This is Part 4 of Saving Wyoming.
Hardening your home basically means strengthening the security of your home to protect it from vandals, break-ins, arsonists, etc. We are offering this article for anyone and everyone who feels they need to prepare for potential violence, riots and arson that have been promised by the radical left during and after November 3rd 2020 elections. We’re going to briefly cover and offer suggestions on 4 main topics: Reducing attention to your home; exterior lighting and security cameras; fortifying doors and windows; and deterring arson. We end with a list of miscellaneous videos and articles, as well as a list of known items that Antifa and some BLM rioters have been seen/caught using as weapons.
We strongly suggest that you write an emergency/defense plan for members of your household and review it with them on a regular basis – especially families/households with children. Many of the items in this article will give you at least some ideas of what you could include in that plan. Retired Navy Seal Clint Emerson has very good suggestions for creating a family defense plan, in his video, Home Invasion Survival Tips.
Reducing Attention to You, Your Family and Your Property
Avoid/eliminate all posts on social media that reveal personal info on you, your family, your home, your property, and where you work – that you wouldn’t want a stranger knowing. You should practice the same when you post about people you know.
- Remove posts with addresses, phone numbers, personal schedules (yours or anyone else’s) or even one time appointments (such as “I have a dentist appt on tuesday at 3pm”)
- Remove photos of your home, or anyone elses, where house number and/or street name appear
- Remove photos of valuable property or items indicative of income– expensive cars, ATVs, electronics, firearms, jewelry, etc
Avoid using bumper stickers/decals or clothing that identify where you live (HOA stickers); where you work (cover up identifying work uniforms or name patches with coat if you’re running errands before returning home from work); what school your children attend (“Go Cody Broncs!”, “Proud Parent of Cheyenne East Honor Roll Student!”).
Use caution and vigilance with bumper stickers, signs with political messages or banners/flags that attract vandals or rioters whose attention you do not want. We’re not saying you shouldn’t exercise your First Amendment during these times of violence, obviously it’s an extremely important individual right and choice, but we are saying you should be prepared for unwanted attention if you display these types of things in locations that you are not always present to defend. See this article for recent example in Nebraska.
Do not advertise in your vehicle, in open view, that you have an automatic garage door opener. Use a keychain remote instead of your opener clipped to your visor or in your console. If a key-chain opener is not an option, do not leave it in open view anywhere in your vehicle. Remember that your registration and insurance info in your car has your address on it – your address and garage opener together in your car is a bad idea.
Survey your entire yard to determine if there’s anything that can be used against you or your property as a weapon. Remove all items to secured out-buildings.
You can also reduce attraction to your home:
- by parking expensive cars, equipment, and toys in locked garages
- by having several cars in your driveway and/or curbside parking spots (always park as close as possible to your home and keep your vehicle locked up with minimal contents visible)
- with barking dogs – the bigger and louder the better. You can also use audio recordings of barking dogs.
- by posting signs that warn of vicious dogs
- by posting signs that warn of surveillance systems
- by posting a laminated copy of NOTICE OF WYOMING LAW ON USE OF FORCE on exterior doors (take to OfficeMax or Staples to laminate)
Note that posting signs that warn of armed occupants also advertises that there are most likely firearms in your home – whether you are there or not. Don’t invite getting robbed of your firearms!
Lighting and Security Cameras
Take heart – the expense and tech knowledge for both of these is not nearly as challenging as it used to be! We’re sharing the easiest and least expensive versions so folks can fortify their homes quickly and at reasonable cost. If you can’t find what you want at your local hardware store – shop/order online and have them shipped. If you decide to use wireless lights or cameras like we suggest below, know that you don’t always have to mount to external walls – in some cases, based on your needs, you can mount them on fences or trees as long as the sun exposure and/or camera vision is not obstructed.
Exterior Lighting
- Make sure outdoor areas are well-lit – especially around exterior doors or vulnerable window areas on your home, and also around access areas to garages and sheds.
- Keep porch lights on all night, and maintained on a regular basis. If desired, you can build a simple protective basket-type barrier or box (wire, or durable screen) around lightbulb area to prevent vandal creeps from breaking bulbs and creating the darkness they thrive in.
- There are many outdoor solar lights you can purchase that can easily mount directly to exterior walls (usually 1 to 2 screws) to bring light to dark areas around the outside perimeter of your home and out-buildings. For east, south and west walls you can use lights with built-in solar cells. North walls will require lights that plug into separate cell components that need installed in areas that receive daytime sun. Most are motion activated to conserve energy. Motion-activated lights are also favorable because they do not broadcast your property in the dark of night, but instead lights up an area when a potential intruder steps in its range. Some models from brands such as Dartwood, Ever Brite or Aootek have the built-in solar panels tilted on an angle that snow can slide right off. These range in price from around $23 to $31 for a set of two lights.
- Other tips on solar lights:
- Mount them high enough so they are out of reach of vandals
- Solar pathway lights that are staked in the ground can be easily removed and/or vandalized, and can also be used as a weapon against you or your windows
Security Cameras
For DIYs there are a ton to pick from – just run a search at Home Depot or Menard’s and you’ll see. One of our readers swears by a brand called Wyze wireless cameras because they are affordable, wireless, easy to install and very easy to use. The most inexpensive outdoor security camera by Wyze is around $26 and can be easily installed wherever you choose – the mounting base is screwed into the location you choose, and the removable camera attaches by a strong magnet. The camera needs to be detached and recharged approximately once every two to four weeks. The unit comes with an App that will allow multiple cameras to communicate directly with your cellphone (iOS and Android) – enabling security checks when you’re not at home, and a bunch of other cool features. Mount your security cameras high enough so they are out of reach of vandals.
Fortifying Exterior Doors and Windows
It should go without saying, when concerns that the leftist radical wildlings are running amuck in your area looking to start trouble, all doors and windows should be locked at all times, with very few exceptions – and make sure your children understand this fully if they must be home alone.
Exterior Doors. Make sure you have good durable exterior doors, solid wood or metal, that hang properly in the frame. Make sure you have good dependable and fully functioning doorknobs and deadbolts on all external doors. Do NOT leave spare keys hidden in your yard – leave them with a neighbor you trust instead.
Fortify external door jambs:
- Replace all screws with 3 ½” wood screws that attach the doorknob strike-plate to the door jamb (see video below – How to Reinforce and Burglar Proof Your Entry Door)
- do the same with all strike-plates for deadbolts, and all of the hinge points that are screwed into the door jamb
- drill and screw 3 ½” wood screws every foot along the door frame to reinforce and prevent your door from easily getting kicked in. This fortification might not make it indestructible but will take many attempts to get it kicked in – buying you precious time to move family members to a safer room, and time for all competent adults to arm themselves.
- OR you can buy a kit that provides longer jamb-shield strike-plates, plates that cover hinge points and all the 3 ½” screws you will need. Most hardware stores carry their own version of security door kits as described in this video which shows you exactly how to install everything we’ve described above: How to Reinforce and Burglar Proof Your Entry Door
Similar to the one in the video, here’s a Security Set from Menard’s for $68.
Other types of security devices for doors:
Windows. Do not leave anything in your yard that can be used to break your windows – including the harmless looking broom you use to brush the snow off your car in the winter. The following are various suggestions for securing and/or protecting windows from rioters that love breaking and smashing windows. Costs run from inexpensive to very expensive, but they can also give you ideas of do-it-yourself projects that you can hopefully tailor to your wallet and time. For more ideas, run searches for protecting windows from hurricanes.
- Plywood cut to size and attached to exterior wall with screws (see Method #1 here). Yup – they’re ugly. And remember, they’re also ignitable if some jerk is committed to trying to burn your house down. If you decide to use plywood, be sure to use lots of screws for mounting – Antifa roaches are known for carrying tools for dismantling things.
- Here’s a video by a prepper that built his own security screen out of 2″x 2″s, 1″x 2″s, rebar and 1/2″ 19 gauge wire mesh netting.
- Metal Hurricane Shutters. This video shows how to install metal storm shutters. Hurricaneshutters.com offers kits or individual panels.
- Stainless Steel Security Screens: This company, Metro Screen Works, sells different gauges of security screen by the roll – which they claim is vandal resistant. We cannot find any DIY videos on how to create your own exterior security screens for windows, but you would need to build a sturdy panel of metal or wood that would need to be screwed on the exterior of your home, outside of your windows. The steel screen needs to be screwed and reinforced (perhaps with liquid nails) on the inside of your panel without any sag as shown in the photo of this section. Reinforcing the center, and at intervals, with more wood, to keep uniform space between the screen and window glass, would be necessary as well.
- Protective window film. Some retailers, such as this one, sell “shatter-proof window film”, but most however only hold the glass together after it has already been shattered. This company sells several types of 3M safety films and 3M “Impact Protection Attachment Systems” that are pretty impressive – but likely pretty expensive as well (have to call for quotes). This video shows the durability of 3M™ Safety and Security Window Film for Schools – which is something we would all want for schools, and homes!
- Security bars: We mention these last because while bars might keep a person out, the window can still be broken to expose your home to various methods of arson. Here is what’s offered by a few retailers: Home Depot; Menard’s; Lowes.
Deterring Arson
- Keep all garages and out-building doors/windows locked & fortified, and access areas manned with bright motion-activated lights. Most garages and sheds have a variety of flammable liquids and combustible materials that can be swiped and used to start fires – vandals and arsonists are fully aware that you already have what they need to start a fire in your out-buildings. Tools in the same areas can also be used against you to attempt to break into your home or vehicles. Always keep your out-buildings tightly secured, locked and with no tools left outside.
- Remove propane tanks from your outdoor barbecue OR install a sturdy fool-proof lock on the metal cabinet where it is stored below. Most people are unaware that *Antifa tried to co-opt the 2016 Standing Rock pipeline protest in North Dakota where a woman’s arm was essentially destroyed from an explosive device. The woman and fellow protesters said it was caused by police who were throwing concussion grenades. However, in this Williston Herald article, Morton County Sheriff’s office said it was from a specific group of violent agitators who were setting vehicles on fire and using propane cylinders as explosives. This Valley New Live article reported similar findings. (*Later the Standing Rock Tribal Council voted unanimously for the radicals to leave the Standing Rock protest.) Here is a June 2020 CSIS analysis that also reports of Antifa using propane tanks as incendiary explosive devices.
- Cut/clear all dead vegetation on your property. Excess vegetation, piles of leaves, branches, wood scraps, trash and piles of paper – properly discard them to prevent an arsonist from using them as tinder or fire accelerant.
- Do not avail your winter firewood to would-be arsonists. If you have large amounts of firewood stacked on your property for wintertime, brainstorm how to camouflage your woodpile from visibility and/or lock-up or protect your supply from easy-picking. At the very least, you should seriously consider not stacking it against an exterior wall of any building unless the walls are made of stone or brick.
- Keep fire extinguishers in your home and out-buildings.
- During winter months keep a garden hose and faucet adapter in your home in case you need to use your indoor water supply to fight a fire while you wait for the fire department.
Miscellaneous Videos & Articles
Items that Antifa and some BLM Rioters Have Used as Weapons Against People and/or Property
Make sure you do not leave any item in the list below laying around your yard. Contemplate what first-aid items would be required for any injuries from the following list. Remember this list when someone tries to convince you that “Antifa is a just an idea”.
- Rocks, landscaping rocks, sling-shots
- Bricks, cinder-blocks
- Spray paint, pepper spray
- Leaf blowers – to send pepper spray back into the face of person who is deploying it
- Baseball bats, pipes, clubs, poles from protest signs, flag poles, steel poles (these used especially for breaking windows)
- Hammers
- Skate boards, bikes
- Cans of soup
- Keys – for keying cars
- Water bottles filled with urine
- Water bottles filled with frozen urine or frozen water
- Baggies filled with human feces
- Molotav cocktails (glass bottles filled with gas or any accelerant with a lighted fuse or rag)
- Propane tanks (used as explosive devices)
- Knives
- Guns
Isn’t it amazing how the media runs round and round in circles like a dog chasing its own tail – trying to “call a race” or look to other outlets to see how and when they will call a race?
