In this week’s mailbag I’ll explain…
How you are protected if you have to shoot an intruder…
What to do when a pedophile is lurking…
How to tell if your lock has been picked…
The gas mask I suggest in the event of a nuclear attack…
What to do to survive a missile attack…
How to secure your basement windows…
And more!
Let’s dive in…
In an email you sent, you mention a guy in Clayton County, Georgia who shot a guy as the guy came up the stairs with a rifle. The kid later died and I want to know how Tim S. got off with no charges, if he didn’t know that his life was in immediate danger? He just shot into the dark, not yelling a warning?
– William N
Answer: I’m not a lawyer, but most states have a law commonly referred to as a “Castle Doctrine” or “Castle Law.” Basically, these types of laws allow a homeowner to defend their home or “castle” using deadly force.
Many of these laws say the homeowner has no duty to retreat since the person is inside their home. Now, if I encountered an intruder inside my home I would absolutely yell at them to “Get out.”
There is no law in my state that says I have to yell this to someone, but I would. Of course, if the intruder ignored by commands or advanced toward me I would do what I need to do and shoot to stop him.
So, since the intruder was inside Tim’s house, he had reason to believe the person was an immediate threat and Tim wasn’t required to give the guy a chance to retreat once he was confronted.
There is a guy who hangs out at a local fast food restaurant who seems to be a known pedophile. Yesterday he was trying to be sneaky about filming my grandkids on the play area.
I snapped some photos of the dude and he complained to the manager. When I told her what was happening she seemed shocked. I asked if he hangs out there a lot and she said yes. What would you do in a situation such as this?
– Jason W
Answer: I would confront the guy and ask him what he’s doing. (Not everyone should do this, but I would). Then you could call the cops and advise them that there is a suspicious person who is taking pictures of young children.
Another thing is, the fast food restaurant can ask the police to remove the person from the property. You should hang onto any pictures you took of the guy and provide them to police in the hopes they can build a case against the guy if it comes to that.
If your lock has been picked, does it damage the lock so that the key is more difficult to turn? A few days ago, the key to my front door began suddenly sticking, needing to juggle it a bit to turn.
Additionally, inside the house there may have been some slight changes, but nothing missing. Is this paranoia or a possibility?
– Don O
Answer: This is a possibility especially, if the person who may have picked the lock is inexperienced.
What I mean is, when you pick a lock once, there isn’t typically damage to the lock unless the person really didn’t know what they were doing and damaged the lock.
Usually, a lock would have to be picked many times for it to sustain any damage.
One of my concerns is that if our country is attacked by a country with nuclear bombs, what type of clothing do you suggest for people to wear.
I assume that people will have to wear gas mask of some sort. What do you suggest? And of course, where can these items be purchased and what is the approximate cost?
– Randy B
Answer: When it comes to gas masks, I personally recommend the Israeli gas mask. These are inexpensive on Amazon and are quality masks.
As for clothing, regular clothing will not stop any type of fallout from reaching your skin. Ideally, you want to wear wet weather gear that will keep the moisture out.
So, I recommend a gas mask and waterproof gear if you have to leave your home after an attack, but remember, it all depends on where the blast happened and how close you are to it.
I live in Hawaii and experienced the false missile launch alert to my cell phone last year. In light of this past experience, can you send information on what to do to help survive such an attack.
To date, nothing from the state of Hawaii has been broadcasted to the public on this subject. Other than that, we have no shelters and we are to shelter in place.
– Sandy L
Answer: When the government issues an attack warning, immediately get inside and go to the room with the fewest windows. Ideally, you want to be below ground.
If you’re at work, go straight to the basement. If you’re trapped on the upper floors, find a windowless room in the center of the building.
If it’s a nuclear attack, the more barriers you can put between you and the outside world and the more time you can stay indoors, the better your chances of survival.
At the very least, you should remain indoors for 24 hours after a nuclear explosion, but this can vary depending on how close you are to the detonation site and which way the wind is blowing.
All this talk of home security and most folks will spend lot of money for their electric devices, along with heavy steel bolts to lock the windows and or doors.
What they miss is the basement windows. I studied locksmithing and can tell you the easiest entrance to any home is by way of the basement window.
– Jared P
Answer: You are right that it’s important to never overlook a window or door even if you think it’s too small or not an ideal point of entry. I recommend installing glass break window sensors on every window in your home.
In addition, I would install motion sensors in your basement especially, if it’s not somewhere you typically spend a lot of time.
