Answering your door (day and night) armed or no?

Do you answer your door armed?

  • Night and Day - I pack and show my M60

    Votes: 8 6.0%

  • Night and Day - but it is hidden from view

    Votes: 68 50.7%

  • Night only or stranger only - condition yellow

    Votes: 42 31.3%

  • Never - If you can make it past the bear traps and land mine - you can knock on my door. :)

    Votes: 16 11.9%
  • Total voters
    134
We live in a nice neighborhood, but I am always carrying when someone knocks on the door. If I am expecting them, I usually have the gun tucked away. If not, then it is in my hand. I don't look through the peephole--I just talk to the person through the door.

Can never be too safe.
 
I carry whenever I'm not at work and at home is no exception. My area is pretty safe as far as non-domestic violence goes but there have been a fair number of burglaries over the last few months. What's mine is mine, and if someone wants it they have to go through me first.

I also tend to be a bit of a hermit, and almost never answer the door unless I'm expecting a delivery. If I do choose to answer, it's because the schmuck pounding on my door doesn't get the hint and won't go away. I figure at that point I might having my gun ony me isn't a bad idea.
 
When I am at home I am only the back-up for my Doberman and his Rottweiler girlfriend. We have a wall and automatic steel gate that is 7ft high.
A security camera is another convenience. I am usually also armed.
 
When we lived in rural Wolf Creek Oregon, I went to help a Sheriffs deputy,that was calling for backup, but couldn't be heard by the dispatcher,(I picked it up on my scanner,called 911, and told them I was going to help)
He was kind of nervous when I pulled up, told him I was on his side ,and he just grinned.
Back to the thread, That made me a marked man in that drug oriented area, so from then on it was condition red at all times, the sound of tires on gravel was all that was needed to put a shotgun in my hands, carried a .45, even slept with it on. Now in Ne Wa.it's condition white, no gun unless it's the middle of the night.
 
Gunsmoke...What can I say? You sound like a true American. Not a lot of people would do that. Thanks, from someone who can appreciate the spirit of your actions.

Yeah, I answer the door armed. There is no demilitarized zone and it's a dangerous planet. Things happen every day.
 
I believe ya'll folks have a right to answer your doors with any weapon or combination of weapons you may want, yet it seems pretty paranoid to open your door with a weapon in your hand 24/7.
If you where Tony Montana of Scarface (Say ello to my 'lil friend!) or live in the ultra-inner city, than okay I'll buy into that. But your average everyday joe living in suburban America? Come on, I don't think there is that many folks out to get you. We're not in Iraq here folks. Charlie is not lurking in the woods. And if you really think Charlie is out there, please sell your guns and take up golf.
My Glock 32, with night sights & M3 TacLight, loaded with 13 rounds of .357 Sig Glaser Safety slugs, stays in its electronic safe next to my bed which I can get into it within 3 seconds, rack the slide & chamber a round within 2 and be ready to rock & roll. I feel pretty safe.
But if the Colombians do decide to come after me in my apartment (a la Scarface style), North Korean Paratroopers come from the sky, or the Machine rise up like on the Terminator movies and I do have to pull my AK-47 or AR-15 with Eo-Tech out of my safe to defend myself I will buy all of you lunch sometime. :D
 
Utah Air Assault has a point. It's almost humorous to picture some with concertina wire strung, land mines, claymores, and a sandbag bunker just inside your front door. Still, I don't doubt that some here live in neighborhoods where answering the door armed is prudent. I'd hate to have to live like that. But instead of the mines and bunkers, you need a more practical secondary defense. Do away with bushes near the door that can conceal someone. Good lighting is a must. A noisy alarm system with a panic button and a video surveillance system are a nice addition. I built my video system myself for under a hundred bucks. A video chip with lens was around $35. I built the weatherproof housing, and the whole thing is mounted on a simple TV antenna rotor. Double dead bolt locks are a must, with the key near, but NOT in the lock, and out of sight (in case of fire). Dogs, regardless of the size, are still the #1 deterrant. Mine doesn't bark, but at 33" tall and weighing in at just under 200 pounds, she doesn't have to. While Mastiffs are laid back, gentle couch potatoes, the Romans used them to fight lions and bears in the arenas. An intruder would be no problem. If the person at my door looks a bit hinky, well, I open my main steel entry door and talk through my steel barred security door. My hand is still on the main door door knob, and 3" above that is a Fobus attached to the door (out of sight) with a 9 in it. If the person in question checks out OK, I can swing the main door open against the wall, and they can come in and leave without ever knowing it's there.
 
I always have a concealed weapon when I answer the door. If its legit, you never know I have it, if its not legit, I can have it in hand pretty quickly.

Some of my friends tell everyone to just come in and don't bother knocking, but they all know that when they come to my house they had better knock and make sure I know who is coming through that door before they come in.
 
I always carry. Friends and family know so there is no reason to hide it. Strangers won't see it unless they NEED to. Late at night everybody needs to see the shotgun. My sons friends would knock and step back four feet for easy I.D. ...they knew I'd be looking before opening the door.
I know Charlie isn't in the woods but home invasions happen around and the B.G.'s have cars so they do their crimes where they want to.
Mark.
 
Although I live in a nice community I met any unexpected and unidentified visitors with my handgun concealed. Friends and family are usually courteous enough to call ahead to insure that it's a convienent time to drop in.
 
Gunsmoke-Thanks for what you did. I hope that if my brother(a LEO) ever finds himself in that situation someone like you will be around. :)

As for me answering the door:
If I don't know you, I won't answer the door period. I'm not paranoid, I just value my ME time. I work a long six day week(60+), every week, so my private/recharge/down time at home is needed badly, and I won't interupt it. Everyone I know knows I am always armed so it's no biggie to them.

As for the tactical end of it here's a short explanation of one instance that I was glad I carry at home:

Across the street neighbor A has a lot of youngsters(I call them the brady bunch) and all the neighborhood kids hang out there, nieghbor B has a very large german shepherd.

One day I hear the dog really getting after it, so I'm thinking I better check it out. Just as I hit the door I hear a kid scream in absolute terror. So I run out to see what's up.

The dog has gotten loose, and has one of the nieghbor boys(7 yr old) pinned to the ground on his back, one arm under each front paw, and the kids neck in his mouth!! Meanwhile all the other kids are standing there screaming.

Friends, that 357 came out quick and I headed across the street at a dead run. I knew it would have to be a "contact shot" so I wouldn't endanger one of the kids. Luckily the dog saw me coming and let go of the kid and jumped back through the shrub that separates the 2 front lawns.

The kid was lucky- the dog was is territorial mode, not fight mode, and had just clamped down enough to leave marks and hadn't broken skin.

Had the dog been more agressive, and had I needed to take time to go back for my gun? Luckily I'll never know.
 
UT,

I guess it is paranoid. Nothing bad happens to good people right?

It's called self preservation. Animals have it. Watch them when new people come about. Watch how they check out the situation and the person and then decide if it's safe or not.

God gave us the same ability, to check out the person and then decide. And then to pick up on the aspects that give us concern.

Better safe then sorry has always been my motto. How you chose to do what you do, more power to you. I will not condemn your decisions, I really wish you wouldn't condemn ours.

Wayne
 
*sigh*

USP: Once again you show good judgement in choosing your weapons, yet the rest of your judgement I have to question........... :rolleyes:
Bad things always happen to good people and that is why I keep my Glock ready for defense. Yet the thought that I need to arm myself for any sort of knock at the door is a little far fetched. Granted I live in a pretty safe area, and might feel differently if I was in the hood.
But if you want to set up the claymore in front of the door (make sure you check which side says "THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY" I saw a cadet set one up backwards....... :eek: ), open your door in all your Kevlar battle-rattle, armed with an M16 with Beta-C magazine go right ahead. This is America and you can be a paranoid as you want.
But just think if you had to shoot someone and when he/his estate decides to sue you for whatever stupid reason and how much fun the plantiff's attorney will have in casting you as a paranoid gun nut, just itching to blow someone away:
"Well gee Mr. USP will you please tell the jury why you always answer your door with a LOADED WEAPON"
And if you don't believe me, ask some of the folks on here who are attorney's and I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing.
If your going to to open the door with a gun in hand just make sure you fully under stand what your doing.
 
But just think if you had to shoot someone and when he/his estate decides to sue you for whatever stupid reason and how much fun the plantiff's attorney will have in casting you as a paranoid gun nut, just itching to blow someone away:
Click to expand...

Depends where you are. In Texas, you are likely to have a jury full of paranoid gun nuts (at least outside of Austin). :D

Seriously, there is nothing wrong with answering the door with a weapon. You are entitled to defend yourself in your home (in fact, you have no duty to retreat in the home). As UT said, though, make sure you know what you are doing. If you shoot someone without justification, whether you had the gun loaded when you answered the door or whether you got it afterwards, you are going to be in trouble. By the way--a civil suit would be the LEAST of your worries in the case of an unjustified shooting.
 
In Texas, you are likely to have a jury full of paranoid gun nuts (at least outside of Austin).
Click to expand...

lol. I have go with my fellow Longhorn on this one. As much as I truely love Austin I would deffiently fear a jury of my "peers". If it where to happen here in the "People's Republic of Ausin" I would probably be spending alot of time off I-35 with a cardboard sign, shaking down univtxattorney for a few bucks on his way to work everyday. :D
 
UT...

With only 90 posts, you may not realize that sarcastic hyperbole and a condescending manner are not very good ways to get your point across in this forum.

Folks here make decisions based on experience and that deserves a little respect. More aptitude...less attitude, ya know? ;)

FWIW...I carry a weapon to the door at night and when there is someone knocking that I don't recognize.
 
Nite time

I do keep something available in case there is a knock at night. There should be no one coming here at night. Daytime is just salesmen or canvassers. Safe neigborhood. Except a couple weeks ago when a drunk tried to bust in the front door at 3 a.m. First time I had to deal with a real potential threat in the hood, but the police took care of it so I got to keep all my ammo. Things calmed down again here......
 
Typically I have a weapon available and if I can see the person is a neighbor or friend it stays out of sight. For unknown persons I'll keep one in my back pocket or hidden hand.''

Late night doorbells and knocks always get answered with a firearm discretely concelaed, just in case.
 
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