Kristal had given him lot of crap about his preps for the coming night.
She finally relented when Clayton repeated the words of the vet “...epidemic of poisoned guard-dogs…”
“And why do you think somebody would poison a guard-dog?” Clayton asked. “Do you suppose it is because they intend to rob the place?”
He asked her to move Mattie to their bedroom and to take care of her if Mattie woke up. He also told her to NOT come out of the bedroom until daylight.
He also gave her the .22 rifle that she had used to shoot apples in the apple orchard. It was the gun she was most familiar with.
He prayed to God that it would not come to the point to where she needed to use it, although he firmly believed that anybody who could cold-bloodedly kill a dog would have no problem raping and killing humans.
Clayton was a firm believer in layers of defense. No single defense was impenetrable but multiple layers could slow down attackers and make it expensive, very expensive, to continue the assault.
The first layers were passive. He used 3” deck-screws to secure three 2-by-4s across the man-door into the garage. There was no way that door was going to open inwards even if the burglars used a battering ram.
The three entryway doors into the house were more challenging because they had windows---great big, 20” wide by 36” tall, 9-pane windows. Even if he threw the dead-bolts, the thieves could smash the window and open the deadbolts by reaching through and opening the door from the inside.
Clayton contented himself with deck-screwing cleats to the floor and cutting a 2-by-4 with a notch in one end and an angle cut in the other. One end of the 2-by rested against the cleat and the notched end was wedged beneath the door-handle.
It wasn’t perfect because the thieves could completely bust out the window and removed the 2- brace...but it was what he could do for a passive defence given his other plans.
Clayton briefly considered “hardening” the windows as points of entry but decided against it. His house was in an area with poor drainage and had a 36” high crawl-space. The house was completely barren of any landscaping shrubs that could mask the approach of people attempting to break in.
Finally, the bottom sill of the windows were another 32” up. Why would anybody try to enter a house by climbing over an opening that was six feet in the air when they could walk in through a door.
Clayton made several passes through the house and dowsed everything that made light. He put black electrical tape over the LED tell-tales of the items he could not unplug.
He was the hunter. Darkness was his friend.
Clayton sat in a kitchen chair with his shotgun across the table.
The “Woke” prosecutor for Ingham County had been very clear that defending your property with lethal force would get you sent to jail and then prison. Meanwhile, “disadvantaged classes” who were caught breaking-and-entering or carrying firearms were released without bail within hours.
Clayton did NOT want to go to prison and leave his family unprotected.
The 20 gauge shotgun was there in case all of the other layers of defense failed.
She finally relented when Clayton repeated the words of the vet “...epidemic of poisoned guard-dogs…”
“And why do you think somebody would poison a guard-dog?” Clayton asked. “Do you suppose it is because they intend to rob the place?”
He asked her to move Mattie to their bedroom and to take care of her if Mattie woke up. He also told her to NOT come out of the bedroom until daylight.
He also gave her the .22 rifle that she had used to shoot apples in the apple orchard. It was the gun she was most familiar with.
He prayed to God that it would not come to the point to where she needed to use it, although he firmly believed that anybody who could cold-bloodedly kill a dog would have no problem raping and killing humans.
Clayton was a firm believer in layers of defense. No single defense was impenetrable but multiple layers could slow down attackers and make it expensive, very expensive, to continue the assault.
The first layers were passive. He used 3” deck-screws to secure three 2-by-4s across the man-door into the garage. There was no way that door was going to open inwards even if the burglars used a battering ram.
The three entryway doors into the house were more challenging because they had windows---great big, 20” wide by 36” tall, 9-pane windows. Even if he threw the dead-bolts, the thieves could smash the window and open the deadbolts by reaching through and opening the door from the inside.
Clayton contented himself with deck-screwing cleats to the floor and cutting a 2-by-4 with a notch in one end and an angle cut in the other. One end of the 2-by rested against the cleat and the notched end was wedged beneath the door-handle.
It wasn’t perfect because the thieves could completely bust out the window and removed the 2- brace...but it was what he could do for a passive defence given his other plans.
Clayton briefly considered “hardening” the windows as points of entry but decided against it. His house was in an area with poor drainage and had a 36” high crawl-space. The house was completely barren of any landscaping shrubs that could mask the approach of people attempting to break in.
Finally, the bottom sill of the windows were another 32” up. Why would anybody try to enter a house by climbing over an opening that was six feet in the air when they could walk in through a door.
Clayton made several passes through the house and dowsed everything that made light. He put black electrical tape over the LED tell-tales of the items he could not unplug.
He was the hunter. Darkness was his friend.
Clayton sat in a kitchen chair with his shotgun across the table.
The “Woke” prosecutor for Ingham County had been very clear that defending your property with lethal force would get you sent to jail and then prison. Meanwhile, “disadvantaged classes” who were caught breaking-and-entering or carrying firearms were released without bail within hours.
Clayton did NOT want to go to prison and leave his family unprotected.
The 20 gauge shotgun was there in case all of the other layers of defense failed.
***
Clayton startled awake with the rattling of the chainlink fence when the “goblins” cut the lock and opened the gate.
He checked the security cams with his smartphone, which was on the very lowest “brightness” setting. Three shadowy figures flitted to the man-door on the garage. They had either walked there, or more likely, had been dropped off since there were no vehicles parked on the street.
He heard some hammering as the goblins slid the lock-set down to give them access to the guts of the lock. A few more blows with a hammer and then he heard them try to open the door. It only swung a couple of inches before banging into the 2-by-4 cross-pieces. They tried two or three more times to force it open but then abandoned the effort.
They abandoned their first attempt and moved to the next entry door. It was clear in Clayton’s mind that they had done this before.
His “targets” were funneling in just the way he would have if he was breaking in. They did not go to the porch that faced the street but chose one that was more hidden.
Clayton doused his smartphone and laid it, screen down, on the table.
It was show-time.
Some bubble wrap under the welcome mat would also be worth it. At least tell the prosecutor the home invader was warned before anything bad actually happened.
ReplyDeleteThe stage is made, the trap is sprung. And now to the show !!
Did you miss this part of the story friend?
ReplyDelete"Clayton sat in a kitchen chair with his shotgun across the table.
The “Woke” prosecutor for Ingham County had been very clear that defending your property with lethal force would get you sent to jail and then prison. Meanwhile, “disadvantaged classes” who were caught breaking-and-entering or carrying firearms were released without bail within hours.
Clayton did NOT want to go to prison and leave his family unprotected.
The 20 gauge shotgun was there in case all of the other layers of defense failed."
When you know the "Woke" run the legal systems and THEY announce by word OR Deed that they lay their hand of Protection on the criminals ANY Defense is a CRIME that Woke DA will prosecute. When it gets to Federal "Hate Crime" your truly screwed legally.
Clayton and his pregnant wife (unless they flee out the back door) are now outlaws for the Crime of "Self Defense".
We are the Boers. Plan accordingly.
OVERVIEW
ReplyDeletedouse
Subject: Social sciences, Warfare and Defence
Dows
v.
1 extinguish (a fire or light): stewards appeared and the fire was doused.
The absence of a dog , preferably German dog , but the best guard dog I ever had was a Tennessee Walker coon hound , would have given a much needed warning time as well as a bone crushing bite for the first perp or two to consider . We typically have always had three pooches prowling the homestead and especially at night they are watchful to say the least . That old Coon girl got buried this spring after a life of being spoiled and loved . Sure do miss her .
ReplyDeleteGoing to be a long weekend until the next post in this series...... :)
ReplyDeleteWell written ERJ.
ReplyDeleteThis sort of stuff always makes me angry, simply because of the fact it is 0.01% removed from reality. Especially the prosecutors and legal system.
Well done, and yes, dogs for the win, except that you'd be prosecuted for 'allowing' them to bite people... sigh
ReplyDeleteMore please! Lots more.
ReplyDeleteDon't miss the links in the upper right then.
Delete'Where the stories start...'
Too bad he doesn't have a silenced pistol. Not as much noise as a shotgun. Two double-taps and one in the head. Throw the bodies in your truck head out to the deep woods--4' hole, some lime--and never speak of it again.
ReplyDeleteFavill while that makes great TV it's not so successful in real life.
ReplyDeleteJust had to help a neighbor with re-burying a large family dog that was dug up by critters. Smelly and not fun.
When the powers that be "allow" criminals to run the night they often Protect those criminals far beyond what you expect. I can "See" the family of the three thugs calling their Social Justice Warrior about how they didn't return from "Work" from this address.
Same MO as the Bolsheviks did in revolutionary Russia. Time moves on but the proven successful tactics continue to destroy civilization.