Opening the door to unexpected visitors can go very wrong.....

Good post.

We’d held off getting a camera doorbell for a long time but finally bought one last “Prime Day”. Love it! Let’s me see who’s out there, day or night, without having to be near the door.

I never open the front door. If I HAVE to go outside outside to deal with visitors, I go out the side door and approach them from behind- leaving them with no cover or concealement in the entryway, and me with plenty of both. It also gives me a chance to check out their vehicle (if any) and look for any other unsubs.

I have not heard if the home was targeted for a specific reason- known valuables, drug debt, etc.

Totally agree!

I remain mystified of folks contemplating "which gun to have when answering the doorbell at 1:00 am" as if they do not have the option of speaking via a speaker, from an upstairs window, or even through the door.

If I am not expecting a family member or friend...the door does not get answered.
Locked windows and locked doors can resolve a whole bunch of issues very easily.

If it is something for *official business* they can write a letter and put it in the mail.
Nobody is compelled to open their door. Just get comfortable happily ignoring it.

I will not even answer it for UPS or FedEx if there is not a specific shipment that I am awaiting.
Needless to say, I also ensure there is a truck in the driveway and not a scammer with a brown shirt, brown shorts, and brown socks that can be purchased anywhere.

Lets see who it is, I'm wearing a 45 and have backup.

In 2011 I was awakened from a sound sleep at midnight by our dog barking his fool head off. As I gained consciousness I could hear fairly vigorous knocking at the front door.

I threw on pants, fumbled for my CCW and stuck it in the small of my back and grabbed my tac light. I don't know why but I was not nervous or anxious. Honestly I had a sense something was wrong because my wife who worked nights at that time and was normally at home by then, was not in the house.

Threw open the door, one hand on the CCW behind me and with the other hand popped on the tac light and brilliantly illuminated a fully uniformed police officer standing in front of the door. I immediately shut off the tac light (he didn't act bothered but it must have been bright!). He then informed me my wife had been in a car accident in a neighboring town (fortunately not very seriously injured but was transported from the scene).

As she was being loaded in the ambulance the responding officer offered to notify the department of our town who would then dispatch an officer to notify me, and that's what they did. She had told them they may have to knock loudly to wake me up!

I was at my dad's a few weeks ago. He has a loaded handgun up high next to each entrance. With the Smithy 686 by the slider. I worry about him since he is 87 and lives very rural. I had two incidences where I had a pistol in my hand going to the door when I lived in Albuquerque. Both were break in attempts. I feel bad for the family in this instance.

My doorbell is at my front gate and is covered by my security system... .

LaneP said:

"...Threw open the door, one hand on the CCW behind me and with the other hand popped on the tac light and brilliantly illuminated a fully uniformed police officer standing in front of the door..."

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Curious why you would not first look out the window...or at very least...through the security peephole in the door?
This could help prevent accidental and unfortunate misunderstandings between two otherwise good people.

LaneP said:

In 2011 I was awakened from a sound sleep at midnight by our dog barking his fool head off. As I gained consciousness I could hear fairly vigorous knocking at the front door.

I threw on pants, fumbled for my CCW and stuck it in the small of my back and grabbed my tac light. I don't know why but I was not nervous or anxious. Honestly I had a sense something was wrong because my wife who worked nights at that time and was normally at home by then, was not in the house.

Threw open the door, one hand on the CCW behind me and with the other hand popped on the tac light and brilliantly illuminated a fully uniformed police officer standing in front of the door. I immediately shut off the tac light (he didn't act bothered but it must have been bright!). He then informed me my wife had been in a car accident in a neighboring town (fortunately not very seriously injured but was transported from the scene).

As she was being loaded in the ambulance the responding officer offered to notify the department of our town who would then dispatch an officer to notify me, and that's what they did. She had told them they may have to knock loudly to wake me up!

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Throwing open the door, you maybe should’ve not done that. Left you wide open.

Blue Jays said:

Curious why you would not first look out the window...or at very least...through the security peephole in the door?
This could help prevent accidental and unfortunate misunderstandings between two otherwise good people.

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It's the way our house is set up. I do have a peep but there wasn't enough illumination to see anything, and the fact my wife was missing urged me to open the door for some reason. But the folks here are correct, under those circumstances I would approach it differently in the future.

A few years ago, I was awakened around one in the morning by someone pounding hard on my front door. I was living in New Orleans which, if you don't know, has no "safe" neighborhoods so I was somewhat prepared for this kind of thing, or had at least previously thought about it and had stationed a shotgun in my bedroom as a precaution. Anyway, I quickly realized that someone was kicking on the door, trying to force their way in. I grabbed my shotgun and instructed my wife to call 911 and stay on the floor behind the bed. I shouted to the person that if they came through the door I was going to shoot them. At that point I heard a voice that sounded like my neighbor. It turns out it was indeed my neighbor and he was talking to his house guest who was drunk...and at the wrong house. Gotta say I came close to shooting through the door, which would have changed several people's lives in a very bad way....

upptick said:

A few years ago, I was awakened around one in the morning by someone pounding hard on my front door. I was living in New Orleans which, if you don't know, has no "safe" neighborhoods so I was somewhat prepared for this kind of thing, or had at least previously thought about it and had stationed a shotgun in my bedroom as a precaution. Anyway, I quickly realized that someone was kicking on the door, trying to force their way in. I grabbed my shotgun and instructed my wife to call 911 and stay on the floor behind the bed. I shouted to the person that if they came through the door I was going to shoot them. At that point I heard a voice that sounded like my neighbor. It turns out it was indeed my neighbor and he was talking to his house guest who was drunk...and at the wrong house. Gotta say I came close to shooting through the door, which would have changed several people's lives in a very bad way....

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Wow, glad to hear that worked out. I spent the summer of '08 in Biloxi and always put on one of the N.O. morning news shows on as I was getting ready for work. There wasn't a day that went by there weren't multiple murders somewhere in N.O.

Pretty much, if I don't know who it is, I don't answer the door, the phone or read the email.

I disagree with not answering the door, and here is why: In Cali where I used to live (and probably other places) the standard m.o. for would-be breakers-in is to start by ringing the front doorbell. If nobody answers they think no one is home and they then go around to the back of the house to break in. As here in AZ, I had security doors over all my exterior doors, allowing me to open the wood door with no danger of the person(s) outside being able to get in. Several times I experienced a different flavor of home invasion attempt, where they make up a story designed to get you to give them access one way or another. While in each case I talked to them, one way or another I thankfully persuaded each to leave. Being that it was a high-crime neighborhood with many homeless mentally ill, I was always armed in my house. Once or twice I did have my revolver behind my leg when I went to the door, in case of a totally incoherent person with a gun threatening to shoot me if I didn't let him in. Thankfully I never had to use it.

While I highly recommend security doors (check Lowes or Home Depot website for examples, but do not buy the cheap Home Depot ones, they are poorly made), if you don't have same you can have a camera/intercom doorbell that allows you to see who is outside and talk to them, so they know someone is home.

My $0.02.

P89DCSS said:

64 year old homeowner in swanky neighborhood. I'm guessing random or rumored valuables. Drugs seems unlikely but one never knows.

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Years ago in a very upscale neighborhood I had two drug dealers in a row occupying the house next door. The first owned a donut shop he dealt out of, the second was a plastic surgeon (!) who I guess used his prescription pad to provide drugs to addicts.

I think you need to answer the door as well. You don’t necessarily have to open the door, but if it’s a potential thief, not answering may lead to a break-in.

My dog has a very nasty growl and bark whenever the door gets knocked on. A quick look through the peephole can confirm that it is usually UPS, Fedex or the meter reader wanting to make sure the dog is inside so he can go to the backyard.