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Home Defense/Self Defense: The Precautions you Take


A True Kaniggit

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1 minute ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Doesn’t everyone have a proper security system? I didn’t realize it was uncommon.

 

It’s relatively uncommon for apartments, on an individual unit basis (though the buildings themselves often have security).  I think it’s not that common honestly unless your insurance company makes you?

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6 minutes ago, Soylent Brown said:

Well I just hope that everyone here with premium security systems has at least splurged on murder-laser optional extras.

If you're not having to clean up cubed piles of burglar after a break in, you're not doing it right.

You've watched too much Resident Evil.

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Nothing, basically.

As far as my home, I live on the top floor of a smallish condo building (30 units). Not terribly difficult to get into the building (just buzz enough people or follow someone in), but why would anyone choose my door in particular? I'd have to be pretty unlucky. I do lock my door at night just for peace of mind but sometimes I forget and during the day I don't usually bother.

I did discover after I moved in that there was a security alarm. Unfortunately I discovered this by accidentally arming it while trying to turn the screen off, and I had to spend a fun 20 minutes trying to figure out how to make it stop while it screeched. Never bothered to try to get it back up and running. 

When I'm out and about, I try to follow common sense practices like not walking in dark unfamiliar places at night and avoiding some of the bad neighborhoods. I live on the south side of Chicago and while I'll go anywhere during the day, not so much at night (although I don't let it stop me from going out at night, I'm just more careful). I don't carry a weapon or anything and never have. If you're getting jumped around here, they probably have a gun and fighting back is dumb. Just give them what they want and don't get hurt.

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I live fairly close to downtown and do not have a security system. Years ago when I lost my front door keys and went to a proper locksmith to get a copy made, he looked at it and said I had a very shitty lock because the indentations were almost non-existant. Any burglar could easily open the lock. He came and switched out the tumbler to one that was more complicated and said that would slow down most amateurs. In my neighbourhood most are amateurs, they'd likely break a window. The back door and basement door are heavy, thick wood without windows. The front door has a largeish window but it's the original door from the early 1900s, so we kept it. We figured if a thief wanted to get in that way it would be just as easy to walk over to the front window and kick it in.

My brother lives next door so he keeps an eye on my house and I keep an eye on his. We have friendly neighbours who do the same.

When I'm out and about I try to stay alert when getting in and out of my car. I own no weapons or mace or pepper spray.

Director Michael Moore has Canadian relatives and in one of his movies he talks about how Americans are so security aware, while Canadians leave their front doors open. To illustrate he went to visit relatives in a medium sized city, London, Ontario, iirc, and just started walking up to people's houses and trying their front doors. Some people were rather startled, to say the least.

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1 hour ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Doesn’t everyone have a proper security system? I didn’t realize it was uncommon.

 

I don't even know what a "proper security system" is in this context. 

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10 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I live fairly close to downtown and do not have a security system. Years ago when I lost my front door keys and went to a proper locksmith to get a copy made, he looked at it and said I had a very shitty lock because the indentations were almost non-existant. Any burglar could easily open the lock. He came and switched out the tumbler to one that was more complicated and said that would slow down most amateurs. In my neighbourhood most are amateurs, they'd likely break a window. The back door and basement door are heavy, thick wood without windows. The front door has a largeish window but it's the original door from the early 1900s, so we kept it. We figured if a thief wanted to get in that way it would be just as easy to walk over to the front window and kick it in.

My brother lives next door so he keeps an eye on my house and I keep an eye on his. We have friendly neighbours who do the same.

When I'm out and about I try to stay alert when getting in and out of my car. I own no weapons or mace or pepper spray.

Director Michael Moore has Canadian relatives and in one of his movies he talks about how Americans are so security aware, while Canadians leave their front doors open. To illustrate he went to visit relatives in a medium sized city, London, Ontario, iirc, and just started walking up to people's houses and trying their front doors. Some people were rather startled, to say the least.

How the hell did you kick our asses in the War of 1812?

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1 hour ago, Fury Resurrected said:

I would agree for home defense a loud dog is best. The cats are no help at all

Heh, I'd say there's a caveat to this.  My parents have these two little Havanese shitters, and one of them in particular is very loud and vigilant any time anything goes on outside (and often when nothing has).  Due to how annoying this is, I definitely could probably identify the bark of a small/non threatening dog at this point with reliable accuracy.  So, if an intruder could as well, that'd hardly be a deterrent.

Anyway, having lived mostly in apartment complexes my entire adult life, whatever security they have has been fine for me.  The one I'm currently living in has a key/electronic replacement for a key at the front entrance.  We generally keep our own door locked, albeit I'm largely responsible for this since I frequently go out for cigarettes (and leave it unlocked while doing so).  I do forget on occasion to lock it when returning, it's never worried me.  Also, neither here nor there, but it really sucks when I go out for a cigarette late at night and forget my keys because while the the place has a buzzing system, my brother and I never set it up so I'm at the mercy of waiting for someone to use the door to get back in the building.

As for going out this has never been a worry for me and I've been well aware this is a privilege as a white male since I was a teenager. 

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5 minutes ago, DMC said:

Heh, I'd say there's a caveat to this.  My parents have these two little Havanese shitters, and one of them in particular is very loud and vigilant any time anything goes on outside (and often when nothing has).  Due to how annoying this is, I definitely could probably identify the bark of a small/non threatening dog at this point with reliable accuracy.  So, if an intruder could as well, that'd hardly be a deterrent.

But still an alarm. 

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