Make sure your home is secure during the holiday season with this comprehensive Holiday Home Security Guide. Learn the best tips and practices to protect your family while keeping your property and belongings safe.
- It is important to keep firearms that are not intended for home defense purposes locked in a safe and unloaded.
- Make sure to always keep your home defense weapon either on your person or securely locked away in a rapid-release gun lock or safe.
- If you’re thinking about drinking alcohol, it’s important to remember that alcohol and firearms don’t mix. Make sure to lock up your gun and keep it out of reach while you’re enjoying your holiday festivities.
- Bumps in the night? Exercise extra it might just be the guests.
- Barricade your doors and windows.
- A ‘designated defender’ isn’t a bad idea if you feel the need to have someone on protection duty.
- Simple and effective ways to protect your home while you are away:
- Leave your interior lights on and set them on timers if needed.
- Leaving a radio playing with a talk show host could create the illusion of persons inside talking.
Plan Ahead
Although we may not always have all the answers, it is important to take necessary precautions to help protect yourself and your children from unpredictable circumstances. Trust your best judgment and experiences and do what is right for your particular situation. Have a plan of action in place for you and your family to follow in case of any unsafe situations.
Act Quickly
It’s impossible to plan for every potential safety threat when you’re out with your family. However, it’s important to be ready to act fast and resourcefully in case of an emergency. Whether it’s a carjacking, robbery, kidnapping, mass casualty event, or any other violent attack, you should respond quickly and use whatever tools you have available to fight back, whether it’s a purse, a stick, a nearby chair, your hands, your legs, or a firearm. Use all means available to you, both physical and psychological.
Carjackers and kidnappers are still active even during the holiday season.
Remember the movie “Home Alone”?
The holidays are a time for fun laughter and love! However, threats still exist. In fact, many criminals take advantage of people who are too preoccupied with this busy period and lose their situational awareness.
This is particularly crucial when walking to your car with both hands occupied with shopping bags, for instance. Even if you’re carrying a firearm, this still puts you at risk of being quickly robbed, carjacked, or even abducted. Therefore, it’s important to stay alert and be ready to access your gun if needed.
Are You Advertising?
Every year, many people end up filing theft reports because they leave piles of gifts inside their vehicles. This is an open invitation for thieves to break into the car and steal the items. To avoid such situations, it is important to keep your gifts, as well as all other valuable items, out of sight.
If you have a traditional sedan or coupe, always put your items in the trunk. If you have limited space, consider removing any unnecessary items from the trunk before heading out to the stores.
For SUVs, it’s best to put everything in the rear compartment. If your SUV does not have a privacy shade, you can use an old bed sheet or blanket to cover the compartment, especially in a dark color that makes it difficult to see through the rear window.
Pickup trucks can be more challenging to secure. A lockable bed cover is a great solution to keep your items out of sight. Remember, out of sight is out of mind for potential thieves.
Conclusion
Please utilize this holiday home-security guide to facilitate the development of a plan to secure your residence. As a homeowner, the responsibility rests upon you to devise and implement a comprehensive security strategy to safeguard your property.
