Have you got a 'Panic Room'?

[andycapp]

Driving to work this morning and listening to the radio I heard some one reviewing a new movie called "The Panic Room" starring Jodie Foster.

The description of the movie was ok but what really caught my attention was this concept of a 'panic room' as a physically secure place to retreat to in your house as protection from intruders.

The implication, from the description of the movie, was that this is a new and increasingly popular phenomena in the USA. Is this true and does anyone have a 'panic room' in their house and why?

 

[amadeus]

Sounds like something Trotsky should have had

I'm not sure if anyone I know has anything like that, I'd just assume that it'd be fashioned out of an old 1950's bomb shelter.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Nope. I live in an apartment. But even if I was rich and had a house I wouldn't have a panic room. Rather, I would include a hidden passage out of the house, so that I could run away better.

 

[History_Buff]

I once got the oppurtunity to see a house with a series of secret rooms leading to a cinder block bomb shelter, buitl for bomb protection and to use as a panic room.

 

[andycapp]

The description that the movie reviewer gave was of a purpose built room that has steel reinforced doors and is impregnable to intruders of the thief, murderer and rapist variety.

 

[History_Buff]

Yes, but panic rooms like that have only one exit, which is into the house. The smart way would have it exit 200 yards or so from the house.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Well here, in the newer govt flats, each flat unit has its own bomb shelter. So I guess that'll serve as a 'panic room'.

What I am wondering is - if the whole bldg is struck and collapsing, pointless to be hiding in a bomb shelter on the 18th floor.

 

[andycapp]

Originally posted by Knight-Dragon
Well here, in the newer govt flats, each flat unit has its own bomb shelter. So I guess that'll serve as a 'panic room'.

Knight-Dragon, are you talking about the Malaysian or Singaporean government? And, is the government expecting a war soon (if so, with whom)?

What I am wondering is - if the whole bldg is struck and collapsing, pointless to be hiding in a bomb shelter on the 18th floor.

Yes, the logic is mind bogling.

 

[History_Buff]

I feel sorry for the poor chaps who'll end up dragging out your corpses.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Originally posted by andycapp
Knight-Dragon, are you talking about the Malaysian or Singaporean government? And, is the government expecting a war soon (if so, with whom)?

Singapore of course. 80-90% of the pop live in govt housing.

Singapore is always prepared for war. Like in the Civil Defence motto - "Preparation is your only protection." It always thinks itself another Israel in a hostile region, which is true to a certain extent.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

I have a "Panic Boom!". A pump shot gun (#4 shot which will do a man at the distances likely inside my home but unlikly to pass thru walls and do colateral casualties). I would take a bit of lead time, however, to assess a situation, unlock weapon and ammo, and load. Tell you what though, nothing takes the p**s out of a miscreant than the sound of a pump shotgun slide being worked.

 

[Lt.Col. Kilgore]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
Tell you what though, nothing takes the p**s out of a miscreant than the sound of a pump shotgun slide being worked.

Oh so true.

Originally posted by andycapp


Driving to work this morning and listening to the radio I heard some one reviewing a new movie called "The Panic Room" starring Jodie Foster.

The description of the movie was ok but what really caught my attention was this concept of a 'panic room' as a physically secure place to retreat to in your house as protection from intruders.

The implication, from the description of the movie, was that this is a new and increasingly popular phenomena in the USA. Is this true and does anyone have a 'panic room' in their house and why?

I've never heard of such a silly thing. Its just a dumb concept for a dumb movie. All those lame horror movies and 'thrillers' are only made possible provided the 'protagonists' make such stupid decisions and put themselves in harms way. Kind of like having sex in a 'Friday the 13th' movie.

 

[Furry Spatula]

Well i dont think you realy need a panic room. Chances are you will never ever use it. Home invasions are not that comon at all. You may hear them in the news but they dont happen all that often, I mean one a day isn't even that much. Think of how many possible houses there are and think about how many plain old B'nE's occure. Also i have potential self defence weapons all over my house. A nice foot long fish club i made under my bed (mainly b/c im a lazy slob), a potato gun that can shoot over 100kph in my basement(sigh it broke, lol blew apart on me when i shot it off, A side note, dont use glow sticks in them if ppl tell you to, it causes a residue buildup on the sides so if you do use it you need to whipe it clean and make sure that nothing is left on the inside of the barrel or you'll get your potato stuck about half way and have the chamber blow up on you, trust me it isn't fun), A hockey stick in the garage, various paper weights etc.

 

[knowltok2]

No panic rooms here. Maybe the extremely wealthy are beginning to put them in as they come in vogue, I'm not sure.

If so, it is another example to the bankruptcy of the American Capitalist system. Instead of spending that money on themselves, the rich industrialists of the Military-Industrial complex should have all their property taken and be put into a work gang on the collective farm. Pigs!



Do you believe in possesion?

 

[Zwelgje]

Panic rooms: toys for the wealthy....
Somebody poor living in a 1-room appartment sure won't have a panic room

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Wouldn't you all like to know the details of one's security arrangements?

When I get a house at some stage, I am going to install a crazed fallout shelter like Christopher Walken did in that movie...

Tsk. A panic room is either overdoing it, or not doing it enough. If you really need it, you need to do it properly.
Who needs a room when they have a Browning Hi Power with a thirteen round mag? That does me fine. That, and some other toys...
Just the type of thing to persuade your friendly intruder to go with you for a walk to the kerb, and kindly place their mouth on it.

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
Tell you what though, nothing takes the p**s out of a miscreant than the sound of a pump shotgun slide being worked.

takes the p**s (literally) or scares the p**s???

Both are quite amusing, although "takes the p**s" can have different connotations (takes the mickey etc).

The other major problem with a panic room / shotgun etc is that you have to know about them in your house before they know about you.

 

[duke o' york]

The trouble about keeping weapons around your house is that they are as accessible to the intruder as they are to yourself. It may seem a good idea to keep a revolver under your bed but if you forgot that you also has a loaded rifle mounted on your wall then you could be in trouble. And before anyone argues, there are going to be people dumb enough to put loaded guns on their walls. You're far safer when you've got a gun under your bed and the intruder comes up brandishing a stuffed bear head.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

I noted the security precations with my weapons above. To elaborate: If there are going to be children on the premesis , you must secure the weapon beyond their physical capacity for tampering over an unsupervised afternoon. Children will find the weapons, whereever you hide them, a large portion of them will try to access it. They must lock them beyond child capicity to overcome. A simple spring lock on a cabinet or drawer is inadequate. Mine are trigger locked and in a securely locked roll door type safe. It would take me about 2-5 minutes to access and load a weapon.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

As Lefty says, secure the weapons as appropriate to the circumstances, in regards to kids, etc.
No kids coming in my bedroom (Damn! ), so my stuff is hidden away from immediate sight, but accessible in a few seconds. There is other stuff locked away, but the "Quick Reaction Force" is close and ready.