Lock your doors

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Get a system that sounds a loud horn and calls the law. It's by the front door (and also in other parts of the house). Answer through the door, looking through the peep hole and/or side window. If they are sketchy and don't go away, play the Defcon 1 button press.

No need to keep discussing going outside as a bad idea. You may think you have the drop on someone, until you are yakking your spiel and they just shoot you. In my FOG FOF experience, we set up holding a gun (Code Eagle) on someone and then seeing if you could draw and 'shoot' them when they were giving you instructions. It did work out sometimes. Also, no guarantee of a immediately disabling hit - so they can still shoot you.

[Malamute]

You may think you have the drop on someone, until you are yakking your spiel and...

...and they figured out your habit and were waiting for it from behind or when coming out the back door.




Many of the comments make me more of a believer in the security storm doors. You can open the front door and talk to someone, but nobody is coming in easily.

[scw2]

This is a great reminder for me to install the video doorbell I bought due to the thread on this forum. FWIW, there is a 20% off Ebay code valid until later tonight that might make the prices of something like a skybell or ring more affordable.

[Cypher]

I pray to God (literally) that I never have to shoot anyone. I also try to structure my life so that if (God forbid) I ever do the facts and circumstances of my life make it clear that I did everything I could to avoid it.

If I never leave the door unlocked I never have to deal with a dirty, filthy, drunk, vagrant walking right past my "Guard Dogs On Premises" and through my front door.

If I never open the door until I'm 100% certain I know who's out there I never open the door to a criminal or have to read a copy of The Watchtower.

If don't leave the house I don't give up cover and I don't have to explain to the cops why I gave up cover and went looking for a fight

[Cypher]

Many of the comments make me more of a believer in the security storm doors. You can open the front door and talk to someone, but nobody is coming in easily.

I used to deliver pizzas for Domino's. I remember one house in particular that had an enclosed front porch. The front door was up a flight of steps so when I rang the door they opened that door and could see who I was before coming down the steps and letting me in.

[Cypher]

I used to clean carpets for a company in Colorado Springs. The night that Karla Faye Tucker was executed my last job of the night was a 3 room apartment. They actually did the execution while I was cleaning his carpets.

Anyway the job was to clean up blood all over his his carpets. It was actually all over the house but I was there just for the carpet. His story was that he was drinking in a bar (and flashing a lot of cash) and someone followed him home. He said the guy knocked on his door and he opened it knowing that he didn't recognize him. He said the guy started stabbing him the second the door opened.

If I ever thought about opening the door for someone I didn't know that cured me

[HCountyGuy]

Are we reading a bit too much into this whole “if you go outside the prosecutor will make it as though you were looking for a fight?” rhetoric?

I’m not trying to be condescending. I’m genuinely curious of cases where this has happened in where Citizen of Mayberry went outside to innocently interface with an individual who used one of these ruses and then had to shoot/stab/beat scumbag in self-defense and the prosecutor went “Well you went outside!”

I’m not disagreeing with the practice of never opening the door/going outside for an unknown. In fact I operate by the same SOP. Just looking for documented incidents.

[SAWBONES]

This is a great reminder for me to install the video doorbell I bought due to the thread on this forum.

I've had the original RING video doorbell for several years now.

It's been my experience in the time since that more people now knock in preference to using the doorbell than used to be the case.

I assume it must be because folks are aware of its function and desire to avoid being seen or video-recorded.

I don't answer knocks.
(Hell, I don't answer the door at all anymore unless I either actually know whomever is ringing, or it's the postman/UPS/FedEx driver!
Curmudgeon status confirmed.)

[Mark D]

Are we reading a bit too much into this whole “if you go outside the prosecutor will make it as though you were looking for a fight?” rhetoric?

I’m not trying to be condescending. I’m genuinely curious of cases where this has happened in where Citizen of Mayberry went outside to innocently interface with an individual who used one of these ruses and then had to shoot/stab/beat scumbag in self-defense and the prosecutor went “Well you went outside!”

I’m not disagreeing with the practice of never opening the door/going outside for an unknown. In fact I operate by the same SOP. Just looking for documented incidents.

In the Ted Wafer case I'm pretty sure the fact he opened the door was used against him. There's a lot of other factors that played into his conviction, but opening the door was one of the issues. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/u...a-mcbride.html

Does opening the door and going outside always have a bad outcome? No. It will depend a lot on where you live and what the other circumstances are, including how aggressive the DA or Grand Jury is.

[Cypher]

Are we reading a bit too much into this whole “if you go outside the prosecutor will make it as though you were looking for a fight?” rhetoric?

I’m not trying to be condescending. I’m genuinely curious of cases where this has happened in where Citizen of Mayberry went outside to innocently interface with an individual who used one of these ruses and then had to shoot/stab/beat scumbag in self-defense and the prosecutor went “Well you went outside!”

I’m not disagreeing with the practice of never opening the door/going outside for an unknown. In fact I operate by the same SOP. Just looking for documented incidents.

Opening the front door is one thing. Going out the back door, sneaking around the side of the house, coming up behind your visitor and confronting him/her is completely another