After reading "Another home invasion gone......good." thread I asked myself if somebody knocks on my door 0900pm or 1100pm or 0100am or 0300am Wud I grab my Sig or Remi before I come up to the door. The answer is prob No.

I know it depends on the town / neighborhood You live in but still...... What do you say?

I live in a very nice, very quiet Condo.

 

9pm, I would look thru peep hole with no weapon at my side, but one within fairly easy reach.

 

11pm I am answering the door with at least a handgun on my person or in my hand.

Um, I'm not answering the door at all at that time of the night? Unless I'm expecting someone of course.

No small children in my dwelling

No huge crime component

 

with that said I ALWAYS have a gun in arms reach distance from me.. and get my gun just about any time I answer the door.. criminals do not have a specific schedule.. even with the area I live in being relatively nice there was a home invasion less than 15 minutes away from where I live.. and 2 or 3 days ago a friend of the family had their house burglarized in broad daylight.. my actions are likely excessive but why take chances?

 

a gun is a tool.. if I go out to work on my car.. I take all those tools with me.. my screwdriver is of no use in my tool chest.. a gun is a tool.. if someone tries to pull something.. it does me no good unloaded in the safe.. so with the list of people who might stop by being VERY small.. and there being NO children.. a gun is ALWAYS around..

Let me just tell you a story about keeping your head screwed on straight when you answer the door with a firearm. Many years ago I lived in a 2nd fl apartment in a house owned by my parents. The door bell rang at 3am. I put my pants on and stuck a S&W 36 in my waist band. I looked thru the interior glass door saw no one and prceded to the outer door. When moving from one location to the other an intruder jumped me from a blind location on the side of the door. I took the 36 from my waistband and instinctualy stuck it right in his ribs as he had his arms around me. I looked up as I was in this bear hug to look into the face of my drunken brother who thought this was a cute stunt when he forgot his key.

 

Situational awareness folks. Just as valuable as being armed. And I've had a LEO knock on my door in the wee hours. But, that's another story...

Let me just tell you a story about keeping your head screwed on straight when you answer the door with a firearm. Many years ago I lived in a 2nd fl apartment in a house owned by my parents. The door bell rang at 3am. I put my pants on and stuck a S&W 36 in my waist band. I looked thru the interior glass door saw no one and prceded to the outer door. When moving from one location to the other an intruder jumped me from a blind location on the side of the door. I took the 36 from my waistband and instinctualy stuck it right in his ribs as he had his arms around me. I looked up as I was in this bear hug to look into the face of my drunken brother who thought this was a cute stunt when he forgot his key.

 

Situational awareness folks. Just as valuable as being armed. And I've had a LEO knock on my door in the wee hours. But, that's another story...

 

 

very important point..

This is SUCH a tough subject. Believe me I am no cop basher. Scores of friends and family are LE. In fact I think I am often found defending the blue line to a fault. And ALL my interactions with my own local PD have been steller. I have a great local PD. But with the descretion not being with the officer these days it comes down to a different question.

 

Which do I fear more, a police entanglement or a home invasion?

 

Case in point. A few weeks before xmas a call went out to all residents to be on the lookout for home invasion. A couple cases already had taken place. So to my way of thinking it made sense. Some crackhead wants to make xmas happen or easy pickens to support his habit put me on higher alert. So I put on a over shirt and strapped on my 1911. ON CHRISTMAS EVE at midnight I got a visit from the PD! Now since it was xmas eve, the wife just finished setting up Santa's deeds for the little one and went to bed. I was winding down watching tv, still dressed, still strapped. My dogs sit on the couch and poke their faces through the blinds. Well they were alerting. So I take a look and its an officer approaching from his cruiser out front. Quick decision time. I decide I dont want to answer my door armed. So I quickly tuck the 1911 away and answer the door. Either dispatch gave the wrong address or a person of interest claimed my address. I never found out which. At any rate the officer was appologetic and left. This created ALL kinds of questions for me. First off I suspect the officer MUST have suspected the address was wrong because he never checked my ID. Or I just didnt fit the description. At any rate what if I hadnt been alerted by my dogs. If the officer had asked me for ID, at that point for his safety and mine, I would have advised him I was carrying and asked him to retrieve my wallet. In this state where this is so uncommon, what would his reaction have been? I can only speculate. Is it common knowledge among LEO that concealed carry in the home is legal? Some I have met do, others not so much. This could have turned into a big pain of an entanglement. The current trend towards arrest and let the judge figure it out has me greatly concearned for this type of scenario. How ugly would that have been to be arrested xmas eve! Probably would have been 3 days at least before I could even get released! The time for being confident you are fully within your rights and 100% legal will keep you out of jail has passed Im afraid....

If you can't carry at home where can you? What's left?

This is SUCH a tough subject. Believe me I am no cop basher. Scores of friends and family are LE. In fact I think I am often found defending the blue line to a fault. And ALL my interactions with my own local PD have been steller. I have a great local PD. But with the descretion not being with the officer these days it comes down to a different question.

 

Which do I fear more, a police entanglement or a home invasion?

 

Case in point. A few weeks before xmas a call went out to all residents to be on the lookout for home invasion. A couple cases already had taken place. So to my way of thinking it made sense. Some crackhead wants to make xmas happen or easy pickens to support his habit put me on higher alert. So I put on a over shirt and strapped on my 1911. ON CHRISTMAS EVE at midnight I got a visit from the PD! Now since it was xmas eve, the wife just finished setting up Santa's deeds for the little one and went to bed. I was winding down watching tv, still dressed, still strapped. My dogs sit on the couch and poke their faces through the blinds. Well they were alerting. So I take a look and its an officer approaching from his cruiser out front. Quick decision time. I decide I dont want to answer my door armed. So I quickly tuck the 1911 away and answer the door. Either dispatch gave the wrong address or a person of interest claimed my address. I never found out which. At any rate the officer was appologetic and left. This created ALL kinds of questions for me. First off I suspect the officer MUST have suspected the address was wrong because he never checked my ID. Or I just didnt fit the description. At any rate what if I hadnt been alerted by my dogs. If the officer had asked me for ID, at that point for his safety and mine, I would have advised him I was carrying and asked him to retrieve my wallet. In this state where this is so uncommon, what would his reaction have been? I can only speculate. Is it common knowledge among LEO that concealed carry in the home is legal? Some I have met do, others not so much. This could have turned into a big pain of an entanglement. The current trend towards arrest and let the judge figure it out has me greatly concearned for this type of scenario. How ugly would that have been to be arrested xmas eve! Probably would have been 3 days at least before I could even get released! The time for being confident you are fully within your rights and 100% legal will keep you out of jail has passed Im afraid....

 

 

Why would you advise him you are carrying in your home?

if he asked me for ID , I would politely ask him to remain outside ( I would not have let him in), and retrieved my ID.

 

Simple

Why would you advise him you are carrying in your home?

if he asked me for ID , I would politely ask him to remain outside ( I would not have let him in), and retrieved my ID.

 

Simple

 

 

this is the answer...

 

you have every right in the world (even in NJ) to be armed to the teeth if you so desire to be in your home.. I think that the ONLY catch is there is something in there about guns being accessible to children.. I have none of those.. so on any given night in my home you may find a shotgun.. or carbine.. sitting next to the couch.. you may come to find I have my Glock holstered under my t-shirt.. I am an honest law abiding citizen.. so having a gun accessible in my home is not a crime.. wearing your gun holstered in your home is not a crime.. if they hit on the wrong house and come to find that you have a gun.. they have no right to do anything to you other than apologize..

Um, I'm not answering the door at all at that time of the night? Unless I'm expecting someone of course.

 

Just saw a story on tv about a woman who was raped, beaten, and stabbed. She made her way thru the woods and pounded on someones door. The lights and curtain came on and open. She said please call 911, Ive been stabbed. She said the curtains went closed, the lights off, and the people back to bed. Would you do the same thing then?

this is the answer...

 

you have every right in the world (even in NJ) to be armed to the teeth if you so desire to be in your home.. I think that the ONLY catch is there is something in there about guns being accessible to children.. I have none of those.. so on any given night in my home you may find a shotgun.. or carbine.. sitting next to the couch.. you may come to find I have my Glock holstered under my t-shirt.. I am an honest law abiding citizen.. so having a gun accessible in my home is not a crime.. wearing your gun holstered in your home is not a crime.. if they hit on the wrong house and come to find that you have a gun.. they have no right to do anything to you other than apologize..

 

 

GLOCK? Don't you know they go KABOOM and have no SAFETY?...

Just saw a story on tv about a woman who was raped, beaten, and stabbed. She made her way thru the woods and pounded on someones door. The lights and curtain came on and open. She said please call 911, Ive been stabbed. She said the curtains went closed, the lights off, and the people back to bed. Would you do the same thing then?

 

 

that is a sketchy situation because I have read of several instances where intruders used a "person in distress" as a key to getting an individual to open the door.. at that point the thugs standing just out of view push in your front door and in comes the "person in distress" who is in on the whole mess with them..

 

the solution is two fold.. one is the simple act of answering the door and all.. but the other is having your front door, property, lighting, etc.. situated in such a way that you can see what the hell is going on before you open the door.. some of us live in an apartment which makes it a little harder... but just be aware of your surroundings.. get some good outside lights.. if something insane like that happens it would probably be best to have someone else in the house dial 911 if you intend on going outside to see if you can aid them... sadly though.. the truth of the matter is unless you are %100 sure it is safe to open the door.. you honestly probably shouldn't... just call the police.. they get paid to handle that kind of nonsense..

 

there is a difference between being compassionate.. and being stupid.. once one stops using logic and starts thinking with impulsive emotion.. that is likely about where things start to go wrong.. keep a clear head.. think before you act..

GLOCK? Don't you know they go KABOOM and have no SAFETY?...

 

 

yeah man.. my Glock has accidentally shot all of us at least once.. LOL.. sadly it never accidentally shot my ex-wife.. (kidding of course.. )

Just saw a story on tv about a woman who was raped, beaten, and stabbed. She made her way thru the woods and pounded on someones door. The lights and curtain came on and open. She said please call 911, Ive been stabbed. She said the curtains went closed, the lights off, and the people back to bed. Would you do the same thing then?

 

 

Call 911.

I keep my SR-15 next to me while I'm playing xbox. I don't go anywhere in my house at night without being armed to the teeth. If someone knocked on my door at 11PM I'd be VERY suspicious as I do not live in an easy place to find despite being in the middle of a densely populated area.

mikeyboyee, because he can ask for id. If he is there to apprehend a suspect of some sort, I dont think the wait outside would go over to well. If I were looking for a suspect and asking for ID his hands would be CLOSELY watched. In reaching for my id I would possibly expose my firearm which could trigger unwanted events. Ever hear the expression of dead right? Hell if he has legal justification to be there and my ID is in question he could even do a Terry frisk at which point he would surely find the weapon, again possibly triggering a bad outcome. Part of this depends on my read of the officer. For all my good experiences I have also run into the proverbial hard on for power types too . So this gets back to my original concern. I know Im well within my rights, but does the avg officer? Again, as of late it has been demonstrated (at least at face value of the story) that not only doesnt the patrollman know, neither does anyone else up the chain! I know MOST officers would likely be very appreciative of the respect being shown them by my disclosure. But I also know there are those out there that just might draw down on you once they spotted the firearm! In either case, if the contact exceeded a causual question were exposure may occur, I would disclose to the officer for my own safety.

generally I don't have people coming to my door after work without me knowing about it. When home, a gun is within arms length of me. Several in fact.

 

At 9pm, i would have a gun on me if I was answering the door. If it was after bedtime, I would have my wife ready for 911 and be opening a window to look down prior to going to the door. While this is happening, I would also be concerned about somebody trying to clime through a window and have Kristen on the lookout.

 

I know the cops in my town and what they look like, so if it was impersination, I hope I would be able to tell early.

To answer the theoretical above, yes, I would call 911 at that moment. At the same time there would be a number of other things that would be occurring that I'd rather not say publicly (OPSEC reasons; aka a plan is not much of a plan if EVERYONE knows it), but, needless to say, I'd prepare myself for most any situation at that moment. Would I answer the door? Still no.

 

This question, and other discussions on home invasions, proves that we need to draw up plans for our own domicile, as there is no cookie cutter one. There are obvious things that should be included, but what I would do might differ from what someone who lives in an apartment complex, or in the middle of the woods, would do. And even my neighbors might do something differently then me. So, assess your situation, and go from there.

I would never open the door to someone I do not know, not even the police. In fact, I put a 6 foot high aluminum fence around our property to deter anyone from stepping onto the property. I then got a big dog (an Akita), an alarm system and several cameras. Nobody comes to our house without calling first, even my parents.

this is the answer...

 

you have every right in the world (even in NJ) to be armed to the teeth if you so desire to be in your home..

 

I was concerned before when you said you "get" a gun before you go to the door, but now I see you are right-on.

 

I carry at my home. Yes, I always have a firearm within arms reach. But I also have one on my body. Just because UPS, a neighbor, or a family member is at my door and I open it does not mean I don't need to be armed. What if I decide the situation warrants stepping outside for something? Maybe I was tricked...

 

I agree that when there is an unexpected visitor at my door I will bring an additional weapon.

 

As far as cops are concerned, show me two township cars and knock on my door. And a warrant. If Latin Kings kick in my door and yell, "Police!!!" while wearing all cool-looking tactical gear then it's going to look and sound like Fourth of July.

I was concerned before when you said you "get" a gun before you go to the door, but now I see you are right-on.

 

 

I have been home for 15 minutes.. one of the first things I did when getting home was take the CX4 and set it next to the couch... I am not expecting anyone.. but you know.. just in case..

 

If Latin Kings kick in my door and yell, "Police!!!" while wearing all cool-looking tactical gear then it's going to look and sound like Fourth of July.

 

for once.. we agree completely..

Wearing a pistol on my person while I'm sitting on my couch scratching myself watching Pawn Stars seems like overkill.

Wearing a pistol on my person while I'm sitting on my couch scratching myself watching Pawn Stars seems like overkill.

 

+1. But when at home, I always have a firearm not far away at all.

for once.. we agree completely..

 

We always agree. Differing concerns about the perils of illegal laws is not a disagreement.

 

I have been home for 15 minutes.. one of the first things I did when getting home was take the CX4 and set it next to the couch... I am not expecting anyone.. but you know.. just in case..

 

Wearing a pistol on my person while I'm sitting on my couch scratching myself watching Pawn Stars seems like overkill.

 

We have a vast cultural difference here. Do you guys carry a gun to the door 100% of the time every time you answer it? If not, you might get screwed by some daughter of a thug selling cookies, or somebody in need, fake cop, or some other hard-luck case or neighbor used as bait. These are actually the most common tactics for real home invasions.

 

Since I know you guys are smarter than that and more serious about the safety of yourselves and your families, I assume you do indeed bring (but not carry) a firearm every time you go to the door. That would be in your hand, since you don't wear one. I tried that for a while. There are two problems with it. First, as soon as you realize that the person at your door is possibly not threatening, you have to put the gun down if you plan to interact with them. Second, if it's a neighbor or something, and there's something that requires you to go outside, you are not going to do that with a gun in your hand.

 

Everybody says they have a gun within arm's reach. It is good you take it to the kitchen while cooking and take it to the bathroom when you take a pee. Or run to grab the phone. And it is good that you take it every time you leave a room. Because, you spend far more time at home doing those things, or going from one place to another, than you do sitting in front of the TV.

 

I hope your threat has good timing.

Such paranoia when people come to your doors. I remember back before cell phones that people actually looked forward to opening the doors to see who it was.

 

Yeah yeah I know, I'll be sorry when that intruder comes knocking, using bait and hiding around the corner so I don't see them from my peephole.

Such paranoia when people come to your doors. I remember back before cell phones that people actually looked forward to opening the doors to see who it was.

 

Yeah yeah I know, I'll be sorry when that intruder comes knocking, using bait and hiding around the corner so I don't see them from my peephole.

 

Those were examples. I think I might have misrepresented myself.

 

Let me spell it out. I have no idea when or where I might need a gun to defend myself or my family or to intervene to protect others. People who decide to take this seriously carry all the time wherever legal. People who think it's not really a big deal may or may not have a firearm around for the purpose. Neither attitude is correct or incorrect. But if people are telling me they have a gun nearby just in case, and if those people are not paranoid, then they have made that decision and probably should take it more seriously if they want it to actually count for something.

Those reasons and the additional ones of kids around is the reason that if I do carry at home, its concealed. There have been a number of occasions where I was very thankful to be armed. A high threat to home invasion when police boxed in two armed suspects on my block that just commited armed robbery is one of them.... Just like a car accident or even slipping and falling, it could happen at any time. I wear my seatbelt too!

Um, I'm not answering the door at all at that time of the night? Unless I'm expecting someone of course.

 

Me too. I don't even like to answer the door during the day unless I'm expecting someone.

 

How often are strangers knocking on your doors at night?

Carrying in your own home seems silly to me. However,if you have young children and you insist on keeping a pistol close by for protection I respect the fact you carry it.