Home Incursion Defense

I was recently asked by an associate what they should do if someone broke into their home. At first I was tempted to laugh the question off and say "get a dog" or "shoot first" but it dawned on me that a lot of people seriously don't have a counter incursion plan and no solid tactical training.

Here I am, worried about those I know, knowing that they have no idea what to do.

First, don't panic. Size up the situation and take a mental tally of everything you KNOW.

1.     Do you 'think' you heard a noise or did you HEAR A NOISE?
2.     If applicable, where is your family? Did they fall asleep in their bed, or on the couch in the living room? If you don't know, don't guess. If you need to open fire, avoid aiming into EITHER DIRECTION. You can always adjust your firing arc and angle to compensate.
3. Is there an intruder in the house, or is your Pet/Housemate/Family Member just noisy? This is something you must KNOW before you make the decision to even put your finger on the trigger. 
4. HARMS WAY. Who will be in it?
5. If you are alone and/or have positively identified the presence of an intruder, make the decision whether or not to shoot BEFORE you encounter them. You don't want to be struggling with your psyche while the enemy is not.

This is the one I call the golden rule. People generally don't like it but it may save you. ALWAYS FIRE AT LEAST TWICE. Your first shot should be used on the intruder, then fire the same number of shots into the floor or in another safe direction, then immediately eject your shells. When the police start their questions, you tell them that you fired X number of warning shots and they kept coming and you were forced to shoot to kill.
It may sound underhanded but it helps avoid pesky laws.

Now that my wild hillbilly side is showing, I think Ill just post a vid now....