This morning at 2:25 am I was woken from a deep sleep and felt something was wrong.

[ExSniper]

Very glad that this turned out well. He is fortunate that all of the mistakes did not cost him dearly.
Make a plan for your home and your situation. Call the cops, deputies and local LEOs do not mind making a run to a "suspicious person/prowler" call. Clean and lube your weapons with the right products, heavy oil and dirt or WD-40 are not the right products. Do not go after a bad guy before calling the cops. Keep a cell phone in your bedroom with you. If you stop someone at gunpoint, keep them there until the cops arrive, face down spread eagle. Do NOT shoot someone for failing to identify themselves!!! Shooting at someone IS deadly force and you had better be able to communicate to a jury why you believed you were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm when you pointed the firearm at someone and pulled the trigger.

Again, glad your cousin is okay!

 

[CHenry]

Very glad that this turned out well. He is fortunate that all of the mistakes did not cost him dearly.
Make a plan for your home and your situation. Call the cops, deputies and local LEOs do not mind making a run to a "suspicious person/prowler" call. Clean and lube your weapons with the right products, heavy oil and dirt or WD-40 are not the right products. Do not go after a bad guy before calling the cops. Keep a cell phone in your bedroom with you. If you stop someone at gunpoint, keep them there until the cops arrive, face down spread eagle. Do NOT shoot someone for failing to identify themselves!!! Shooting at someone IS deadly force and you had better be able to communicate to a jury why you believed you were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm when you pointed the firearm at someone and pulled the trigger.

Again, glad your cousin is okay!

WD-40 is not good? I have always cleaned my guns with it. Dad used to so i do. It has never been a problem?

 

[ExSniper]

WD means water displacing and it does a good job at that. It does not lubricate or protect and it evaporates quickly. Many much better products for gun care.

 

[deja]

Not only does it evaporate quickly, but over a period of time, it leaves a gummy mess.

 

[penismightier]

For the sake of your cousin, I'd tell him not to be talking about this too much for a while. Especially since the criminal matter has only barely started.

 

[Dale00]

I'm no expert, but I do know that a shotgun without a mounted light and pressure switch is not much good on a dark night.

I'd rather have a handgun with night sights and a surefire light in the dark.

 

[DestructoJr]

I'm no expert, but I do know that a shotgun without a mounted light and pressure switch is not much good on a dark night.

I'd rather have a handgun with night sights and a surefire light in the dark.

I have some ghost ring trijicon sights on my shotgun with no light and it works just fine in the dark

 

[_CY_]

you may be able to aim your firearm at night with tritium sights....
but you will not be able to identify with 100% certainty who/what your target is.

I have some ghost ring trijicon sights on my shotgun with no light and it works just fine in the dark

 

[ef9turbo]

For the sake of your cousin, I'd tell him not to be talking about this too much for a while. Especially since the criminal matter has only barely started.

This.... I will keep my mouth shut from what else I want to say.

 

[poopgiggle]

He shouldn't have left the house. What if the guy had a partner your cousin didn't see? Could have ended badly if someone else snuck up on him.

That said, hindsight is 20/20. I probably would have done the same thing he did. I think it's instinctive to confront a threat and get it away from you.