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Old July 15, 2012, 04:36 PM   #26
dave9969
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Good dogs can make the difference in good or bad experience with somebody at the door.
My dog makes his presence known very well, day or night. Amazing how it can discourage somebody when they know there is a dog on the other side of that door.

Naturally I have a weapon, but being well prepared is the best weapon you can ever have.
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Old July 15, 2012, 04:39 PM   #27
gorin
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We've had many day-time burglaries in the area. The BG's will ring the bell, if somebody answered they would give some BS story about looking for a friend and leave, if nobody answers they'l kick in the front door and ransack the house. many times they'd encounter somebody sleeping or coming out of the shower.
That being the case, gun in hand held behind my back is my usual MO if somebody rings the bell.
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Old July 15, 2012, 04:40 PM   #28
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Dwight, if you're going to teach the dog how to sic, please don't. It's a major insurance and emotional headache.
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Old July 16, 2012, 03:07 PM   #29
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If I don't know them, I'm armed when I go to the door. I'm prolly armed anyway. I actually had someone jump me at the front door back in February, and I was ready, and was almost...toast. I drove him off with my pistol but I paid a high price. I hurt for days. It's too soon to recount more at this time, perhaps another month and I'll be ok to talk abut it.

As prepared as I was, he still almost won. The pistol was the deciding factor, and I would not have had time to rack the slide, I had one hand available. Pepper spray would have hurt more than helped because we were at kissing distance. I'll recount it all for you guys at a later date.
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Old July 16, 2012, 03:18 PM   #30
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I go to the door unarmed and look and see who is there. And N Ireland was a much more dangerous place than America. I like to live not felling that i need to be armed to go to the door or shop ect. And have mannaged to do so for 50 years.
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Old July 16, 2012, 03:36 PM   #31
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Quote:
N Ireland was a much more dangerous place than America
I think we have a different flavor of danger here in the US, manta, which makes comparing the two situations difficult.

Your type of danger was certainly dangerous and deadly, but was more directed along the lines of political or sectarian differences.

We are seeing more of a random type of danger here... made worse by the economic downturn, gang violence, and a history of disrespect for law in general in our culture.
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Old July 16, 2012, 03:58 PM   #32
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Quote.. think we have a different flavor of danger here in the US, manta, which makes comparing the two situations difficult.

Your type of danger was certainly dangerous and deadly, but was more directed along the lines of political or sectarian differences.

We are seeing more of a random type of danger here... made worse by the economic downturn, gang violence, and a history of disrespect for law in general in our culture.

I see what you are saying now that things have cooled down here it has one of the lowest crime rates in the UK.
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Old July 16, 2012, 04:12 PM   #33
Willie D
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1. Look out the window
2. Open the door assuming it's not a crackhead.


I'm with Manta on this one.
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Old July 16, 2012, 04:15 PM   #34
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I have a balcony that overlooks my front door. I will converse from this distance and advantage point...that is, if I decide to answer at all.

Same with phone...sometimes I don't feel like answering so I don't. Guns are nearby downstairs and upstairs.

I don't believe in warning shots. I don't believe in giving up tactical advantages by conversing. You do not belong in my house unless I invite you in and that ain't likely unless I know you or you are a service person that I know is coming because I made an appointment for you to be there.

Guns are loaded. Extra ammo within an arms reach. Both my girlfriend and I know how to shoot. And we have rehearsed what we will do in case of a breakin/home invasion.
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Old July 16, 2012, 09:47 PM   #35
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And to manta49, please don't come away with the idea that Americans believe every front-door encounter is a life-threatening event. It isn't. 99.999999 percent (okay, I made that up) of our encounters are entirely benign. But here in the states, we have the right to be ready for that 0.0000001 percent when it isn't.

Plus, we can keep the king of England out of our face. (An American pop-culture reference, if you don't recognize it.)
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Old July 16, 2012, 10:26 PM   #36
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Well, I came to make a thread about this news article, but this thread is close enough to the topic.

Answered the door at 130 AM with gun in hand, shot dead by deputies who were at the wrong house and thought he was a murder suspect... Food for thought.

IMO, it's probably never a good idea to answer the door with a gun visible in your hand or in a threatening posture. If you think whoever is on the other side of the door is that great of a threat, why are you opening the door? Holstered or maybe behind your back, I can see.
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Old July 16, 2012, 10:27 PM   #37
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Quote:
1. Look out the window
2. Open the door assuming it's not a crackhead.


I'm with Manta on this one.
dont make the mistake that every home invasion/ burglary is going too look like a crackhead!
many home invasions that have happened around my area the last year (surprisingly alot) have been by people dressed in construction gear or having a female knock on the door while some guy sits around the corner of the house waiting for the door to open.
that being said I (not my wife) always answer the door if im home and yes i always have a pistol on me.
I live in a nice neighborhood but like what was stated before nice neighborhoods are typically the ones chosen for home invasions.
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Old July 16, 2012, 11:05 PM   #38
Willie D
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Maybe these threads make me a bit contrary but I just don't get the wartime readiness that most people on these boards espouse. Use some common sense and trust your gut. I don't let in every stranger that comes to the door and I suppose I have the benefit of a defensible doorway in an unsecluded location but either way I don't feel the need to always answer the door armed or much less be armed all 24/7. Anyway that's my dissenting view.
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Old July 16, 2012, 11:08 PM   #39
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Willie, I'm with you. While I realize that each person's attitudes are shaped by his personal experiences, I have seen a lot of threads where I would swear that the posters must be living in 1980s Beirut.
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Old July 16, 2012, 11:40 PM   #40
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I don't answer the door if I don't know who it is or am not expecting anyone. Same goes for phone and caller ID. Guess I'm just anti-social.
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Old July 17, 2012, 01:24 PM   #41
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I will look out the peep hole in my steel front door, if I dont know them... I go and sit back down. Although I am sure that they can hear me walking around, I dont worry about their personal feeling on the matter, I didnt invite them over.
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Old July 17, 2012, 02:14 PM   #42
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This is an easy one for me. I look out the window and if I don't recognize the person I don't answer. Even if I'm expecting someone I look first.
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Old July 17, 2012, 02:54 PM   #43
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I live in a safe neighborhood, have no known enemies that I'm aware of and have always passed pyschological exams over the years for job employment.

That being said, I am always armed or have a pistol sitting next to me. Cutting the grass, watching TV, typing this, even showering....it's on the hamper under a towel. Sleep besides a night stand with assorted pistols with night lights. There are also various types of firearms in different rooms in our house. My wife is 100% agreeable to this, although she does at times think it's funny how I live this way without ever thinking it's not "normal". For me, I've always carried and God willing, always will.

So yes, I open the door and greet our guests with friendly and warm words. If I know them, they don't see the pistol on me. If I don't know me, I open the door in a way that I'm bladed and it just looks like I'm real casually just standing there with my hand on my hip. Actually, it's holding a pistol that's hidden behind my body. I can't allow anybody to get the drop on me because I have to protect my family.

And I love almost everybody!
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Old July 17, 2012, 11:09 PM   #44
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http://news.yahoo.com/video/deputies...163819466.html

This guy answered the door with a gun in his hand and is now dead. Be careful out there.
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Old July 18, 2012, 01:18 AM   #45
MLeake
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If reported accurately, he not only answered with gun in hand, but he pointed said gun at the deputies.

By deputies' own statements, the deputies had not identified themselves, either.

Holstered or out of sight has some advantages.

When in doubt, don't open the door.
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Old July 18, 2012, 01:50 AM   #46
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On the very rare occasions that I'm expecting company, when that knock comes, I look out the nearest window before answering. Otherwise, day or night, when that knock comes....I just don't answer the door.
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Old July 19, 2012, 07:17 AM   #47
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Just a few nights ago around 10pm someone unexpectadly knocked on our door. From where I was on the sofa I couldn't see the door and no outside lights were on. Knowing the door was locked, I took the extra couple seconds to grab my .38 off the nightstand and went to the door with it held behind my back (no pockets). Turned out no one was at the door when I got there. Since home invasions seem to be the " in vogue" crime today this has become my standard response.
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Old July 19, 2012, 07:30 AM   #48
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Had a salesman make a midday sales call the other day. Kind of dirty, grungy looking fella, shabbily dressed. No vehicle, no ID. Had some brochures and a spray bottle of cleaner.

I answered the door with a Sig in each hand (9mm in my left behind door, doberman named Sig in my right).

Guy didn't stick around when he saw the doberman.
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Old July 19, 2012, 09:50 AM   #49
Edward429451
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I had one of those guys selling cleaners come to my door. I dunno why but I got the feeling I better buy or they would be back with mischief. Problem was I didn't have 30 bucks scratch on me. What to do? I acted real interested, and said I wanted to buy only that I was broke and had not the cash. I kept apologizing to him and gave it a few damn!s and finally he went away. I think I got away with it, no mischief has been done to my house.
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Old July 20, 2012, 10:42 AM   #50
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This incident has been linked a couple of times already. It seems deputies shot a man to death when he answered his door with a gun in his hand. They were knocking on the wrong door at 1:30 in the morning and did not identify themselves as police.

How can we keep incidents like this from happening?
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