Stranger at your door late at night -- do you grab your gun?

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Herodotus:
Never had a stranger knock on my door after sun down except on Holloween. On that night I give out candy.[/quote]

You mean you don't give out candy with a shotgun on your shoulder? I dress up like Elmer Fudd, and no one thinks a thing about it.


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Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
 
1. Grab gun. Wife backing me up with another gun, but remains in bedroom.

2. Request individual to identify himself.

3. If friend, then gun put aside.

4. If foe, provide brief, cogent reason to leave, such as "Come back in the morning when you can see my gun in better lighting." (not really) Or "I'll call the sherriff to help you or me if that be the case." (might be better)
 
Don't let them in, ever, if you don't know them, day or night. At night at least, always be armed and don't bother concealing. Yell "Who is it and what do you want?" and not from right behind the door. Call police for them or AAA or tow truck. Have someone listening for movement outside the house at other points.
 
Better to have a gun and not need it than to need one and not have it. I have a friend with a nice firearm collection who answered a knock at the door about 6 a.m. by a gentleman who said he was broken down and needed help. When my friend opened the door to assist another standing outside out of site with a shotgun busted in. He and his wife were tied up and robbed, phone lines cut, one was missed. After discussing whether to kill he and his wife they left as he was having a heart attack. The speeding vehicle was stopped (for speeding) about the time they were able to make a phone call.

You never know what a stranger has in his pocket or when he has a friend nearby with a shotgun. Don't open the door. Leave them outside and offer to make the call for them.
 
Hello, FUD. In the scenario you mention, I'd certainly have my piece within reach, probably in a pocket. I'd check through the door's peephole before opening the deadbolt and if I didn't like what I saw, I'd ask their business through the door. If I was still not "sure," but for some reason opened the door a crack, my foot would be against it and my hand on my S&W snub in my pocket. If they forced the door, they would be shot at that point. Were something to happen to me, my wife, despite her gun, would likely be an easy mark. My wife, my responsibility, my house, and my rules when me or mine are threatened. As I recall, you are not only married but have children as well. You would not risk them for political correctness I know. If I didn't "know" the midnight caller and they wanted to use the phone, I'd offer to call a number for them. If that isn't good enough, I'll tell them, "Don't worry, the police are on the way and will help." Having said that, I reiterate that if they come through that door by force, they are shot.....several times. Best to you and yours.
 
The one time we had someone knocking (frantically) on our door at an unusual hour (2330) my hubby went and got the pistol, and I waited until he returned before I would even acknowledge the 'visitor.' It was a couple of scared teens, apparently the girl's stepdad was going off the deep end on her mom and they stopped at the first house that still had lights on to ask if they could call the cops. My husband stayed in the hallway, so they never saw what he had, that probably would have scared them even more that the stepdad!
 
Everyone is pretty much sating the same thing that I've been thinking -- go to the door with 12 rounds of .40S&W tucked in the waist behind the back and exercise EXTREME caution in deciding whether or not to open the door.
FUD
 
Spartacus knocked on my door after 3 in the AM 2 weeks ago. I answered the door, with my Kel-Tec, low-profile, in the other hand. (He was standing off to the side of the door, for some reason. ;))
 
I will want to see what who wants at my house late at night. I will bring a gun. If they didnt want to be confronted with someone with a gun, they shouldnt have come around this late. If they are a person in need of help, I will offer help, as long as they do not need to come into my house.
 
I always answer the door at non-standard hours with a couple companions, Heckler&Kock.

I'd had a visitor in the night before, and was very impressed with the hasty retreat made when my friends :) were presented as persuasion.

I assume nothing. There is NO REASON there would or even should, be a no-knock at my home. Therefore, the only reason someone should be screwing around the doors, is for no-good. I would take the posture that the noises are criminal in nature.

Which should at least substantiate the statement I made about carrying to the door.
I've freaked out a pizza man or two by answering the door in this fashion. The oldest one ordered a pizza, then wet to his room, where he couldn't hear the knocks...

Best Regards,
Don

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The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms;
History shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler
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"Corrupt the young, get them away from religion. Get them interested in sex. Make them superficial, and destroy their rugged- ness.
Get control of all means of publicity, and thereby get the peoples' mind off their government by focusing their attention on athletics, sexy books and plays, and other trivialities.
Divide the people into hostile groups by constantly harping on controversial matters of no importance."

Vladimir Ilich Lenin, former leader of USSR
 
Always. I had a similiar experience to Ruger a few years ago. Had a teenager wanted to use the phone. I had a Benchmade CQC-7 but now
always have a pocket surprise at least.

How about when you mow the lawn?

A couple of years ago, I opened the garage door and in walks a bum selling some cleaing solution.

I almost drew on him but put the hand on the gun and told him to stay right where he was.

What a dope.
 
Denise here. Interesting discussion. Just the other night I was up late, reading in the living room while everyone else was in bed. Screen door creaked. I have no idea what preceeded the screen door creaking, as when I'm reading I'm in condition white and then some. Totally oblivious.

I thought of the shotgun in the bedroom--on the other end of the house, necessitating that I walk in full view of front door to get to shotgun.

Turned out it was just the wind (the latch on the screen door is broken). (whew!!)

Anyone wanna pray that my hubby will get a job so I can get a carry gun?? Thanks!!

--Denise
 
I have gun, hubby has gun. We're not suspicious, just cautious. :D

We've had the doorbell ring many times after dark, but the scariest time was when it rang and rang at 4:20 a.m. We answered with guns ready. We found my neighbor's hysterical 5 year old at the door. He had a nightmare that he had woke up all alone in the house except for a monster that was lurking in one of the other rooms. He took no chances when he woke up for real. He jumped out of bed and headed straight for our house, giving the 'monster' no chance of catching him. You should have seen the look on his mother's face when I knocked on her door at 4:30 a.m. THEN you should have seen the look when I pulled her son out from behind my back. :eek: A scary thing when you think your kid is upstairs, safe, asleep in bed.

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Refuse to be a "helpless" victim.
Knowing Your Rights WAGC in Indiana
 
I compromise. I carry my 45 under an American Rifleman magizine in my right hand. Hold the magazine with your thumb but the gun is behind it. Really quick to let go of the magazine, swipe the safety and fire. Really casual to open up the end-table drawer and plop the gun (covered) so that your guest isn't alarmed.

Aaron
 
I would know, but the last time there was such a knock I didn't, which was probably just as well. It was a deputy sheriff who said my phone had dialed 911. Apparently when the small memory battery (not the big one) in cordless phones die the phone starts calling three digit numbers in order. Of course, they don't get any answer except for 911, which gets a call with no one on the line. At least that's what he said. I haven't done any more research, and since I did have a very old cordless phone I took his word for it.
 
Since I have TWO state "correctional facilities" just over the ridge from the house and a multi-county jail 3 miles up the road I am never more than a step from a "self-defense device". Don't much care what the neighbors think. Like the man said; "my house, my rules."

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WFM
Life NRA, LLEA, Quail Unlimited,Ducks Unlimited
 
This has happened to me.. and yes, I anwser the door with gun in hand. I do have back up though.. a Collie and a Sheep dog (I don't know the real name of the breed, we just call her Heidi). When they get to barking at night, we get to the guns and answer the door. As far as I am concerned, no one knocks on the door at 2am in the morning unless it's a bonafide emergency. And if it is an emergency, then they won't mind me making the call with them waiting outside. USP45usp
 
I always answer the door armed, I'm armed 99.9% of the time. I live in a ghetto and if I don't know who it is knocking, I'm not opening the door.

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Beware the three D's: The dumb, drunk, and deranged. Chadintex@hotmail.com
 
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