[apollosmith]

I was awaken by a loud crashing in my home at around 4am this morning. It sounded like someone coming through a window in either my daughter's room or the room down the hall. I grabbed my gun, checked my daughter's room, then waited a minute listening with my gun pointed down the hallway. I was situated between our bedrooms and the rest of the house. After a few minutes of silence, I swept the house at full alert and didn't find anything.

After double checking every room and entrance, I then realized that a box of toys had spontaneously fallen off of something in my daughter's room. I was very relieved (and a bit embarrassed) when I realized what had happened. But overall, I was pretty happy with my reaction - I had my loaded gun in hand in no more than 4 seconds (I keep it loaded in the original XD plastic gun case next to my bed - and I'm a very light sleeper ).

The only thing I debated was if I should have identified myself and that I was armed. I guess this could go two ways - if the bad guy knows you're there and armed, he might bail OR he's going to keep coming, but now with a tactically awareness that you're also armed, and like the classic saying goes, "If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck." What would you do?

 

[iampacking]

I think most people coming into the house at 4AM would have to be assuming that they are going to encounter people and are already accepting a higher level of risk or have a more evil intent. It's different than the guy who has been watching the house for everybody to leave in the morning who is just there to take your flat screen.
No one knows your house in the dark like you do, so I think staying concealed until you have identified the situation is an advantage. I also think a dog is a good investigator of sounds.
I suppose if I knew for sure we had somebody in the house, I might take the opportunity to rack the Mossberg from a defensible position. I'll be interested to read the responses. Glad it turned out well for you!
Al

 

[blackpuma]

Thank God that it was something benign. I've had something similar with the cats knocking over stuff in the kitchen.

The legal assumption that a night-time break in has specific evil intent is ancient. (Heck, it's so old that it's in the Law of Moses of all things.)

 

[heavykevy]

I think your actions were perfect, but I am also very glad for you that it was a false alarm!