Masaad Ayoob On Answering Your Door

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I Don't even bother answering or opening the door. If they decide to let themselves in while I'm there, well go for it...
 
Tilos said:
"I felt I would have to practically shout to have a conversation between the two doors without opening my main door."
Why do you feel the need to have a conversation??
Rather than opening the door, just a look thru the peep hole, if it's not someone you want to converse with, don't open the door, and just monitor however is standing there until they leave.
If they start causing any disturbance, do the stuff Massad recommends in the vid.
jmo,
.
Click to expand...
I don't have a peep hole and even if I did the glass at the top part of the entry door makes me visible if I approach the door unless I walk up to the door crouched some. I would feel rather silly doing that lol. I don't live in Chicago anymore, but in southern Louisiana. While definitely not crime free, the town I live in is decent. I guess I just grew up in a time where it was expected that when the doorbell rang you answered the door.
Of course I realize times have changed. But there are times I need to see who rang my doorbell. Usually for me it's the guy that needs to see my water meter. Sometimes he comes the days I am off. My water meter is in my driveway under the carport. If I am home and my vehicle is parked there he can't read the meter. So he will ring the doorbell and ask me to move so he can take a reading.
 
Kleanbore said:
How would arming oneself after having been alerted by the dog enter into the question of how to answer the door?
Click to expand...

I've said this before but I don't wear street clothes at home. So, I don't normally have a gun on my person at home. I do have one within arm's reach.

20221119_083203.jpg


I am currently drinking my morning coffee and doing morning devotions. I can put my hand on that Glock w/out moving.

I wouldn't arm myself before opening the door because I wouldn't open it if I wasn't certain who was on the other side.
 
We have a window in the hallway leading to the front door that allow us to see who's at the door and never answer unless we know who is there. I do not carry a weapon around the house during the day but if the door rings or our dog barks at an odd hour I will have a handgun with me when I approach the door. However unlike Mr. Ayoob's example we usually do not speak to the person behind the door and we do not turn lights on inside the house. If we do not recognize who it is we simply don't answer the door and watch them.

Recently our dog barked aggressively late at night and I got up and quietly approached the window (pistol in hand). Nobody had knocked on the door but our dog was still there on high alert. Through the window I could see someone watching the house from across the street. He had a light colored shirt so I could follow his movements as he walked back and forth like he was thinking on what to do next until he finally kept walking and disappeared. A person's behavior when they do not know they are being watched can tell a lot about their intent. I don't know who he was or what he wanted but I strongly suspect he was up to no good. Since the house interior was dark and I never said a word I was able to see everything he did without him knowing I was there. I did not call police because frankly aside from keeping you up most of the night all police do in a situation like that is file a report.

A scenario I have yet to figure out is what to do if the person behind the door is dressed like a police officer or says they are police. Mr. Ayoob should have addressed that possibility because it is quite real.
 
Charlie Martinez said:
...if the door rings or our dog barks at an odd hour I will have a handgun with me when I approach the door.
Click to expand...
I understand the thought.

Consider this:
  • A number of violent criminal entries and events have taken place during the daytime.
  • If there is someone up to no good at the door, in proximity to the door is not a good place to be
  • Having a gun in hand may not help at all in that location
 
This is the truth

Jeff White said:
Contrary to popular belief most home invasions are targeted. Many are domestics where someone is looking for an estranged partner or child they don't have custody of, some are robberies where the home invaders know what they want is in the house and this usually means an inside connection and most are drug dealers ripping off other drug dealers, which is what this one sounds like. Very few are random hits although they do occur.
Click to expand...

If you're not one of those target categories or you not in a business that deals with a lot of cash the odds of you ever actually being that victim of a home invasion are pretty low.

That doesn't mean that it's not prudent to be a little cautious about who you open your front door to
 
Night Rider said:
If you're not one of those target categories or you not in a business that deals with a lot of cash the odds of you ever actually being that victim of a home invasion are pretty low.
Click to expand...
That does not follow from what Jeff said. "Most" does not necessarily mean "nearly All'. Very few if any of the several victims of home invasions within in a five-plus mile radius of our house that have made the news in the last few years were in one of those "target categories".

Night Rider said:
That doesn't mean that it's not prudent to be a little cautious about who you open your front door to
Click to expand...
Right, but while I'm on the subject of those local histories, one perp forced his way in with a resident who was returning home; another was in the house when the victim, who was murdered, came home; another entered an open garage door. One man was attacked from behind while mowing, and the perp then entered the house.

All but one took place in "nice" neighborhoods.

We have had more than one inside job.
 
Something else to consider

Another element that can be used as part of anyone's security routine is the panic button on your vehicles key fob.
Most everyone has one and activating it is a good way to attract the attention of your neighbors and rattle any would-be dirtbag at your front door or property.
Whether your vehicle is outside or in a garage, its alarm will attract attention.
Keeping that key fob next to your bed at night is a smart thing to do too.

No need for the "ya buts" to quote this post saying they don't have a key fob, a vehicle, or close neighbors, this post is not for you, just move on.
jmo,
.
 
Tony50ae said:
I don't have a peep hole and even if I did the glass at the top part of the entry door makes me visible if I approach the door unless I walk up to the door crouched some. I would feel rather silly doing that lol. I don't live in Chicago anymore, but in southern Louisiana. While definitely not crime free, the town I live in is decent. I guess I just grew up in a time where it was expected that when the doorbell rang you answered the door.
Of course I realize times have changed. But there are times I need to see who rang my doorbell. Usually for me it's the guy that needs to see my water meter. Sometimes he comes the days I am off. My water meter is in my driveway under the carport. If I am home and my vehicle is parked there he can't read the meter. So he will ring the doorbell and ask me to move so he can take a reading.
Click to expand...
Wow, OK
Where is the rule/law written that says a peep hole has to be dead center in a door? :scrutiny:
If that peep was towards the edge of the door, say above the knob/lockset at eye level, you would not be visible in the centered window when looking thru it.
This thread seems to have turned into your personal "yeh but" answers to anything suggested, so for that I'm out.
;)
.
 
Tony50ae said:
I lock the storm door at night. Now I can open the main door and still be relatively safe as you can't just smash the glass and open it. You can't yank on it and open it easily either. I can talk with a raised voice vs yelling. Someone makes a move to try to open the storm door, I can slam the main door and lock it and call the police. And of course arm myself if I am not armed already.
Click to expand...

Somewhat similar situation. The front door's outer "storm door" has a double hung window and the inner door has a large glass panel in the upper half. Because of that, I put in longer screws in both strike plates for the inner door's latch and the deadbolt. I also put old-fashioned "hook & eye" closures on the storm door at head and knee levels so it has 3 points to overcome.

Even so, I am cautious about going to the front door after dark.
 
Tilos said:
Wow, OK
Where is the rule/law written that says a peep hole has to be dead center in a door? :scrutiny:
If that peep was towards the edge of the door, say above the knob/lockset at eye level, you would not be visible in the centered window when looking thru it.
This thread seems to have turned into your personal "yeh but" answers to anything suggested, so for that I'm out.
;)
.
Click to expand...
Tilos said:
Wow, OK
Where is the rule/law written that says a peep hole has to be dead center in a door? :scrutiny:
If that peep was towards the edge of the door, say above the knob/lockset at eye level, you would not be visible in the centered window when looking thru it.
This thread seems to have turned into your personal "yeh but" answers to anything suggested, so for that I'm out.
;)
.
Click to expand...

While your right the peephole doesn't have to be dead center in a door, but in my house there is no way to approach the front door without being visible due to the glass in the door. I can't approach the door from any angle but head on. Hence my comment about crouching lol. But luckily the glass is at the top part of the door. I could buy one of those plastic films they sell that is frosted. That way your peephole idea would work great.
And you would be wrong about me not taking suggestions. I just did lol. And I actually have looked at the doorbell cameras. I already have an interior camera and also a camera in my back yard. Guess it would make sense to get one for the front as well. Plus the peephole. I like having redundancy lol.
 
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