Remember this little gem from my last post?

I did find a related ABC News article titled: Find Out How to Protect Your Home From an Invasion. I’ll tell you right now that good lighting is the key to prevent your home from being invaded by criminals, but that’s the next blog. So, stick around.

Well, I hope you took it with a grain of salt because I was just joking about the lighting business. However, ABCNews.com apparently wasn’t. Does this mean that good lighting is a bad thing? Of course not! Good lighting is essential so that you can see the look on an intruder’s face before you blow him to kingdom come.

Alrighty then, we need to get back to the life saving advice from ABC:

A peephole in your front door isn’t enough. It’s important to have one peephole up high for adults and another lower for kids. People, especially children, are less likely to open the door if they can see who is on the other side.

You can get a home alarm, but know that they are not that hard to bypass, especially by more experienced criminals. Still, security signs have been known to put off burglars.

The main thing in an alarm is to make sure it makes a loud noise. You need a noise that will wake everybody up. Then the burglar has no option but to run.

Secure your windows. Even if each window isn’t alarmed, there are some other common sense things you can do that really work. When home invaders break into windows, it is usually because they are unlocked, especially bathroom windows.

Also, hang chimes in the window area. You want the intruder to knock things down, make noise and alert you. Put plants that have thorns on them outside the house.

And finally, if you are not in a safe place, they can get to you in a heartbeat. So turn a closet into a safe room. You can do that by putting a deadbolt lock on the closet door, put a light source inside the closet and keep a cell phone inside. Also, write a list of emergency numbers on the back of the door, so you’ve got them in case of panic. And you should always call 911.

Okay, is everybody feeling all warm, fuzzy, and safe yet? Me neither! So, how about of dose of common sense?

Jamie Buck was jolted awake by a loud noise. According to police, an alcohol-fueled man wielding a sledgehammer shattered a window in the side door and entered the home. The suspect, whose latest release from jail was just seven weeks prior, demanded money or jewelry. Then he swung the sledgehammer at Buck, striking him in the head. In imminent peril, Buck drew a firearm and fired several shots, killing his assailant. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH, 03/24/07)

Police say a 20-year-old couple went on a weekend crime spree until their luck ran out. It started on a Saturday morning when they attacked a 92-year-old in his home and sent him to the hospital. That night, they broke into another home and assaulted the occupant before robbing her. Their rampage ended the next day, however, when they broke into the home of Jimmy Norman and his wife. Norman retrieved a handgun and shot the male intruder twice. The injured suspect was to be charged pending his release from the hospital, and his accomplice was also apprehended. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 03/13/07)

Bob Manross said he often keeps a firearm handy because of his area’s crime problem. “I don’t take any chances,” he said. That proved good policy when a man broke into his home, called him by name and said he would shoot him unless he handed over his money. “I told him I didn’t have the money with me, but I’d get it from the other room,” said the 77-year-old Manross, who had a rifle at the ready nearby. “He wasn’t expecting me to come back through here and shoot him.” Manross shot the burglar, whom he recognized as a man living nearby. He directed police to the suspect’s home, where they found him suffering from a gunshot wound. “I am not proud of what I have done,” Manross said of the incident, “but I have to protect my wife and my house.” (Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 04/04/07)

Two masked men apparently thought they could pray on an elderly couple, but Alif “Betty” Feaster-Weeder’s quick thinking prevented their offensive. The 75-year-old woman was lying on a couch reading when the men entered the home. One man asked, “Where’s your money?” twice before she understood the seriousness of the situation. The woman yelled for her husband, asleep in an adjoining room, to get his gun. The mere suggestion of the firearm sent the intruders running before the husband could respond. (The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, 04/02/07)

Is it just me, or are the testimonies above more logical than putting chimes in your windows? Just checking.