Murder Next Door and Hugging Your Loved Ones

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Lying in bed on a lazy weekend morning hugging your spouse, child or your pet. Relaxation. Peace. Life is good. Everything is as calm as a lake without a ripple. Wouldn’t it be great if all our days could be as calm!

Many of us, if not most of us, work hard toward achieving this type of peace. But, history reminds of some scary truths. Let me reluctantly shatter some calm here. Since the dawn of time, users and abusers have hurt and killed countless people. Women have been kidnapped, used, raped and murdered. Children have been abused since the beginning of time and even to this day, scores are abused by strangers and those close to them.

Men too were slaughtered, not only during wars, but afterwards as well so they wouldn’t be a threat later down the line. Slavery has been rampant and still exists to this day. And let’s not forget about the average run of the mill criminal. The ones that want what you or I have and will do just about anything to get it. They’d rape us, torture us, kill us and spoil our quest for that peace we strive for.

 Murder—The Next Street Over

Just a few days ago, a young mother who lived one street away from my martial arts studio in Ohio, was stabbed to death and her home lit on fire to cover up the crime. The fire also killed her young daughter who was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom.

The good news, though, is that in 2018, the world is the safest it has ever been. Really. Less wars and less gross amounts of murder, rape and mayhem. Hard to believe isn’t it? Especially with all the mass shootings that we hear about in America. But it is true.

With the world being the least violent ever, should we give out a loud collective sigh of relief and relaxation? Not so fast. According to the FBI and their American ‘Time Clock’ statistics, in 2016, a violent crime occurred every 25 seconds, murder every 30 minutes, forcible rape every four minutes, robbery every minute and an aggravated assault every 40 seconds.  FBI stats also point out that in 2016, there was a burglary every 21 seconds. Furthermore, that in about 30% of burglaries, household members were present during the crime and in about 7% of those, residents experienced violent victimization.

Your Safety at Home

Wow! So, when we lay our heads down and hug our loved ones on those lazy relaxed weekends, should we keep one eye open? No, not really, but we should all make some preparations so we can truly relax at home:

  • Always lock your doors (yes, many still do not lock their doors)
  • Consider an inexpensive alarm system for your home like SimpliSafe or Frontpoint. These are easy to install, even if you’re not the least bit handy
  • Consider getting a dog that will bark and let you know if someone’s lurking around your home. Or consider a dog that will not only bark for you, but protect you as well
  • Consider having a firearm in the house that you’ll commit to getting competent training with
  • Watch who you mingle with. Alcohol abusers, drug abusers and malcontents should be avoided like the plague. This tip is perhaps the most important tip for your home security but yet, in many cases, it’s not thought of as being crucial. It is. Too much unknown volatility, often times, is waiting in the wings with these people.

Ponder these suggestions. Implement one or more of the ones that hit home for you. Do it. Then, you’ll be able to hug and relax with both eyes closed.

Steve Kovacs
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Steve Kovacs

About Steve Kovacs

Steve's the bestselling author of 'Protect Your Kids! The Simple Keys to Children's Safety and Survival'. He's written many articles on a wide variety of topics and has three published books. Steve's a three-time survivor of violence in his youth, a former police supervisor and a graduate of The Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) and was also an award winning part-time college Criminal Justice instructor. For several years, Steve did written and radio political and current event commentary and was the former host of the long running 'The Kovacs Perspective' Internet radio and TV talk show. Steve presently owns a small businesses in Ohio--The Mayfield Academy of Self-Defense.

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