DANA BENNER
Current job title: Freelance writer
Describe your residence and its occupants as it relates to protective or defensive decision-making.
My residence is a single-family, ranch-style home located between the state’s largest city and rural farmland. The layout has both main entrances at one end of the home, though my wife and I have multiple exit strategies in the event of an emergency. Doors and windows remain locked. The defense zone from intruders is a 30-foot hallway between exterior doors and bedrooms. Other homes are nearby, some with small children, so munitions used must be contained within the walls of the home to avoid external damage and/or injury.
How does your home/neighborhood environment affect your choice of home defense/bedside firearm and defense items?
While I have my share of firearms, when it comes to intruders, I believe in the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) method. My goal is not to stand and fight. Instead, it’s to buy time for my wife and dog to escape. My defense is straight to the point.
Describe each of your home defense/bedside items.
Springfield Armory XD-S chambered in 45 ACP
Ammunition consists of 230-grain hollow-point rounds.
Stoeger Coach Gun, double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun
With a 20-inch barrel, it’s very easy to maneuver. The shotgun is loaded with 00 buckshot.
Gerber Sharkbelly folding knife
My goal is not to get into hand-to-hand combat, but if it keeps my wife safe, I will.
5.11 Tactical EDC PL 2AAA flashlight
Most intrusions will happen at night, so a good flashlight is a must. Pinpoint light on the target.
Explain your home defense philosophy.
There is a difference between defending your home from attack and protecting yourself from intrusion. My defense philosophy when it comes to intrusion is to keep my wife alive. It’s not to stand and fight. My 10 years of military training says that escape and evade is the best option, if possible. Extricate yourself from the situation. Stay alive. Nothing in my home is more valuable than my wife’s life. My function is to buy her and the dog time to get out. That is what
