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

[TallPine]

We don't want to scare common visitors nor do we want to look paranoid when we answer our door.

The "common visitors" to our place usually call ahead, or at the very least I will recognize their vehicle when they come up our 500' driveway.

I don't really care about "looking paranoid" when strangers show up out of the clear blue. It beats "looking dead" if the wrong sort show up.

 

[Darthbauer]

I answered the door the other day wearing my drop leg with my 220 combat in it and my AR slinged to my chest. Needless to say, the guy didnt ask me if I wanted to buy anything and just turned around and walked away.

 

[verb0s]

I live in Irvine, statistically #11 in the nation's safest cities. Unless there was an alert about a bad guy loose in southern orange county, no, I do not answer the door with a gun.
Besides, hardly anyone visits anyway. That doorbell was probably used less than 100 times in the past 11 years I've lived in Irvine.

 

[AZ Husker]

I've got a kydex holster screwed into the wall, shoulder height upside down, to the right of my door. When I go to bed, my daily carry gets shoved in there. My kids are grown, so there's no worry. If I have company over, the holster stays empty. Brings up some interesting conversations when folks see it, but most wonder why they didn't think of it first. The majority of the time, company comes and goes without even noticing it.

 

[ruger45]

AZ HUSKER, I sure wish I thought of that as well. If anyone come over unexpected, then I always answer with my weapon. Thats after a lookie through the peephole.

 

[Javelin]

I didnt see the option, "Honey get the door" and you have a firearm while typing on THR or building your RRA dream gun for the 100th time? See thats how it goes at my home.

 

[pablo45]

Yes, but I have stepped it down. I use to have my maverick 88 12 ga by the door when I had an apartment. It was a real bad neighborhood. Now I just answer with whatever sidearm I am carrying.
This is America and we should not be so paranoid. However even if it were safer I think I would want to be prepared in the time that something may occur. I think that I live and a really great place now. But you never know how bad things can get.

 

[Otahyoni]

Our driveway is a 1/4 mile. Almost anyone that comes here is expected. We have plenty of time to see and ID any vehicle that comes down the drive uninvited. As soon as i get a holster and sidearm, i plan on carrying 24/7 (minus sleep and shower) to get used to the gun and practice frequently (we have our own range, suited well for handguns but not long guns, i have a place by the river i shoot long guns at). So i will answer the door armed but not for imtimidating whoever comes. If they break down, there are 2 neighbors by the road.

Evan,

too many weirdos and meth-heads running around the countryside anymore.

I hear that. Meth heads are getting pretty bad around here and keep getting closer. They've vandalized a (previously) nice house that is uninhabited and for sale. I was interested in it but i'm willing to bet the inside is destroyed. If anyone approaches our house from the woods, they are in a heap of trouble.

 

[Otahyoni]

Our driveway is a 1/4 mile. Almost anyone that comes here is expected. We have plenty of time to see and ID any vehicle that comes down the drive uninvited. As soon as i get a holster and sidearm, i plan on carrying 24/7 (minus sleep and shower) to get used to the gun and practice frequently (we have our own range, suited well for handguns but not long guns, i have a place by the river i shoot long guns at). So i will answer the door armed but not for imtimidating whoever comes. If they break down, there are 2 neighbors by the road.

Evan,

too many weirdos and meth-heads running around the countryside anymore.

I hear that. Meth heads are getting pretty bad around here and keep getting closer. They've vandalized a (previously) nice house that is uninhabited and for sale. I was interested in it but i'm willing to bet the inside is destroyed. If anyone approaches our house from the woods, they are in a heap of trouble.

 

[Otahyoni]

Our driveway is a 1/4 mile. Almost anyone that comes here is expected. We have plenty of time to see and ID any vehicle that comes down the drive uninvited. As soon as i get a holster and sidearm, i plan on carrying 24/7 (minus sleep and shower) to get used to the gun and practice frequently (we have our own range, suited well for handguns but not long guns, i have a place by the river i shoot long guns at). So i will answer the door armed but not for imtimidating whoever comes. If they break down, there are 2 neighbors by the road.

Evan,

too many weirdos and meth-heads running around the countryside anymore.

I hear that. Meth heads are getting pretty bad around here and keep getting closer. They've vandalized a (previously) nice house that is uninhabited and for sale. I was interested in it but i'm willing to bet the inside is destroyed. If anyone approaches our house from the woods, they are in a heap of trouble.

 

[davepool]

I never answer the door after dark, my bad a** doberman pincher does

 

[GunTech]

Yep. I answer the door with my Rottie. But I typically look through the peephole before I open the door.

 

[LT1coupe]

Side arm is always with me when I answer the door, I do look outside 1st.

 

[Kerryon]

Currently keeping a .410 double " lemon squeezer" at the front but figure its my door. If I don't know you or your uniform I don't answer. Unless you also yell,POLICE, in which case I need a badge number I can all in. (Are the paranoids only after me? I don't think so.)

 

[mad hungarian]

Since I have a CHL I am armed even at home. If you are not an expected visitor the door doesn't open and we will converse through the door. The dog lets my wife and I know when someone is at our door. His barking is usually enough to send salesmen, people passing out restaurant menus, etc away.
My wife will not open the door at all if I am not home.
There were some workmen over the other day and they just gave the FeG on my waist a cursory glance and did what they needed to do. The maintenance men in our complex are used to seeing a pistol on my side when they come to complete work orders that it is not a discussion point anymore.

A few weeks ago a teenager knocked on the door and it took a few shouts of "who is it?" before he stammered that he is selling magazine subscriptions to get money for college.
I told him not interested and suggested his first response should be to state who he is working for and having his i.d. handy right off the start. He kept telling me his first name a few times before he got down to the sales pitch. His sellers i.d. was folded up and buried in a back pocket. Perhaps the dog threw his game off

I feel that if you have a concealed handgun permit you should be carrying as much as possible even if you are in the safety of your own home. My instructor couldn't emphasis enough that enough.

 

[mad hungarian]

Since I have a CHL I am armed even at home. If you are not an expected visitor the door doesn't open and we will converse through the door. The dog lets my wife and I know when someone is at our door. His barking is usually enough to send salesmen, people passing out restaurant menus, etc away.
My wife will not open the door at all if I am not home.
There were some workmen over the other day and they just gave the FeG on my waist a cursory glance and did what they needed to do. The maintenance men in our complex are used to seeing a pistol on my side when they come to complete work orders that it is not a discussion point anymore.

A few weeks ago a teenager knocked on the door and it took a few shouts of "who is it?" before he stammered that he is selling magazine subscriptions to get money for college.
I told him not interested and suggested his first response should be to state who he is working for and having his i.d. handy right off the start. He kept telling me his first name a few times before he got down to the sales pitch. His sellers i.d. was folded up and buried in a back pocket. Perhaps the dog threw his game off

I feel that if you have a concealed handgun permit you should be carrying as much as possible even if you are in the safety of your own home. My instructor couldn't emphasis enough that enough.

 

[mad hungarian]

Since I have a CHL I am armed even at home. If you are not an expected visitor the door doesn't open and we will converse through the door. The dog lets my wife and I know when someone is at our door. His barking is usually enough to send salesmen, people passing out restaurant menus, etc away.
My wife will not open the door at all if I am not home.
There were some workmen over the other day and they just gave the FeG on my waist a cursory glance and did what they needed to do. The maintenance men in our complex are used to seeing a pistol on my side when they come to complete work orders that it is not a discussion point anymore.

A few weeks ago a teenager knocked on the door and it took a few shouts of "who is it?" before he stammered that he is selling magazine subscriptions to get money for college.
I told him not interested and suggested his first response should be to state who he is working for and having his i.d. handy right off the start. He kept telling me his first name a few times before he got down to the sales pitch. His sellers i.d. was folded up and buried in a back pocket. Perhaps the dog threw his game off

I feel that if you have a concealed handgun permit you should be carrying as much as possible even if you are in the safety of your own home. My instructor couldn't emphasis enough that enough.

 

[Ultrachimp]

Don't have a gun (planning on getting one)

My door has big windows next to it so 99.9% of the time I know exactly who it is. As far as threat identification goes, this is great, but it means I've been caught in my boxers before by random people (e.g. my friends' parents - my friend laughed at me a long time after that; she told me I should have gotten dressed earlier)