Husband wants me to have an air gun for defence

[assess]

Hello MN. Unfortunately. I live in a street in London that is frequently targeted by burglars, particularly during the Xmas period when they can tell if people are away. In the last few weeks, there have been 2 burglaries on the street (daytime ones while people were out). But what worries me more, is several videos (captured by security cameras) of burglars coming up to neighbours front doors in the early hours. It’s not just this road, but also round the corner.

I am very freaked out at the actual sight of the burglars. More so than I was following the two occasions we were actually burgled (because both of these break-ins were in the day). My husband has set up very good security since then, but still I don’t sleep if he’s away on business. Last time, following our actual burglary, he got his driver to sit outside when he has to go away for a few nights, but this is not sustainable going forwards. Now we have an alarm system that shines mega bright lights in their eyes and also releases smoke on them if they get in, but I’m still highly anxious because one of the burglars on the CCTV had something that looked like a machete and I don’t think they even care about security. Possibly they are high on drugs, I don’t know? The police say they don’t have the resources to patrol the area. Now my husband has told me he has ordered an air gun - specifically for self-defence. Does anyone have such a thing and would you / have you used it if so?

Look at a solid steel door rather than just a reinforced one. Is it mainly the front entrance you're worried about? Have you had any security professionals in to fully assess the house and recommend any improvements?

With your neighbourhood group could you discuss linking ring doorbells to something like an airhorn? Thought being when someone goes out / at night, they could activate the noise function and if anyone comes to the door, the horn will go off. Thieves rely on getting in unnoticed. If attention is drawn to their presence, they may desist. If it is something the neighbourhood does you may move them on to somewhere else.

@assess

He says it fires a certain type of pellets at them or something and it would hurt if they were hit? I’ve no idea about aiming guns though and I would just panic anyway, I think.

Dangerous idea. And what if these intruders are armed themselves and decide to return fire? It’s not as easy to hit a target as is shown in the movies, without practice.

Fuck me, if I lived somewhere that needed shit loads of security and for me to have a weapon to hand, as well as someone camped outside my door I'd wonder what possessed me to choose to live in the ghetto.

This has to be amongst one of the daftest things I've heard.
The obvious solution is to move to a nice area.

I his would make a great plot for one of those 99p “The PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller of the YEAR!!” self-published novels on Kindle.

Husband works away.
Leaves wife at home with the cats.
Large London home that the wife inherited from her wealthy parents.
She’s slowly becoming more anxious as she hears of brutal burglaries in the area.
Husband encourages her to stay inside, behind reinforced glass and doors.
Husband continues to travel.
Buys her a Nerf gun for protection.
Posts his driver outside to monitor the house.
But the driver is monitoring the wife.
He’s rattling doors every night to check they’re secure.

Watching the wife from the shadows.
All at the behest of the husband.
One fateful night, the husband rings the driver “there’s someone in the house, I can see them on the CCTV!!”

Driver rushes in.
Wife shoots driver with the air gun.
Freak accident- the Nerf pellet hits him right up the nostril and penetrates his brain.
The driver dies.
The wife is imprisoned.
Turns out the husband wasn’t traveling, he was leading a double life and now the wife is out of the way and he has the house to himself and his other family.

www.strongholdsecuritydoors.co.uk/

Maximum security doors

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

I used to live in W2 and we had security grilles covering all the ground floor windows. Felt okay with them although someone nicked my plant pots

Yes, but the OP clearly lives in WW2, which is a far more dangerous place to be.

Blimey - you've got more security than anybody I know......including a hotline to the police!
No security is burglar proof. Museums and Art Galleries get burgled and they have top drawer security. Buckingham Palace has been burgled despite all the armed guards.
I'd move if your area is that high risk.

Jesus, where do you live in London? I live in what is considered a rough area of London and have nothing like the security you have and have never felt the need to. Can't you just move?

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation

www.londonsecuritygates.co.uk/

Security grilles here.

My friends had those or gates outside their fourth floor flat . The local fire brigade advised them to take them down. In the event of a fire going to get the bolt cutters wastes valuable time.

@PattyPan

Honestly, just move. If you have reinforced doors and windows, security alarms, lights, cameras etc and you're still anxious about it then weapons are not going to resolve anything.

Exactly this. It sounds like you live in a prison.

In your position, I'd get a panic room installed. You can grab the pets and take them in with you (I'd never leave my cats alone with burglars).

@VodselforDinner - genius!

My first thought was build a safe room. Think what priest holes or priest corridors look like in really old houses, it’d just look like a wall but be soundproof, bulletproof.
Do you have children at home? If you do that’s another reason to abandon the firearm idea.
From someone who lives alone and has left the keys on the outside of the front door more than once, it sounds like you couldn’t really have more security than you have. Come and live in the countryside, might get the occasional fox or badger wandering around at night but not much else….. I might go and check if I locked the back door……nah, can’t be bothered, it’ll be fine.

My friends had those or gates outside their fourth floor flat . The local fire brigade advised them to take them down. In the event of a fire going to get the bolt cutters wastes valuable time.

Properly designed ones can easily be opened from the inside in the event of an emergency.

Seriously, just move somewhere decent like most of us do, with ordinary locks etc. It can't be good living under siege.
Even if it's a more modest house, you'll at least enjoy living there rather than bloody Mogadishu on Thames.

Shooting a pistol accurately is the most difficult of the shooting "arts" to master. If you ever needed to use it, without proper training and regular practice, your chances of hitting anyone is a matter of pure luck. If you miss, the "phut" of an air gun isn't going to put the wind up anyone. It is a stupid idea. Get a baseball bat or a pick axe handle. Much more formidable at close range.

I would move. My slightly rough area up North you could buy a mansion in and in 22 years I've never had anyone try and burgle us or any of the neighbours. You could probably buy a few houses and knock through. It's great here too, friendly, loads of amazing restaurants and cafes and things to do.

I always wondered what it was like to be rich but now I’m not so sure I want to be.
Op sounds like you’re reading every sensationalist ( and rare) crime headline for London then panicking it’s going to happen to you. Sounds like you’ve had some really bad luck too…
But as you say it seems to be thieves chancing on EMPTY properties and your house sounds like fortknox even without the staff sitting up all night babysitting you.
DO NOT get a weapon of any kind. That’s mental. It’s not the States, you don’t get to shoot anyone you like and get away with it. You’re more likely to hurt a family member you’re so jumpy.

Extremely bad idea, and I say that as someone who has actual real firearms and shotguns in my house.

@VodselForDinner

I his would make a great plot for one of those 99p “The PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller of the YEAR!!” self-published novels on Kindle.

Husband works away.
Leaves wife at home with the cats.
Large London home that the wife inherited from her wealthy parents.
She’s slowly becoming more anxious as she hears of brutal burglaries in the area.
Husband encourages her to stay inside, behind reinforced glass and doors.
Husband continues to travel.
Buys her a Nerf gun for protection.
Posts his driver outside to monitor the house.
But the driver is monitoring the wife.
He’s rattling doors every night to check they’re secure.

Watching the wife from the shadows.
All at the behest of the husband.
One fateful night, the husband rings the driver “there’s someone in the house, I can see them on the CCTV!!”

Driver rushes in.
Wife shoots driver with the air gun.
Freak accident- the Nerf pellet hits him right up the nostril and penetrates his brain.
The driver dies.
The wife is imprisoned.
Turns out the husband wasn’t traveling, he was leading a double life and now the wife is out of the way and he has the house to himself and his other family.

I'd buy it.

‘ bloody Mogadishu on Thames.’ 🤣🤣🤣

@Isaw3ships

‘ bloody Mogadishu on Thames.’ 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you . It does sound like a hell though! Come up to Yorkshire OP! More breezy, but fewer machete wielding marauders.

@VodselForDinner
😂😂

This can’t be for real?