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How late is too late to answer a knock at the front door? (1 Viewer)

Ron-P

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When we lived in Philadelphia when I was a kid some guy kicked our door in in the middle of the night...My dad ran down the stairs with his gun and the guy saw it and ran right out the door only to be hit by a police car. He had a knife in his had.
Gun beats knife....
The exact scenario the 3 simple solutions could not have prevented, but the gun did. BTW Mark, glad to here both situations were resolved without harm to you or your family.


Peace Out~:D
 

Ricardo C

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My neighbors from across the street were robbed at 6:30am, last month. A couple guys were standing by the sidewalk when my beighbor opened his garage to go to work. They pulled guns, entered the house, and took cash, jewelry, and a car. My neighbor says that from what the thieves said ("the kid didn't show up, so it's your turn"), they were waiting for my brother to leave our house, since he used to open the gate every day at the same hour (not anymore, of course). They'd been staking us out for a while. Luckily, no one was hurt, but they haven't recovered their belongings.

if someone rings my doorbell late at night and they're not someone I know, I'm not opening the door, period. I realize they may have a genuine reason for ringing the bell, but I'm not taking any chances.

ps-- Isn't it sad that in an average middle-class neighborhood, we actually have gated houses and bars on our windows?
 

Bill_D

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Anybody coming to my home at that hour will have called ahead or have a key and called ahead. Everybody else is subject to lead poisoning via a Glock 22C or a HK Mark 23 or if you decide to run off make sure you can out run my Super Varmint.

All joking aside, the last thing I want to do is to pop somebody but some of these people are crazy and I don't live in Canada.
 

Mike Wladyka

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If someone breaks into your house with the intent to do harm to you or your family, and i am not talking about stealing some material possesions, they will most likely do it. Even if you run down the stairs with a gun and they have a gun also, you are getting shot because your first reaction is to see what this guy is doing in your house, while his is to shoot the first person he sees. When you are doing something wrong like breaking into someone's house and you have the intent to kill/harm anyone who gets in the way, the first person to say "get out of my house" is going to get shot. you don't come down the stairs to shoot the first person you see, you are going to try and scare them away...and don't give me the crap that i would do this and that because until you are in a given situation you do not know how you are going to react...like the story about when a guy kicks in the door and has a knife...if that guy had a gun and the mindset to kill, coming down the stairs with a gun or at all is going to get you shot...

and if someone comes in with a knife and i have my samurai sword or my kali sticks or my 6 foot staff or a baseball bat, that guy is going to lose the fight or runaway...without a need for guns
 

Joe Szott

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if someone comes in with a knife and i have my samurai sword or my kali sticks or my 6 foot staff or a baseball bat, that guy is going to lose the fight or runaway...without a need for guns
I don't understand, you won't have a gun in your house but a sword is better for home defense? Isn't this the classic case of bringing a knife to a gun fight? I don't understand Mike, swordsman vs. gunslinger = pretty dead swordsman.
 

AllanN

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Going back to having a dog as a deterrent. Getting one for the sole use of protection is probably not a good idea. Also having a trained guard dog is not necessary either. Our family dog would not hurt a sole (aside from the occasional unlucky possum). But would bark with enthusiasm anytime anyone knocked or rang the doorbell. I’m sure if a burglar came in he would have been happy to see someone new. He still would have made a fuss about it though and the burglar would have no idea weather the dog was mean or not.
 

Ron-P

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...add to that Joe, a sword or knife are just as deadly a weapon as a gun.

I look at it this way. It's a high possibility that if someone were to break into or force their way into my house, they will be armed with a gun. Why not be prepared for the worst case scenario and at least try and equal the playing field, if not have the advantage?

It's better to shoot back if being shot at than wielding a sword or attempting to throw a knife, or just sitting up stairs with a bat as some guy enter's your house with a gun.

We have a female dalmation, she is extremely protective and sleeps in the house with us. If someone were to break in, they'll meet her first, then me.


Peace Out~:D
 

Garrett Lundy

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you won't have a gun in your house but a sword is better for home defense?
Could you imagine the look on the burglars face when he kicks in the front door and finds an angry, sword wielding Mike Wladyka doing his best Toshiro Mifune impression? Home owners with guns are one thing, but I don't think your average burglar is mentally prepared for sword swinging maniacs.
 

rin

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Is #4 a trapdoor that leads to a pit of poisonous snakes?! That would be cool!:D
:laugh: That would be cool but no, I don't have one of those. How about a trapdoor that drops down into a vat of acid or a Fargo-style chipper/shredder? Or a room with a TV that plays a continuous "Justin & Kelly" loop?

I don't know about a sword but it didn't help that dude out when he pulled it on Indy(who had a gun).
 

Mike Wladyka

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I don't understand, you won't have a gun in your house but a sword is better for home defense? Isn't this the classic case of bringing a knife to a gun fight? I don't understand Mike, swordsman vs. gunslinger = pretty dead swordsman.
you have misunderstood my point (please re-read my post)...which is even if you have a gun and so does the burgular and you are the one most likely to get shot...so having a gun is pointless
 

Ron-P

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which is even if you have a gun and so does the burgular and you are the one most likely to get shot...so having a gun is pointless
I don't see how having one is pointless. The intruder entering my house has no idea of it's layout, which gives me one advantage, plus having the dog as a distraction is a good second advantage. The intruder is more likely to get shot then myself. But, it's 100% better then not having a gun with no where to run and nothing to defend myself with.

Why is it pointless to own a gun, but not a sword, kali or staff? They all are deadly weapons if one chooses to use it as such. A gun is no different then the weapons you would use Mike.


Peace Out~:D
 

Patrick_S

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Getting back to the original question of the thread, for me no time it too late to answer the door. Of course I'm not just going to swing the door open I'll answer it by asking through the door for the people to identify themselves.

After all burglars rarely knock on the door first and if they do they are checking to see if anyone is home so by responding from behind the door they are likely to run away.
 

AllanN

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Sorry this is totally off topic but im going to finally break down and ask. RonP do you type in "Peace Out~:D" each post or do you have it somehow setup in your sig to appear above the horizontal line?
 

Peter Kim

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are you ready to kill someone? because most likely the guy breaking in is
I am. Why? Because of the 2nd part of the above quote.

I've long come to the realization that the safety of my wife and my son are paramount. How often have I heard 'the intruder, upon being surprised by discovery, shot and killed the homeowner'.

With regards to the peephole/floodlight...good ideas indeed, but I'm inclined not to answer the door anymore. With the peephole, and given my past history of looking out the window, once the mystery guests identify that there is someone available, they become more persistent in gaining entry/acknowledgment.

I live in an urban neighborhood...not bad, but high traffic. I used to live in a town of 21,000, smack dab in the middle of WI, suburb to nowhere. I once had an idyllic notion of peace of mind at home. That sense of tranquility disappeared long ago when I move away.

Not necessarily bad, but definitely an adjustment of mentality and behaviour required.
 

Ron-P

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I type it in each and every time. I'm all about peace, but I'm also all about protecting my family and myself to the best of my ability and with the best possible means of doing so. I'm also an avid hunter and target shooter.

Not sure where you are headed with your question Allen, but I was wondering when someone would bring that up.

Guns, folks are not the problem, it's the mindset of the people behind them. If there were no guns, those same people would find other weapons to use to achieve their goals.


Peace Out~:D
 

Mike Wladyka

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Points taken Ron-P, i am glad you will have no problem shooting someone in your house...having a gun is good for you

but is it good for others...with how easy it is to get guns anybody can get one...are they all going to be responsible gun others as you are? are they going to practice with the 12 gauge shotgun so that they can hit their intended target?...last time i checked 12 gauge is a little bit hard to control for a first time shooter...i am 150lbs and the first time i shot one, it almost knocked me on my ass....

if said gun owner of 12 gauge doesn't constantly practice, does it do any good to have an uncontrollable deadly force? Sure if you are good enough to shoot someone in the leg with a 12 gauge, then get one for home defense...if good control is had, a gun is no longer a deadly weapon

i am not saying guns are bad and no one should have them, but the amount of unresponsible gun owners to responsible is tipped toward the former.

i just don't understand all the suggestions for getting guns with no mention of the responsibility of owning one...using a gun for self defense takes much more effort than just buying one..
 

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