A knock on the door...

[pfch1977]

To what tent should you take home defense.

What would you do if?

1.) A strange vehicle stops in your house.
2.) A strange vehicle pulls into your house.
3.) You see a man in slacks and a dress walking outside of your house at night on the lawn.
4.) There is a door.
5.) You see the jiggle as if someone is trying to turn it.
6.) You hear a strange nose while asleep and it is.
7.) You hear a strange something, but not of the house.

In the above scenarios call the police right away. However, how would you ready your weapon, or draw your weapon.

In all of these situations my gun would either be ready to deploy for each of the following situations?

[Keltyke]

Your "scenarios" are really too vague to give good, rational answers.

1.) A strange vehicle stops in your house.

What time of day? I'd observe from inside.

2.) A strange vehicle pulls into your house.

Ditto #1.

3.) You see a man in slacks and a dress walking outside of your house at night on the lawn.

Ditto #1.

4.) There is a door.

Carefully answer it after observing from inside.

5.) You see the jiggle as if someone is trying to turn it.

Call the police. Gather the family and bunker down in cover.

6.) You hear a strange nose while asleep and it is.

Wait to see if it's repeated. If so, Ditto #5.

7.) You hear a strange something, but not of the house.

Ditto #5.

Given only the facts you state, there is NO perceived, immediate threat of life or grave injury in any of those situations. The exceptions MIGHT be 5, 6, and 7.
#1 could be someone looking for an address.
#2 could be the same thing, or someone turning around.
#3 could be a neighbor taking a stroll, or a simple drunk from the party down the street.
#4 delivery person, mailman, neighbor, etc.
#5 that same drunk from the party down the street.
#6 could be the cat in the carport.
#7 did you leave a radio on? People next door arguing?

Yes, ALL of these situations COULD be dangerous and evoke an armed response, but not with only those facts given.

You state you already have your weapon ready to deploy. Tell me, are you REALLY this paranoid?

[OldMarksman]

In the above scenarios call the police right away.

Consider for a moment what you would tell them. "A car is stopped outside my house;" "someone jiggled my doorknob;" I hear voices." What would you expect them to do? Send out a patrol car?

In all of these situations my gun would either be at the ready.

Why?

Now, if the jiggling of a doorknob is not followed by a knock or a voice calling out to you, and if it continues, I would get ready, call, and not act until the threat came to me. Same thing if a strange noise is repeated and is consistent with an intrusion.

Strange noises in the night can be alarming, but they happen all the time. The ice maker cycles. A book slips off the chair. The floor creaks. A squirrel is in the attic. A dead branch hits the roof or the side of the house.

Decades ago I heard desk drawers opening and closing and, being ignorant, armed myself and unwisely went downstairs to investigate. Turned out to be the cat trying to locate a catnip toy that was in the desk!

[Glenn E. Meyer]

7.) You hear a strange something, but not of the house.

Amityville Horror - call the exorcist or run for your life. GET OUT!

Look, is this someone looking for another shoot'em up debate?

The real answer is use your brain. If you feel threatened, call the law and hunker down in all cases. Gather the family. If you have an alarm that makes loud noise - trigger it. Identify a target as a real threat before shooting away.

Or - grab your shotgun and run around repeatedly racking it.

[David Armstrong]

1.) A strange vehicle stops in your house.
Prepare to welcome visitors.
2.) A strange vehicle pulls into your house.
Prepare to welcome visitors.
3.) You see a man in slacks and a dress walking outside of your house at night on the lawn.
Ask him if I can help him.
4.) There is a door.
Answer the door.
5.) You see the jiggle as if someone is trying to turn it.
Go to door and say "Hello? Is someone there?"
6.) You hear a strange nose while asleep and it is.
Either roll over and go back to sleep or check it out, depending on the noise.
7.) You hear a strange something, but not of the house.
Say "Speak up, I didn't hear you."

FWIW, I don't worry too much about any of these things unless and until there is some other indicator that there is trouble.

[Keltyke]

not act until the threat came to me.

+100. NEVER go looking for trouble. It'll come to you. Defend from a concealed, tactical advantage. Don't jump out of the boat and chase the sharks. Most of us are not trained in property/house clearing. Stay inside, stay concealed, stay quiet. He won't know where YOU are, but the noise he makes will tell you where HE is.

Strange noises in the night can be alarming, but they happen all the time.

It's easy to get spooked at night, especially if you're alone or the only one awake. Have a couple of convenient switches that turn on some bright lights (NOT the one you're standing under). Have an alarm with a panic button on it and a "talk back" speaker/mic unit.

[Capt. Charlie]

*sigh*

Guys, this fits snugly into the mold of what I was talking about here.

The problem is that this is a vague, theoretical scenario asking what you would do, and it already appears that it's going to go South.

So, I'm nixing this one in the bud. Instead of "what would you do" threads, let's have a little more "what's the right thing to do", in situations with a little more substance .