Protecting Your Home and Vehicles from Crime

Hey guys, well unfortunately had a break in to my truck a little while ago and they got some pretty important things from me. Bad timing for sure. It was my fault for having it in there, but i had just taken my MCAT and had some things in there that are not ordinarily. My question to you guys is how bad is crime in your area? I live in a ghetto ass town of Albuquerque, just a large city but crime is pretty rampant. I am wanting to get some protection in case next time it is in my house. Do you guys have loaded weapons in your place, are you afraid to use them? Are you familiar with the laws in your state? Where i am from in Texas, they have no problem you puttin a bullet inside someone if they are in your house haha...but im not sure new mexico is. If you have a gun, ever consider non-lethal ammunition in the first round, and then lethal after that?

 

I left the door open to my mom's SUV (leaving this afternoon for a fishing trip and my car won't cut it on the logging roads) ALL night with my camera, video camera, VERY expensive fishing road, 2 float tubes, Lots of booze... open ALL NIGHT and nothing was missing. I got pretty lucky. LOL

 

I have been very fortunate in my life as I've never had a break in. However I do have a 120 lb German Shepard roaming the yard 24/7. Come in there if you dare and I assure you it will be a mistake. He's my bullet I can call back.

 

A good alarm system and a guard dog like a German Shepherd are good deterrents. Someone looking around for a house to break in will skip yours if you have either or even better both and go for an easier target. But to anwser your other question, if someone breaks into my house I will do whatever it takes to protect my family without hesitation.

 

For an alarm, look into Compustar. They're pricey but I've been more than happy with mine. It has a 2-way pager so I know if my alarm is going off about a mile away, or a full block or two in the city. If your alarm is going off, other people don't care and will do nothing. All the thief has to do is cut the alarm wire (easy to find) and it's done. If YOU know your alarm is going off via your page won't shutup, then you can take action.

 

Yeah maybe a dog will be a better way to go about it haha. I just worry about the vehicles too..i dont keep ANYTHING in there now but i still dont want to replace my window every month either. a dog really wont help with that, but neither will a gun with them not in my house....what to do, what to do... :shead: what are some good aftermarket alarm systems for cars that you guys know about?

 

selfquote

 

Actually a dog will hear people long before you do and a good guard dog will alert you and most of the time frighten the would be burgalers away. If the dog is kept outside and he can just see your driveway you won't have to worry about someone breaking into your car.

 

Compustar is good, like what lifemal said.

I installed DEI-Viper Alarms for 4 years and really like the construstion of their components. The range on their two way was about 1500 feet where ever you were..I thought that was good..

 

Compustar is a good car alarm. One thing people dismiss is get your windows tinted, it is harder to break tinted windows and could be that little extra time or nose that you will notice them or they will run away if they feel like someone may catch them. Also if you get a car alarm, get a motion sensor, I will be adding a motion sensor to my factory alarm so if anyone shakes it of tries to break the window the alarm will go off.

 

In my brother's car (VERY rare evo 1) We went with a DEI alarm and did tilt sensor, glass breakage sensor, proximity sensor (this one is stupid sensitive) and did away with the stock shock sensor it's practically useless and two back up batteries. All hidden. If they trace the wires to one backup, the other is hidden completely separately. And we took an old Compustar brain box and hid it under the dash with fake wires going to it. So hopefully that'll trip them up. The entire alarm install took a week. That should let you know how far we stripped the interior and the amount of work that went into it. We're not chancing it with a car like that.

 

sorry lifemal..i was under the impression that was a home alarm as i had not heard of it...im gonna look into this. i appreciate all the help so far gentlemen. i wud like to hear more experiences with the gun too haha.

 

J BELL, a Compustar from an authorized dealer will cost you $600 + installed, but you can generally find them on eBay for cheaper if you know how to install it yourself. If you don't have the slightest clue, pay someone who does, LOL.

 

What models should i look at lifemal? and i havent the slightest clue how to do it haha...i would pay someone for sure.

 

If you want remote start (they have a safety for manuals, it works great in my car! It's more of a sequence to make sure your car is out of gear)

Then look at any of the ones that offer 2-way paging and remote start.

Otherwise look at just 2-way paging. Your best bet is going to be finding a dealer then going to their shop and having a look.

 

Plus 1 on the DEI I installed them for 12 years and that is all that i use in all of my cars .You can't go wrong.

 

An alarm is great for cars. Until you are car jacked, like I was in 1992. This is when a weapon comes into play. They did not get my car, or my wallet. As for the home, same thing. I have an alarm and protection.

 

I've had parts stolen off car my in front of my house. It does have an alarm and has successfully deterred thieves twice. The other times what they stole was external and did not cause any motion to the car. As you already know the quality of the install of an alarm makes a huge difference i.e. hiding the brain making all the wiring look oem, having a in cabin siren, back up siren, back up battery etc. I've seen alarm installs where you can disconnected it seconds.

I have several fire arms in my house and I am not afraid to use them if forced to. The problem is the laws where I live aren't in the home owners favor. It's not fire first ask questions later. The law states that you can only fire if the person poses a direct thread to your life. Begs the question do you shoot to kill and say they endangered your life? Or do you shoot to wound then risk legal problems. I've heard the argument over nonlethal force which does sound like a good idea. I have a shot gun and I could always load a bean bag round then the rest with regular rounds. Then when asked I can say I tried to stop the thief with nonlethal force but he continued to be aggressive. I'm not sure how well that will hold up though. As you stated before does no good when you're not home.

 

Just be careful, even when you are right, you are wrong. Trust me on this one.

 

call me crazy, but i concealed carry a subcompact 9mm glock almost everywhere i go. i have it loaded with critical defense hollow points, which are sure to drop you god forbit the situation arises. as far as having a weapon with the first round non-lethal, its been an open debate between gun owners for quite some time, but i personally wouldnt feel comfortable with a non lethal first round. if i find myself in a situation where my life or the life of someone around me is in immediate danger, im looking to "disable" that threat. i dont want to have to worry about taking that second shot, knowing my first isnt going to kill the bad guy. i might only have time for one shot, so id rather it count. thats why i carry the hollow points. i pray to god i never have to use my weapon in self defense, but i honestly can say i dont think i would hesitate to use my weapon if necessary. the way i see it is the glocks not coming out of the holster unless i plan on using it, or i know that by brandishing my weapon, the threat will dissolve. gun laws in PA are pretty laxed compared to a lot of states, and i am very familiar with them.

if you are looking to a good home defense weapon, look into a 12 gauge shotgun. best weapon for home defense, hands down. its rumored that just the sound of the shotgun chambering the first round is sometimes enough to scare away an intruder.

some people think carrying a concealed firearm or having a firearm in the home for self defense is overkill, but i figure rather have a gun and not need one than need a gun and not have one. its legal, so why not.