Investigating Noise Outside Of Your Home

[carlson1]

I guess this fits here. This just happened to me 20 minutes ago. I heard what sounded like someone closing the door to my truck in my drive way. I walked outside into me drive way with my pistol. Checked around my house THANK GOD no one was there. I have done this 1000 times in over 35 years of carrying a gun. It just hit me this is probably not smart anymore. Questions through my mind...What happened if I had confronted someone? What happened if I had to shoot someone? In the mid 80's this happened and I found a man cutting my tires on my patrol car. The look on his face when I placed my pistol in his ear and said "don't move State Police." Well those days are gone as well as my youth. Has anyone ever thought a head of what mountain they wanted to die on? It sure is not over a Ford truck in my drive way.

[flintknapper]

Well those days are gone as well as my youth. Has anyone ever thought a head of what mountain they wanted to die on? It sure is not over a Ford truck in my drive way.

Theres your answer.

With age, comes wisdom.

Don't get yourself killed over property outside your home.

Oh yeah, good morning!

[jimlongley]

Talk about serendipity.

I am in a Best Western motel in Wichita Falls TX. About 15 minutes ago I awoke to what sounded like someone going from door to door tapping on doors. The doors all face the parking lot and the lot is pretty well lighted.

I lay and listened to the tapping for a while, considering what I would do if it came to my door, such as answer naked with a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and was just about to get up to put on my jeans when I heard a series of what might be described as agonizing female screams. They were low enough in volume that they might have been fairly far away, but they were chilling.

I spent about five minutes looking out the window trying to locate the source of the sound, was it maybe a cat in heat getting her day, and then threw on jeans and a jacket and took a turn in the parking area immediately adjacent to my door, with gun holstered (man, do you know how cold kydex and a .45 against bare skin in the morning?) and a flashlight in hand and cellphone in pocket.

I found no signs that would indicate to me that something bad had gone on, so now I am back in my room, pretty cold and I know I won't get back to sleep, and wondering if I should have called the cops. The sounds I heard all could have been something else, the motel is near a highway, railroad tracks and a residential neighborhood, and I was very asleep when I heard them so I might have been making much out of nothing.

At this point I would venture that there is little or nothing to be done, but I will be bothered for a while by the thought that something might have happened.

[ElGato]

Good post, the more decisions you make in advance the better off you will be. I call it building and having a plan of action, as time passes you add to or take out or make changes to your plan, the important thing is to have one.

Tomcat

[jbirds1210]

I worked for the prison system for a number of years; we called it the "what if game". I am sure this is used by a number of professions, but I found it useful. You find yourself in situations and actually feel like you have been there before. Boundaries were set in your mind before the situation presented itself.....There might be a fine like between this game and paranoia, but it is a chance I was and am willing to take
Jason

[Chris]

It just hit me this is probably not smart anymore. Questions through my mind...What happened if I had confronted someone? What happened if I had to shoot someone?

i keep a vest on top of my gun cabinet in the bedroom. i've only wandered around outside the house on just a handful of occassions looking for trouble. my beagles can be heard for miles, so i probably miss a lot. :) i don't carry a pistol though. i have a pretty short shotgun for those times when my being outnumbered in a close range situation is probably pretty good. i also think being armed with a long gun will be easier for the responding police to somewhat identify me, as all i have to do is hold up the shotgun and toss it on the ground for them to clearly see i'm being compliant. a pistol is a little less obvious. i will also notify a family member in the house to standby with the phone, just in case.

did i mention there are cameras on my house? normally i don't have to go outside. i can just see what's on tv.

[DaveT]

Considering that legally, shooting someone over property crime is a no-no, taking a weapon outside with you is just in case the perp trys to attack you and take your life.

Don't think that is likely to happen, most perps committing property damage type crimes usually run as fast as they can when confronted.

That said, do I carry when I go outside to investigate a noise in the middle of the night ? Yep. And my wife is also armed inside the house while I am outside checking things out.

My nightstand gun is a Glock 23 with internal lasermax laser and a rail mounted Glock flashlight. The light is extremly bright and covers a good area with intense white light. That is much better than trying to handle a gun and a flashlight. If I do encounter a perp outside, I am sure that the little red dot on his chest will get his attention once the flashlight lights him up. Unless he is a complete dumbazz, I think he will get the message. Even if he runs away, I doubt he will be back again.

The bright flashlight would also allow me to get a decent description to use when I call 911.

This happened at our house not long back. Heard a vehicle in the alley, then a commotion in our back yard. They were long gone by the time I got outside, but as it turned out the police were chasing them. They ditched the car in the alley, climbed over my back fence, ran through the yard and over the front fence as they were running from the cops.

I live in a small town, and I am the former Police Chief here. When the officers saw my flashlight inside my back yard, they were in the alley and yelled "don't shoot, Dave, we're looking for guys that ran from us"........ guess it pays to be well known.

[da.suxor]

Ar myourself, peek out window, verify if there is an intruder in the yard, turn on your exterior lights, have wife unit call 911, wait. Unless your life is in danger, don't get crazy. The vehicle is insured (at least it should be).

[KBCraig]

Has anyone ever thought a head of what mountain they wanted to die on? It sure is not over a Ford truck in my drive way.

Well, I sure can't blame you for that. Now, if it was a shiny new GMC...

There are several hills on which I'll gladly take my last stand. Protection of my wife and children is first, of course. A Katrina-style confiscation would, theoretically, be another. "Theoretically", because I'd put up a reasonable fuss over the gun or two that they took, and even the couple they might find if they searched. And then I'd retrieve some more guns. But if I was down to one or two guns with looting and rampage going on all around me, I'd go down fighting.

I believe felony theft justifies deadly force (morally, not always legally). Stealing my stuff is stealing the portion of my life that I worked for it, or the portion of my life that represents the value that I place upon it. Sure, you could get a new truck in exchange for six months' pay, but those are your six months. If you only had six months to live, wouldn't you defend your life to keep those six months?

But, it's not always practical to suffer the consequences of using deadly force over property. Insurance will probably replace the truck, but it's not going to cover the legal bills, lost work, stress, etc., that accompanies the criminal and civil fallout.

Kevin

[JLaw]

But, it's not always practical to suffer the consequences of using deadly force over property. Insurance will probably replace the truck, but it's not going to cover the legal bills, lost work, stress, etc., that accompanies the criminal and civil fallout.

Kevin

My thoughts exactly. I'll let the truck get stolen. That IS what insurance is for. It is not worth taking a human life over a vehicle. I WILL defend against a personal attack in my home or elsewhere against my wife, son or myself, but I have no intentions of gunning down a scumbag and spending tens of thousands of dollars defending my actions on something that can be replaced. In other words, I'll let the insurance company get the shafted instead of myself!!

JLaw