XavierBreath
New member
I've read so many hypotheticals here, I have to submit one of my own.....although it's not hypothetical.
We live in an older residential neighborhood. I was in the back of my house one night, as usual, on the computer. My wife was in the shower, down the hallway to the right of the living room. I keep a 12 gauge at each end of the house, and my carry gun was on my desk beside me. I was expecting a long time employee over to discuss a job the next morning. It was around 8:00PM and it was just after dark. My porch light was on.
I heard a knock at the door, and because I was expecting my employee, I left my loaded 1911 at my desk in the back of the house. I usually carry it to the door, or have it on my person. This time I went to the door unarmed.
I did not look out the peep hole. I opened the door, and a young man was there who I did not recognize. Let's just say he did not fit the neighborhood profile, and I had a severe apprehension about this one. He asked if he could use our phone. He said he was out of gas, his daughter was sick in his car and he needed to get to the hospital. I had my right hand behind the door, as I usually do to conceal my handgun, that was presently in another room.
I told him no. I looked him square in the eyes and told him "You are at the wrong house."
The man did not expect this answer, and about the time he said "What do you mean?" my wife, hearing the knock, and strange voice, peeked around the corner of the hallway. The guy on the porch could not see her, but for whatever reason, she screamed, as she usually does when frightened.
Not expecting her, or her scream, I jumped and looked her way. My right hand was still behind the door. I shouted at my wife "Put the damned gun down!" Of course she had no gun..........
She shouted "Gun? What gun? There are no guns here!"
My heart sank as I quickly looked at the man again, with my hand still behind the door, and growled "You are at the WRONG ******* house."
He got the message and left my porch cursing. To this day I do not know if he suspected I was armed, that my wife was lying, that I was a LEO or that we were running a meth lab, or we were just plain crazy. He did get the distinct impression I knew something he did not want to find out the answer to. My bluff worked despite my wife, and I will NEVER answer the door again without a gun.
FWIW, my apprehension was confirmed a month or two later as he was arrested for home invasion.
Other than the obvious, always carry a gun, and train the wife to respond better, what would you have done in the same circumstances and with that wife's scream?
We live in an older residential neighborhood. I was in the back of my house one night, as usual, on the computer. My wife was in the shower, down the hallway to the right of the living room. I keep a 12 gauge at each end of the house, and my carry gun was on my desk beside me. I was expecting a long time employee over to discuss a job the next morning. It was around 8:00PM and it was just after dark. My porch light was on.
I heard a knock at the door, and because I was expecting my employee, I left my loaded 1911 at my desk in the back of the house. I usually carry it to the door, or have it on my person. This time I went to the door unarmed.
I did not look out the peep hole. I opened the door, and a young man was there who I did not recognize. Let's just say he did not fit the neighborhood profile, and I had a severe apprehension about this one. He asked if he could use our phone. He said he was out of gas, his daughter was sick in his car and he needed to get to the hospital. I had my right hand behind the door, as I usually do to conceal my handgun, that was presently in another room.
I told him no. I looked him square in the eyes and told him "You are at the wrong house."
The man did not expect this answer, and about the time he said "What do you mean?" my wife, hearing the knock, and strange voice, peeked around the corner of the hallway. The guy on the porch could not see her, but for whatever reason, she screamed, as she usually does when frightened.
Not expecting her, or her scream, I jumped and looked her way. My right hand was still behind the door. I shouted at my wife "Put the damned gun down!" Of course she had no gun..........
She shouted "Gun? What gun? There are no guns here!"
My heart sank as I quickly looked at the man again, with my hand still behind the door, and growled "You are at the WRONG ******* house."
He got the message and left my porch cursing. To this day I do not know if he suspected I was armed, that my wife was lying, that I was a LEO or that we were running a meth lab, or we were just plain crazy. He did get the distinct impression I knew something he did not want to find out the answer to. My bluff worked despite my wife, and I will NEVER answer the door again without a gun.
FWIW, my apprehension was confirmed a month or two later as he was arrested for home invasion.
Other than the obvious, always carry a gun, and train the wife to respond better, what would you have done in the same circumstances and with that wife's scream?