Thieves know it, but not many home owners know how easy it is to gain access into a home through a traditional garage door.

The second that garage door closes, most home owners mistakenly assume that their home is secure, protected from the bad guys. Unfortunately, it’s often one of the first place criminals will check; but don’t worry, there are a couple things you can do to make it even more secure.

Your Garage Door is a Major Weak-point in your Home Security

One of the weakest points of your garage door is the opener itself. Every garage door opener has an emergency release — something that comes in handy should the power ever go out, but also something that is a major flaw in your home’s security.

The problem with these emergency door releases is most criminals know how to use them to their advantage. By simply running a wire through the top of your garage door – in the same way thieves used to jimmy old car locks with a Slim Jim – a thief can easily pull the emergency release and gain entry into your home in seconds.

To prevent break-ins through your garage door, there are a couple of things you can do:

Zip Tie your Emergency Release Shut

Simply running a Zip Tie through the holes in your emergency release switch will make it almost impossible for a thief to use the jimmy method.

Keep in mind that the zip tie should only be used when you are going on vacation. I probably would not keep it on there when actually in the home, because during an emergency situation where you need to quickly evacuate having it on the emergency release could be dangerous.

Install a Vacation Lock

A Heavy Duty Vacation Garage Door Deadlock is a great solution for securing any garage door. They are easy to install, can be found for under $10, and make it that much harder on the bad guy to gain entry through your garage door. The Lever slides right through the garage door track, making it almost impossible for the door to be raised once the lock is engaged.

For a quick DIY solution, for those that haven’t purchased a vacation lock yet, simply run a bolt through the track right above one of the track wheels. The only downside to this solution is it takes a bit longer to pull them on and off, so again this is only a solution for when going on vacation. The actual Vacation Lock is a good permanent solution that keeps quick evacuations in mind.

Install Security Cameras; Even Fake ones will Work!

Criminals are looking for easy targets where they can quickly get away without being noticed; because of this they are often on the lookout for home security systems and cameras. While a full video surveillance system is always your best bet, even installing some fake dummy cameras can be an effective deterrent. Check out some of these cheap Fake Security Cameras.

Install a Bulldog

The Bulldog Garage/ Roller Shutter Door Lock is about as rock-solid as it gets. While it will require you to do some drilling into your garage floor, once installed this thing is pretty hard to beat.

Check out my book, The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide

In The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide you’ll find:

• More Home Security Tips and Safety Advice.
• Checklists and step-by-step instructions with information on surviving disasters, man-made threats, criminal attacks, economic troubles and social unrest.
• Up-to-date survival information for 21st century threats, including the most likely threats you and your loved ones will face.
• Step-by-step instructions for creating home safety plans, evacuation plans, stockpiling emergency supplies and securing your home from criminals.

The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide is available on Amazon.

There are over 310 million privately-owned firearms in America; a number that works out to roughly 1 gun for every man women and child in this country. While the anti-gun crowd would like you to believe that guns are evil and that there’s a so-called epidemic of mass shootings in this country, the truth is, as gun sales have skyrocketed in recent years, gun crimes have actually dropped.

Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens actually stop the bad guys from committing these heinous crimes.

So what’s the truth about guns? Should everyone own one?

Well, before we jump into the reasons why owning a firearm is a smart idea, let’s look at some of the downsides to gun ownership. Yes, the downsides.

While I’m about as Pro-Second Amendment as it gets, I do feel like it is our responsibility as responsible, law-abiding gun owners to tell the truth about firearms; and the truth is some people probably shouldn’t own them.

Guns are not for everyone!

While I 100% believe that a gun in the hands of a responsible, trained gun owner is a good thing, one in the hands of some guy who has never bothered to take a firearms safety course, or learn how to use that firearm in a self-defense situation is downright dangerous.

There are far too many people who put their lives at risk, and their family’s lives in danger, by not taking gun safety and training seriously. Before you ever buy your first gun, you need to learn:

Having a gun DOES NOT Guarantee your safety.

Again, this really comes down to proper training. Far too many gun owners have the mentality that because they have or carry a firearm they are somehow protected from bad guys and violence.

While having a firearm levels the playing field, having one without taking the proper training courses is going to get you killed.

When I’m at the range, I often hear some loudmouth say something like, “no one will ever get the drop on me,” or “I’d like to see that guy break into my house.” That’s usually when I take a break because it’s usually the same guy who the range officer singles out because he’s doing something that is a danger to himself and everyone on the range.

Keep this in mind: While you’re at work trying to pay the bills, the bad guys are out perfecting their criminal lifestyle. The one or two times you hit the range every year is nothing compared to the training these criminals receive on a daily basis. When that bad guy breaks into your house, there’s a pretty good chance he’s broken into at least a dozen before yours, and he has probably been in hundreds of hand-to-hand street fights. Still think you’re ready?

In order to stop a bad guy, you need to train in realistic self-defense situations — including knowing how to defend yourself without your gun. Yes, without your gun.

Carrying a firearm without self-defense training is a recipe for disaster.

The reality of a real-world attack is no matter how fast and accurate you are with your firearm, there are going to be certain situations where you’re firearm will not prevent the attack. Think about it; if firearms were the end-all and be-all, why would our military forces train in hand-to-hand combat?

In close quarters combat, the chances of being able to unholster your firearm and return fire on an attacker is actually pretty slim. To be truly prepared, you need to be able to take out an attacker without your gun – or at least slow him down so you can draw your weapon.

If you’re still not convinced, check out this research on the use of a firearm in a close-quarter attack.

Why everyone should have a firearm: The Pros of gun ownership.

Now that we discussed the important stuff – because when it comes down to it preparedness is all about training and having the right knowledge – let’s look at some of the many reasons a person has for buying a firearm.

Quite simply, Firearms Save Lives

Firearms in the hands of a law-abiding citizen can save lives, and the numbers show it.

Every year, law-abiding citizens draw their guns over 2.5 million times in personal defense, saving a countless number of lives and serving as a serious deterrent to criminals. Often times, the mere presence of a firearm is enough to stop a criminal dead in his tracks, without ever having to fire a single round.

But comes on, aren’t those NRA number?

Well, for those of you that don’t trust the NRA, how about numbers from Bill Clinton?

Even the notoriously Anti-Gun Clinton administration had to admit that while he was President, guns were used at least 1.5 million times a year for self-defense. The numbers came directly from the Clinton Justice Department, who hired anti-gun criminologists Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig to conduct the study.

Because Gun Control Laws will NEVER Stop a Criminal from committing Gun Crimes.

While the government and the media would like you to believe that banning guns will somehow solve the world’s problems, the truth is, criminals by their very nature don’t follow the law. Anti-gun laws do very little good when you’re staring down the barrel of some psychopath’s gun.

But what about all those mass shootings, couldn’t they have been prevented by passing more gun control bills?

Since 1950, all but two of this country’s mass shootings have taken place in a designated gun-free zone.

Yes, the criminals had guns; the good guys didn’t! The law and all those fancy gun-free zone signs did nothing to stop the bad guys from killing people. The only thing that could have made a difference in these cases would have been a law-abiding citizen allowed to lawfully carry his gun in these areas.

Because Cops and Marines are really heavy!

It always amazes me how some people can be so caviler with their family’s lives. In my opinion, if you have a family you should have and know how to use a gun.

We often hear the anti-gun crowd say things like, “people don’t need firearms, that’s why we have cops.” Well, those guys can get kind of heavy to carry around.

But in all seriousness, when seconds count, you simply can’t count on 911 to keep you safe. Law enforcement does not have a legal obligation to protect you from criminals.

In 2005, The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that police officers do not have a constitutional duty to protect a person from harm. The ruling backed up an earlier court case, Warren v. District of Columbia, where the Court ruled that official police personnel and the government employing them owes no duty to victims of criminal acts and thus are not liable for a failure to provide adequate police protection.

Protecting yourself and your family from Home Invasions

According to FBI crime numbers, over 1.5 million homes are burglarized each and every year. The criminals who commit these crimes are often armed; and when people are home, these home invasions can quickly turn violent.

When it comes to preparedness related threats, a home invasion is one of the most likely threats you will face. When it comes to protecting yourself from that threat, you are the only person who can do something to stop the crime and put down the threat.

You cannot count on law enforcement to respond in time to protect you from the chaos.

According to the Department of Justice, police response times range from 4 minutes for the best in the country to the worst clocking in at over an hour. The national average response time for law enforcement responding to a high-priority call is 11 minutes.

Now here is the part that should concern you. The average interaction time between a criminal and a victim is 90 seconds. That means even if you somehow had the opportunity to dial 911, the chances of anyone being able to respond in time to save you is pretty slim.

Because I have Insurance and a Fire Extinguisher.

Like most things, I look at firearms from a preparedness point of view. And from that lens, owning a firearm is no different than buying fire insurance or a fire extinguisher. While I hope I never need to use either one of them, when the time comes not having those items could be catastrophic.

For many first-time firearm buyers, buying a gun can be an overwhelming experience – one that can often cause people to make the wrong decision. If you’re ready to buy one and understand that safety is gong to be one of your primary concerns, check out our tips on what to look for when buying your first gun.

We live in a different world; the world we grew up in is not the same world our kids are now facing, and the troubles we encountered in our youth pale in comparison to what kids have to endure today.

Today, kids face an epidemic level of violence; violence that has made it directly into the public school systems, making them one of the most likely places your child will encounter some type of danger on a daily basis. In my opinion, the public school systems have become so dangerous that I think parents should seriously consider homeschooling their children if at all possible.

If you do have a child in the school system, they need to be ready to respond to the very real dangers they face, and they need to know how to react to each possible threat situation. One of the scariest threats they now face is the active shooter phenomenon. The threat has become such a problem, that we now have companies selling bulletproof backpacks in hopes of protecting children from these deranged shooters.

According to data from the US Naval Postgraduate School, in 2018 alone there were 94 school gun violence incidents. But those are just the number they want you to obsess about, the fact is school violence in general has reached epidemic levels.

Why is it we never hear about the other violence that happens in public schools? Where are the stories on the epidemic of rapes inside schools, the record violence that has swept public schools over the last decade, and the hundreds of stabbings that happen each and every year in the hallways of these schools?

How to Protect your Child from School Violence

The recent rash of school shootings, stabbings, and mass shootings has raised the threat to a level to a point where you cannot afford to ignore the threat.

I’ve covered what you should do to protect yourself during a mass shooting in the past – please read that article, as many of the tips in that post will be helpful during a school shooting as well – but in this article, I want to share some very specific tips and ideas that your child can use to stay safe during these mass shooting events.

Teaching your child to respond to School Shootings

Teach your children to stay alert: One of the best things you can do to ensure your child’s safety is to let them know that these threats exist, and then teach them what to look out for. Hiding the truth does nothing to prepare them for the realities of today’s world.

While I would caution you against going overboard in the fear department, today’s sick world highlights the very real need to inform your children of the dangers that they will face in life.

• Make sure your child isn’t another one of the mindless drones who walk down the streets, head stuck inside a smartphone screen, oblivious to the world around them. Teach them to stay alert while out in public, and to put the technology down until they’re at home.
• Teach them about situational awareness, and take the time to show them examples of what they should be looking for while out in public. The next time you go to the store, make a game out of it. See who can find the most exits, and who can spot the quickest way to those exit points from various spots in the store. These are the kinds of things that will prepare them to face threats and disasters.
• Teach them to be aware of their surroundings, and to start developing mental maps of places they visit. This will not only help them in extreme events like a school shooting, but will also give them a leg up during natural disasters, fires, or any other situation where they might have to make a quick exit.

Teach your kids to run: I have a huge problem with how public schools treat active shooter situations; in large part, most public schools have a policy known as “sheltering in place.” In my opinion, this is probably one of the worst things you can do during a mass shooting situation.

• Teach your kids to look for their school’s exits, doors, windows, and anywhere they can take cover on their way to making an escape.
• Teach them to head for an exit the moment they hear gun shots, or see signs that a shooting is about to take place.
• If your child’s school has a lockdown policy, where they lock children inside the school and tell them to hide, you need to seriously rethink your child’s safety at that school. In my opinion, these lockdown policies make them sitting ducks.

Teach them to fight back: In the past, many experts suggested complete compliance with the shooter. But when you look at the reality of the situation, in most cases these school shooters often kill anyone who is in their line of fire. Compliance is almost never a valid response.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what most schools teach the children to do. If I was the one designing these school policies, I would teach everyone in the classroom to immediately start throwing anything they can at the attacker, while at the same time having the entire class rush the shooter. Even an extremely well-trained shooter would have a hard time reacting to 20 – 30 people rushing them, while also being pelted with cell phones, books, and chairs.

These shooters are looking for easy targets, and they are not prepared to deal with any kind of resistance. In fact, because most of these shooters are not well-trained marksman, the chances of them getting off any kind of shot while being rushed by a large group is not very good. The reward far outweighs the risk.

You must remember that these people are looking to kill as many people as possible, and anyone who looks like an easy target will in all likelihood be taken out. If your child has no way to escape, then their best option is to fight back.

• Teach them to stay calm, and look for an opportunity to overwhelm the attacker. Their best chance is when the shooter is focused on someone else, is in the middle of reloading their weapon, or is distracted in any way.
• If you own a firearm, it might be a good idea to take them to the range and at the very least help them become familiar with firearm safety and the sound of gunshots. Hearing gunshots inside of a school can make a kid freeze; if they’re accustom to the sound of gunfire and familiar with firearms, this can help them react quicker once they hear the shots ring out.
• Once the gunman enters the room, and there’s no way to escape, your child should grab whatever is around that can be used as a weapon or something that can be used as a means to distract the shooter while they can make their way to safety. Keys, books, desks, and chairs can all be used to throw at the attacker, which will temporally distract them long enough for your child to make his next move. If at all possible, your child should be yelling “get him” which will hopefully rally others to the cause, or at the very least cause the shooter a moment of panic that can give your child the upper hand.

Safety Products & Preparedness Advice for Kids at School

You need to take the Threat Seriously, because the Public School Systems Don’t.

We live in a world filled with politically correct morons who are going to get kids killed because of their idiotic policies and ideology.

When researching what technologies were out there that could help protect a child from these shooters, I came across something NBC’s Today Show ran about protecting kids from school shootings. Their top advice: Teach kindness and tolerance, and teach kids to talk about their feelings.

What in the hell are these idiots talking about? Teach kindness and tolerance? How are any of those things going to protect your child from a shooter? These people are so warped, and so blinded by their ideology, that they can’t see that they are part of the problem. It’s this overly P.C. feelings and diversity garbage that breeds these psychopaths.

The Tolerance that is being taught in our school systems has nothing to do with accepting other races or cultures – something that I would be all for if that what the actual goal of these tolerance programs – they are teaching our kids to tolerate immoral behavior, debauchery, and that their feelings are more important than reality.

But the worse part of these tolerance programs is they are making people into victims and demonizing anyone who has a sense of morality. This is a dangerous thing because it is actually the complete opposite of tolerance. These people actually HATE tolerance when it comes to accepting morality, and in doing so they are painting targets on the backs of anyone who lives life with a moral compass.

We need to start preparing our kids for the real dangers that are out there and stop it with all of this tolerance crap. I’m all for being kind to people, and loving our neighbors, but I’m sick of tolerance being used as a way to blind people from what’s really happening out there.

There are some things in life that we should not tolerate, and one of those things is the sick immoral culture that leads directly to these shootings. It’s the victimization culture that leads these people to commit these horrific acts of violence because they have been taught that their actions have no consequences and everything should be accepted in the name of tolerance.