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

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Perhaps there is some semantics involved here. ‘Answering” the door doesn’t mean you have to open it. I have a Ring doorbell and can see and speak to the person without opening my locked and reinforced door. I’d rather respond to a visitor than ignore them. That way they won’t assume the house is vacant and attempt a break in. By responding, I don’t consider the action to be putting myself at risk. YMMV
 
Perhaps there is some semantics involved here. ‘Answering” the door doesn’t mean you have to open it. I have a Ring doorbell and can see and speak to the person without opening my locked and reinforced door. I’d rather respond to a visitor than ignore them. That way they won’t assume the house is vacant and attempt a break in. By responding, I don’t consider the action to be putting myself at risk. YMMV
Yep.
 
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.
That is my preference also. Use the darkness to observe and take notes. Cops LOVE it when you give license plate numbers.
 
Here's an example that is quite scary but turned out well. The particular scenario in question starts at 2:45 in the video.

 
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.
When I go to NOLA I wear a G19 and a frown. There’s some bad juju that goes down on the regular in that place.
 
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.
Since you have a peephole you could install a 100-watt equivalent bulb by your front door, then you would be able to see who's there.
 
I got a doorbell camera (mounts where the doorbell was and uses the power for the doorbell) a few years ago and have been very pleased with it. If I'm in the garage on the other side of the house, I can see who's at the door with my phone and talk to, or ignore, them. Cloud storage recording too. The only hiccup is sometimes it's slow to respond over the WIFI and I've spoken to friends with other brands who have had similar delay issues.
 
Suspect, victim killed after chaotic burglary turned homicide in Denver

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/12/29/denver-police-shooting-burglary-homicide/



The perps killed the homeowner, shot the daughter in the head, she's critical. Then the cops arrived in the middle of the mayham. The perps ran through the streets trying to jump in cars. One found an unlocked car door and jumped in. Poor lady had to be scared when a cop sent the perp to his just rewards, doa.

Moral of the story, never answer the door to unexpected visitors and keep your car doors locked.

Darwin gets cheated when you do this. That said, why is this Still having to be told to adults in 2021?
 
I dont answer the door for anyone. Il yell at you from inside. That's it. If you have business with me you have my number. Other wise pound sand. If someone claims to be a leo call 911 and verify. Car broke down? Ill call the Sheriff's office. Selling something not interested. Here to pick up my daughter? Well son better luck with the next girl.
 
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.

Meter readers still physically check your meters? Around here they ride in a truck and scan from the street, been that way around 20 years
 
Meter readers still physically check your meters? Around here they ride in a truck and scan from the street, been that way around 20 years
Small town that supplies the utilities; they use a beat up Kawasaki mule to go around the neighborhoods, but every meter get read by hand - gas, water and electric. The electric comes in from the back of the house, the others in the front
 
The OP spoke of opening the door--not answering it.

I'll make my decision about both the former and the latter on an informed basis.

If there is someone at the door, I want to know who it is.

What he or she has to tell me may be very important at the time.

If I hear what may be someone in the basement or downstairs, I want to know more about it--without exposing myself to possible harm.

Having that capability is not a big deal these days. There are many alternatives.

In the old days, many persons often spoke of arming themselves and going to the door, or down the stairs, whatever....

Not for me. It is not really debatable that a person with gun in hand can be shot or stabbed just as readily as a person who is unarmed.

I most certainly will not leave the house to investigate anyone.

I do not want to expose myself to possible gunfire from an accomplice 0r driver who may be watching for me, and I do not want to forgo the legal advantages that being inside the house provide.
 
The OP spoke of opening the door--not answering it.

I'll make my decision about both the former and the latter on an informed basis.

If there is someone at the door, I want to know who it is.

What he or she has to tell me may be very important at the time.

If I hear what may be someone in the basement or downstairs, I want to know more about it--without exposing myself to possible harm.

Having that capability is not a big deal these days. There are many alternatives.

In the old days, many persons often spoke of arming themselves and going to the door, or down the stairs, whatever....

Not for me. It is not really debatable that a person with gun in hand can be shot or stabbed just as readily as a person who is unarmed.

I most certainly will not leave the house to investigate anyone.

I do not want to expose myself to possible gunfire from an accomplice 0r driver who may be watching for me, and I do not want to forgo the legal advantages that being inside the house provide.

EXACTLY! Well stated Kleanbore!
 
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.
My wife has a very nasty growl, behind which is a .32 pistol that she is very comfortable with, so........
 
I rarely answer my door. Not because of security. I just really don't want to talk to anyone.
The people close to me know to call first. Everyone else can just keep walking.
 
My door bell stopped working after the last hurricane. I have a sign hanging on my front door........No Soliciting.
My dogs bark at just about everything.
Plus, with the pandemic I don`t open the door for anybody.
I`m good
 
This past June I moved back in with my parents (who are 88 and 89 respectively) as their caregiver. They'd asked me the year previous if it was something that I might do. Being single and retired and with no ties where I was living, I agreed. Their home is very large (has an elevator between the floors) very old (still has the carriage house next to it) and is located in an affluent neighborhood in our small Ohio town. After spending some time here and getting the lay of land as it were, I thought it prudent to buy a self defense weapon. I'd previously owned handguns but sold them when I moved to Ontario. The thought of having nothing more than a baseball bat to protect us in case of any unforeseen 'incident' didn't really make me feel all that warm and fuzzy inside so I did my due diligence and research and purchased a Springfield Hellcat. I told my folks (who've never owned guns) that I purchased it (and I was quite frank) that it's not because I didn't trust anyone it's that I just don't trust anyone. Ohio has been hit hard by the opioid and methamphetamine crisis and close to 90% of the jail populace is there on drug related charges. My father's reply was "I feel better." Since that and a few other firearm purchases (hey, this old geezer's a gun guy at heart), I've been to the local range a few times, practiced, signed up with the local gun club, am getting my ccw and registering with the local sheriff's dept. and doing reading and research on all sorts of safe firearm practice, home security and the like. I'd prefer to be proactive than reactive in my approach to the health and well being of my folks and myself. We do have multiple ingresses into the home and alarms, but I don't necessarily need any unpleasant 'surprises' regardless of the time of day.
 
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....

That could have been a very bad day for all of you.
Oddly enough, back in the mid 70s when I was in a ground floor off-campus apartment, I too was awakened about 1 or 2 a.m. by somebody pounding on my door, I barely cracked the door after turning on the outside light and stuck the tip of a Ruger .22 pistol out the crack. Some "linebacker-sized" drunk thought he was at his friend's apartment (they were on the 2nd floor) and backed off and sobered up a bit and apologized and went on his way.
On my next trip home, I traded that .22 (still miss it) and got a .380 (still have it) instead.
That is the only time (so far) that I have answered the door with a gun in hand.
 
Maybe I’m in the minority, maybe it’s just where I live, but I can easily count on one hand the number of times someone I don’t know has knocked on my door, excluding UPS & FedEx and the like. I can’t ever remember it happening after dark.


Now I have checked the door (and/or yard) with gun in hand more times than I can count, and I’m sure I’ll do it again.
 
Opening a door and/or venturing outside with a gun puts one at a disadvantage as a homeowner.
One is naturally sacrificing both concealment and cover plus arguably element of surprise as well.
 
Now I have checked the door (and/or yard) with gun in hand more times than I can count, and I’m sure I’ll do it again.
What would you intend to do with it? Are you under the imperssion that it might somehow keep you from getting shot?

Opening a door and/or venturing outside with a gun puts one at a disadvantage as a homeowner.
Yes.

And going outside with one might well destroy a legal defense of self defense.
 
And going outside with one might well destroy a legal defense of self defense.
Yes, Castle Doctrine generally means a legally recognized assumption of dire threat when there is a forcible entry into a domicile. Venturing outside to search for the intruder vacates the ability to rely on that law. Thinking you can fall back on a stand your ground law is shaky, because you would have to articulate a specific threat of death or bodily injury perceived from the trespasser, beyond the simple fact of trespassing presence.

Craig
 
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