Issue last night, am I too paranoid?

[JcMack]

I am 64, I'm having enough trouble getting around that I now have handicapped plates on my truck. There's been burglaries but to my knowledge no home invasions (people home) in this neighborhood yet. I live alone and have taken to wearing a Colt DS all the time.. Last night about 6:30 (well dark by then) someone came banging on my front door. People never come to my door. I yelled through the door "hang on", grabbed my coat and hat and went out the back door. I walked between my place and the neighbors house and the guy was walking accross my driveway headed towards the neighbors house. He sees me and starts towards me about 20 feet away. I stood still and he's sayin something like "I'm selling". I told him stop but he kept on comming. So I pulled my coat back, displayed I had a gun, and told him to get out. He stopped and told me " You don't need to be pullin no gun". I just told him leave. He left, and went back in and called the neighbor. She said he'd been there and had just left. I called the police non emergency number and described the guy who was wearing typical gang looking cloaths with a watch cap. Police were there in nothin flat and neighbor told me they had him by their car. I don't know what happened. I expected police knocking at my door but it didn't happen. In the cold light of dawn I'm thinking maybe I over reacted.

 

[bitstream]

The problem is you'll never know until it's too late. Pretending to be selling door to door seems like a good cover for home invasion; or it's true and he's just a salesman.

Better safe than sorry. It's a lot easier to do what you did than to find out the hard way he was out to do harm. It's a shame society has came to this.

Suggest your put a sign on your front door; no soliciting.

 

[max]

Your actions sound ok to me.

 

[The Big D]

Have you considered a peephole in your door? The "no soliciting" sign could be an aid, too, provided folks abide with it.

Be safe.

 

[tbury]

Soliciting after dark is suspicious if not illegal in most places. You did right in my opinion.

 

[snowman]

I would be very surprised to know of a salesman who dresses like that, talks like that, walks toward a person who has told them to stop, etc., etc.

You did the right thing, sir -glad you're OK.

Andy

 

[JcMack]

Have you considered a peephole in your door? The "no soliciting" sign could be an aid, too, provided folks abide with it.

Be safe.

The front door is all steel, it has a peephole. The storm door is worn out. As a result the steel interior door radiates cold into the front room and is drafty. I covered the door with plastic for the duration of the winter. I use the back door all the time anyway since my truck is right there. I had a sign up for years but it faded, and I tossed it. Time for another sign. I believe you need a license to sell door to door in this town. NewsPapers are full of bogus entries by phony repairmen.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

If you gotta know, call the police and let them put you in touch with the officers who responded to the call. I would.

This guy sounds bogus. Door to door selling still goes on, but after dark. . .and with the sales personnel dressed like gang-bangers? Maybe he was selling discount pharmaceuticals.

I had a guy show up here in the country two summers ago. . .I have really good hearing, and heard someone out in the side yard near the barn where I store the tiller, mower, etc. I stuck my 1911 into the front of my waistband, covered by an unbuttoned shirt, my cellphone in my pocket, and went out the door on the other side of the house to first get the license off of his truck, and then, to come up on him from a direction he wouldn't expect. When I cleared my throat to announce my presence, he levitated three feet off the ground. I asked if I could help him, and he mumbled some BS about looking for Donna's place. There is no Donna within a half mile of my farm. So, I suggested that perhaps he had gotten lost, and maybe I should call one of the local deputies who might know who he was looking for and could give him directions, while flipping open the cell phone (with my left hand ). He said he had another friend who would have directions, and that my help wasn't necessary, so I suggested that in that case, he could leave now. I stood there arms folder while he walked briskly back to his truck, and spun gravel leaving. I never produced the weapon, but I think he understood that I was armed. In this neighborhood, that would be a reasonable presumption on his part.

The only thing I regret about this is not having followed-through and reported this to the Sheriff. I think you did the right thing.


Bullseye

 

[DeadAye]

Ya yell at a salesman *Hold On* and he leaves? I don't think so.
You did the right thing. And You may have saved someone else from a very bad evening.

 

[oldman45]

I do not answer my door without being armed and will not open my door directly to anyone I do not know after dark.

You did fine and calling the police was a good thing. Police get paid to deal with such and you may have prevented a crime. Often people will come to a home once under other pretenses only to return at a later date to commit illegal acts.

 

[anomad]

Sounds like you'd make a good neighbor.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

If I am reading your post correctly, you would have run armed out of the back door regardless of who it may have been, whether it was a young man dressed in a Boy Scout uniform or a LEO, right? You just heard a knock at the front door, grabbed your coat (you were already armed because you wear a sidearm all the time in your home) and fled out the back door. Is this right?

 

[cmort666]

I wouldn't have gone outside or opened the door.

A few weeks ago somebody knocked on my door claiming to the police and I didn't open the door to them.

We have castle doctrine in Ohio, but only in your home or vehicle.

I'd have told the guy I wasn't interested. If he persisted, I'd have called the cops and let them deal with him. If he forced his way in, I'd shoot him.

I ALWAYS have a loaded firearm if I'm going to have to confront strangers in or around my home.

 

[Bratastic007]

Seeing as how you didn't draw down on him or anything, I'd say you did fine.

If he was legitimately selling something door to door, he should have a solicitor's license from the city to do so (at least in my town he would). With or without a license, I'm sure the police would be able to tell if he was legit or not. They have a pretty keen sense for sniffing out BS.

In any case, keep your guard up. If he was a bad guy, now he and his buddies know you have a gun.

You may call the police just to ask what actions they took in response to your call. Those are details they should be willing to share.

 

[David LaPell]

One of the big thing that is always on the news around here is fake salespeople, fake contractors, etc. Sometimes they scam you using a pen to get a check, and other times while one is talking to you, the other is either casing the place or robbing you blind. A good ploy is that when one is in the house, the other asks to use the bathroom. Instead they are pocketing every little thing left not nailed down.
In the more urban areas, alot of home invasions where someone answers the door two or three others are hiding and then bullrush the door.
I can remember back when I was about 20 or so, I had one pistol, a Llama .45 Government Model clone. It was about midnight on a Saturday night and I lived at home with my parents then in a large trailer park. Our trailer was at the corner as you come in the park and there was a row of tall hedges that bordered the road. I had gone to bed and before my Mom was going to bed she came in and asked me to come out to the kitchen. All the lights in the house were out except one in the kitchen and she asked if there was something in the hedges. Sure enough there was a grown man squatting in the hedges looking at the house. I figure he was either going to make a run on the house or the cars. I went in put on my holster and the .45, opened the door and walkout out and stood on the sidewalk in front of the house. I simply took that .45 out and racked the slide. That guy could have won the Olympic 100 yard dash. If I didn't get in trouble for something like that, you're fine.

 

[ladder13]

I wouldn't have gone outside or opened the door.

I'd have told the guy I wasn't interested. If he persisted, I'd have called the cops and let them deal with him. If he forced his way in, I'd shoot him.

Me too. No way I would have gone outside.

 

[truckemup97]

JcMack, sounds like ya done good, to me. There's a house for sale around the corner if you're wanting to move. I'd be proud to have you as a neighbor.

 

[the_hustleman]

I am 64, I'm having enough trouble getting around that I now have handicapped plates on my truck. There's been burglaries but to my knowledge no home invasions (people home) in this neighborhood yet. I live alone and have taken to wearing a Colt DS all the time.. Last night about 6:30 (well dark by then) someone came banging on my front door. People never come to my door. I yelled through the door "hang on", grabbed my coat and hat and went out the back door. I walked between my place and the neighbors house and the guy was walking accross my driveway headed towards the neighbors house. He sees me and starts towards me about 20 feet away. I stood still and he's sayin something like "I'm selling". I told him stop but he kept on comming. So I pulled my coat back, displayed I had a gun, and told him to get out. He stopped and told me " You don't need to be pullin no gun". I just told him leave. He left, and went back in and called the neighbor. She said he'd been there and had just left. I called the police non emergency number and described the guy who was wearing typical gang looking cloaths with a watch cap. Police were there in nothin flat and neighbor told me they had him by their car. I don't know what happened. I expected police knocking at my door but it didn't happen. In the cold light of dawn I'm thinking maybe I over reacted.

I don't see anything wrong with what you did.

You have to be careful and the last thing you need is for some gang banger to cause you harm.

If you catch him in your home though, I'd suggest you not hesitate in shooting him!

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using tapatalk!

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
In my opinion you made a BIG Mistake! you left the safety and security of your home and went outside where a possible threat was.
Inside your home is just you and you know your way around.
Outside in the dark you have negative idea how many persons are waiting or where they might be hiding.
Stay inside your secure house and telephone neighbors, police, etc.
Being armed and having a on body cell phone at all times is a GREAT IDEA.
Have you considered a barking dog?
Jimmy

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Hi:
In my opinion you made a BIG Mistake! you left the safety and security of your home and went outside where a possible threat was.
Inside your home is just you and you know your way around.
Outside in the dark you have negative idea how many persons are waiting or where they might be hiding.
Stay inside your secure house and telephone neighbors, police, etc.
Being armed and having a on body cell phone at all times is a GREAT IDEA.
Have you considered a barking dog?
Jimmy

Ditto..............