Am I paranoid?

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I know I'm a foreigner and all but ... reading through some of these types of thread I can't help but feel that if you're all living in this constant state of alert / dread then you're kind of jumpy and your quality of life is suffering. I'd have a chain on my door but I don't think I'd be reaching for a gun just because someone I didn't recognize knocked on my door. If it seemed a bit iffy or I couldn't be arsed I'd just not bother to answer the door. Pulse rate normal.
 
Depends on where you live Dark Skies.... in rural Southern Maine (You may have heard of us... we are the New England.... ;)) I do not answer the door with a gun if a stranger is there. If I lived in a big city, with a lot of crime I would.

Now, I do answer the door knowing where the nearest gun is, where my kids are, etc... dog will be barking his head off...

I am always Alert, but not dread. Alert is good.

Leroy
 
Glad it worked out and you are safe. When all is said and done that is what matters, you are safe. The only 2 things I see questionable as others indicated is an empty chamber. You should be ready to get down and dirty before the BG forces the issue. The second thing is you should have called the cops for suspicious persons in your apartment complex and ask them to check them out. I did night time mobile security patrol many years ago and I learned that when you get that feeling in your gut that says "danger something isn't right" you should pay severe attention to it. It is more important to me today as a police officer. Pay attention to that gut feeling it should keep you safe. Forget about hurting someone's feelings, your safety is paramount.
 
When someone knocks on the door...it is best to let them know that someone is home. You do not need to open the door. And you don't need to let them know any other information...such as who else is in the house, etc.

Just say, "Not interested.....".

By not even answering the door...(again, no need to open the door)...the potential burglar may think no one is at home and then decide to kick in the door.

Let them know that someone is home. Don't carry on a long conversation. Arm yourself.
 
You woldn't be so paranoid if everyone wasn't out to get you. I think you were cautious and aware. Stay alert, stay alive.
 
Second, if you're going to carry a gun due to concern for a threat put a round in the chamber. Keep your booger hook off the bang switch and the gun in the holster until needed.
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Now that's funny right there.
I don't care who you are. LMAO

Glad it all worked out OP, better safe than a home invasion victim.
 
Darkskies

I know I'm a foreigner and all but ... reading through some of these types of thread I can't help but feel that if you're all living in this constant state of alert
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I think it’s worth pointing out that, in America, home invasions are becoming more frequent. I think it makes sense to be prepared. I carry my weapon from the time I leave the house to the time I go to bed. After about a week it becomes so normal that you don’t even notice it.

I believe it’s prudent not to open the door to a stranger if for no other reason then I don’t want to hear a pitch for meat or a vacuum cleaner or encyclopedias or magazines or an invitation to your church. By not opening the door for anyone I don’t know I automatically am never faced with a situation where I open the door to a criminal.
 
I would even go so far as to say there is a legal argument about making your presence known.

The lawyers want to hear that you warned the intruders you are armed, and for them to leave. If you just lay in the darkness and "ambush" them you could be in trouble.

I use "ambush" reluctantly because it IS your house, but in this world of complicated gun laws you need to at least consider what could happen if you shoot someone. Did you do all of the things a "prudent" individual would do. Would the prudent individual lay in wait and ambush the intruders or would he warn them he had a gun?

Just food for thought...
 
"I would even go so far as to say there is a legal argument about making your presence known.
....
The lawyers want to hear that you warned the intruders you are armed, and for them to leave. If you just lay in the darkness and "ambush" them you could be in trouble."

Call me a stuffy old traditionalist but in this situation I would lie.

"Yes officer, I made him fully aware that I was armed and to go elsewhere. Sadly I was obliged to shoot him dead."
 
Chamber empty because I did not feel immediately threatened. My door is steel in a solid frame, so it would take a moment to batter in.

Also my XD trigger is soft, and I am in an apartment. Therefore, I prefer to only chamber a round if I feel immediately threatened to completely eliminate the chance of a ND. I have not been shooting for long, so in a high stress situation, I like the extra buffer.
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If you don't like having a round chambered, let me make a recommendation. Pull the slide back and lock it. When things go bad they usually go bad in a hurry. Your other hand may be too busy to cycle the slide and until you do that, your gun is simply a short and expensive club. If you lock the slide back, you can release it one-handed. Experiment with this safely to make sure it will work for you and your SD ammo. And I wouldn't recommend storing your gun that way.

Personally, I leave a round in the pipe all the time and leave the gun in it's holster. I am comfortable doing this.
 
Call me a stuffy old traditionalist but in this situation I would lie.

"Yes officer, I made him fully aware that I was armed and to go elsewhere. Sadly I was obliged to shoot him dead."
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I probably would too Dark Skies. Just saying, it should be considered.

Leroy
 
I think you did fine.Chambering a round takes almost no time at all,and lets the bad guy know he's at the wrong house.Just that sound [in my case a pump shotgun] has saved me from home invasion.
 
Personally, I would of chambered a round, not stood directly in front of the door, and called the police. If the guys aren't breaking the law or have ill intent, the police will just question them and let them go a few minutes later, no biggie.

I'd also keep a round chambered if it's in the safe.
 
Good manners have a time & place.
a. You don't have to answer your door.
b. You don't have to answer the phone, it's for my convenience not the callers.

c. etc - you don't have to engage strangers in conversation at home, on the phone or on the street. No need to fret or apologize about this.
 
"I would even go so far as to say there is a legal argument about making your presence known.
....
The lawyers want to hear that you warned the intruders you are armed, and for them to leave. If you just lay in the darkness and "ambush" them you could be in trouble."

Call me a stuffy old traditionalist but in this situation I would lie.

"Yes officer, I made him fully aware that I was armed and to go elsewhere. Sadly I was obliged to shoot him dead."
Click to expand...
I wouldn't go that far, but I would certainly argue that I made my presence known by renting the apartment and being in it at 7 pm. A reasonable person should assume that a residence is occupied at that time of night. A reasonable person should also assume that the occupants are armed. The Ambush Scenario should get an immediate objection by the defense attorney or the accused, as it is unreasonable, therefore irrelevant, and therefore prejudicial to the jury.
 
Quote:
First, secure your door effectively so you can talk to people who come to it without fearing an immediate break in

I believe you should have communicated with that person from behind the closed door

+1. 7PM is not an abnormal hour. I would have communicated through the door.


I have a hard time understanding this mentality. I don’t care what time you come to my door, if I don’t know you I don’t answer. I have never had an unknown person come to my door that wasn’t some type of inconvenience or annoyance. Why should I open the door or encourage them?
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In case you didn't read the post that you are quoting and commenting on, the suggestion was to communicate through the closed door. Nobody suggested that you open the door or encourage anything.

Now that that has been cleared up. Assessing whether a stranger knocking on your door is a threat or not depends on a whole variety of factors. I would not immediately assume that a knock on the door at 7pm is anything to be paranoid about. Maybe I left my lights on in my car. Maybe a family member has been unable to reach old lady next door and they want to know if I have seen or spoken to her. Maybe they are lost, etc. etc. You get the idea. If someone I don't know knocks on my door, my first response would be to gather more information by asking them what they want or who they are looking for. If they are selling something, etc. and I am not interested, I will tell them to kick rocks. If something about their behavior, tone, response, raises my alert level, now I am telling them to kick rocks again and I am on the phone.

Now if this happened late evening, early morning... I would probably not answer the door.
 
I wouldn't call you paranoid. I would say you were being prepared. I never answer my door for anyone. You never know these days.
 
I don't blame you for not opening your door. At my place we have a camera pointing at the front door from up in the corner of the porch. It is placed that you would have to be looking for it to find it. It comes in handy since there is no peep hole on our door.
 
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