WHEN EVIL IS AT YOUR DOOR: The No-BS Guide to Fortifying Your Home, Hardening Your Mind, and Surviving the Worst 30 Seconds of Your Life

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter # 367

I’ll Do it Again: When Someone Needs to Talk About It…But Many Are Reluctant to Do So

Before we dive into this issue, let's pause and recognize the deeper sadness behind it: the reality that this issue of the Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter even needed to be written.

It should be unthinkable — that we’d have to talk about what to do when someone bursts through your door with violent intent.

That we need to train for bleeding wounds…defend against abduction…and condition our minds to face evil head-on in our own living rooms. But here we are.

This isn’t sensationalism. This is response to reality.

The tragedy over the weekend with the political assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband made that reality hit like a brick through a window — two people were murdered. They’ll never be coming back. They’re gone…forever.

It would be not just foolish but morally negligent to ignore this moment. To not talk about how to survive such horror.

So we use the moment. We study it. And we pass along the tools…tactics…and mindset that could be the difference between victim and survivor.

Because pretending it can’t happen to you helps no one. Preparing like it might. That saves lives.

PART ONE: THE DOORBELL RINGS AT 11:57 P.M. — WHAT NOW?

On a quiet street in a "safe" neighborhood, something horrifying unfolded this past weekend. The Hortman home became a war zone in seconds. A man showed up at the door with a gun.

Within moments, two people were gunned down; neither survived.

The attack was fast, brutal, and deliberate.

If you think this can't happen to you…think again. It already has — somewhere else…to someone else. That’s just a fact. The illusion of safety is the first casualty when violence enters your home.

So tonight, we burn the illusion.

This isn't paranoia. It's preparation. When you're proactive instead of reactive...you're stacking the odds in your favor. That’s not pessimism; that’s math.

This is about fortifying your home and training your mind and body to react when the unthinkable becomes your reality.

When you no longer assume you’ll have time to prepare...you begin to understand how close the fight really is.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL: A MINDSET BUILT ON DECISIVENESS

When seconds count...you won't have time to "figure it out."

People die in the gap between awareness and action. That micro-hesitation? That mental buffering? It gets people killed.

Survivors all share one common trait: they made a decision fast and committed to it.

You need to mentally rehearse the worst-case scenario. That means seeing yourself in a violent confrontation and working through how you'd respond.

Visualization is more than a new-age tactic; it's the way elite athletes, combat veterans...and law enforcement professionals wire their responses before they need them.

This requires more than knowledge. It demands internalization, drills, muscle memory — rehearsal.

The guy who played it out in his mind 100 times? He survives. The guy who says, "That won't happen here" — doesn't.

You need a "flip the switch" mindset. Not later. Now. When the alarm sounds...when the door is kicked in...when the scream rings out — your only enemy is hesitation.

The latest cutting-edge visualization techniques used by America’s elite fighting forces go far beyond simply “imagining success.”

These warriors use stress inoculation visualization—mentally placing themselves in chaotic…high-stress…life-or-death scenarios before they ever face them.

They rehearse exactly what their hands are doing…what they’re seeing through their optic…how their heart pounds…what the floor feels like when they go prone.

The mental dress rehearsal builds neural familiarity. So when reality strikes…their brain says, “I’ve been here before.”

You can do the same. Sit in your bedroom or living room. Close your eyes and run through the scenario: it’s 2:46 a.m., you hear glass shatter.

Where is your spouse? Your weapon? Your phone? What do you say? What do you do first? Visualize moving…talking…aiming…dialing. Do it with full sensory detail.

The more you see it in your head…and feel it in your body…the less your body panics when it’s real.

Don’t just visualize the ideal outcome—visualize the worst day of your life…and walk through it until it becomes a plan, not a panic. Imagine things you had planned going all to hell and having to shift tactics in hundredths of a second…and doing so…and winning the battle.

Imagine a loved one being shot right before you’ve ended the threat, and now having to make sure your spouse…or child… lives until the Paramedics arrive so they can take over.

The more you imagine…and the more times you imagine it…the more familiar it will feel if and when it ever becomes real. Your performance will be light years ahead of the dismal performance you’d have otherwise.

FORTIFYING YOUR CASTLE: MAKE ENTRY A NIGHTMARE

Let’s start with your first line of defense: the house itself.

Reinforced Door Frames:

Deadbolts are nothing if your frame is hollow pine. Invest in strike plate reinforcement kits with 3”+ screws that anchor into the studs. Most intruders know they can breach a front door with one or two solid kicks — don’t let them.

Make your door behave like a vault.

Here’s a short video that shows the difference these simple additions can make.

Security Film on Windows:

Prevent smash-and-grab access. A baseball bat should bounce…off a window…not break them. You’re buying time…noise…and deterrence. Film doesn't make glass unbreakable, but it keeps it from shattering cleanly and allowing easy access.

More importantly, it buys you time. Time is usually the difference that makes the difference.

A buddy of mine and I used to laugh—dark humor, but the kind born from reality—about folks who drop five grand on a front door that could stop a tank...then leave a flimsy waist-high window three feet to the left like a welcome mat for criminals.

Bulletproof steel door... meet glass window you can elbow through in under ten seconds. That’s not security. That’s security theater.

A quick Google search for “window security film” will provide plenty of opportunities to read more about how you can utilize this to give you and your family those extra seconds when lives are on the line.

This video gives you an idea of the kind of time window film can add, thereby increasing your odds of surviving.

Motion Sensor Lights & Smart Cameras:

They won’t stop a determined attacker. But they can slow one down. Visibility is a deterrent. And when criminals see your home as a high-risk…high-noise…high-surveillance target, they move on to the easier one down the street.

Security Lighting That Actually Secures

1. Layered, Purposeful Placement (Not Just “Bright and Pretty”)

Don’t light up your house like a football stadium. That just helps the bad guy see what he’s doing. Instead, use layered zones:

• Perimeter lights: Motion-activated floodlights on all corners of the house. These should cover walkways, driveways, and blind spots—especially entry points.

• Mid-range lights: Smaller motion lights along side yards, fences, and behind garages or sheds.

• Close-in lights: Low-wattage, always-on lighting around doors and windows—paired with cameras for facial ID.

2. Motion Sensors That Are Smart

Your lights should respond only to human-sized motion…not squirrels or wind-blown branches. Cheap sensors trigger constantly, training you to ignore them.

Invest in adjustable PIR (passive infrared) sensors and set zones narrowly to cover approach paths…not random corners of the yard.

3. Use Darkness as a Weapon

The goal isn't just to light up everything. It’s to control what’s seen and what’s hidden.

Keep your own movements shadowed while exposing the threat. Backlighting an intruder puts you in the shadows and them in the spotlight. That’s tactical superiority.

4. Randomization = Unpredictability

Timers are fine. But randomized smart lighting (available via apps or smart home systems) simulates activity even when you're away. Add in programmed “mock routines” and you create the illusion of an unpredictable, occupied house.

5. Pair with Cameras for Maximum Effect

Light without surveillance is a flashlight with no batteries. Place cameras near motion lights to get clear, well-lit images of faces and vehicles.

No point capturing a blurry blob in the dark. Make it so crisp their mother could ID them.

Strategic Landscaping:

No overgrown bushes to hide behind. No clutter to trip over at night. Every inch of your home’s perimeter should say: "Not easy." Eliminate hiding places, cut back trees, and install gravel paths that make approaching quietly impossible.

Strategic Landscaping: Beauty with Bite

1. Use Hostile Vegetation Near Entry Points

Rose bushes, thorny pyracantha…holly…or barberry under windows turn casual break-ins into bleeding regrets. Think “natural barbed wire.” Place them low and dense to block window access without obstructing your view.

2. Eliminate Hiding Spots

Keep bushes and hedges trimmed to below waist height—especially near doors and walkways. Attackers love shadowy cover. Don’t give them places to loiter unseen. Instead, create wide-open sightlines from the street to all major entry points.

3. Gravel Walkways & Driveways

Gravel is loud. And that’s the point. When someone’s creeping around your home at 2:14 a.m., every crunch of their footstep becomes a free alarm system. Use it where it counts—approach paths, side yards, and near back gates.

4. Tall Fencing... with a Twist

Solid fences provide privacy—but also conceal criminals. Instead, opt for open visibility designs like wrought iron or 6-foot picket-style fencing. Add anti-climb caps or trellis tops to make scaling them a miserable experience.

5. Light and Reflective Surfaces

Use reflective stone mulch or light-colored rock beds near ground-level windows to improve nighttime visibility. When motion lights hit these areas, they magnify brightness and make any movement impossible to miss—even from indoors.

6. Reinforce Gate Entrances

Secure gate latches. Install motion-sensor lights directly over side gates. Plant dense shrubs or thorny vines along the inside of fences to prevent scaling and discourage peeking over.

Interior Barricades:

Identify safe rooms—solid-core doors. Add sliding bolt locks inside the master bedroom.

Go a step further and add a trauma kit, flashlight, backup phone, and fire extinguisher. If that room becomes your last stand, be ready.

Making Your Master Bedroom a Safe Room (Without Looking Like a Bunker)

1. Replace the Door — and Reinforce the Frame

Your hollow-core bedroom door? Useless. Replace it with a solid-core or steel-clad door. Reinforce the door frame with a metal strike plate and 3" screws that bite deep into the studs.

Add a heavy-duty deadbolt and a slide bolt on the inside. If you're sheltering behind it…make sure it holds.

2. Install a Lock from the Inside, Not Just the Hallway

Most people install locks only to keep others out when they’re gone. But in a crisis, you want fast…silent lockdown from inside.

Consider a horizontal slide bolt, a night latch, or even a floor-mounted barricade device. This isn’t just privacy — it’s containment.

3. Prepare a Defensive Kit — Right Now

In a drawer or hidden container: flashlight…backup phone or burner…trauma kit (tourniquet, chest seals, gauze), knife or multi-tool…and—if legally owned—a defensive firearm. Don’t store it in the closet. You won’t have time to search.

4. Add a Camera Monitor or Baby Monitor

A Wi-Fi camera monitor lets you see what’s happening outside the room without opening the door. You want eyes on the hall/the other side of the bedroom door…the front entrance…and your backyard. Even a cheap baby monitor gives you audio warning of intruders moving around your home.

If you’re in my home uninvited to do me harm, once I’m in the master bedroom…I want to know if you’re on the other side of the door. I want to know it’s not one of my family members…the police…or a friend.

Once I know that…I have a surprise for you. I hope you like it. The hunted has just become the hunter.

5. Keep a Pre-Charged Power Bank

Don’t assume you’ll have power. If someone cuts the line—you still need a way to charge your phone. Why? Why not? Can you say for sure how long you might have to stay barricaded? No.

It will likely be brief…but why not be prepared…just in case? A battery backup unit is small insurance that pays off big.

6. Create a Barricade Plan

Know what furniture can be shoved in front of the door fast. A heavy dresser. A flipped mattress. Door jammers. Practice doing it.

Make sure the space can support multiple people and movement. You’re not just hiding — you might be staging a holdout.

7. Store Emergency Water and Snacks

It might seem excessive until you’re locked in for hours. A few water bottles, some protein bars, and a blanket go a long way in staying calm and functional under stress. If someone’s injured…you may not be able to move until responders arrive.

Alarm Systems:

Worthless if you silence them every time the cat walks by. Program them to arm every night without fail. Customize alerts and tie them to your phone so you’re never unaware…even when you're away.

Layers, Layers, Layers:

Like armor, one layer slows the threat. Multiple layers stop it. Fortification is a game of minutes. Buy more minutes…you buy more options.

WHEN YOU HEAR THE BREAK-IN...

It’s 2:47 a.m. You hear the crash. The bad guy is in. Now what?