Unexpected Hard Rap On My Bedroom Window

[hogdogs]

If at all possible, I would rather keep the bloody mess outside... Momma will gripe thru the entire cleanup inside...
In all seriousness I have as much desire to know what is going on before they enter as after. I am also doing my best to save a life. If they enter it is a high likely hood they will be getting shot. If I meet them outside they have a 50/50 chance of survival.
Brent

[VonFireball]

In all seriousness I have as much desire to know what is going on before they enter as after.

This was my thinking.

If someone was casing my place out, I wanna have a description.

If someone was intent on doing me or a family member bodily harm, I want to put as much space as possible between them and their method of attack and my wife and children.

[Ohio Rusty]

I get that all the time .... I have a half dozen hummingbirds that like to fight over the window feeder, and they are always running into the windows pushing against each other ..... They are hyped up on sugar ....
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Woodpecker was whacking on the side of our house this morning right above the master bedroom window. I ran out with my fork and pancakes.

He is annoying.

[Slopemeno]

I'd probably go with the bird theory myself, but let's think about it for a second...lets say it was a bad guy. What do you suppose his plan was by rapping on the window? I'd say dollars to donuts it would be to get you to come running outside.

When it comes to stuff like this, stay inside where you have all the advantages, and call 911. Let's say you get the cops out there, and they look around and don't find anything...they aren't going to write you an invoice or something. "We didn't find anything" "Wow, what a load off my mind. You guys are the best" That's all that happens.

I'll tell you a true story. I used to listen to the scanner quite a bit back in the early 80's. I heard some cops dispatched to a call at an older single womans house, where she claimed a man had been trying to kick her door in at about 3:00 AM. You could just hear the "Yeah, right" in the dispatcher and cops voices. The cops (wisely) got a few extra cars out there, and searched the perimeter of this womans house, only to find bootprints all over her front ddor, and the same boot prints in the dirt in her yard- it was exactly what she thought it was. You could hear the mood change on the cops as they widened the search to the surrounding neighborhood. I found it pretty chilling. What was he after? Should she have opened the door to see who it was?

Stay inside. Call 911. Don't search or clear solo.

[Casimer]

Settling wood frames can make sharp knocking noises as well. When I'd lived in Vermont, a house that I'd rented used to make noises that sounded exactly like someone banging a door or window frame - and the noises tended to come in succession, like someone knocking. I'm not saying that this is what it was, just that it's another potential source of knocking sounds.

[hogdogs]

I only shot one woodpecker in my whole life... It was the one that would thump a hollow aluminum flag pole like he was gonna get a goodie out of it... Trouble was I was young guy and liked to stay out late partying and he liked to wake up at the crack of noon and wake my aching head up mad... Sounded like a malfunctioning full auto something or other... He also would hit the metal flashing on the neighbors house... I think he did it just to annoy me...
Brent

[Keltyke]

You go out and draw on someone committing simple trespass and you're in deep kimchee in most states.

Unless you're not telling something, you're not trained to advance and confront.

Advancing will work against you in most courts.

If you were disturbed enough to take your weapon with you (holstered or not) why didn't you call the cops?

Arm yourself, stay inside, seek cover and call the cops. Stay on the phone with them until they arrive. Let THEM search the grounds.

If someone actually tries to enter your house, THEN you're probably justified in pulling the trigger.

[hogdogs]

To go out armed is not the same as drawing on a simple trespasser. But if the simple trespasser does anything but leave he is getting closer to being much more than a trespasser. That is how I see it. I do not call 911 too often and likely reserve the call to something I cannot handle myself.
Brent

[izzkidioto]

I am going to have to say reserving 911 calls to things that you "cannot handle" might be a little extreme. I would say that reserving the right to call for things that "would be smart to let a professional handle" would be better put. This is because it is their job as public servants...protect and serve...this being a situation that is not putting you in imminent danger. Not trying to play semantics, simply clarifying.

[besafe2]

2nd or third to NEVER LEAVE YOUR HOUSE WITH A WEAPON TO CHECK OUT A NOISE. Retrieve your weapon & call 911.

[novaDAK]

so having a gun means you just brandished a deadly weapon which is a felony in all 50 states.

unless there's some federal law I'm not aware of, that is not necessesarily the case here. Virginia law states:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to point, hold or brandish any firearm or any air or gas operated weapon or any object similar in appearance, whether capable of being fired or not, in such manner as to reasonably induce fear in the mind of another or hold a firearm or any air or gas operated weapon in a public place in such a manner as to reasonably induce fear in the mind of another of being shot or injured. However, this section shall not apply to any person engaged in excusable or justifiable self-defense."

Simply having a gun is not brandishing here. You must be doing something with it that induces fear in other people. And even then, it doesn't apply to self defense situations.

[P99AS9]

Maybe it was a bird.

I laughing so hard right now at this comment and I don't know why

[tackdriver]

My first thought is a woodpecker or other bird. There are a lot of species that will sit and peck at their reflections in windows or car mirrors. They see their reflection as another bird in their territory.

Try having a recently acquired stalker, a pregnant wife and a handful of birds living in the trees around your home who like to engage in this behavior.

[vytoland]

When you go outside and you are armed, you better be cool and focused.

Better to get a pet cat to take care of those birds.

[geologist]

Whenever something goes bump in the night, I have trained my 3 year old German Shepherd bitch to go ahead of me when we go through the house. As much as I love her, that's why you have them. My 10 year old male GSD tags along BEHIND us.

Oh yes, my bedroom guns, stored legally according to Canadian law are a 14" 12 ga pump with a Surefire forend and a GLOCK17 with a Streamlight M3 light.

Wouldn't want anyone to hurt my dogs.

[Stevie-Ray]

having a gun means you just brandished a deadly weapon which is a felony in all 50 states.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say damn few states.

Maybe it was a bird.

Nevermore.

[guntotin_fool]

One other item to think about at this election time, we have all sorts of people walking up the house during the day and early evening trying to get us to vote for this that and everything else in the world.

While the scenario the OP posted could have been the the stranger in the street looking for someone, it could have been a kid throwing a ball, a bird drilling the siding looking for bugs, (most likely) and it could have been someone knocking on the door asking you to vote to save the Manatees.

There are a lot of people who knock on doors, very very few of them are armed intruders, they tend to smash a slider or sledge hammer your front door over knocking loudly. I would hate to see your picture on the evening news for splattering the grey matter of the two girl scouts down the street who were selling cookies and you mistook the door bell for an entry alarm.

[VonFireball]

While the scenario the OP posted could have been the the stranger in the street looking for someone

Yeah, and he's so "stranger" that he bashes 3 times on my bedroom window, rather than knocking on the door first.

it could have been a kid throwing a ball

A ball so amazing it bounces 3 times off the same window before bouncing away.

a bird drilling the siding looking for bugs

It wasn't drilling the siding, it was banging on the window. And no, it wasn't a bird. The surroundings of my home prevent that.

But hey, I'll just keep saying it wasn't a bird, over and over and over again when people say "bird" over and over and over again. Never mind the "tactics or training" part of the discussion....

and it could have been someone knocking on the door asking you to vote to save the Manatees.

Yeah, and they were knocking so loud on my front door, all the way across the other side of the house, that it sounded like they were bashing on my bedroom window. Must've been an echo.

The sierra club only came to my house once, that was sure to be the last time. Trust me on that one.

I would hate to see your picture on the evening news for splattering the grey matter of the two girl scouts down the street who were selling cookies and you mistook the door bell for an entry alarm.

I wish one of the mods would just close this thread.

It's supposed to be "tactics and training" and all 80% of you could come up with was "bird" when I thoroughly described the surroundings and sequence of events that say "human being" rather than "bird".

NO it wasn't a knock on the front door. Read the thread title. If it said "unexpected hard rap on door" then I might understand what led you to believe that, but the title of the thread is "Unexpected Hard Rap On My Bedroom Window".

NO it wasn't a bird.

Seeing as how I took the effort to make a thread that I thought would have some real bearing on "tactics and training" rather than another "double tap, triple tap, backflip, carthwheel, double tap, mozambique, zimbabwe, triple tap, anyone train like this?" thread, I figured it might be worthwhile, but now I realize that I wasted my time with most of you jokers.

Live and learn.

[Scattergun Bob]

Sorry you got a hard time. I sometimes do the same and it is meant in the best of spirits by most here.

Actually, you got sound advice in between the funnies. Perhaps it was not the advice you wanted to hear. Lets review what has been suggested;

1st - DO NOT surrender a position of advantage, (don't go outside) you home is known ground for you and a death trap for your enemy, do not give that up unless for a compelling reason. The problem here is that humans are by nature inquestive and our enemy will try to use that, as in ambush! SO you keep that advantage be the ambush er and stay INSIDE.

2nd - Call for the calvary every time, trained professionals WAIT for backup and conduct searches as a TEAM. Why would you do differently. I know it is a ego thing, to protect my castle.

3rd - NEVER be in a hurry, this one is mine to you. If some REAL and COMPELLING reason exists that makes you leave your home and venture outside, never burst out the door. Expect an ambush, expect the worst case, slice the pie, move slowly, Scan everywhere, be ready, use the terrain, do everything right. REMEMBER, you already voided your best defense, you left your house.

Now I consider those VERY valuable life lessons, suggested by some very professional people. What part did you not GET.

Good Luck & Be Safe

PS you kinda bit hard on the bird thing, we have a tendency around here to rub salt on open wounds

[grymster2007]

but now I realize that I wasted my time with most of you jokers.

Yeah, but you gotta admit that Glenn going to investigate the woodpecker with his pancakes and fork was funny!

Didn't spill any syrup, didjya Glenn?

[VonFireball]

Actually, you got sound advice in between the funnies.

And I read it carefully.

Perhaps it was not the advice you wanted to hear.

Actually, I think I had mistaken the advice for a bird banging on my window.

1st - DO NOT surrender a position of advantage

This was excellent advice. I'm definitely taking this one into consideration.

To be fair though, I made sure to check the windows before going outside. I saw nothing, so I assumed I would go look for the dead bird (yeah, sure).

2nd - Call for the calvary every time, trained professionals WAIT for backup and conduct searches as a TEAM.

Calvary? I've had a lifelong faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ.

If it had been sundown, I would've. Being that it was broad daylight, I didn't feel the threat level was nearly as high. Maybe my judgement was poor in that regard.

3rd - NEVER be in a hurry, this one is mine to you. If some REAL and COMPELLING reason exists that makes you leave your home and venture outside, never burst out the door.

I wasn't so much "in a hurry" but I quickly checked my windows (question for you, should I have risked myself by checking the windows? What if BG was right there?) and used a route to go outside that may not have been (or not as likely to be) expected by the mystery knocker.

What part did you not GET.

The chicken dinner. It was a bird right?

[WVfishguy]

Poltergeist. Happens more than anyone will admit.

[Scattergun Bob]

Sorry for the SP, but you got my drift, right! And to boot you cracked wise and we did not loose the point, amazing.

I am suggesting that you DO NOT go outside as long as you feel a potential threat! That simply "is what it is", and ignoring that may cost you no matter how tactically sound and precise your movement.

In the scope of scanning, checking the exterior thru your windows is not unsound. Try to minimize your exposure profile and be aware of back lighting.

Glad you had some fun here toward the end of this tread, hopefully, some of your questions were answered to your satisfaction.

Good Luck & Be Safe

[pax]

I wish one of the mods would just close this thread.

Sorry guys, I was out of town over the weekend & am just catching up.

What do you think -- should we close & re-start, or do you think the thread can stay on track now?

pax