needed, then flick it on briefly AFTER aligning the pistol and
light where you think the intruder is standing.
Harries Flashlight/Handgun
Here is how it is done, using the technique developed by
Michael Harries, a veteran practical shooter. Hold the pistol in a
normal grip with the shooting hand. The weak hand holds the
flashlight with the lens towards the heel of the hand, and the
middle or little finger on the button switch. Cross the hands so
that the BACKS may be pressed firmly together. Coupled with the
natural hollow formed by the wrists in this position, the hands are
solidly locked together. Let the tube of the flashlight rest along
the forearm of the gun hand for guidance.
With the pistol held thusly and down at the ready, this
position may be held quite awhile without fatigue. With practices of violent bullies be spared? So that they
can continue to destroy the lives of the defenseless? Gun control
would make it easier for wife-beating and child abuse to continue
unchecked. I would rather see such brutes dead than see women and
children with no alternative to submission.
Gun ownership is vital right. Handguns are an essential form
of self-defense for the lower class of society that doesn't have
the personal armies and suburban fortresses of the upper class.
Private gun ownership serves as a powerful check on police and
other pigs who terrorize minorities, on the expansionist desires
of foreign governments as well as the encroachments of our own
state, and on the ability of men to systematically abuse and
exploit women and children. Gun ownership gives people the real
option of resisting an authority that becomes too oppressive to
bear. As such, it is a valuable tool for ensuring personal
freedom.
In short, gun control is \class\ legislation. It is an
attempt by the elite rulers of society to disarm the weaker class
and make them submissive to their will. In the near future,
leading liberals \and\ conservatives will likely set aside their
minor political differences for the benefit of their combined
class interest, and enact legislation restricting the ownership of
weapons of self-defense. They will succeed in this, too, unless
opponents of gun control expand their base of support to include
the traditionally liberal constituency of the underclass: the
poor, minorities, and women. These groups have the most to lose
from gun control, and the most to gain from the right to
unrestricted gun ownership.
Published (prophetically) in 1983 by
Loompanics Unlimited
P. O. Box 1197
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(Latest catalogue $2.00)
Reprinted as a public service by
The Company of Freemen
\Rosemary Fury is an editor of \The Spark\ (P. O. Box 528, Port
Townsend, WA 98368), a newsletter of contemporary anarchist
thought. It's about time gun rights activists looked toward
anarchist and libertarian ideasQthey alone seem to have a complete
picture of what's going on with the conservative (Bush,
Dukemejian) and liberal (Metzenbaum, Kennedy) alliance to disarm
all non-statists\.
------------------------------------------------
(This file was found elsewhere on the Internet and uploaded to the
Patriot Archives FTP site by S.P.I.R.A.L., the Society for the
Protection of Individual Rights and Liberties. E-mail alex@spiral.org)
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