Best "self defense" knife...

[killgar]

I find that quite interesting, do you have statistics? I do believe that getting around this would require some effort.

Sorry, no statistics. I don't know if such things are statistically recorded. Since I imagine that it's a rare occurence, probably not. I based the statement primarily on "cop talk". I'm not a cop myself, but I've spent a lot of time around them (long-time girlfriend comes from a family of cops).

Also, quite a while back I remember seeing a story on the news about a home invasion. Two intruders rushed into a house, the owner grabbed a rifle and fired what he later described as a "warning shot". It didn't work. The homeowner was tackled, beaten to a pulp, then he and his wife were tied up and the house robbed. I was much younger at the time and the incident help to reinforce the fact in my head that you never rely on warning shots.

I think people often assume that when an intruder enters a dwelling that the intruder will be conscious of everything that the occupant is doing. The occupant assumes that if they have a gun in their hands that an intruder will automatically see it. But if a dwelling is dark, and/or if the intruder it running through the dwelling, high on adrenaline and possibly other things, that they may notice the occupant, but not notice the gun. And once they notice someone is home, the intruder may simply rush the occupant and tackle/attack them because they see the occupant as a threat. Or in the case of a rapist targeting a woman, they may attack their "prey" with intense aggressiveness.

You referenced a similar issue earlier when you explained quite well that an intruder might not hear a shotgun being racked. So people shouldn't assume that such "sound effects" will save them from attack.

I think people oftem make the mistake of looking at a home invasion or break-in only from their own perspective. They should try to look at it from the intruders perspective as well. For example, don't expect an intruder to move slowly through your home, thereby giving you planty of time to prepare yourself or assume that the intruder will give you the chance to scare them away. An intruder may be moving very quickly, especially if they know you are there or if they are targeting a specific occupant. Experienced cops will tell you that criminals often experience tunnel-vision when committing their crimes. They will be so intensley focused on their own interests (get money for drugs, rape the woman who lives there) that they may not notice things that seem so obvious to us, like a gun in our hands.

[Goosey]

They will be so intensley focused on their own interests (get money for drugs, rape the woman who lives there) that they may not notice things that seem so obvious to us, like a gun in our hands.

Just like many people who end up getting stabbed never notice the knife. "I thought I was being punched". And many people who witness stabbings never notice the knife. "I thought he was punching him".

[CL01]

I find that quite interesting, do you have statistics? I do believe that getting around this would require some effort.

I wouldn't know the statistics nor where to obtain them, but I've seen it. I've responded to incidents where people couldn't & I've been in at least 1 situation (Actually more now that I think about it, indirectly as well as directly) where people that should've been able to (As in trained to), didn't or couldn't.

[mwerner]

I've pointed out before that burglaries and "home invasions" are two different animals. Burglars do not want any sort of confrontation whatever, and usually go to great lengths to make sure that the residence is unoccupied. Every "burglary in the first degree" I'm familiar with was a mistake; the resident was asleep, deaf, or whatever and did not notice the burglar's knocks, doorbell ringing, or whatever.
A home invasion is an armed robbery of a residence. The robbers normally come in "hot" and are prepared to be very violent. They want to terrorize/intimidate the resident to gain the cash or drugs they believe are on hand.
Most all of these are drug-on-drug crimes. One "group" preying on another for cash or product, or to eliminate competition.
The chances of your average homeowner being a victim of such a crime is minimal.

There are always exceptions, however. Some years ago, one of our officers was off-duty and was waked to a commotion. Something was going on in the neighborhood... People were shouting; he could hear glass breaking. Naturally, he took up his pistol.
About that time, the cause of the disturbance, a PCP-fueled nut job, came crashing through the glass sliding door of his patio. He had already crashed through the doors of several other residents, and was suffering from plate-glass cuts all over.
He was also totally unaware of this....
Our officer pointed the gun at him and said "freeze". The guy just grinned. The officer fired a round into the floor, hoping perhaps to get his attention.... No dice. The guy threw himself OUT through an unbroken section of glass and ran off.
He was arrested a short time later and required hundreds of sutures...
So there are always those really, really weird circumstances.

[Jack Black]

Living in the UK Police State my options are more limited. What I keep next to the bed is a CS LTC Kukri and a Maglite (and a SOG Government under the pillow!)