What would you have done at 4 am?

A "woman alone" may very well be more prepared than some men. Every individual is different.
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So it is a shame you summarily a woman alone with unprepared people as if there was a correlation between sex and preparedness. Either you are prepared or not regardless of your sex.
 
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I summarily a woman alone because most I know are unprepared except to hide. Although some would blow your head off. My 88 yo mother for one. I'm sure there's also women that would kick my butt too.
So I don't know how much a shame it is, it's just been my experience with MOST of the women I know. Reminds me when a "person" I knew thought there was a criminal loose in the neighborhood and loaded there husbands revolver with the shells facing backwards.
 
In all honestly that's what she told me. She was trying to put shells in from the other end of cylinder. The point is that if you're not familiar with a gun and prepared to use deadly force, don't try. Male or female.
 
So she really didn't load it. I've seen that from men and women beginners trying to load a semi when taking their CHL test.

I suppose this brings up the point again that one should get some quality instruction with your SD gun.
 
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2123, my philosophy is also similar. But that me. Others may be better advised to just stay inside such as a woman alone or someone not well prepared. Fortunately I have cameras that can see all areas around the house at .001 lux.
If someone was trying to actually break in, I would wait and let them come on in after calling Sherriff to come pick them up. This is a area where neighbors are 1/4 mile apart and police are at least 30 min away. Anyone knocking or banging on door anytime after 10-11 pm would be just as odd as 4 am


We each have to act in such a way that we are comfortable and prepared to do so.

If you live in a semi-remote or remote location, your options will differ from those living in a gated community where houses are close to one another.

Also, as you mentioned, timing is an important consideration. If someone knocks on my door after 10pm or so, I will approach the door in a different manner, than I would at 11am or so.

Bottom line is to know what is or what isn't normal or routine in your community and to pay attention to the little things that don't quite measure up. Being aware is a very good start to being safe.
 
I'll just add that I'm also on guard if someone knocks on my door at 4 pm. Not like 4am, but still ready to deal with someone unannounced.
A lot of burglaries are during daytime and even some home invasions. Knocking on the front door first, or obvious main entry is the oldest trick in the book. With no answer either the front door gets pushed/kicked open or around back.
 
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My Son owns a Security Company. His findings.

The time you need Armed Security Patrol, between (9am and 3pm) those are the most break in specials. If it is not Juveniles, it is mostly the fake "Come to fix?" Something two guys, and a pick up.
Best action, park behind vehicle, photo of plate, photo of passenger, photo of the returning from knocking on front door person (No one home) Inform them they are trespassing, "LEAVE."

His Officers, G License, armed. Marked Patrol Vehicle, good Radio System, plus Cell phones.

My experience when working on these kind of jobs, very soon, the message gets out, break in's stop... Sorry next door community's! They move on!

And please, you gun people! Get a big safe to keep the one you are not carrying safe.
 
We live on a small ranch in central Texas, several miles from the nearest small town. There's an unspoken code out here that even if you don't really know them, you always help out your neighbor in an emergency. A cow breaks through a fence, a grass fire starts, all kinds of things happen. That person banging on your door could have been a neighbor having some kind of late-night emergency; a spouse unconscious on the floor, a horse tangled in some barb wire, etc.

Of course, it also could have been a criminal as well, I'm not minimizing that possibility. But the point has been well made that you need to be sure what you're doing.
 
Here is what I would personally do:

#1. Grab anything in the immediate area to be used as a defensive weapon. It could be anything, just grab it. There might not be time should they get through the door.

#2. Flip on all the light switches you can in immediate vicinity.

#3. Get to a defensive position and get the firearm if possible. Contact police if possible.

#4. Yell at the door in a commanding voice "Who is knocking on the door?"

This 4 step process should take seconds.

Remain in the defensive position. For me that would be at the top flight of my stairs and I would half duck behind the wall. The other half of my body would be pointed towards downstairs with my pistol.

There are many different factors and variables but I believe you must act quickly and aggressively. In the past when someone banged on my door late at night I yelled very aggressively "Who the (profanity) is there!!!" I used profanity because I wanted them to believe the guy behind the door wasnt going to be nice if they decided to enter.

Many different techniques and styles. Its good to do a few practice runs with a stopwatch. How fast can you react to a situation? Also time how fast it would take for someone to run up the stairs. You will find its a second or two and that is why i say to grab anything to use as an immediate weapon.

When I am sleeping my bedroom door is locked with a deadbolt and crossbar. They still might be able to kick it in but it wont be as easy as a regular bedroom door. I saw a video where this guy had a cargo net which could be lowered quickly over his stairs so as to contain the downstairs from the upstairs at night. The net had these chimes and bells on it so if anyone tried to take it down then it would be very noisy. No one could simply run up the stairs immediately at night.

Another thing to think about is the security screen doors which have deadbolts and steel frames. I have those and they work great. Stronger then the regular door.
 
What Would I Have Done?

Well, it is always very easy to advise other people what to do but I don't think it is that easy to do those tips. As you are shocked by having witnessed, worse is being the subject in the situation, you may just not know what to do...like you'll be out of your mind in a moment before you realized that you are already being attacked.
 
Gather everyone in the most defensible location inside the house, call the Police and wait for them. If someone did gain entry then that escalates things significantly and might require you defending yourself. However, anytime someone is outside call the Police and let them handle the situation.

+1

I've always maintained under those conditions I would (gun in hand)
gather the kids across the hall -we all slept up stairs-bring them in
our bedroom,call the local yocals and if someone banged at the door
without proper credentials,
I'd take action.
 
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