Installing booby traps is an integral part of the home defense process, regardless of whether there’s a global catastrophe going on or not. A booby trap is designed to detect, deter or prevent intruders from coming near to your home or physically entering it.
Typically, most booby traps are non-lethal, especially those used in times of peace and when there is little cause for concern. However, when things escalate booby traps will play a major role in ensuring the survival of your household, and lethal traps may also be considered as a necessary deterrent.
The Basics of How to Set Up a Booby Trap
Setting up a booby trap involves two basic elements: a trigger and an explosive or volatile element that has to be triggered. The triggering element will usually be hidden – such as a trip wire or a pressure sensor – and it will act as a mechanical, electronic or even chemical trigger that unleashes the trap on an unsuspecting assailant or intruder.
A good trap will be well-planned, hard to detect, and its effects will be instant. It will do exactly what it was designed to do – stop, cripple, stun or even kill intruders – and it will also be easy to avoid and disarm when the danger is over.
Types of Booby Traps to Consider
You can successfully spring a trap just about anywhere – in the back yard, the front yard, on the grounds surrounding your home, at doorways and archways, or even inside your home. Also, traps can include anything from sound-based alarms to lethal explosive booby traps. Depending on the type of trap the complexity of the setup can differ, and the area required for successfully setting your trap can differ in size.
Here are a few of the main types of booby traps you can consider:
- A tripwire trap is excellent for setting an alarm to detect intruders in most situations. The idea is to set a hidden tripwire near an entrance, and attach it to the trigger of a large speaker or a mechanism that triggers an air horn. When an intruder trips the wire, the horn or speaker will go off, and you’ll know that you have to act.
- Using a sound grenade booby trap is an easy way to incapacitate your intruders with the use of sound. A sound grenade is a personal defense prop that works like a regular grenade, except when you pull the pin and toss it, it will create a continuous sound that can shock and even temporarily stun an unsuspecting attacker. The easiest way to set up a sound grenade booby trap is also through a tripwire trap.
- A simple entrance booby trap involves setting a hook attached through a wire to a siren or air horn mounted on the interior of your door. When an intruder manages to open the door, the trigger will set off the siren and let you know that there is an intruder.
- There are also lethal booby traps such as explosive traps designed to work more or less like mines in your yard. An explosive tripwire alarm or trap will trigger an explosive device or a spark that will ignite the fuse of an explosive.
When setting your traps, remember that they should only be intended for defensive purposes. Inform your friends and family about your traps, and never leave them unattended after the crisis has past. Also, avoid using them illegally, if the need for genuine self-defense is there due to a crisis situation all well and good, if not, you could be breaking the law. It is always best to check your state laws or local legislation regarding the use of booby traps on private property and what you can and can’t do regarding protecting your property.
