(poll) Do you answer the door with a gun?

[mpmarty]

I live on forty acres of mountain with a 2500 foot driveway to the county road. My perimeter alarms wake me long before a vehicle can make it up the curvy steep driveway (it climbs over seven hundred feet in less than half a mile). At each of four points I get an audio group of loud tones telling me where exactly they are on their way up the driveway. In the daytime I see them long before they reach a flat spot wide enough to park and open their doors, at that point if I know them I tell the dogs to shut up and go greet them. If not, I turn the dogs loose to bark and harass (they are not going to bite unless ordered to do so). While the uninvited visitors are so occupied, I slip out the side door and come around in back of them in the daytime. At night I hit them in the face with nearly one hundred lumens and bark like my dogs for them to freeze and state their business. We don't cotten to strangers on our mountain.

 

[MrTuffPaws]

Depends. In general, no, but after dark when I am not expecting anyone, yes. I don't get many visitors, so it has only happened once or twice.

 

[K9 PO]

I try to most of the time but occasionally will opt for the kitchen knife when I'm home alone in my my underwear. Wife nearly put one through a contractor when he misrepresented himself as the super of our building though.

 

[bwavec]

I used to live in a building where you needed an access card to enter the building, and another one once you got off the elevator to get into the residence wings. You could buzz people through them, once at the main entrance and once at you floor.

If there was a knock on my door, I would check them out thru the (covered) peep hole. If it was someone I did not know, I didn't open the door, or if I did, I was armed.

I did have a near break in once: someone knocked on the door. I looked out and saw three hispanic males in their early 20's. No one I knew. I just quietly went back to what I was doing, and let them keep knocking. The knocking turned into trying to kick the door down. At that point I went for the shotgun, and postioned myself in the darkened bathroom in the entrance hallway. Had they knocked the door in and entered, I would of had them side on in the hallway. Happily, the door held, and they went away. When I talked to the super the next day (to see about getting the door fixed up better, since it took a pounding and had started to splinter in places), he told me that the guy who had that apartment before me had been busted for dealing !!

I figure those guys were gonna try to buy/steal some product from the former tenant.....but didn't know he had been busted 2 mos earlier.....I added two more deadbolts that weekend.....and always made sure guns were in the safe when I wasn't at home, but that the safe was opened and guns were ready when I was.

I happily moved out of there at the end of the lease......

 

[Browning]

Unless I know them I don't even open the door, I just talk through the window that's beside the door.

 

[Feanaro]

I still don't understand why so many people feel so compelled to answer the door AT ALL?

Because there is an unknown person at my front door. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to check that out. But I've had a lot of trouble with trespassing, so I view things a wee bit differently.

 

[Geronimo45]

Yes, I've done it - but much prefer to keep the gun in the pocket or under some kind of concealment. With a gun in the pocket, you can have it ready to draw pretty easily, without drawing attention. I typically draw with my left hand, despite being a rightie - so it's not an issue.

 

[The Unknown User]

Not so far, but I've run across people I've arrested while shopping at the grocery store down the street about a half mile. The bad thing is when it happens while you're accompanied by your wife. Happens to almost every cop if you spend long enough on the job. My wife's not real happy about it, but she's gotten used to it. It's not like I'm real worried about it, but these are people you wouldn't invite over for dinner.

I never thought of that. That's quite alarming to hear from an LEO as someone who wants to become an LEO. I can see why your wife would be upset about it. :/

 

[KBintheSLC]

I voted that both myself and my wife answer the door with a gun... if we even answer it. I generally don't answer it for strange/uninvited guests.

 

[10-Ring]

I use to think I lived in a good neighborhood, but in recent years, crime has found its way in So, yes, I do answer the door w/ a gun at the ready

 

[Eyesac]

Cheebis! Yeah, I always have one on me. No I won't answer the door if I don't know them.

 

[Ed4032]

I carry a gun with me when I let the cat out.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

If I've got a gun on me, I don't take it off.

Front door is by a picture window that allows good observation both ways. People in suburbia tend to freak out when they see a young adult with a weapon openly carried.

The mailcarrier definitely left in a hurry (before I could open the door) when she dropped off a package over the break... I was just standing in front of the window playing guitar hero... with a C&L 1911 on my belt.

 

[YZR]

I do not answer the door! Problem solved.

 

[the pistolero]

Every time I hear a knock at the door after dark -- which isn't often, maybe once in the last year -- the .45 is in my hand.

 

[CoRoMo]

Gonna have to start doing that from now on. Thing is, there is a long walk from my door to the guns, and my dogs go nuts once the bell is rung or door knocked. I feel a need to quickly get things under control in that regard and never think to grab some security.

 

[Geno]

cannonball888:

Would this be a bad time to ask you about that $5.00 I loaned you back in high school?

Doc2005

 

[Ala Dan]

I always answer the door with a gun in hand~!

 

[brighamr]

Very similar to MPMarty. We don't get 'visitors' here, just invited guests. Anyone else that shows up is either looking for trouble, or there car broke down. Either way, I don't answer the door or talk to anyone without being ready, it would be all too easy for someone to act nice and attack, so in keeping with the scout motto "always be prepared"

 

[Guitargod1985]

The peep hole in my apartment's door is blurred out so yes, I do answer with a gun. It's not like I just come up to the door with a gun in my hand though. I'm usually packing unless I'm showering or getting ready for bed.

I used to answer the door with a gun in hand, but there was an incident around 11:30 at night where a young kid mistakenly pounded on my door because he was new in the neighborhood and thought that was where his new neighborhood friend resided. This kid scared the living stuff out of me enough to where I actually had the pistol in my hand behind the door.

 

[Urbana John]

I'd like to live with mpmarty !!!! Mountain top---long driveway----lots of time to get "ready"!!! HELL YES!!! and all the "goodies".

I carry all the time, except while I'm working----gun in holster interfers with tools in tool pouch!!!

Got two goods "mutts" that alert me of "visitors" even when it's other family members that live upstairs.

All local neighbors know I am armed and carry concealed or open, depending on the weather.

If you DON'T say knock-knock when entering my space, you WILL be looking at the MEAN end of any one of my "toys"!!

ALWAYS ARMED!! Toys are no fun if you don't "play" with them.

 

[mgregg85]

I voted 'answer with gun' but its mainly because I'm always carrying except for at work.

 

[safetyjoe]

My home is the same as Shovlehead, in that I have a big picture window where I can check out the deck and front door. I also have (too many) dogs that bark whenever anyone pulls up in the drive. The only time I specifically answered the door with a gun was recent. A young guy came to the door, no car and looking pretty wasted. I got my little Colt from my bedroom and stuffed it in my waistband, and confronted him outside. Turns out after I spoke to the kid (and his wife and in-laws) he and his wife had gotten in a fight, he left, got drunk and couldn't find his car (we are off a main road to a local teen party spot, so we do get our share of wrecks,etc) He was harmless (at least to me) but it was disconcerting. If I am wearing it CCW, I answer the door. We don't get that many unknown visitors.

 

[TallPine]

It happened again last nite.

We had just finished watching "The Shootist" and I heard what I thought was a gust of wind. The dogs didn't even bark. Then there was knocking at our patio door - I could tell because of the rattle of the glass. I grabbed a .22 rifle in addition to my always sidearm, and went out the door on the other side of the house.

One big mistake: I didn't have my flashlight out yet when I walked beyond the corner of the house, still in the glow of the porchlight while the "visitor" was in the dark (no porchlight beside the door he was knocking at).

Turns out he was looking for our ex-neighbor, which was a bad sign and I almost run him off that instant except he added that the ex-neighbor owed him money and he was trying to collect. I told him "good luck with that" and then told him that his debtor had been sent to prison for a while, sold his place, and I didn't know where he was now. I added that the new owner had me watching the place for him.

He had a gal with him and they seemed like decent folks. He was naturally a little unnerved with my appearing armed but seemed to understand the reason for it. Fortunately there is a gate across the new neighbor's driveway so they couldn't drive up there and take something for debt collection or just bust up the place in retaliation, not knowing that someone else owned it now.

I wonder how many more years will have to go by before old "aquaintances" of our ex-neighbor stop showing up?

Next time, I will have my flashlight in my hand before I go out the door. I probably should have just left the porchlight off, too.

 

[tepin]

The selection i was looking for wasnt on the list.

I never answer the door.