What is the best thing to do if an intruder enters your apartment and you are in there?

Question

There is no back door to escape. There's the balcony door, but I am thinking, it wont be of much use because there wont be enough time to get to it to go out and jump out (I am sure to break a bone if I jump) even if I want to escape. I have a small 1-bdroom apt on the 2nd floor.

Answer 1

Remember noise is your best defense because you may not be able to get to where your gun is located. The problem with guns is people get killed with their own gun especially if you are not trained to use one. Go to home depot (or another hardware store) and get a device that a lot of noise when the pin is pulled. They make them for swimming pool gates and other things to alert adults when small children open the gate. Secure one end to the door and the other to the frame. This can be done with double sided tape. Intruders do not want much attention so when it goes off it will alert you and may deter them from entering. Also, keep a couple of air horns through out your home that can be purchased at a sporting goods store. They are small but make a very loud noise.
Finally keep your cell phone or a cordless phone within reach at all times.

Answer 2

Well here are a few options. First of all, if someone breaks in and is stealing your stuff, you have the legal right to use reasonable force, meaning any force needed to protect yourself, not belongings, this is the retreat clause. This has been upheld by the Supreme Court, stating life is more valuable than property. However if someone enters your home armed, you have the right to use deadly force, which means you have the right to be there, you act without fault and you act with the fear or apprehension of death or serious bodily injury. You are able to defend yourself, keep some sort of weapon, knives, gun, etc. Lastly, if you jump and break a bone, you are still out of harms way and don't feel bad if you don't want a huge gun for protection; saving your life is the most important thing.

Answer 3

The first order of business is get the police on the phone and try to barricade the area you're in. Contrary to what the movies portray thieves really don't bother trying to cut phone lines and even if they wanted to most have no idea where to look to begin with.

Plus in this age of cell phones, roam phones, etc, cutting a phone line doesn't do all that much. You just pick up the cell or internet phone. Along with many people owning more than one phone it would really be a wasted effort.

Also for your protection in the event of a fire and the main door way is locked you may want to consider having something like a roll up ladder to get out your window. I know in some of the communities I've lived in it's actually against zoning ordnances not to have a second way out in case of emergency. I'd get on your landlord about this.

Answer 4

Buy a 12 gauge. The sound of a round being racked will have the burglar running back out the door leaving a trail of fecal matter behind him. If he doesn't run, shoot him. He's not there to steal. He's there to kill. There is an old adage that fits here. No self respecting burglar ever does 2 things. They don't carry a gun and they don't ever go into an occupied dwelling. If someone breaks in while you are home, the chances are that its a drug addict that will kill you for a dollar in your pocket. Treat them accordingly.

Answer 5

I've actually had this happen to me about 2 years ago. I lived in a bad neighborhood with another female roommate. At about midnight we heard someone break the back door and come in. We were scared but since we were each in our own room we just locked the doors to the rooms from the inside and called the police, then stayed on our cell phones with each other till the police came. We each had some sort of weapon in case they tried to open the doors to the rooms but they didn't. The only thing they found were some old Cd's.

Answer 6

Always have a plan of safety, should anything of that nature should happen to you. Know your escape routes, know that you do have the power to lock yourself in your bedroom and have a phone in the bedroom while you are in there call 911 immediately. If you are unsure, you can always call the cops, not the emergency line. Yet your local police dept and get help from them for a plan of safety and practise it. Signing up for a self defence course would not hurt either, well the pocketbook it would hurt but that is about it. :)

Answer 7

You ought to keep a loaded gun around and be willing to use it, but this depends on whether you have children in the house, and where you reside -- mere possession of a handgun in Washington, DC, turns YOU into the criminal. This is the place with the highest percentage of shooting deaths in the country, and every one of the weapons used, apart from those employed by the police, is illegal. This of course puts law-abiding citizens at an extreme disadvantage.

Answer 8

Why wait for that to happen? You should get a door security alarm for your apartment. It is a sesor that beeps or goes off it your door or window is opened at night. Also, have a lock placed on your bedroom door, so that if you hear the door beep you can get up and lock the door, to buy you some time to call 9-1-1.

Answer 9

The law varies in which state you live.

Here in Texas, we are required by law to 'retreat' and then fight back.

But if you are not into guns, you can buy a knife or a big honkin sword at your local mall, No man is crazy enough to charge you if you have a sword that can stick him with, especially if he has you backed into a hallway.

Answer 10

In the state of texas it use to be you had to MAKE AN ATTEMPT to flee the house for your safety. Now texas has passed the law you DONT have to make AN ATTEMPT they enter your house, business or car and you feel scared for your life you can shoot the intruder without worrying about being charge attempted murder or murder