What would you do with an intruder at the door?

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captainfearnot
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What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by captainfearnot »

Just curious if the members of this forum agree with how this man handled a possible home invasion scenario he found himself in.
LOS ANGELES — I was working at my desk the other day, overlooking my front yard, when I saw a man walk by the window and around the corner toward the back of the house. He was in his late 20s, wearing a rumpled gray sweatshirt; I’d never seen him before.

I waited, expecting him to come back around, since there is no other way out. When, after a few minutes, he didn’t reappear, it dawned on me he could be a burglar. There had been postings on Nextdoor.com about break-ins. I looked out the back window and saw him, systematically peering into windows.

Like many Americans, my first instinct was to grab a gun.

What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Dave62
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Dave62 »

Because of where I live I would invite him in and give him something to eat or drink. Then I would give him directions for where he needed to go because he would obviously be lost. It's happened before.

brianj
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by brianj »

In dense urban areas, going around back and checking for unlocked doors or windows while peering inside is not considered a friendly gesture.

The author tries to convince the reader that he is familiar with guns and proficient in their use, but then he refers to things like the nonsensical "statistics" that show your are less safe with a gun in the house when someone breaks in. Furthermore, it's pretty obvious that he is an older person so he doesn't have a young wife or children at home who would be severely traumatized by a criminal attack in their own home, and who would never feel safe there again.

As far as what I would do: I would grab a sidearm, putting it into a holster I then clip inside the waistband of my pants, and then call 911. If family was home with me I would have them gather by the front door while I took a defensive position between them and doors or windows a home invader might use. If the bad guy broke in to the house (and this author is lucky it didn't happen) I would immediately draw my sidearm when I heard glass breaking or a door opening (when I move into a house I remove oil and grease from outside door hinges so they all squeak) then position myself to intercept the intruder and hopefully hold him at gunpoint. My finger would remain outside the trigger guard unless or until the bad guy made an offensive move.
Assuming he doesn't break in or leave before the police show up,when they get there I would pull my shirt over the sidearm and greet the police, briefing them on the situation and the person's last known position.

There are very few physical objects that are worth killing someone over. But family members and intangible concepts like feeling safe and secure at home are absolutely worth killing someone to protect.

Matchmaker
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Matchmaker »

I live in the suburbs on a corner lot. I would grab my purse with my keys and phone and hightail it out the front door, heading down the street to my neighbors. Let him have the stuff.

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Yahtzee
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Yahtzee »

How I learned I'm a pacifist. Once as a newly married I had a drunk man enter my apartment while my husband was gone. We were managers and I had to move the sprinklers every 15 minutes so my door had been open. I was so polite. I asked, "can I help you?" And he said he needed to use my bathroom. I told him sorry, he couldn't. He insisted and started to walk towards my hallway. I stood in his way and guided him out my front door. Not once did I even think to grab a gun or knife. Once I shut the door it dawned on me had badly that could've gone and I called the police.
Maybe it's because he didn't forcibly enter or because I was used to drunk idiots from high school, but I've often wondered why my first instinct was verbal response instead of physical.
Now I'm a mama bear and think things would be different. But I wonder.

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Rose Garden
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Rose Garden »

I think I would have probably called to him out the window, asked him what he wanted. Then I would have decided what to do next based on his reaction. If he ran off, I'd have no need to do anything further.

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SmallFarm
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by SmallFarm »

People know to leave us alone. :)

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shadow
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by shadow »

The authors story is a bit lame. I see no reason to have shot the man either. Not all incidents are the same. If the author had been in a different situation maybe he'd use deadly force. I hope for his daughters sake, if he even has a daughter, that a Brian David Mitchell type person doesn't brake into their home. What would he do then, yell? Beg? Ask what his intentions are? Not all intruders are looking for prescription drugs. Some want sex from your wife and/or daughter. It's not for me to guess the intruders intentions. The fault lies with the intruder. Sure, if I'm home alone and I see something suspicious like in the story, then calling 911 and getting out could be a good idea. But what if you didn't see him coming and you have family throughout the house? I'd pull the gun on him and I wouldn't second guess shooting him if he makes any sudden moves. I'd rather he second guess his actions in the spirit world than me.

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David13
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by David13 »

Meili wrote: March 26th, 2017, 9:54 am I think I would have probably called to him out the window, asked him what he wanted. Then I would have decided what to do next based on his reaction. If he ran off, I'd have no need to do anything further.

You're going to ask him what he wanted? Do you think he'll be honest with you?
You know, every thief is also part con man. All he wants is to use the bathroom. You say oh, ok, and let him in. Next thing you know he has his hands around your neck and half your clothes off. Or your daughter.

What could he want in your back yard? He was going to wait for the bus? The bus stops back there?

He was up to no good, that's obvious. Now how bad his intentions are, that's a different issue.
But they play upon your naivete. So you have to be more situationally aware.
dc

Kitkat
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Kitkat »

When I was in high school my mom woke me up because she was pretty sure someone was in our house. She was hearing noises. My dad was out of town, so she knew she had locked all the doors. She could see from her,bedroom a door was open. She handed me the phone and said, if I tell you to - call 911. She went Downstairs to investigate. I am embarrassed to say I got the giggles. I couldn't stop laughing. It ended up being a stray animal that had wandered in because my brother went out after it was dark to get something and left the door open.

With that said, as the previous poster mentioned, I am also now a mama bear and I am pretty sure I wouldn't be giggling this time.

I never open the door unless I know who it is.

We had a man come to our house at midnight. We asked who it was through the door and he told us that his gps said his phone was at in house, so could he please come in and look for it. We told him he needed to leave and if we found his phone we would drop it off at the police station.

I err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting my family.

FamilyFunnyFarm
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by FamilyFunnyFarm »

I have large dogs so I really don't worry. Even the ups guy refuses to get out of the truck and usually dumps packages in the driveway if they see one of them.

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Rose Garden
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by Rose Garden »

David13 wrote: March 26th, 2017, 3:51 pm
Meili wrote: March 26th, 2017, 9:54 am I think I would have probably called to him out the window, asked him what he wanted. Then I would have decided what to do next based on his reaction. If he ran off, I'd have no need to do anything further.

You're going to ask him what he wanted? Do you think he'll be honest with you?
You know, every thief is also part con man. All he wants is to use the bathroom. You say oh, ok, and let him in. Next thing you know he has his hands around your neck and half your clothes off. Or your daughter.

What could he want in your back yard? He was going to wait for the bus? The bus stops back there?

He was up to no good, that's obvious. Now how bad his intentions are, that's a different issue.
But they play upon your naivete. So you have to be more situationally aware.
dc
:D I knew I'd get a rise out of someone. O:-)

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David13
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Re: What would you do with an intruder at the door?

Post by David13 »

Meili wrote: March 27th, 2017, 10:58 am
David13 wrote: March 26th, 2017, 3:51 pm
Meili wrote: March 26th, 2017, 9:54 am I think I would have probably called to him out the window, asked him what he wanted. Then I would have decided what to do next based on his reaction. If he ran off, I'd have no need to do anything further.

You're going to ask him what he wanted? Do you think he'll be honest with you?
You know, every thief is also part con man. All he wants is to use the bathroom. You say oh, ok, and let him in. Next thing you know he has his hands around your neck and half your clothes off. Or your daughter.

What could he want in your back yard? He was going to wait for the bus? The bus stops back there?

He was up to no good, that's obvious. Now how bad his intentions are, that's a different issue.
But they play upon your naivete. So you have to be more situationally aware.
dc
:D I knew I'd get a rise out of someone. O:-)
I wouldn't call that a "rise". I didn't intend it to be any such thing.
Just some legitimate questions that I think you need to ask yourself.
dc

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