chaim
Member
My neighborhood is generally pretty safe and it used to be a very quiet neighborhood. A few years ago when the "projects" in Baltimore were torn down and most residents were given vouchers to get housing out in the 'burbs. Some section 8 vouchers were given to people to move here to Columbia (makes sense, move the section 8 people to one of the 5-10 most affluent counties in America, they won't start trouble there 
). Well, about half of the section 8 residents who came to Columbia were brought to some apartments and townhouses less than a mile from me. Along with the section 8 housing came some thugs and many drug dealers. Ever since, occasionally "weird" things happen here.
Around 10 or 11PM last night I heard a few "bangs" that seemed to come from one of my neighbors' yards that sounded suspiciously like a .22lr (they were a series of .22lr type "cracks" that came in quick succession over about a second or two). I also noticed that the light in the backyard that is on a motion sensor was on (it stays for about a minute or two so someone, or some animal, had recently passed through my backyard). I noted the noise but didn't call the police. I didn't see anything and there was always the chance that I mistook another sound for a .22lr (though it was certainly an unusual series of sounds for here). I did prepare myself just in case and in addition to the loaded Taurus 85 that I usually have I made sure my CZ 75B was fully loaded and easy to get to and I loaded my SKS (I've got to get off my duff and get a .223 carbine or a shotgun since I live in a very suburban area- 7.62x39 would have too much penatration, but you use what you have).
Later that evening/morning (~ 2am) I heard some banging that was different, like someone banging on a door at a nearby house. A few seconds later I heard a series of bangs thta again sounded like .22lr being fired. Again, I noticed the light on the motion sensor was on indicating an animal or person had passed through the backyard within a minute or two. I then heard several more bangs that sounded like a .22lr and a neighborhood dog started going nuts (I never hear any of the nieghbors' dogs at night so this was highly unusual). There were two or three more within the next couple minutes (and lots of dog barking aggressively). At this point I also readied my 1911 and added it to my belt (IWB).
All these series of sounds were behind my house, the first set to the right, the second set to the left. Later (3 or 4am) I heard more "bangs" and then the dog of a neighbor that lives in a house a few houses in front of mine went nuts.
Since I never saw anything and I might have mistook the sound I didn't call the police. The banging like someone banging on a door might have been an animal getting into someone's trash, but the sound that sounded like a .22lr probably wasn't (I doubt it anyway). But since I couldn't see a person when I looked out the windows (from a dark room of course) I figured I couldn't do much and the police would have simply taken down what I said and probably ignored it. It seemed at the time that my only option was to prepare. I kept myself awake by posting on THR (though not about this since I pretty much figured my course of action) just in case something happened I didn't want to be asleep in bed and have to add to my reaction time.
How did I do?
). Well, about half of the section 8 residents who came to Columbia were brought to some apartments and townhouses less than a mile from me. Along with the section 8 housing came some thugs and many drug dealers. Ever since, occasionally "weird" things happen here.Around 10 or 11PM last night I heard a few "bangs" that seemed to come from one of my neighbors' yards that sounded suspiciously like a .22lr (they were a series of .22lr type "cracks" that came in quick succession over about a second or two). I also noticed that the light in the backyard that is on a motion sensor was on (it stays for about a minute or two so someone, or some animal, had recently passed through my backyard). I noted the noise but didn't call the police. I didn't see anything and there was always the chance that I mistook another sound for a .22lr (though it was certainly an unusual series of sounds for here). I did prepare myself just in case and in addition to the loaded Taurus 85 that I usually have I made sure my CZ 75B was fully loaded and easy to get to and I loaded my SKS (I've got to get off my duff and get a .223 carbine or a shotgun since I live in a very suburban area- 7.62x39 would have too much penatration, but you use what you have).
Later that evening/morning (~ 2am) I heard some banging that was different, like someone banging on a door at a nearby house. A few seconds later I heard a series of bangs thta again sounded like .22lr being fired. Again, I noticed the light on the motion sensor was on indicating an animal or person had passed through the backyard within a minute or two. I then heard several more bangs that sounded like a .22lr and a neighborhood dog started going nuts (I never hear any of the nieghbors' dogs at night so this was highly unusual). There were two or three more within the next couple minutes (and lots of dog barking aggressively). At this point I also readied my 1911 and added it to my belt (IWB).
All these series of sounds were behind my house, the first set to the right, the second set to the left. Later (3 or 4am) I heard more "bangs" and then the dog of a neighbor that lives in a house a few houses in front of mine went nuts.
Since I never saw anything and I might have mistook the sound I didn't call the police. The banging like someone banging on a door might have been an animal getting into someone's trash, but the sound that sounded like a .22lr probably wasn't (I doubt it anyway). But since I couldn't see a person when I looked out the windows (from a dark room of course) I figured I couldn't do much and the police would have simply taken down what I said and probably ignored it. It seemed at the time that my only option was to prepare. I kept myself awake by posting on THR (though not about this since I pretty much figured my course of action) just in case something happened I didn't want to be asleep in bed and have to add to my reaction time.
How did I do?
