.
I like the .357 Mag solution. Heck, even a .38 special or a
.22 would be better than nothing. But it has to be loaded
and it has to be easily accessible. You're in Texas, where
that isn't a problem. In California there are heavy, and very
steep obstacles to having the gun and the bullets anywhere
near each other. They must be stored SEPARATELY or you
can literally go to jail for that. Having a LOADED gun
anywhere at all in the house is a serious offense. Go figure.
Regardless of police, citizens need to THINK and try to think proactively in regard to protecting themselves. Sitting on the phone inside one's house waiting for someone to break in doesn't make sense to me. Get out through a window, the backdoor. Find a weapon ... call someone else ... know your neighbor's call them.
Not everyone has neighbors nearby, or if they do, not everyone
has neighbors they can trust, unfortunately.
Gosh ... my mind would be racing and trying to think creatively. Set a fire at the door where he's trying to break in and call the fire dept!!
The libs in California would have you going to jail for starting
a fire on purpose. I know a guy whose wife called the fire
dept because she didn't like the barbecue he was burning
(had a pile of wood on it) and the Fire Dept. gave him a bill
for $400 for a prank call.
I know, one should never set a fire. But really. We the common folk tend to put too much stock in what a police officer can actually do. We have to think about prevention and our own self protection.
And yes, get a gun. That creep breaks the door in and comes after you ... well it's obvious it was forced entry, trespassing and intent to do harm. Do what you have to do. No one is going to be able to do much for you.
Pepper spray -- duct tape -- baseball bat...
I'd say the bare minimum would be pepper spray. But in a closed-area, you
ought to also have a baseball bat ready, to knock him out when he grabs
his eyes after the spray, because he could recover enough to hurt you if
you don't incapacitate him. Once he's knocked out, use DUCT TAPE to
tie his hands behind his back and tie his feet together, preferably to his
hands. Use Lots of Tape. Tape Is Cheap. Keep the spray within your
reach and out of his reach. Ditto baseball bat.
Then call the police and say you KILLED an intruder. They'll find someone
to come out for that, you can be sure. When they get there, say you
THOUGHT he was dead, but now it seems he was faking it. What can they
say about that?
It's pretty sad that we have to sleep at night thinking about pepper spray,
duct tape and baseball bat -- unless you have an illegally loaded gun at
the ready.