Preparing a self-defense kit can come in handy in case someone tries to break into your house or if your home is a target of a potential threat. If you already have a gun securely placed within the home for such situations, adding a few essential items to your storage location will ensure that you use your gun more safely and efficiently if the time comes. Below are some of the important things that you should keep in your self-defense kit alongside your gun.
A Flashlight
A home invasion usually takes place during the night, typically at late hours when you’re mostly likely to be asleep and the lights are turned off. In other words, you may be prone in almost total darkness when an intruder breaks into your home. You could also be in a position where switching the lights on is not possible or safe. It’s very difficult and unsafe to use your gun in completely darkness, so having the assistance of a flashlight to see both your target and your equipment is extremely useful in this scenario. Additionally, having a flashlight within reach also allows you to make sure that you’re actually experiencing a break-in attempt and not just a random noise from your pet or family member.
It is recommended to buy a flashlight that comes with a lanyard. This will allow you to hang the flashlight on your hand when you try to reach for your phone. Additionally, it also allows you to safely reload the gun and fire follow up shots quickly if needed. Most good quality flashlights come with lanyards and you can also buy one as an accessory in case yours does not have one.
Trigger Cover
Regardless of where you choose to place the handgun, you should make sure that its triggered is covered properly. This is even more important if you have staged your gun with a round in the chamber to use quickly in a home invasion scenario. That is because there are more chances of firing the gun accidentally when you try to reach for the gun in the dark. You can always stage the gun in its holster if you use the same handgun for concealed carry as you do for home defense. Otherwise, you can buy a dedicated trigger cover for your home defense gun.
A specially designed trigger cover simply clips on to the gun’s trigger guard. This prevents any individual from placing their finger on the trigger until the cover is removed. Most of the trigger covers come with a lanyard as well which can be anchored to the gun storage safe. This also makes sure that the trigger cover comes off as soon as you pull the gun out of the safe. It also helps ensure that you are less likely to fire unintentionally. Note that a home defense rifle or shotgun does not necessarily need a trigger guard, but you do need to stage it with the safety on.
Spare Magazine
Experts recommend choosing a larger sized handgun for home defense purposes since it allows you to store more bullets in the magazine. In addition, a standard size handgun also has less recoil when compared to a scaled version of the gun used for concealed carry. Nonetheless, there can be situations when you would need to reload even if you have a large frame handgun. This may be because you ran out of ammunition or are unable to use the stock magazine. That’s why having a spare magazine in the home defense kit is always a sensible move. You should also practice the habit of carrying the spare magazine with your handgun whenever you pick it up.
Even if you are using a rifle for home defense, having a spare magazine in the kit is always important. An added benefit of having a rifle is that you can carry the spare magazine with more ease in the magazine pouch attached to the shoulder stock of the rifle. If you do not own one, you can buy a pouch for around $20 to carry the spare magazine easily without having to use your free hand.
A Phone and Medical Kit
You should also have an emergency phone in the self-defense kit. This can be a cordless phone or a cell phone that you can reach easily and call 911 for help. Note that it is better not to move around the house too much if there is an intruder in the home, so keeping the phone near your home defense kit will help to avoid scrambling for it when a break-in happens.
Moreover, it is also recommended to keep a medical or first-aid kit near your gun. However, it should not be a common first-aid box; instead, the medical kit should include all the essential items to treat trauma in case of a home defense event. The medical kit should include things like compression bandage, hemostatic gauze, trauma shears, and a tourniquet to apply pressure to a limb to reduce bleeding until help arrives.