Whether we do it consciously or not, we incorporate security measures into our lives everyday. Activities such as locking our car or home, to buying insurance, are acts of securing ourselves, our family and/or our property.
I like to think of evaluating our physical security in a form of circles or rings:
1) The outermost circle that we are aware of is usually our property line or established border that separates the 'turf' that belongs to us from the public areas. If someone crosses this border, we may be perturbed, maybe even warn the trespasser of call the police to report a suspicious person outside the house. Most times, we will not put our lives on the line to defend this outermost border.
2) The next border in our domain is that of the actual walls of our home, garage, business, apartment or vehicle. Cross that line, buddy, and we'll run and hide or take matters into our own hands (or call the cops if we have the time and ability). Criminals that break into our home, steal from our car or even throw something through a window will be committing a felony and will, upon conviction, face jail time. Most states recognize the right of its citizens to use deadly force to protect this boundary.
3) Lastly, the closest circle that subconsciously surrounds us is usually a very tight circle, extending only a few inches from our bodies. If this border is crossed, many of us will behave in a most violent method, doing anything we can think of to protect ourselves or others from certain danger, as this boundary crossing is considered a most heinous act. You want to see a person start to freak out? Just invade their space.
Unless you are shot by a sniper, most direct personal threats to our well-being come from invasions of circles 2 & 3.
We attempt to protect circle #1 with walls and fences. We secure circle #2 with deadbolts, door locks, window locks, bars, padlocks, guns, etc. We secure circle #3 with martial arts, knives, fists, guns, mace, tasers and other close range weapons.
In my consultations with my clients, I ask them what circles they want to protect the most and how far do they want to go to secure them? It tells me what suggestions to offer to meet those goals.
I'll post more on door hardware, safes, security systems, and even personal security in the near future.
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