Someone at the door

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If someone knocks and I'm not expecting anyone, I don't usually answer. I don't care if they hear my TV, me walking around... I just don't care. People who know me will call.
That said, if I do, I have a handgun out of view.


Paranoid? I'm the one with the loaded .45 that has training and practices frequently, as well as a safe full of other goodies on turf I'm familiar with. What the heck do I have to be paranoid about?
 
Legit door-to-door sales can be murderers, too.

FYI.

Why I've never opened the door for any, ever.

Door-to-Door Salesmen Charged in Death of New Mexico Couple

Monday , December 10, 2007

AP
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ALBUQUERQUE —
Two traveling salesmen robbed an elderly Albuquerque couple before beating and suffocating the wife and stomping on the husband's head, according to criminal complaints.

Michael Lee, 21, who was born in Boston, and Travis Rowley, 23, a native of Glendora, Calif., have been charged with two open counts of murder and tampering with evidence in the killings.

Korean immigrants Tak Yi, 79, and his 69-year-old wife, Pung Yi, were killed in their home Tuesday.

Lee and Rowley worked for IntegrityPGM, a Las Vegas, Nev.-based company that contracts young people to sell magazine and book subscriptions nationwide.

The two men, who were booked as transients, arrived in Albuquerque Dec. 2 with about 15 salesmen, who have since left town. They are being held on a $2 million bond.

Family members told investigators that jewelry, several cameras and credit cards were missing from the home, the complaints showed.

According to the criminal complaints, Rowley and Lee were dropped off in the Yis' neighborhood to sell the subscriptions when they saw Tak Yi working in his backyard. Rowley told police that Lee said he was going to "steal an item from the home."

Lee allegedly punched an elderly woman who fell to the floor, and Rowley reportedly dragged her into the home. Then Tak Yi entered the home and tried to call police, Rowley told police.

After punching the man twice, Rowley said Lee suffocated the woman and then walked over to the man and stomped his foot on his head, the complaint said. Rowley said he believed the "blow was fatal."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316308,00.html
 
It's a bit of a stretch to call them legit when they were transients dropped off in the town to sell subscriptions. Seems like robbery was their intent all along. Wonder if the company will be held liable in any civil proceedings for their recruitment practices. Yikes......

I just say "No thanks" through a closed door, or if the door is open there's a gun just out of their view.
 
This happened to me not too long ago...pretty scary, I dont know if I would do the same thing again, but hindsight is always 20/20 so who knows......

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233719
I am a graduate student in Waco TX, known for high crime rates/poverty/etc so I have heard my fair share of robbery/break in/theft stories from other students in my area.

I was sitting at home the other day, around lunchtime, when someone knocks at the door. I looked out the window and couldnt quite make out who it was, but I definately didnt recognize the guy. He was a black guy and was pacing around outside the door. Not that race should be an issue here, but I live in an area that is 99.9% college students, so someone like that is usually out of place and often suspicious. I thought he may have been one of the apartment maintenance guys though....So I took my .45 to the door with me, looked through the peep hole only to see him waving at me, like he knew I was eyeing him. I opened the door and the guy starts into one of those "hey Im trying to sell magazines so that I can blah blah blah" routines. I listened until he paused long enough for me to say no thanks, but when I did, he started to step inside the apartment. I said again that I wasnt interested in what he had to offer but he kept trying to persuade me, all the while he had one of his feet in the door to where I couldnt close it. I backed up and let the door open on its own, my hand on the .45, and I told him that he had one more chance to leave before I called the police. I think it was fairly obvious that I was armed. He STILL kept trying to persuade me, but he backed out of the doorway and I closed it behind him. I thought about calling the police so that they could watch out for the guy, but I was swamped with schoolwork and didnt bother. I should have....

Later on that day, probably 3 hours later or so, I was going over to a girl friends house to pick her up for church. I was on the phone with her as I was driving to her house. I heard the doorbell in the background and she told me that there was someone at the door. She answered it while still on the phone with me, and sure enough, it was that same guy who I had dealt with earlier. I recognized his voice from my end of the line. She didnt even let him begin his sales pitch and told him that she wasnt interested in what he had to sell. She said "oh my God theres a guy at my door and he is trying to come into my house". She was more concerned with the fact that there was a big scary man at her door, and didnt even hear the "magazine subscriptions" part, so as far as she knew this guy was a rapist or robber. (I can hear everything going on over the phone at this point). I was about 45 seconds away from her house at this point, fortunately. I hurried as fast as I could to get there, even though I knew she was probably in less danger than she thought, but either way, no girl should be subjected to that kind of treatment.

I get to her house and the door is open and I see no signs of the magazine guy. (she had hung up the phone at this point) I started to worry, and took my pistol and went into the house. She was backed into the kitchen and he was standing there in the living room trying to convince her that she needed a subscription to Ebony or something like that. I was furious at this point, it was definately the same guy that was at my home earlier, and this time he was INSIDE her house, UNWANTED, AFTER being asked to leave. Now I'm no expert on the law, but I felt like I had every right to present my pistol to this guy and demand that he leave immediately. I was nervous also, but this guy recogized me and his reaction was pretty funny actually. He was probably shocked to see the same guy who he had harrassed earlier in the day. I told him to stay put (the gun was visible) while I called the police. I do volunteer work and have been actively involved with the local police force for the past couple of years, so I dialed them and asked for one of the guys who I knew would be on duty. It turned out that they had actually had a few people complain about the same guy, but the police couldnt locate him in time I guess. We were already late, so we left after the officer took a brief statement. They had the guy out on the curb cuffed, but that was the last I saw. I haven't had a chance yet to ask them what exactly he was charged with if anything.

It was a pretty nerve wracking experience, for me and her, and I think that I acted reasonably and accordingly given the situation. The officers apparently thought so too, because I didnt recieve any criticism for my actions. One officer actually told me that he liked my USP hehe

I know I probably shouldnt have opened the door in the very first place, but in a way I'm glad I did because I was more prepared for the situation at my girl friends house.



^^Basically magazine salesman uses intimidation to sell magazines, then forces his way into my girlfriends apartment after being told no several times. He earned a gun drawn and a long talk with the police.
 
One dark rainy night my van broke down and I had no cell phone. I also had long hair and a beard, I stand 5'10" and weigh 300 or so.

Most people would not answer their doors, and I did not blame them. One door was opened by a very old man with impeccable posture. He invited me into his home before he knew what I wanted.

Once inside I was offered hospitality. I gratefully accepted a cup of coffee and told them I needed a phone. The gentleman offered to try and fix my van in the rain and his wife wanted to feed me.

I called my rescue driver and was invited to wait inside where it was warm and dry.

While I was wondering how these nice people could be so trusting I had noticed that the man moved like a thirty year old, not like an eighty year old.

Then I started noticing plaques on the wall. The man was a WWII and Korean War vet, a ranger, a boxer. I admired a Garand in his gun cabinet and we discussed our common interest in shooting and guns. He had other weapons nearby.

I think he let me in because he correctly believed he was up to it if I got out of line. If you ain't this guy - take your weapon to the door. He had one near the door but apparently looked outside and figured the fat guy could be dealt with without it.

I am not a ranger or a boxer so I will answer my door accordingly.

The outside light shows me who is there, the dogs let me know if they are friends or unknowns. Where I live we dont worry much about that kinda stuff. Paranoia is a disease, it can be cured. First off, quit watching violent shows...... TV will brainwash ya.

My neighbors were playing cards with another couple Halloween before last. Four armed men yelling "POLICE!!" broke into his home, terrorized all four of them and killed my friend. This was not on TV. He was actually shot on my doorstep looking for help after running away from his tormentors. I was 40 miles away in a Dart tournament.

That kind of stuff never happened in this neighborhood either, not in the 40 years there have been homes here. But it happened that night. My job is to make sure it doesn't happen again if I can prevent it.

My friend died, one day I will too. A gun won't change that. Responsible people well armed can save our way of life though, and we should.

You can't make an appointment for an emergency. Answer your door armed, naked whatever. I am not going to fault you for it. Would that it were everyone cut the same slack.

P.S. armoredman +1 on that pic - If everyone did that home invasions would decline rapidly I am sure.
 
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P.S. armoredman +1 on that pic - If everyone did that home invasions would decline rapidly I am sure.

True, but I’d probably rather knock on armoredman’s door than WA’s. Now that has serious deterrence value!:eek:
 
We answer the door -

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Well, we have grown some -

P2240001.jpg


;)
 
True, but I’d probably rather knock on armoredman’s door than WA’s. Now that has serious deterrence value!:eek:

Yah I was living in the mountains and some folks were looking for trouble but had the wrong damn trailer (apparently a common happenstance under such circumstances).

It was 230 in the am and I had to get up at four to work, so I was not happy to be awake. When I realized the loud voices on the porch had awakened me it turned to fear.

We had just moved in and had no phone. I grabbed a Mosin Nagant and opened the door and racked the bolt. I forgot to put some clothes on.

Those rough men were suddenly scared on several levels. The encounter ended up with apologies and handshakes all around.

Moral : there is more than one way to scare an intruder, and sometimes multiple methods can be combined for maximum effect.

Moral #2 : pulling a stunt like that is a great way to have your war department mandate pajamas.
 
I grabbed a Mosin Nagant and opened the door and racked the bolt. I forgot to put some clothes on.

Ha!

A naked man with a rifle is probably the worst-case scenario if you choose to mess with strangers!

They probably needed a change of shorts after that, I know I would.
 
I have a very curious malamute/husky mix, he always goes to the door when he's in. One hand on the collar, loosely-those who don't like dogs don't usually hang around too much longer. When he's out, a .40 or .357 go to the door with me to greet the unknown folks, behind the back. Door's never opened without a good look-see first. Wife and the kids also are onboard, no one opens the door until I give the ok.
 
wow..... this is really sad with these elderly people being picked on and killed.....

I find it as totally offensive as there are some gangs, if i'm not mistaken, that wont lay a hand on women, children, or the elderly.....
 
If you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said I occasionally grabbed a pistol or decent knife if the doorbell rang after dark.

About a year or a year and a half ago the bell rang at about 11:00 at night. The dogs were barking and I didn't want the kids to wake up, so I ran to open the door without even thinking about it to shut the dogs up.
When I opened the door there was two of the creepiest guys I've run across in a long while on my doorstep.
Long story short - they were at the wrong house, they were looking for my neighbor ( I watched out the window and they did go inside); but in that split second when I opened the door, saw these guys and thought "Oh no, this isn't good", the other thought going through my head (then and after the fact) was "I really wish I would have grabbed a gun". Even afterwards, when I was sure they were just at the wrong house, it still kind of freaked me out.

Now if someone is at the door at night, which rarely happens, I automatically get a pistol. I don't generally do so during the day, the thought doesn't even occur to me.
As an aside, we really need to install a peep-hole.
 
I set my shotgun 2 steps of way out of sight, then look through the glass and ask how I can help them without unlocking the door. If I had a pistol I might open it, but otherwise I don't open it.
 
I have a doorphone tied into my phone system. Person outside pushes the call button, and phones ring. My family or I can then have a conversation with the person before deciding to open the door. As for whether or not I carry while opening the door, that's a yes, simply because I always carry.
 
...as there are some gangs, if i'm not mistaken, that wont lay a hand on women, children, or the elderly.....
Nope. Depraved souls all. I knew ONE guy who wouldn't hit a female officer, would wait for male staff to come by to take out his anger. 99% of gangbangers I have met inside could care less who or what you are. If you have what they want, they will hurt you to get it. and if you die, that's YOUR fault. Only things that stop them is the threat of pure naked force.
To a lot of these guys, old people and kids are simply easier targets, and women have the added attraction of potential rape targets.
 
Naked is more menacing if you dye your skin blue. Its a little inconvenient but very tactical.

Oh yes, answer the question...sorry...I just go to the door and try to keep the dogs from eating whoever it is.
 
Day or night, expecting or not expecting

Day or night, expecting or not expecting. If I do not recognize someone then I keep my "insurance" on hand out of sight. I have installed security lights and also a peep hole so I can get a look without unlocking the dead bolt.
 
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