Holcomb, Kansas, late 1950s. Two vicious punks named Perry Smith and Richard Hickock invaded the farmhouse of the Clutter family. Minutes later, Herb Clutter and his wife, and their son and daughter, lay dead. In April of 1965, both of the murderers would die at the end of righteously-tightened nooses…but it would not bring back the four innocent lives they had extinguished. The killers, motivated by the erroneous belief that the prosperous farmer had a safe full of cash, left the murder scene with approximately forty dollars.
This mass home invasion murder in a rural home was the focus of Truman Capote’s classic book “In Cold Blood.” I read it as a high school kid when it came out in 1965 or ’66, and reread it over the past few weeks. I was reminded of the same stark lessons I’d seen when I first read it.
The Clutter home was not an unarmed household…but the guns weren’t where any of the victims could reach them in time. Capote wrote that the police “found some shotguns in a closet.” They didn’t do much good there when the murderers, armed with a hunting knife and a Savage 12 gauge shotgun one of the parolees had taken without permission from his parents’ home, caught Herb Clutter alone and unarmed and forced him to lead them to the bedrooms where, one by one, they bound and then murdered his wife and his son and his daughter, and Clutter himself.
A gun you can’t reach in an emergency is useless. When I read that book as a high school kid, it struck me that since I had long possessed guns in my bedroom including a loaded Colt .45 automatic, I would have had a lot more options than Clutter’s son did when the homicidal intruders entered his bedroom…and, knowing my dad, in Herb Clutter’s situation my old man’s regularly-carried Colt Cobra .38 revolver would have probably gone into action long before things got even that far.
In a lifetime among cops since, I’ve noted that investigators who piece together the aftermaths of home invasion murders tend to keep their guns on all the time after that, even when off duty in their own house, and keep them by the bed when they go to sleep.
They have learned from the helplessly-murdered dead.
The rest of us can learn from them in turn.
If an intruder’s footsteps sound outside your bedroom right now, how soon will your hand be able to reach something with which you can defend yourself and your loved ones?
None of my guns are quite fancy enough for a fashion show dialog like those above but, yes, I keep a handgun in my person when at home. There is always another loaded handgun nearby in an unlocked but lockable container. Because I still live in California where law enforcement hates gun in private hands, I lock them up when I leave. I do keep an unloaded gun wit ammunition readily available locked in the car JIC…
Mas,
Great story. I have been following your articles since the early 80s . Keep up the good work !
Home invasion is more prevalent now than ever before. When I was an officer I saw the result of violence inflicted on innocent victims to often. When a citizen was able to effectively defend their self from a violent criminal we were very pleased.
The people who post comments here are more likely to survive a home invasion that the average citizen. I am never far from a weapon at my home.
However, I would give this advice regarding a home invasion. It is the same advice I have given my own family. The purpose of an armed crew of criminals invading your home is to gain control of you and everyone in the house where they can force you to give up anything you have or have hidden or locked up. If you fail to prevent the initial assault the next best thing you or any member of your family can do is escape. Once a single victim escapes the home the game is over and they have to flee or risk getting caught. The most likely time you or a member of your family will be able to escape is during the initial moments that they enter the home. The windows in your home should afford you the ability to escape from an invader or a fire. If no one is able to escape I would attempt to convince them that a fictional member of the family had gotten away and was at this minute calling for help. The best weapon you have is your brain. It will always work better with a pre- set plan.
As a former officer…county, city, and state, and former deputy coroner…my. 44 Walker Colt is never far from reach, alone with a reworked .22 pocket piece.
I rejoice that my state (SD) is in process of eliminating carry permits…all citizens may carry w/o 🙂 further documentation. That said, I do have a valid carry permit next to my DL. Mas, I love all of your columns!
I sleep with a loaded handgun under my pillow…and no, I’m not afraid of it going off. That’s someone’s scare tactics. I fought in the infantry in Viet Nam (USMC), sleeping always with a loaded rifle in my arms. Not once did I ever hear of anyone have a gun go off unintentionally in their sleep. If you don’t have the gun real close, you may not get to it in time when you need it. Civilian life is no different. We are at war with the criminal element, be prepared. I also have a permit to carry and where allowed, I do.
Hate to say it Mas, but the wide variety of guns and ammo per household listed by many commenters, in my opinion, is asking for trouble. If TSHTF, really, keeping everything straight will consume precious attention, time, and resources.
I know a pile of Glock 9mm pistols is not very exciting or sexy, but it’s my choice and it’s it’s based on cold, hard practically. I’ve got a stable of other guns for hunting and the range, but for standing my ground, there’s nothing more important than 100% confidence and predictability in what my hand wraps around.
Actually, Mas, I would love to read your thoughts about gun standardization.
I live in a fairly small apartment, so if someone broke in I would have little time to react. Therefore one of my Glock .45s is always on me or close at hand.
During my 30 year LEO career I survived a protracted gunbattle w/three armed robbers, took out a hostage taker and thought I knew it all. Then I read Stephen Camp’s book on J Frame Smiths (forgot the title). Now, even in retirement, if I’m up my gun is on me.
I don’t go anywhere looking for trouble and will walk away from it if possible. I will, however, defend myself & loved ones if threatened and there is no avenue of escape.
Practice with your CCW weapon often, be aware of your surroundings and hope you never have to use your “skills”.
Be Safe,
Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)
In these cases how do the thugs tend to try to gain entry to the houses? Knock on the door? Kick in the door? Ambush someone outside (sounds like how the case in question went down). Each scenario seems to call for a specific counter measure.
As to knocking on the door, it is infuriating when people have good locks, reinforced doors, etc. Then run to unlock the door for anyone who pushes the door bell. A case where good manners could get a house full of people killed.
I 100 percent agree. I have had people call me rude and paranoid because I refuse to open the door to anyone who just decides to come up to my door. Whatever they want, I can do without . I never open my door to uninvited people and solicitors. I also don’t carry at my house because it is hardened and would take a few minutes to get into and their are guns within easy reach in different rooms. Don’t open your door and make it easy to kill you!!