Never Open The Door

Trick or treaters be damned!

Photo by Kasper Rasmussen on Unsplash

Just kidding I open the door for kids on Halloween but in general, I never open the door. Here’s a good example why. Via Coast to Coast AM we have this news report of a well dressed gentleman - hiding a machete while trying to get into houses.

So…Yikes. I always check to see everything is locked before going to sleep and in main entrances like doors I will use a doorstop to make kick ins harder. But what should you do if someone comes knocking you aren’t expecting, especially late at night.

Well, don’t open the door. Ask who it is through the door while looking through the peephole. Now I understand peepholes are a little high for some of my vertically challenged readers but the solution to that is a step stool not to swing open the door.

I usually answer my door with one foot pressed against it and I’m holding a gun behind my back. You may not have a door answering gun at home (I use my .45 LC because it’s intimidating) but you should still bring something, even just a kitchen knife, with you in case someone tries to force their way in. It should be something small you can put behind your back, this is very important.

The reality is when someone is knocking at your door late at night it’s possible the police about to give you bad news. Don’t compound your families bad news by swing open the door with a 10.5” AR with a Dead Air suppressor swing around in some cops face. If it turns out there are (legit) cops at my door I can quickly tuck my gun in the back of my waistband.

Bracing the door with your foot can stop a kick in dead in it’s tracks, but you don’t want to be in a stand off with some degenerate desperate to get to you. Hopefully they will run off after one failed attempt but if not you need to get the door shut and retreat to a more secure room. Retreating initially will show juries you weren’t looking for a fight.

The best thing to do is converse with them through the door. If it’s giving you hinky vibes then with your phone (I assume you have a mobile) pre dial 911 by just entering the first two numbers. Ask the person what they need but make clear you aren’t going to open the door. While this is going on make sure to pay attention to any sounds around the house. Home invaders will use distractions in the front while their accomplices try to enter another way. They will also use children and girls to lull you into a sense of security.

That’s all easier said than done. What if it’s crying children? Or what if it’s the police? Massad Ayoob deals with this and other questions in this Wilson Combat video:

But often in hindsight we see cases where people who needed help and no one most people were too scared:

This is a tough one because if I saw two kids with handcuffs on my porch I’d be leery too. On the other hand they were obviously malnourished and scarred up from physical abuse. Police should have been immediately called and I would have told them to wait and maybe thrown a jacket out a window for them.

If you’re like me you’re almost programmed to try to help people but home invasions are on the rise. Morally you may want to help people and that’s up to you. I get it. But take a look at what people’s Ring Doorbell cameras catch at night and sometimes in broad daylight. It’s crazy out there.

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