• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

I almost shot my son!!!

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Secret codes for your kids to come home late?

If you train your kids to follow your rules of your house then secret words are not required. They call before they get home or come over. They have manners, call ahead, follow your rules. They are not permitted unfettered access to your home, your castle, after you kick them out of the nest.

Friends, the trained ones, will let you know they are coming over and when it is convenient for you not them.

It is harder to fix stupid than it is to train them to not be stupid.

Now, you need to get your lazy azz out of bed and be ready to greet the wee whippersnapper visiting at a ungodly hour.

Lucky....
 

NoTolerance

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
292
Location
Milwaukee, WI
I heard on the news years ago about a teenage girl that got off from school early. Her and her female classmate came home and were hanging out. The girl saw her dad showing up at home and decided to hide in the closet to jump out and surprise him or maybe they didn't want him to know they were out early from school or whatever. I don't know. Anyway, the dad heard somebody moving in the closet and thought it was an intruder. Without any verbal warnig like "I have a gun" or "I'm calling the cops" or anything like that, he fired more than one round into the closet and killed both his daughter and her friend.

That story just reeks of urban legend. I'm not saying it's not true - if you say you saw it on your local news station, I'll take you at your word. It just sounds like one of those "just believable enough" unsubstantiated stories people bandy about to scare people.

Regardless, it does highlight a need people might not otherwise consider. My son isn't the type to hide in a closet to scare me, but I can definitely imagine a scenario where he might drop by late at night, unexpected. With this thread and this story in mind, I'll be having a chat with him and other family members.

Thanks for sharing.
 

gunns

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Messages
270
Location
Minnesota
Secret codes for your kids to come home late?

If you train your kids to follow your rules of your house then secret words are not required. They call before they get home or come over. They have manners, call ahead, follow your rules. They are not permitted unfettered access to your home, your castle, after you kick them out of the nest.

Friends, the trained ones, will let you know they are coming over and when it is convenient for you not them.

It is harder to fix stupid than it is to train them to not be stupid.

Now, you need to get your lazy azz out of bed and be ready to greet the wee whippersnapper visiting at a ungodly hour.

Lucky....

I am glad it worked out too and I think your first statement is valid. I am going to give my wife and son code words just in case. If they come into the locked house late and say the code word it will definitely help.

Just like when I served in the Corp, it will help.
 

zekester

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
664
Location
Uvalde, Texas
Just to calrify a few things

I do not blame my son...except for the fact that he knows how I react to things...hell he is 20...and no offense to all those 20 and under...he is just an idiot...Luv him to death...but kids just don't seem to think these days!!

He copied my key without my knowledge, but did so under good faith....I have a medical condition that he was concerened about and he had not heard from me in quite a while, I rarely answer the phone or return calls.....just my choice..but he was just concerned about his DAD.

He knows now to announce himself....and the rest of my family knows this too!!!

I have since given keys to all my kids.....I have always been independent, but sometimes u just need help.

I blame myself for most of it....although they realize that I will shoot an "intruder" I never conveyed to them, that if you don't say anything....You are indeed an intruder.
 
Last edited:

Mark 1911

Regular Member
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
94
Location
Munster, IN
Secret codes for your kids to come home late?

Well, odd as it may sound at first, it sure as hell beats shooting one of them. And no, that wasn't exactly my point. An errant youngin' coming home late is only one example of a potentially endless list of examples of how things can take us by surprise. My point is that unexpected things can happen. It's a fact that you can't see in the dark. It's also a fact that you do not want to shoot a friend or family member. Yes, most of the time you will know what is going on with them, but not all of the time.

I am just conveying something that was taught to me in a NRA sponsored class on home defense by a trained and certified NRA instructor. It is a very easy thing to discuss with your household, and is something that all of you know that an intruder is not going to know.

Very simple and effective. My wife and I have our own passcode system. There are times when I work very late, and she is already sleeping when I come home. Some people take a minute to get a clear head when awaken from a deep sleep, my wife is one of those. A little precaution never hurts and could save a life and a lot of heartache.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
Had a similar incident thirty years ago, while no one was hurt I believe it left my wife emotionally scared for some time. My mother had a key to our house and though she said she was not coming over she changed her mind and not calling us. She showed up, let herself in, walked in on us in the middle of an embarrassing situation. I put a bell on the door after that.
 

William Fisher

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
238
Location
Oxford, Ohio
I lock the house doors. Car doors no. I don't leave anything in my car and if someone wanted to ramsack it anyway, it's way to easy to break a window. I don't want a broken window for them just for them to discover there is nothing in there. Yes they may decide to cut the upholstery or something, but more likely to just move on to the next auto.
 

Jack House

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
2,611
Location
I80, USA
Well, odd as it may sound at first, it sure as hell beats shooting one of them. And no, that wasn't exactly my point. An errant youngin' coming home late is only one example of a potentially endless list of examples of how things can take us by surprise. My point is that unexpected things can happen. It's a fact that you can't see in the dark. It's also a fact that you do not want to shoot a friend or family member. Yes, most of the time you will know what is going on with them, but not all of the time.

I am just conveying something that was taught to me in a NRA sponsored class on home defense by a trained and certified NRA instructor. It is a very easy thing to discuss with your household, and is something that all of you know that an intruder is not going to know.

Very simple and effective. My wife and I have our own passcode system. There are times when I work very late, and she is already sleeping when I come home. Some people take a minute to get a clear head when awaken from a deep sleep, my wife is one of those. A little precaution never hurts and could save a life and a lot of heartache.
You don't know the sound of their voices?
 

Mark 1911

Regular Member
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
94
Location
Munster, IN
You don't know the sound of their voices?

Of course I do, but the BG does not. Perhaps you are not particularly talkative at 3am, maybe you are trying not to wake up the house because you are a considerate husband and father, or maybe you are trying not to wake up the house because you don't belong there. If you come home late and your wife hears the bedroom door open, and it startles her, how does she quickly ID if its you or a real live nightmare and give her self enough time to defend herself if its not you?

The use of code words is a recognized home defense tactic. It may come in handy, and it may turn out to be our wits that keep us alive one day even before our marksmanship. Another tool in the back pocket can never hurt you.

Here's some additional discussion from another thread on this website on the use of code words:
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...se-scenarios&p=1625655&viewfull=1#post1625655
 
Last edited:

Jack House

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
2,611
Location
I80, USA
You forgot the most important part of code words. You have to speak. If you're speaking already, then they should be able to identify you by your voice. No?
 

REALteach4u

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
428
Location
Spfld, Mo.
zekester, I think I would have had to change my shorts as well. Your son now has a new awareness that should have been picked up some time ago. Strange things can happen when we don't contact our family for a period of time, mostly out of concern.

The last thing I am ever going to do is warn a potential bad guy/gal that I'm armed. The only sound they're going to hear is the safety coming off IF the firearm in my hands has one. Anything else is like telling that intruder that they should shoot first. To me, this is like carrying chambered. It's a personal choice based on your comfort levels.
 

wardtom084

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
40
Location
Robbinsville NC
I can't believe that there are some people that do not lock their doors. Ours are always locked no matter what time of day it is. It is just one part of our Home Land Security. Also if you come here you had better not let yourself in not first letting us knowing exactly who it is. I have heard a gentle tapping on our bedroom window of a night. Much safer to do that. You need to sit down with your family and let them know your "rules of enter". This thread would not have been the last time some family member had almost been killed. Make some family rules and stick with it. Much safer to tick off a family member not wanting to follow your rules than to have one of them killed.
 

spacecoast321

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2013
Messages
31
Location
Cocoa, Florida, United States
Having weapons will change your family's behavior, for the better.

Several family members have keys to my house. We watch each others kids, take care of pets while out of town, etc.
Some used to show up, unlock the door and walk in while saying Hello. Not rude, just overly comfortable (a little nosy?).
All that stopped when I started to discreet carry, "All the time, everywhere". They cited my being armed made them think about their actions.

On a side note. Many, many years ago I confronted a sibling at home when everyone but me should have been gone. Their schedule had changed that day and they had neglected to tell anyone. I heard noises and in the house and grabbed my pistol. Round in the chamber, safety off, finger off the trigger and muzzle pointed at the ground. We both aged a little that day.

Always identify your target and take a gun safety course. The more training the better.
 

PistolPackingMomma

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
1,884
Location
SC
I had to have a discussion with my in-laws after a non-incident that could have been. They'd taken my son and I out for the day, and dropped us off at our house. They left, and unbeknownst to me, came back and entered the garage to get something my FIL left behind.

My MIL told me about it the next day, and I had to gently explain to her what could have happened if I'd been on the main level instead of upstairs putting my son down for a nap. I told her very firmly to always ALWAYS text or call to let us know if we weren't expecting them, and now they do, thank goodness.
 
Top