How to answer that knock on the door.

[12GaugeLosAngeles]

How to respond to a "knock knock" on the door. So it's 3pm, loud knock on the door, could it be a friend? Mom? A deaf person who needs help too short to reach the view slot? You have people come in and out all day. You hear your name along with the knock... do you. 1) Load you shotgun turn the safety off and proceed? 2)You grab a baseball bat and proceed? 3)Grab you full size handgun and proceed? 4) Grab mace and proceed? 5)Or do what most people do and just answer assuming it's cool with no weapon? How about getting a book.. http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/hlsmith79/United%20Kingdom%202004/London%20-%20221B%20Baker%20Street/105_gun_book.jpg

Seems casual to answer the door in your PJ's with a book, and you don't seem threatening nor are you visually armed (but at the ready to draw). Keep you foot on the door like a doorstop and keep your book on your support hand so you are ready to shoot. Also those 'Cabelas' Clock gun stashes are pretty sweet ;)

[hogdogs]

At 3pm it could just be a Brownie sellin' cookies...
My dogs do the initial door responding with several voices tellin' the "knocker" I will be there directly...:D
Brent

[12GaugeLosAngeles]

Brownies!!! :D:p

[CWPinSC]

I look through the peephole and ask who it is through the intercom before opening or unlocking anything. Admittedly, at 3 PM I'm on low alert, but you never know these days.

Slight hijack:

If you're outside and someone walks up your driveway, what then? Are you carrying your weapon at all times?

[Loupgarou]

Anyone knocking at 3 a.m. better get ready to camp out in front of my door for the rest of the night. Just because someone's knocking doesn't mean I have to open the door or even peep out to see who's sinister or inconsiderate or stupid enough to knock on my door at that time of night.

[pax]

If you're outside and someone walks up your driveway, what then? Are you carrying your weapon at all times?

If I'm dressed at all, I'm completely dressed.

pax

[Skans]

I answer the door unarmed.

[Mello2u]

I subscribe to Pax's standard of being dressed.

[Madcap_Magician]

@ the OP:

I think I'll get one of those gun clocks so I can answer the door every time carrying a clock. Just to see what people say.

[KingEdward]

our door is answered the same way 24/7

it remains closed and locked unless family or friendly neighbor we know.

the answer is: "state your full name / state your business"

8 out of 10 walk away.

1 out of 10 doesn't understand the command and starts talking or looking
around confused.

the other 1 out of 10 can usually state their full name and presents
credentials or a product / business card for something they are selling.

once in a while depending on time and activity, the door is opened for
them. But rarely.

[Edward429451]

If I'm dressed I just cant my weaponside away from them and answer it. If I'm in my pj's I just hold my 45 behind my leg where they can't see it. Taking a book to the door seems kind of involved in a KISS issue.
The book is good, I have one too but it's for a different job...;)

[Win73]

If you're outside and someone walks up your driveway, what then? Are you carrying your weapon at all times?

Absolutely! The only time that either my S & W .38 snub or my Ruger LCP is not in my pants pocket is when my pants are off.

If I am outside and some stranger approaches me I can just leisurely stick my hand in my pocket until I am convinced that he is no threat. If I am inside and someone rings the doorbell or knocks, I look through the peephole to see who it is. If I know them, I let them in. If it is a stranger and he doesn't appear threatening, I open the inside door with my hand in my pocket. The storm door is still locked and I talk to him through it. Depending on the conversation and what I see, I may or may not let him in.

In addition to my pocket gun, I have other guns (a 9 mm and a couple of .45's) strategically placed in my house for easy and quick access to me. And when I am in my vehicle, one of them goes into the vehicle along with the pocket gun.

[greensteelforge]

You guys must all live in Baghdad. I've never known anybody paranoid enough to answer the door with a gun in the middle of the afternoon. Understandable behavior for a war-zone, but not everywhere. I have PTSD, and am prone to securing perimeters, seeking out threats, and lots of other fun defensive behaviors, so I don't generally try to maintain an illogical level of fear. It's a pretty small man who can't face the world on his own doorstep in the afternoon on a beautiful day without a loaded weapon. Sorry, folks, but if a world of violent endings is around every corner, you always feel a need to be prepared for lethal combat, and you don't live in the midst of heavy warfare, you suffer from a mental disorder. I'm not kidding, and this really isn't meant to be funny. I live with a level of fear that screws with every part of my life, and listening to guys from anywhere but the slums talk like there's a good reason to go everywhere armed to the teeth, locked and cocked here at home is ridiculous. Keeping a weapon for security is fine, but only when you combine it with the common sense to know when your security is truly under threat. If everybody answered the door armed, home invasions would evolve to meet the circumstances, and a guy with an unregistered .22 suppressor would plug you between the eyes from your neighbor's bushes. You can't have absolute security, and putting more guns everywhere won't make anybody safer. For instance, if you'd even consider carrying a firearm for protection in an even slightly crowded place, you don't have the self discipline, or concern for the safety of others to be carrying a weapon anywhere, period. Gunfights involve everyone in range, whether they are a part of it or not, and you should, and in most places will, be held responsible for the unintended results of your actions. Fear is a poor excuse for living.

[JohnKSa]

I've never known anybody paranoid enough to answer the door with a gun in the middle of the afternoon.You still don't. While you may feel that paranoia is the only reason YOU would answer the door armed, that is not proof of what motivates others to take such action.Sorry, folks, but if a world of violent endings is around every corner, you always feel a need to be prepared for lethal combat, and you don't live in the midst of heavy warfare, you suffer from a mental disorder.That's pretty impressive. Not only are you able to ascribe motives and mindset you are also able to diagnose mental disorders over the internet.

It's always interesting to see someone who believes that the whole of human experience can be judged accurately solely by what goes on in their own head.

[greensteelforge]

Explain to me the constant state of armed preparation for lethal conflict in the absence of anything but the outside world. If you really think there is a good reason for anyone to carry a weapon EVERYWHERE, I'd suggest that you are subject to the kind of irrational thought that is normally defined as paranoid. It's not abnormal for people (men particularly) to get caught in a cycle of constant defense, but it's not stable. I carried a loaded M-9 and M-4 carbine with me everywhere I went for a year after coming home fro the war, and it was absolutely ridiculous. It's a reaction to feeling insecure, and under threat. I'd be interested to know exactly what you fear, and why you think you can't be truly safe without your gun.

[JohnKSa]

I carried a loaded M-9 and M-4 carbine with me everywhere I went for a year after coming home from the war, and it was absolutely ridiculous. It's a reaction to feeling insecure, and under threat.Ok, so perhaps that's why YOU carried your guns around, but that doesn't mean that's why everyone carries guns. You are judging everyone by what goes on in your own head.Explain to me the constant state of armed preparation for lethal conflict in the absence of anything but the outside world.Are you claiming that the outside world is harmless? That the outside world could never present an unexpected situation where a weapon would be needed?I'd be interested to know exactly what you fear, and why you think you can't be truly safe without your gun.You can't get past the assumption that what goes on in your own head is proof of what other people feel and think--that's going to make having any constructive discussion next to impossible.

I don't "think I can't be truly safe without a gun" I know I can be safe without a gun--I've never actually needed one to date--but I also realize that guns have useful features that can, very rarely in most cases, come in very handy.

There's a difference in wanting to be prepared and being afraid that you won't be prepared.

[JohnH1963]

I think its common sense of what to do.

Do not open the door and stand off-center to the door at a distance. Look out a sidewindow and visually identify the person if you can. Keep a weapon like a baseball bat or a pistol nearby. I would at least have a baseball bat in hand at the ready or very close by.

As for neighborhoods in America, there are some places where the police use two man cars and feel the need to take their shotguns out on routine traffic stops. There was this one main street in Long Beach, California where I always saw one of the officers pulling out a shotgun when they pulled someone over. I remember reading this one news story where around Bakersfield a gang-filled neighborhood trapped a lone cop when he tried to bust up a party.

So if the police have trouble in some of these neighborhoods then its best to answer the door with a pistol in hand. In America, sometimes we dont always have the option of picking and choosing where we live...

Another thing is what if you are out say living in Minnesota or Texas where the police response is something like an hour or so. You live in a remote area and someone just knocks on your door. If that was my situation, then believe me, I'm answering the door with pistol in hand. If you have ever lived on a remote farm or ranch out in Minnesota where there is 1 officer to ever 100 square miles then you would carry that pistol where ever you go.

[csmsss]

I don't answer the door unless it's someone I'm expecting or a neighbor. I don't see any reason whatsoever to open my home to unexpected strangers. If you need to come to my home, call first. If you don't know me well enough to know my phone number, then I don't know you well enough to open my home to you.

[greensteelforge]

If you don't need it, never have, and acknowledge that the threat has never materialized, then the threat is not prevalent enough to warrant going armed. I also didn't tell you what you were afraid of, or ascribe my fears to you, I asked you what you are afraid of that motivates you to go armed. So far you have failed to explain yourself, choosing instead to discredit me. I was in a poor state of mind, and paranoid, what are you? I'm not interested in reading quotes from the statement I just made. I'm curious to know just what is so damn scary out there. I live in a fairly large city with it's fair share of violent crime, and I own allot of guns, but I don't keep any of them loaded, and never carry them outside my home unless I have a good reason to. I don't have the first clue what you think about any of this except that you seem to need to think that I'm an idiot, or simply don't "get it". Fill in the missing pieces for me, explain it. Nobody is entitled to a free opinion without having to explain themselves. Especially not if they want the rest of the world to trust them carrying lethal weapons everywhere they go with no apparent purpose but vague fears of "bad guys" lurking everywhere, or simply because they can.

[JohnKSa]

If you don't need it, never have, and acknowledge that the threat has never materialized, then the threat is not prevalent enough to warrant going armed.That's your opinion. However, several people every day have experiences that prove that going armed can be very beneficial even when the threat, according to you is not prevalent enough to warrant going armed.So far you have failed to explain yourself, choosing instead to discredit me.So after starting off by accusing everyone who differs with your opinion on this topic of being paranoid and having a mental disorder, now you think things are getting too personal because I say you are judging people by assuming that they think and feel exactly the way you do?I don't have the first clue what you think about any of this except that you seem to need to think that I'm an idiot, or simply don't "get it".I don't think you're an idiot, I think that you're judging everyone else by how you think and feel and that you believe that any other view besides yours is evidence of paranoia and mental disorders.I'm curious to know just what is so damn scary out there.See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You START with the assumption that everyone who carries a gun to the door is SCARED. You refuse to entertain the possibility that there could even be any other motive.

I've already told you that there's a difference in wanting to be prepared and being afraid that you won't be prepared but apparently that didn't even register.Nobody is entitled to a free opinion without having to explain themselves.Ok, besides the fact that this is false, the problem here isn't that I won't explain it's that you refuse to accept any explanation that doesn't dovetail with your preconceived ideas.

If you start with the assumption that fear, paranoia and mental disorders are what motivate people to go armed and refuse to entertain any other possibility, how can anyone explain anything to you?

[javabum]

I ask who it is,if i know them i open the door.If i don't know them i stand to the left of the door open it and keep my body pushing up against it with my gun side to the rear.I am always cautious when opening the door to strangers/people i don't know.
I am neither paranoid nor mentally unstable....I am cautious.As we all should be opening the door to strangers.

[pax]

I just deleted a personal attack and a response to that personal attack.

No more of those in this thread, please. If you have a point to make, do it without insulting ANYONE -- even those nutcases you disagree with.

pax

[article1section10]

can we all agree that to some degree, owning a gun and carrying is a bit of fun? that it has a bit of a rush, if you've never shot someone before or never truly had to defend your life.

thats just what it boils down to sometimes.

thanks to greensteelforge for offering some much needed perspective to everyone, including myself.

on a similar note, his postings reminded me of a story i heard someone tell the other day: (it's relevant, i swear) (and if you know the area, it was in Holt, Michigan... not Lansing, or even Detroit...)

"so yesterday afternoon i was running up to the store for my boss to get some milk. the only store i could find was a liquor store on the corner. i was a bit wary, but decided to venture in. upon entering, i noticed 3 'thug' looking characters, looked down at my diamond pendant around my neck and slowly tucked it into my shirt. my adrenaline started to rush. i had left my glock at home that day, but boy did i wish i had it, but i figured, i work out, i should be able to take these guys. bought the milk and came home barely safe'

[article1section10]

I almost ruined a good honeymoon with the fact that I was all hyped up on needing to have a gun with me at times where we were perfectly safe. I think owning guns/carrying is a constant struggle for some people, myself included, to not get carried away with the paranoia that may inherently come with the territory.

[Mello2u]

greensteelforge,

Why not carry a handgun? It is relatively easy. It is a tool which grants options to the possessor that would otherwise not exist.

greensteelforge
If you don't need it, never have, and acknowledge that the threat has never materialized, then the threat is not prevalent enough to warrant going armed.
The above argument that because something has not happened to you is reason enough to fore go preparation for the eventuality is not logical. Your statement contains the conclusion of its premise which is flawed; and begs the question "Is going armed needed? Most people have insurance on their home, or on the contents of their apartment even if they have never had a loss. Millions of people have catastrophic health insurance and have had that coverage for decades without ever using it. They may have gotten ill but not to the level of needing hospital care.

In many respects a handgun is a type of insurance. One which you hope to never use.

I do not carry a handgun because I live in fear.
I carry a handgun because I live in a country where I can.
It takes little effort.
I am well trained, skilled, and responsible.
It keeps my options open.
It is a philosophy.

[Firepower!]

I sort of agree with greensteelforge.

I live in Pakistan where currently things are rough as our army is moving in for a final kill in Waziristan agencies. I dont feel the need to carry my gun in my own driveway or chamber the round everytime some one kocks or rings bell in the middle of the afternoon.

I lived in the US for 11 years and never felt the need to be armed while opening door. Then, I lived in good neighbourhoods.

Next time I am in the US I am not knocking on anyone's door since some trigger happy lunitic might shoot me and claim sd against a Pakistani guy who streotypically looks like all those terrorists on FOX News.

[omkhan]

come on FP, as far as I know/ heard about you, you are surrounded by guards most of the time & keep M4s & AKs in the trunk ;)

Steelforge, by your logic, since you have come back from a war and survived, every 1 else must have been that lucky?

The point of carrying most/ all the times come as "Its better to have it and not need it rather than needing it and not having it". So if one can carry legally, he/ she better do that. There is a huge difference between being prepared and being scared.

[Sixer]

I can see where greensteelforge is coming from... and although I have CCW nearly 24/7, I have never grabbed my gun deliberately because of a knock on the door. If there is a knock on the door I just check the peep hole to see who it is.

I'm never too far from a pistola, but I personally don't feel the need to have a loaded 12ga behind my back every time the doorbell rings. I'm not old or grumpy enough (yet) to give the whole "State your name and business" line whilst toting a loaded firearm at my own front door. ;)

[Piper Cub]

FP what about all the machine guns you have said you have?

[TailGator]

If you don't need it, never have, and acknowledge that the threat has never materialized, then the threat is not prevalent enough to warrant going armed.

If we read the postings from greensteelforge charitably, he is trying to tell us not to let our worries about security ruin our lives. That is reasonable enough, but he goes too far in asserting that consideration of and preparation for security threats equates with mental illness. His premise is to assert that nothing that has not happened before will ever happen (see above quote), which is wholly illogical. When one begins with a false premise, one reaches false conclusions. Using his logic, since he had not been shot before going in the military, he was immune from harm and therefore need not be issued firearms, body armor, or any other gear of war. None of us have yet died; we are therefore immortal. It is flawed logic, that is all. But the reminder that guns are tools, not the center of our lives, is valid and valuable. The life we seek to preserve should not be one of constant unmitigated fear and dread.

[Firepower!]

Well I have good number of weapons, but a knock on the door at 3pm is just a knock on the door. Perhaps its some one who has come to inform of tea time.

OmKhan, if yiu swing by ISB do let me know.

[feldspar13]

I am generally armed if I am awake

[DonR]

I quite answering the door years ago. Literally. If someone knocks at my door & they have not called ahead, I do not answer the door. I have no concern at all about what the person knocking on the door may think about it.

I always let phone calls go to message, 100% of the time.

If the TV is on I don't make any attempt to lower the volume either, I just don't answer it. It has been my experience that if you don't know someone is coming to your door, the probability of answering it and having something good happen is fairly low.

In this day & age, when answering a door (if you choose to answer it) a pocket pistol in your shooting hand pocket & with a shirt-tail out: or in the middle of your back with a shirt over it, would be what I would recommend.

It is always a good idea to open the door with your extended left hand, and stand slightly to the right side with both of your feet outside of the inward opening arc of the door. Then if someone kicks or pushes your door open, your left hand is the only contact point.

There is too much dangerous scum out there to be friendly when you answer the door.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Op asks question.

Responses range from "your a fool if you don't have a tripod mounted M2 trained on the door and open it remotely" to "just open the darn door".

Much bickering and personal attacks ensue.

Arguments about carry, some apparently won't take a step out of bed without wearing a gun, others never carry.

More bickering and name calling.

Thread ends up being closed due to veering into personal attacks.

There is no right or wrong answer to this one, folks. It's a personal decision based on what makes each individual safe. If you feel like you need to open the door with a weapon in your hand, do it that way. If you don't, then don't. No one can tell you what is right or wrong in your own personal situation.

[Willie Lowman]

I just shout down the stairs "enter!"

That way I am in a tactically superior position to fire my M2HB on the Boy Scout selling popcorn that has made it to the edge of town.

[Farmland]

I had to laugh reading through some of these but in all honesty if there is a knock on the door at 3:00 PM I'm going to look and see who it is first. In fact if it was 3:00 Am I would do the same thing. I do think the crack about Fox news is in poor taste, not sure why it hasn't been edited but that is the staffs judgment.

I live pretty far out in the sticks, anyone that doesn't look like a farmer is out of place. The only exception would be the guy who drives the big brown truck. However that doesn't mean I treat anyone as a threat but I do use some caution.

I figure it is everyone's choice on how they want to answer the door, armed or not armed. I don't carry that much because I coach girls varsity basketball. It wouldn't print so well if some one saw me carrying a gun during the season.

Now what you don't see and don't know is a different story. To be honest we don't get that many people that we don't know driving up the farm lane. I think people see a farm and think guns. There are easier targets like the city folks in the new homes in the country.

While I would be more inclined to answer a late knock on the door at 3:00AM with my gun I would make darn sure who it was prior to taking it out of the holster. During the day I would look and see if it warranted having my gun near by. If I don't know you I just might have it with me.

I don't carry during the day because it isn't practical doing farm work. Though I have a nice rifle in the cab of the tractor that is used for groundhogs and coyotes more than anything else.

The best thing is that no one ever see's my gun and I like to keep it that way. Anyway you choose to do it is the correct thing for you.

[pax]

After deleting yet another "noise, no signal" post, I'm closing this one.

Too bad. Maybe next time.

pax