Stranger on porch at night... I FAILED

[P95loser]

First off, let me preface this by saying I live in well lit house (about 5 light poles around my house) in a rural area...

Last night, my wife had just gone to bed at about 9:30 PM and I was sitting in my recliner watching TV. I heard a knock on the front door. I flip on the front porch light and peer through the decorative cut glass. I immediately pull the P3AT out of my pajama pants and hold it in my left hand (I'm a southpaw) behind my leg with my body angled as to hide it.

I un-deadbolt the door and crack it open. I was nervous and not thinking straight. When I cracked the door, this started the "PLEASE DISARM!" of the sercurity system. I tell the guy to hold on a minute, re-deadbolt the door and disarm the system. I then re-stance and re-open the door.

Scruffy looking male in a heavy coat and tobogan. "Is your cable TV working?" He glances nervously down at my torso (I only have about 8" of the door open and am keeping half my body concealed). He begins telling me he is with the cable company and got a call stating the cable was out. The entire time, he is slowly backing away in a non-confrontational manner. I hear a truck running next door and by that time he is about 6' away, so I peer out the front door and see a Charter Cable truck sitting there.

I kindly tell the gentleman my cable TV and Internet are working fine and he sais "thank you" and walks away.

Looking back on the whole situation, I was WAY too nervous. I also should not have put my head outside the door and removed my attention from the man. If this guy had bad intentions, I would have probably been dead. I need some more training.

My firearms training consists of going towards the back of my property and shooting at 2X10s with targets stapled to them. I am ready to take this to the next level so that, if something does happen, I will be prepared.

 

[Enron Exec]

This day and age, im thining of putting a intercom system in for around 500. Heck, all you need is a web cam / mic, run the long USB to a laptop or computer.

 

[Thernlund]

Too nervous? Doesn't sound like it to me. You sounded prepared and reasonable. It's not like you threw the door open, put the muzzle to the guy's forehead and shouted, "WHAT THE F*** DO YOU WANT SCUMBAG?!?!?!"

Seriously, sounded just like how I'd have acted. Annoyed. What the hell? 9:30pm on a weekday to ask if my cable's working? Bah. If it's not working I'll call you. Besides, he can figure out if it's working at the curb. Why am I being bothered?


-T.

 

[CWL]

Why can't you talk thru the door without opening it?

Scruffy looking male in a heavy coat and tobogan

Anyone packing a tobogan in Alabama is asking to be shot...

 

[Geno]

1) Never open the door
2) Never disarm your security system for a stranger
3) Get a bigger HD firearm
4) Never open the door

Learn from the experience.

Regards,

Doc2005

 

[P95loser]

Looking back, things I did wrong...

1) Looking throught the glass of the front door: should have cut on the front porch light and looked through an adjacent window first.

2) Putting my head out the door: should have never placed myself in a vulnerable position like that.

3) TOO Nervous: My heart was beating, and my hands were a little shaky... Need more hands on real-life training... not standing there 20' away slow-firing at a target.

4) Had the wrong gun out: Should have had my 686 or my 6906 or my 870.

 

[Geno]

We ALL learn from experiences. Fortunately we live long enough the make the needed changes.

Be well.

Doc2005

 

[Thernlund]

My heart was beating, and my hands were a little shaky...

I have found that doing things that are supposed to amp you up, such as roller coasters, and forcing yourself over and over to remain calm goes a good ways toward making you less excitable. Not like I go seeking out roller coasters or anything, but if I find myself going on one, I use the experience in my favor.

Really, if you find that you get amped easily, you should work on becoming less excitable. See some scary movies or ride some "adrenaline-pumping" fair rides and practice staying calm and nonchalant. Staying calm in a stressful situation is extremely beneficial to being able to "think on your feet". Training for that doesn't necessarily have to involve firearms.

Hell, have a teenager or two and you'll learn how to keep calm under stress so fast your head will spin.


-T.

 

[CountGlockula]

I think more time at the range and practicing on your self defense HG training is needed.

 

[Matthew Temkin]

A lot of what you felt was your body's survival instincts kicking into gear.
After some of my encounters I found my hands shaking and thought that I too was overly scared.
Turns out that is the body's way of getting rid of the excess "chemical cocktails"
that your body produces under stress.
Hey..ya done good!!!

 

[LKB3rd]

I work for the phone company and the very first words out of my mouth when anyone answers the door is my first name and that i am with the phone company. Common sense and professionalism, so the people don't think i am some random guy asking questions about their phone or their name or whatever i am there for.
At 9:30 pm in a rural area, my work id would have been out as i said it, and my work van would have been parked nearby and easily visible. I would have stood somewhere where they could look out the window or through the peephole to see me without opening the door.
I don't think you acted improperly at all, and that guy needs to learn some common sense and professionalism.

 

[Mainsail]

I can’t get past the toboggan.

 

[LKB3rd]

Hi, I'm Len and I'm with the phone company. Do you mind if i go sledding in your yard?

 

[btg3]

My firearms training consists of going towards the back of my property and shooting at 2X10s with targets stapled to them. I am ready to take this to the next level so that, if something does happen, I will be prepared.

Similar feelings here. Decided to give IDPA (stock class) a try. First match was last weekend. I find that it makes me think, act, and shoot under time pressure. Got some great pointers from the more experienced shooters. Will be shooting again in 2 weeks and have invited my son and daughter to shoot also.
I looked at handgun classes, but for now wanted to shoot at minimal cost. Might take a class later.

 

[JKimball]

3) TOO Nervous: My heart was beating, and my hands were a little shaky... Need more hands on real-life training... not standing there 20' away slow-firing at a target.

After you get some good training, you may look into competitive shooting opportunities. IDPA style competitions are meant to portray realistic scenarios for self defense. The timed competition introduces some adrenaline and you have a good chance to test your speed and accuracy. They also emphasize drawing from the holster including drawing from concealment, movement, using cover/concealment, slicing the pie, not shooting "non threats", etc. And it is a lot of fun!

 

[ExSoldier]

Well: Live and Learn.... or Don't Live Long....

A good start (but not the end all be all) is to find a good IDPA Club nearby, join and participate! You'll find shooters of all skill levels and experiences and they're all friendly. They'll welcome a new shooter and help you with equipment and safety training to participate. Trust me, you'll love it.

http://www.idpa.com

 

[mgregg85]

Too nervous? Doesn't sound like it to me. You sounded prepared and reasonable. It's not like you threw the door open, put the muzzle to the guy's forehead and shouted, "WHAT THE F*** DO YOU WANT SCUMBAG?!?!?!"

Come on now, thats how I always answer the door. Sure, I have to give a bigger tip the the pizza guy but you can't argue with the results, I'm still alive.

 

[Snarlingiron]

Get yourself some good tactical training. It is available all over the place, and it is invaluable. Be prepared to spend 2 to 3 days, and about $400.00 to $600.00, along with about 1000 to 2000 rounds of ammunition. It is worth it. You really won't know how little you know until you do this.

Beyond that, you did ok. Fear, a little sweat, overly anxious, so what... no harm done. Answering the door with your weapon in hand, late at night, that's a good thing. Opening the door, well maybe not. You can always talk through a closed door, and no one will fault you for it. Cut yourself some slack, and get some good quality training.

 

[littlegator]

After you get some good training, you may look into competitive shooting opportunities. IDPA style competitions are meant to portray realistic scenarios for self defense.

You could always just join the reserves and go to Iraq. Just kidding...or not... Seriously, these are often the kinds of things that make us aware of our limitations and help us to understand where we need help. Fortunately, you and your family are fine. Chalk it up to experience. How would you handle it the next time, is the real question.

 

[Gary Frost]

P95loser, don't beat yourself up over this. Consider this event as a wake up call for a possible real situation. It is a good thing to realize what you did wrong.

Almost the same thing happened to me at 4:30 am, couldn't find my pants. Wifey cleaned up my side of the bed, couldn't find my AR, 870, witness. I did manage to pick up the electronic dog collar on the way to the door, hey I could flog someone with that.

It was the county sheriff, noticed the lights on in my shop while he was looking for a BG out here.

The most embarassing part was he had to drive across a 4 bay pistol range berm to be greeted by an old fat guy armed with a dog collar in hand.

Anyways major changes were made around here that night. Lesson learned real well.

 

[Logos]

I've heard a lot of suggestions for shooting practice, but, more than shooting practice, you need scenario practice. You passed the biggest test--you had your gun in your hand.

It sounds like you had simply never thought about this scenario. Now you know this one......so that's progress. So continue to figure out as many scenarios as your imagination can come up with.

Do every "what if" that you can think of for your house, garage, etc. Do the many "what ifs" within each one. This way you won't be surprised or confused when things start to happen fast. You WILL NOT have time to warm up before going into high speed survival mode.

You can get formal training or DVD courses that will open your eyes to a lot of dangerous possibilities, but you can also do yourself a lot of good simply by going over in your head the various ways that threats may address you.

You likely could be alone and facing a team. Be ready for that. Assume that when you have somebody covered, his partner may well turn up behind you......and there might be a third.

Steel yourself mentally for sudden terror. A normal person, even if armed, will often freeze if a dirty, ugly, 300 pound man with a machete suddenly appears and is screaming threats and running directly at them.

Freezing for even one second can be fatal.....yet most people will if they're not mentally prepared. Such things are so alien to our experience that our brain is overwhelmed and just stops for a second to deal with disbelief. Steel yourself for shock.

Shooting straight is important.....but thinking straight and fast is a lot more important.

 

[NASCAR_MAN]

p95loser,

Don't you think you over-reacted a bit?

NASCAR

 

[btg3]

It was the county sheriff, noticed the lights on in my shop while he was looking for a BG out here.

I trust your shop is secure. I recently was made aware that my yard tools are accessible to anyone and would assist a BG with forced entry into my home. Also have a brick pile that needs to be cleaned up because these could be used to throw through windows or glass doors.
THR has significantly improved my defensive thinking. There's always more to learn and do to avoid being victimized.

 

[Titan6]

Wireless cameras covering the doors linked to the TV- $199.

Piece of mind when there is a knock at the door late at night- Priceless.

For less than the price of a Mossberg 500 you can see them and they can't see you.

 

[ZeSpectre]

I mulled this over for a while before responding.
I think the first, and most important, thing is that you got through it unharmed and it GOT YOU THINKING. So don't let that slide.

I think that Logos gave some first rate advice so I'll quote him again...

Do every "what if" that you can think of for your house, garage, etc. Do the many "what ifs" within each one. This way you won't be surprised or confused when things start to happen fast. You WILL NOT have time to warm up before going into high speed survival mode.

Along with figuring out your "plan A" stuff, make sure you also have a "plan B" as well. It might be as simple as what the wife and I do. If we have an unexpected knock on the door, she has her cell phone in her hand, ready for use, before I even check the door to see who it is/what they want.