Do you answer a knock on your door with a gun in your hand?

Wheelman327

Yes and thats after looking through a custom peep hole, and usually the gun is behind my thigh or held elsewhere. In the past I've had a shotgun mounted on the back of the door(lived in a BAD neighborhood.
 
Not always. My house where I was living got broken into by the criminal kicking in the front door. After that I installed a high security glass storm door with a steel frame, windshield glass and 3 deadbolt locking system and 3" screws into the door frame. I didn't have a peep hole, because with the security storm door that would have to be pulled open against the 3 deadbolt locks I felt it was safe enough to open the inner door enough to see who was there.

About 2 months later at 11:30 at night my doorbell rang. I answered the door with the gun in my hand. Turned out it was the police, with a marked car out front warning people in the neighborhood about car robberies. I said, just a minute, closed the door, put the gun on the kitchen counter (which was right next to the entrywy).
 
As a general rule I don't open the door if someone knocks. It's unlikely to be anyone I want to talk to. Everyone I know knows to text or call 1st.

If I feel I should check it out: I go to the bedroom window. I can't see them at the door from there but I'll see them in the drive as they go to leave. If it's someone I want to talk to I can always open the window.

People tell me I'm Paranoid. I believe it's called exercising common sense.
 
Although we haven't had a cop come to the door in quite some time I THINK that a good procedure would be to
1. ask who is at the door
2. person says "Police"
3. reply just one moment while I verify that
4. call "911" and ask if there is a police dispatch to this address.

I would think that a real cop would not mind the delay while you verify whereas a bad guy is going to take off. (Unless of course if the cops are serving a warrant in which case they are going to bust down the door anyway :)
 
I live at the back of a cul-de-sac which is very dark at night. I always answer the door with my gun in hand but behind my leg. Home invasions are starting to be the thing around here and I don't want to be a victim. I have windows on either side of my door and can generally see who is there but I still want to be prepared for the unexpected.
 
We're moving to Houston when school's out. I don't know what neighborhood we'll end up in, so it's hard to say for sure, but...

If there's a knock at an unusally late hour, I'm sure I'll have a gun with me.

mistergus75
 
Well, no one has knocked at my door for a long time since I hear them coming and meet them at the door or outside the door. Yes, I have done this while holding a handgun out of sight. As you may have guessed, I don't live in town.
 
Wow... I'm not sure how I would handle a situation where the "Police" are attempting to gain forced entry into my home after I open the door.
I rarely ever answer the door armed unless warranted, but arms are rarely far in my world.
 
We're at the top of a hill with a clear line of sight at the end of a 1/2 mile long driveway. Also have a bunch of cattle dogs that can hear a frog fart and are sure to let you know if it does. No one comes to the house "unannounced" even if they try.:girl_wink: So no, one one comes unannounced to make it to the door to knock before we know they are there, LOL.
 
I live out in the sticks. I don't have the opportunity to answer my door much.

If I see someone pull into my driveway I assume it's missionaries (LDS, JW, etc) and I will go out and meet them. If anyone else comes into my driveway it's UPS or hopefully fedEx.

If someone knocks on my door at night, we have a glass door and I would know who they were/weren't. If I am wearing pants I am carrying so if I was identified an undesirable unknown person that would be when I skinned my 'smoke wagon' and got to work.
 
doublebarr said:
We're at the top of a hill with a clear line of sight at the end of a 1/2 mile long driveway. Also have a bunch of cattle dogs that can hear a frog fart and are sure to let you know if it does. No one comes to the house "unannounced" even if they try.:girl_wink: So no, one one comes unannounced to make it to the door to knock before we know they are there, LOL.
Click to expand...

We have three cattle dogs in our back yard. Those frogs fart all night long.
 
Not anymore. The doors are never locked where I currently live. Most people just walk in. They are also usually expected.

The times where I have lived in the city. I always went to the door with my pistol. I didn't open it unless I felt comfortable and then I kept the pistol out of sight.
 
No, I don't run around the house with a gun. The doors are all steel in steel frames with double locks to slow down an intruder.

Good PPITH practices include using four inch screws to secure the hinges and strike-plates. It makes kicking it in all the harder. In your safe room you should have double locks, four inch screws and a kickstand for under the doorknob.

I don't answer the door unless I recognize the person. Can't be too careful. Avoidance & deterrence are the first lines of defense.
 
I had some issues with someone knocking at an unusual time of day. Always will I have my piece with me. This world gets crazier everyday
 
This story occurred several years ago. I’m posting it as an object lesson on not opening the door for people you don’t know.

I was working for a carpet cleaning company and I got called to my last client of the day. It was a small apartment attached to a larger house W/ a screened in porch. The customer met me at the door and showed me the job, three rooms W/ blood everywhere and I mean literally everywhere. It was on the floor, the sofa, the walls, his stereo (not my job but it was there) it was all over his bathroom and all over his TV. I honestly thought someone had died in that house.

The customer told me that he had gone to a bar a few nights before, gotten a little too drunk and had apparently flashed some cash. After the bar closed he walked home came into the house a short time passed and some one knocked on the screened porch door. The customer (told me later he) thought he recognized the guy so he opened the door. As soon as he opened the door the guy attacked him and stabbed him 14 times (customer had the scars to back his story up) while attempting to rob him. The customer claimed he was able to fight the guy off and chase him out of the house (baaad dude). I have no way of knowing if this story is true but the evidence certainly suggested that it was.

Obviously there are other lessons her beside don't open the door for strangers but all the other tactical errors could have been overcome had the guy followed that one rule
 
BigSlick said:
We have three cattle dogs in our back yard. Those frogs fart all night long.
Click to expand...

LOL! True indeed. Thankfully for the cause of peaceful sleep, the frog bark is much different than the "something is out here that doesn't belong" bark. You can learn to tune out the "it farted again" chorus. :laugh:
 
Wearing Police Insignia

Dutch1911 said:
Wow... I'm not sure how I would handle a situation where the "Police" are attempting to gain forced entry into my home after I open the door.
I rarely ever answer the door armed unless warranted, but arms are rarely far in my world.
Click to expand...

One of the examples cited by "nogods" indicated that the BGs were wearing "POLICE" shirts. That puts a spin on things that could have a terrible result. If they kicked your door in and yelled "POLICE" while wearing those shirts, what would you do? Would you shoot? What if they were actually policemen? There isn't much wiggle room there. Either you shoot or you don't. If you don't, you may be killed. If you do, you may kill a policeman and then you would be killed for sure! I don't think I would be stupid enough to stand there and ask for ID. This is just food for thought. There are some who would say "I would do this or that." Really, what would you do? In either instance I think I would need a change of underwear! Seriously, ask yourself what you would do.:fie:
 
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