My doorbell rings at 2:00 am

A dangerous assumption

The vast majority of those who post here are smart folks. That said I have seen some posts here over the years where....
When the brains were passed out these folks thought they said trains and said they would catch the next one.

Last time I got ripped off was a smash and grab of my work car. It was an expensive experience. A number of companies install security film on car windows and it is tough stuff. Not a single vendor mentioned the importance of getting out of the vehicle. Just lots of blather about how strong their film was. I considered doing just the back windows, and decided against it.
 
Also, we have a local alarm system and their decals and signs all around the house.
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The one thing I disagree with. I don't want to alert a potential burglar of my alarm system so that he is looking for it, and a way to defeat it. I want them to find out when all hell breaks loose, and the police are on the way!
I have redundant alarms. One from an alarm company covering the house. Doors, windows, and motion. That one alerts the police in addition to the horn sounding.
The second one is a design of my own in the secured "storm shelter" (gun room). It doesn't alert the police, is powered independently from the house power, and the multiple horns are loud enough to alert neighbors, and in the room itself would be unbearable to an intruder.
As tor the 2:00AM doorbell, a call to 911 would be the first thing. Lights on throughout the house next. All while being armed.
 
Any opinions as to their motive?
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Drunk. High. Bored.

The fact they stopped ringing the doorbell and apparently moved on after you turned on the lights - but still had no certain knowledge that you were armed - suggests they were pranksters that weren't looking for any serious trouble. This is supported by the fact that when they moved on and tried it at another house and that person answered the door nobody attacked him or attempted to invade the house.
 
fastbolt, there haven't been any other incidents of which I am aware. I found it kinda reassuring that these idiots went to a house almost directly across the street from me and range their doorbell. This was about 5-10 minutes after the cops left my house. And the neighbor answered his door, saw no one there, and he had no more incidents that night. That made it feel less that I was personally targeted for some reason.
 
Hdwhit, that is exactly my thought.

As a side note, this incident helped another neighbor of mine to finally become a gun owner. His wife had always resisted the idea of a gun in her house, but when they heard my story, she gave in and he quickly bought a Glock.
 
Ten ring, we have to add a bit to answering the door with a gun. There's a reason that peepholes are on doors. To gauge the appropriateness of the person ringing the bell.

Answering the door with a gun in hand is not a good idea, because it will make the poor jehova's ministers uncomfortable.

The rule to follow is that If you carry to the door, be discreet. if it's a bad guy you just gave away your secret, good guys won't like seeing your piece in your hand.

I know a guy who had fedx deliver to his home, and he answered the door with his pistol swinging from his right hand. Now consider the situation. He had an order coming in, it was shipped by fedx, he knew by the tracking that it was out for delivery, and best of all, he heard and saw the delivery truck. He shuffled and danced, trying to explain why he basically drew his gun on a uniformed delivery driver that he knew was coming.

The post office can refuse to ever deliver to an address again if there is a risk from pets, people, dangerous home or yard conditions, etc, these delivery services have no obligation to deliver, whether or not delivery has been paid for. Just like restaurants, they reserve the right to refuse service, and wagging your gun at the pizza guy is a bad idea.

Another guy I know always answers the door with a gun in hand, and sometimes opens it with the barrel pointed at whoever is in the doorway. That's downright stupid and violates the most basic rule of gun ownership, never point the thing where something can be damaged. I'm pretty sure that it will also violate judicial law, aiming a gun at someone is probably illegal in some places. It would be brandishing a deadly weapon.

Every piece of good information has some caveats. Things that belong, but weren't added in. Such as eat lots of fresh vegetables, but don't live on nothing but broccoli and lima beans. I talk to my wife, and if I don't give her an absolutely comprehensive lecture, she will take the single piece of advice I gave her, and not take it any further. as long as it works, she won't put any effort into refining what she was instructed with. My daughter is the same way. I told her to stop and look both ways when she got to a stop sign while riding her bike, and she generally just drove right through intersections without signs.
 
The phone lines being ripped from the building does suggest more than a prankster. More like some punk looking for an empty house to break into.
 
I was not there.Hindsight is 20/20. You are OK. That scores very high.

I worked several years as a night school custodian,usually alone. Its not unusuall for the schools to be targets of mischief,

For example,one night late I heard some odd noises.I looked out the window and saw a cable hanging down from the roof.It was moving. Then I saw someone was on the roof.
They were ripping the cables off the roof HVAC units for the salvage copper.

Had I given any indication I knew they were there,they would have run,when LEO showed up,they would not have been able to do much but write a report.

Instead,I told 911 it was in progress. The police arrived quietly.I let them in,led them to a roof access hatch.

4 perps arrested on the roof at gunpoint.

Draw your own conclusions.

FWIW,these perps were university students who did not appear to come from poverty. Mommy and Daddy ,I'm sure,were contacted by the University to explain "Your sons you have been paying many thousands of dollars to send to school have been expelled"...oh,and they may need bail. I'm sure they did enough damage to rack up a felony ....whether charged or not.
 
Phone lines ripped from the building ? Good argument for wireless.
What would you be wearing at 2AM ? Good reason to wear something pockets.
 
The phone repairman who reattached the wires the next day said he had never seen this before in his eight years on the job.
 
briandg,

Do you lack all faith in your fellow forum members or are you just trolling? :p

Just like I expected everyone (including you) to know what a "second deadbolt" meant I also expected everyone to understand that some people actually wear clothes inside their homes and these clothes actually come with pockets. I now understand that's probably an earth-shattering concept where ever you are from but it's generally accepted in most parts of the world. :p

If you know people that have guns in hand when answering the door, ugh, I don't think I'd admit that. Maybe it's no wonder you assume everyone is on their level..... :confused: :p

Not all doors have peepholes and peepholes can't see around corners, the same corners the home invasion team backing up the person at the door is hiding behind.

Even when I'm expecting the pizza guy I have a gun on me, I have done that since I was 23 and first moved out on my own. It's a pretty simple and very effective way of making sure any unwanted guests can be "properly welcomed." :cool:
 
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I hope this problem passes for you and that you and your family remain safe. Lots of good advice here and thank you for sharing, we are all learning together.
 
I think that you misread every thing I said.

There are morons out there, and we have a responsibility to share thinking with them. When those two fools passed on their stories the got a dressing down, you'd do the same when you meet a fool like that. That wasn't a lecture aimed at you or the well versed owner, but unless I'm mistaken, did the poster call 911 immediately? Have a peephole? Double deadbolt? Protected phone lines?

Everyone has their own level of door comfort, mine is pretty low. I have side Windows and can see the visitors quite well, and strangers aren't welcome at all. The pizza guy, FedEx,ups, mail, I set the gun on the bench by the door.

I don't have double bolts, a reinforced frame, or an armored phone line or alarm, and every time I am reminded, it's a good thing that reminds me that I don't.

One of the guys I know likes head shots on a man on the ground, talks about 'wet work', and opens his door holding a python, and he instructs others to do so. The other guy was proud that he scared the Fed ex guy, and we need to pass that on.

Do you know how many times I've gone to my door and found an unexpected police visit? Several, once it was because my stolen license plate was found on a stolen and wrecked car. I just got another visit last month, the guy was trying to serve a warrant with an incorrect address. Didn't want to open that door with a gun on my body, so after looking the guys over carefully, I set the pistol on the bench.

I don't troll.
 
The television remark involved the cut line in a wireless world. Some people learned their skills watching television. Maybe that's why the guys hunted out the phone line to cut it.

It's possible that the guy had watched too many horror movies and was just pulling a prank. He rang the bell at an insanely late hour and vanished. A normal response in the movies would be to call, and find a cut line. He tried other doors and wasn't seen. He was fully aware that the owner was probably there.

Sounds a bit like a movie that involved a blond teenager.

Just another comment, my branch lines are at the very end of the line and they were installed in the twenties. We have outages several times a year. Since we use the land line only when one of two people call, it could go unnoticed for a week. If I couldn't call out, I'd suspect that another squirrel ate the lines again.
 
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If they stay outside, it’s 911. If they don’t, it’s unfortunate.
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Make that, "If they stay outside, it's 911. I they don't, it's 1911........... ;)

Since they also hassled your neighbor, I suspect some kids playing the "ring and run". Way back when I was a kid, it was a popular prank; now, it could easily get you killed.
 
Since they also hassled your neighbor, I suspect some kids playing the "ring and run". Way back when I was a kid, it was a popular prank; now, it could easily get you killed.
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That assumption ignores the cut phone lines. A ring in the middle of the night...sure, could be kids prankin around. Cutting the phone lines seems a pretty clear intent to disable an alarm system. That is what sets it apart from a prank
 
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