Do you keep your doors locked at home?

[JLaw]

I'm reviving a thread here. Tonights incident defines why you should lock your doors.

My wife, son and myself were sitting on our couch looking at photos with our neighbor across the street and her baby. Wife and neighbor could see out the window to the street, and commented on a car outside that did not belong to a house in this neighborhood. About a minute later, somebody tried to open our front door, not knock on the door, OPEN THE FRONT DOOR. I jumped up and grabbed the latch to the deadbolt (which was locked, as usual), and held it in the locked position and blocked the door with my body. The young male outside tried a second time to open the locked door as I asked who was there, and he responded "I'm here for Mike". A little confused by the situation, I asked again who was there and his response was the same the second time, and I noticed from the peep hole he was looking at the door, behind him, and at the door again. I responded as firmly as possible that Mike wasn't here, but noticed that he was still standing at the door. As firmly as possible I again said that Mike was not here, and he finally turned and left the neighborhood.

I'm not convinced that this was a home invasion attempt, but this fellow tried to come into MY house without permission, while my family was here, looking for someone who does not live here. I have a feeling this was a young punk, maybe intoxicated, who mistook this house for one of this friends. Maybe I'm jumping the gun on posting this here, but things would have gotten very frightening quickly if my door was unlocked and this fellow came in through my front door.

The good things are that a) the door was locked, b) I was armed (IWB), and c) the young punk left.

Still a little shaken, even though this occured 2 1/2 hours ago. One thing I'm happy about is my wife asked what she should do in a situation like this if I'm not home. I hope my response was correct, I told her to grab our son and run to the bedroom, get her handgun, and call 911 and report a "home invasion in progress". I'd rather let the sheffif's deputy ask the guy why he's trying to come into my house than my wife ask him why he's there.

Keep them locked folks.

JLaw

Diode, I'll probably come by to your shop tommorrow to talk to you.

[longtooth]

Good post & reminder. Good instruction for the Wife. I would have tried to get a liscense # & let the Sheriff visit w/ him even if he did not get in.

[TxFire]

I'll post an embarrasing experience from years ago. My wife and I were newly married and living in a tiny apartment. I had just recently purchased my first firearm, a Rossi .357 revolver. We were going to go out with some friends and everyone was going to meet at our place. Wife was in the bathroom dolling up all pretty and I was in the living room watching TV. This apartment had one small hall that led from the bedroom to living room and had a door to the bathroom directly accross from the front door. Suddenly the front door opens and I assume it is one of our friends. It was NOT! I did not recognize this man. I FROZE trying to figure out how I was going to get past him to the bedroom to get the gun. Now the entrance was accross for the bathroom where dear wife was and she comes out screaming at him to get out now, and he does. Though she used some more colorful language at the time. We later find out it was a drunk friend of a neighbor looking for his apartment.
Leasons learned:
1)LOCK the door.
2) Do something. The gun was out of the question, but was all I could focus on and it all fell apart there.
3) Don't interupt the wife while doing her hair. She may use foul language out of her character.

[JLaw]

I would have tried to get a liscense # & let the Sheriff visit w/ him even if he did not get in.

I tried, by the time I decided it was safe to open the door the car he was in was rounding the corner, all I could make out was it was a small gold car.

JLaw

[Diode]

Good job Jlaw! Glad it worked out. My wife is the door monitor, she lockes it and checks them constantly. Of course I am the dipstick that keeps forgetting

[longtooth]

Good job all the way around. It is a lot easier for us to Monday QB from here after the fact than for the victims at the time.

[stevie_d_64]

Good job all the way around. It is a lot easier for us to Monday QB from here after the fact than for the victims at the time.

The random dunderheads running around these days, poking around our homes, sure do make it exciting doesn't it???

[Venus Pax]

I hope you still called and reported it. Some LEOs are good at tracking down these characters.

[MarshalMatt]

I think it's a habit, like putting on your seatbelt. I simply have NEVER not put on my seatbelt in the last 34 years of driving...even going up the street. Locking your doors is really the same thing. I am so security conscious, that I lock everything all the time. Must have been a warden in my last life...LOL.

[cb1000rider]

I'll be the bad guy. We don't lock the back door until we leave or at night.
We're also completely fenced, gated, with cameras...

[Oldgringo]

Absolutely yes! And once we leave the house, the alarm is set.

Should someone come to either the house or RV after dark, my .45 caliber loudenboomer is in my right hand behind my hip when I answer the door. Why do you ask?

[WildBill]

I think it's a habit, like putting on your seatbelt. I simply have NEVER not put on my seatbelt in the last 34 years of driving...even going up the street. Locking your doors is really the same thing. I am so security conscious, that I lock everything all the time. Must have been a warden in my last life...LOL.

More likely an inmate.

[03Lightningrocks]

[Oldgringo]

[ Image ]

That ain't the only one. Are we runnin' out of new questions/ issues and/or hypothetical CC events?