There is nothing more controversial IMO, than this subject among gun toters, gun haters and people that just want to try to be prepared. Here is one site that came up with FBI stats when i looked for actual data. Home Invasion Statistics by State 2025 | ConsumerAffairs® says they home burglaries are down to 10 in 1000 in 2022. It states that in 2022 WA State was second in burglary with 563 per 100k homes. the math is simple, even for an infantry guy, that equals .0056 percent chance for your house to have a home invasion.
These are my thoughts; you can do with them as you will. I live in Washington State. These are my impressions of here and in my life spaces. I have researched WA State laws to what i can and am not a lawyer and didn’t stay in a holiday inn express last night. What I can find is that Washington is a Stand Your Ground State. It specifically states that Self Defense is justified, and you do not have to retreat. It DOES NOT STATE “deadly force” in self-defense. However, WA State law does require people to retreat in certain situations. If someone can retreat safely without escalating the situation, they should do so before using force, again no mention of deadly force.
It also states that WA is not a Castle Doctrine state, while at the same time being a Stand Your Ground state. Hmmmm. WTF over? treyzlaw on WA state self defense laws, on dec 2 2024 according to google, states that Castle Doctrine allows individuals to use force, including deadly force, to protect themselves in their home, vehicle or place of business without the duty to retreat. So that speaks to you and yours personally. The same site states that you may use reasonable, non deadly force, to protect your property, and deadly force is not justified solely to defend property without a direct threat to person. Washingtongunlaw.com states that the use of deadly force to defend property is not permitted under Washington law.
So, all of this legal jargon goes to tell me that you better be tight and right on all the things you can control and then some. Or you are going to be sitting in a new country club with 3 hots and a cot.
So how does this have anything to do with home defense? I get asked what rifle and what rounds I should get and have for home defense. Well, you have to define home defense first. I would recommend that you actually write down line items with you and your family, as to what you are trying to accomplish. The same folks that tell me they want home defense, are the same people that have no, or limited smoke detectors in their house and specifically bedrooms, have kids on the second floor and don’t have kid deployable rescue ladders and don’t have fire extinguishers either in their master bedroom or in the kids rooms, nor talk thru any of this. I will put large sums that house fires are way more likely than home invasion in America right now.
THIS WILL NOT TELL YOU WHAT WEAPON TO BUY. Nor how many magazines or which manufacturer, nor this sight nor that sight etc etc. I will convey some of my thoughts on how to get there with some Points to Ponder for you and yours.
If you are that worried about a home invasion on your family, why are you not trying to move and eliminate the first factor, availability. While home prowls happen all over, and I continually ask why jimmy is robbing his own hood, why not go to uptown? That is not how criminals think, it is opportunity and ease. To that end, are you trying to protect you and yours in an apartment, condo, townhouse, duplex, single story, 2 story house etc.
I keep seeing these ballistic gel block tests stating this or that, or this bullet did this or that in the gel, but it didn’t meet the FBI standard in this way or didn’t make the penetration test of 19 inches etc. It also failed against a car door or…. or…. or… WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT THE FBI TESTS…. The FBI can do things you can’t, and specifically in WA State. Home defense is not about anything other than protecting you and yours from death/dismemberment/kidnapping etc. I have several thoughts on ballistic gel tests and my “meat labs” and projectile form and function.
There have been many cases across America, in states with way more liberal gun laws (funny that), that have put law abiding citizens in jail and loosing their rights and firearms and huge sums of money to both state and civilian lawsuits. You all know I am right in that the criminals have more RIGHTS than you as the homeowner do, to keep them from taking your stuff. You better shoot that person in the front, not the side and definitely not in the back for any reason.
Points to ponder:
Are you really the person that is going to get a gun from a secure location/safe and then protect your family? Yes, people will do a lot of things, but only You know if this is right for You. Maybe a big can of bear spray, or a taser, or a cell phone to call 911 is a better choice for you.
Are you in an attached dwelling to someone else’s living space? Do you have a single wall with your neighbor on an inside wall? Sheetrock, 2×4 or 2×6, maybe, some sound dampening insulation, then sheetrock and your neighbor’s living room/ bedroom is right there.
What is the distance from your outermost wall to your neighbors living space. That could be one and the same as in above, however, in a house type structure – sheet rock, 2×4 or 2×6 plus insulation plus probably chip board sheathing, then siding, maybe fiberboard or concrete board. then a gap of space – zero lot line or more, then reverse the structure elements before you lodge a round into your neighbors kid in their bed.
I don’t care what you were in your previous life, or the last 20 years, we are not in a full 360 shoot box anymore. You are responsible for that little item. We are not shooting thru mud brick walls, concrete block walls, stacked rock walls, something with screeded plaster type walls etc etc. We are not assaulting anything. You are not repelling boarders and not pulling your fpf cards. This is not the Purge (yet) and it isn’t Walking Dead, the Mongol Horde is not coming across your lawn and your kid is not your ab as you double charge. We are talking about America, as of today. You don’t have your squad of buddies and your wife and 2 kids under ten are not stacked up behind you. At least make the youngest the front man and he can be low man so your don’t have to duck walk.
With the above thoughts and restrictions of bldg and walls and adjacent folks, what is right for your situation? As i stated above, the FBI test into gelatin are not really good, if they require a minimum of 19 inch penetration and for bullets to be barrier blind etc. The same person that tells me they want and need barrier blind ammo will also state that they didnt get the expansion they were expecting in the ballistic gel. Ok John J, what are you really trying to do, what are the task condition and standards for your home defense? Why do you want or need barrier blind rounds in your house when you tell me you are expecting shooting a threat across the room and want to put em down immediately. Well, thats great, but you have barrier blind ammo and then wonder why it didnt expand when hitting unarmored fleshy bits. I will also recommend that you look at expanding projectiles and see how they interact with fleshy bits after going thru standard home drywall. There are many videos of plain drywall tests passthru.
So the math is this, if a wall is .5 sheet rock, then 2×6, then .5 usb, then .5 overlap siding, we are at 7.5 inches. In an apartment/adjoining wall situation you have at best .5 drywall then 6 inch then .5 drywall = 7 inches. Go watch GarandThumb drywall test and see what drywall does or doesnt stop. I will be doing some real world wall tests coming up with various bullets to see what actually happens to bullets and real meat labs.
Do you have a security system in your home? What does it alarm to? Do you or your kids wake up to anything at night, or are you all out till alarm clock goes off. Do you have gun safes located in your room(s), or you have to go get them from another room or space? Have you done any form of drill with your family on coming together in one room to bunker down or anything of that nature?
Ok, so finally now to the gun question. Is it only going to be you doing the defending? Does your wife/husband have the want, or the skills, to do any of this? If I am going to break and enter, I am doing it middle of the day, when either everyone is at work or only momma is home. I don’t want to have to deal with the possibility of a guy being home.
see part 2.