I have to ask this question (answering your door armed)

[Rastoff]

I'm very sorry to hear your stuff was stolen. I've had a few things stolen over the years. I've also had my house broken into. It always leaves you with a feeling of being violated.

How do you know it was four teenagers? Did you catch them?

I do have to say though, it hasn't changed how I answer the door.

 

[Smoke]

If you were in my place how would you answer the door in the coming months/years?

Same way I do now.

 

[RevTracy]

Same way I do now.

Me too...with my weapon on my hip, or if I feel threatened, in my hand out of sight!!! I'm even more vigilant now that my opsec is compromised...they know where I live and work, and they know I have weapons.

If some on this site think my approach is over the top, or paranoid, I don't care. It's my life, my family's safety, and I will always put that before political correctness or fear of "brandishing laws."

Rastof - no, they were not caught. I know from two eye witnesses that they were teenagers - 16 to 18 years old.

Signing off now...stay safe!

 

[Smoke]

If some on this site think my approach is over the top, or paranoid, I don't care.

I never said your approach was over the top or paranoid, what I said was using a gun to intimidate someone who wasn't a threat to you, especially since they were on the other side of a (presumably) locked door and making no attempt to get in, was illegal.

I also said that you are clueless on Colorado's gun laws and invited you to cite a specific statute that stated that there's no such thing as "brandishing" (a term that appears nowhere in the Colorado Code BTW) in your home.

 

[Badkarma 1]

I agree with you about not answering the door after 8:00pm.
I just do not answer at all nor make turn on a lights which are
turned off by then. I find this issue fascinating. I think there
is a lot more risk than people realize in answering the door to
anyone you do not know. I found this interesting link.
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/An Industry Rife With Fraud 082111.htm. This link shows a number
of very bad criminals that have engaged in this traveling salesmen activity, and enough to convince me that I am
following the right action by not opening the door to them
or letting them know I am at home.

I never realized how much danger I might be avoiding by just
not opening the door at all or making a sound unless they try to gain entry by kicking my door in, and then I am on very safe
legal ground in Texas to take them down when the door comes down.

It's what's called a "push in robbery". For whatever reason you go to answer the door, and as you open it you get bum rushed!
Dale

 

[crapmaster]

Unfortunately our beautiful quiet neighborhood has had a rash of break ins, home invasions and burglaries lately. January alone outnumbered all of 2013 so far. Just yesterday an 85 year old woman was victimized two blocksfrom me in our tract. Couple months ago a stranger approached my wife in the driveway when she came home. When I came outside (unarmed except my benchmade) his story change and he left and we reported him to police. Always been a screen door, door open neighborhood and all my neighbors watch out for each other however I do keep a firearm handy. I always know if someone is coming within a few houses cause of my noisy alert dogs. Answering armed and showing probably get you in trouble here in CA so I keep anything I have concealed.
My latest home protection tool G21 BTW.

 

[Smoke]

It's what's called a "push in robbery". For whatever reason you go to answer the door, and as you open it you get bum rushed!
Dale

Which leads right back to my original point why open the door in the first place?

 

[feralmerril]

There are a lot of factors why we do or dont open the door. First is the way we were brought up, second is where and what era. We all are on one side or the other due to just the luck of the draw on the above. I was raised under the best of circumstances in those areas. Then I left wisconsin and jobs took me all over the states and I rubbed shoulders with the other half.
I ended up in southern california as a guard. It was a choppy area and I did have some of the other halfs experiences. Once right across the street from my house a couple guys robbed something and the police pursued them where they lost it, ran in the neighbors house and it was a hostage situation with older people. Another banger thought it was fun to shoot a city water works worker on top his head while he was in a man hole. Killed him. That was about a block away. I was burglared several times, a truck stolen and never found and another attempt at its replacement.
Another time a half baked neighbor kid got in my house about pre dawn and he got a experience I bet he still remembers, if still alive, but I handled it and never called the the law. Once had a couple of "acquaintances" card their way in my cheap apartment and they thought they would work me over with 24 oz empty coke bottels. God and my temper got me out of that one. There probley are more but I still answer my door and will until I pass. I guess I am a slow learner. Most younger guys have been brought up with the last half my life. Most dont know how we had it in the 40s and 50s. Even then we did have things happen, just not as much as today. I well remember when I was a small kid of about five in 1946. My mom ran a country general store alone durring the war and couldnt keep a eye on me. I was allowed to range about a mile in all directions. Today she would be in trouble but there never was a better mother. One day I was walking to a buddys farm house about a mile away. A 37 chev coupe coming from the other direction on the secluded road come to a stop and two real rough looking guys asked me did I want a ride! I knew everyone in the area as being a kid in the store but I didnt know these guys wanting to take me the opposite direction. At least I had presence of mind to say no, I live there and pointed at a farm house across the road and made for it.
One of the biggest killer ghoul`s in history, Ed Gein was caught by my cousin`s husband our county sheriff. My mom chased him off a couple years prior when she seen him peeking in her bed room window!
So, we DID have a few things happen even back then. I spent 35 + years working security, yet my wife is many times over more cautious than me. Still its probley because where and when she was raised as she is almost 17 years younger than me. Yeah, if I lived in Beirut or Detroit I would be more careful but I still am going to greet anyone, if I can get my wife away from blocking me from the door.

 

[Smoke]

Hey Merril could you maybe split up your post a little bit? It's reall hard to read that one big block of text