“I turn, and there was a guy standing in my face. A split second later he smacked me. We went at it. We went at it hard,” said Houck. via Father fights ‘crazed’ intruder in front of kids and wins.

 

Tony Houck survived one of life’s lessons that is often fatal. Stuff happens. Often when you least expect it. And sometimes it happens in “nice” neighborhoods. Sometimes the violence comes to you. Houck was making tacos for his kids at five o’clock in the afternoon when a man kicked in Houck’s door. In the time it took Houch to realize what was happening, he was in a full-fledged fight.

Houck told local CBS affiliate, KHOU, “He almost got me in a chokehold. I thought, this is for real. All of a sudden, this guy was trying to kill me.”

Before we get to the part where we tell you THIS is why we often advise folks to carry at home, let’s look at a basic home security issue. Houck’s first indication that anyone was even at his home was the moment 32-year-old Noah Collier kicked in the door and attacked Houck. That is a problem. And while we all have our priorities about security, the reality one must accept is that the door to your home is nothing more than a social barrier for normal, law-abiding people. Violent criminal actors don’t care and if committed, will get past that door no matter what you do. Still, an early warning system as simple as a dog or even infrared “door chime” to let you know someone has crossed a threshold point before they reach your door is just one step that would go along way in keeping you ahead of the curve. And if you don’t already have a centrally monitored burglar alarm with an “at home” or “stay” mode, get one!

“Chastiti Horne wonders what would have happened had she been the one left at home with the kids.

“Had that been me, you would be doing a completely different story,” said Horne. “I don’t know what he would’ve done to my kids, and that is the scariest thing.” via Father fights ‘crazed’ intruder in front of kids and wins.

And now, here’s where we tell you THIS is why we often advise folks to carry on their person, even at home. Houck was lucky. Very lucky in that he faced a single, emotionally disturbed attacker that he was able to overpower on his own. How easily could this have been multiple attackers? How easily could this have been a woman or just one of the kids who couldn’t overpower a single attacker with brute strength alone? This is where the fact guns are equalizers comes into play.

Arming yourself and seeking training are great. But ideally the whole family should be involved. I am not saying your nine year old needs to be ready to go grab a gun and go to work. That’s a call for you and your family to make but, at the very least, have a plan. That might mean your wife and/or children children are instructed to hide or even lock themselves into a designated space or spaces in your home while they call 911.  At the very least, the issue needs to be discussed. You cannot stick your head in the sand and think that won’t be a time violence comes to you.