I’ve learned about defensive thinking the hard way. To make a long story short, it isn’t fun wondering if your cheating (ex) wife and (ex) best friend might be crazy enough to try killing you. They were. Sometimes the best thing to do is to get the hell out of Dodge, which barely worked for me in this case. But what if it is your house? What if your loved ones are with you? You don’t always get the time needed to plan your response to an unpleasant surprise. The only option is to make your plans in advance.

So what should you plan for? Run of the mill burglars? Crackheads looking for cash? Escaped psychotic rapists? The answer is all of the above. Plan for the worst-case scenario, but plan milder responses to milder threats. Start by making your home a harder target, then program your responses to possible threats.

Unless a perpetrator is specifically out to get you, he/she/it will almost always select a target that is easy to take. Simple measures such as deadbolt locks, motion-activated lights, or locked gates can discourage the opportunistic criminal. Anecdotal evidence suggests that even the appearance of enhanced security can deter would-be thugs.

A friend of mine described three similar instances where providing the outward signs of a secure home has had positive effects. First, a friend of his had been burglarized three times. After the third time, my friend gave him some spare security company yard signs. The appearance that there was an alarm system on the premises seemed to prevent further burglaries. Second, a female friend of my friend was living alone and was having some trouble with a creepy male stalker-type. She asked my friend for a used pair of his boots to put by her front door on the porch to give the appearance of male company. After she placed the boots for all to see, the creep stopped bothering her. Thirdly, another person hung signs warning of a vicious dog on their premises. The dog’s name was Stealth because he was invisible, but the signs kept trespassers away quite effectively.

The examples above clearly show that the proverbial ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But what happens when prevention fails?

Your situation may differ from mine, but anyone breaking into my house while I’m there will set off my monitored alarm system and set off my battle instincts. My training in confronting armed intruders will hopefully give me the edge necessary to achieve my primary goal – protecting my family and myself. I’m as comfortable as one should be with the use of deadly force, but that is not to say that I’m anxious to blow anyone away.

To make things as hard as possible on potential intruders, I have layered my defenses by installing quality locks on most of my home’s internal doors and locating ideal free-fire zones. I have also trained my family in their roles during a hypothetical break-in. Their roles are mostly to get behind as many locked doors as possible. I also get my wife to help me hone my armed room-clearing skills, which is fun and useful. If your significant other is game, I recommend rehearsing both sides of a burglary. This will aid you in planning your defense and will also give you insight into what the hypothetical criminals would likely do during the burglary.

But to get the ultimate experience in defending yourself without actually risking life and limb, I heartily recommend some of the excellent training courses available from KR Training. (http://www.krtraining.com) While taking their Defensive Shotgun course, we were put through a very realistic burglary scenario using real guns with “simunition.” These are paint pellets fired from your real gun at a low velocity by a regular primer. They make a reasonable bang, and it hurts like hell when one hits you. It’s quite a rush to see somebody firing a real revolver at you with the intent of “killing” you. It’s equally intense to fire your 12-gauge shotgun in return. Forget about Laser Tag! This is far cooler.

There are many things you can do to enhance your home security. What works for me may not be for you. I like guns, and I’m trained in their proper use, but if you’re not fond of guns, there are still many ways to improve your safety. Just think about it, and feel free to ask. My hobby company, http://www.securityadministrators.com, does consulting work pro bono for individual home defense.