Thread: You ARE NOT going to BELIEVE what just HAPPENED TO ME!

GOOD POINT, Mr. Lillpop! But, SURELY he would have understood, "GUN"! That's probably one of the first words they learn.
I did call the Sheriff Dept. and they said that, since I didn't request to file a report, they didn't make a written report.

But, I KNOW now that he WAS stranded because his truck was there 3 hours later when I went to check on ANY stranded vehicles in the area. AND, since it DID have a NC PLATE, MAYBE he was LEGAL?? Or, maybe he just LOOKED HISPANIC in the DARK?? OR maybe I am FIXATED ON HISPANICS???

I guess I'm going to have to learn enough Spanish to communicate that I'm getting ready to shoot them!

I guess I'm going to have to learn enough Spanish to communicate that I'm getting ready to shoot them!"

Exactly. Learn to say "duck hombre, cause I goona blast you beer guzzler off yo ugly head!" in Spanish and you will be OK!

BTW, how do you know that was his truck? And just because there were NC plates, means nothing. He could have stolen the truck!

Well, I really don't KNOW it was his truck but I was mainly checking to see if someone HAD broken down in the area which would explain somebody coming to the door at the only house in the area where the lights were all on.

I think I can master THAT MUCH SPANISH!!! I believe, when he sees that nickel-plated Colt .38, he will PROBABLY get the picture!!!

Wonder if the kayak was already in the truck when he stole it???!!!!

I really wouldn't have worried so much if it had been any other time of the day. BUT, what would anyone be doing out (besides me maybe) at 4 AM on New Year's Day and a Sunday at that??? He couldn't have been going to WORK. Well, not unless he is a kayak racer!

THE PLOT THICKENS!

In NC, you cannot legally fire a weapon at someone unless 1. You have a good reason to feel that your life is in danger and 2. Evasion or escape is not a reasonable option.

In general, you cannot fire on someone at the door or in the yard unless they were firing on your house or lobbing a fire bomb at it.

If an intruder is inside the home, by NC law it is usually open season but there are some exceptions I think.

I have had the misfortune of having car trouble in the middle of the night before. Most of the times this happened to me it was before cell phones were so common.

In a situation like Bootsie's, the right thing to do is to either retreat to the interior of the home with your weapon and call the police or...

You could hold your weapon and speak to them through the door. You could ask them what they want and or instruct them to step away from the door and leave the property immediately.

This person approached the front door of a lit house and knocked. Although he may have been up to no good he did approach the house at the proper entrance and knock to alert any inhabitants to his position.

There is an old practice among burglars to knock on a door to see if anyone is home before breaking in.

The thing to do is to stay cool and calm and to have a plan. All gun owners should think through many different scenarios in advance to weigh how they would handle a variety of situations with their firearm or without one.

Everyone should also keep in mind that after reading all of these horror stories from across our state and nation that it would heighten one's sensitivities.

After what we have read and witnessed, any one of us would be on high alert. The important thing to remember is to keep cool, calm, and within the law.

There are several towns and cities in NC that have experienced severe crimes and serial killings this past year that have been targeted towards elderly citizens. I know for a fact that gun sales to retirees is through the roof in many areas.

The police are very concerned about this because many times they have to approach the door of citizens that are both armed and alarmed.

W

Bootsie, I work for the Sheriff's office for my county. I'd like to offer you some advice. Getting a knock on the door at 4 a.m. does warrant a 911 call, but tell them you do want contact from an officer. When you tell them no contact, they tend to blow off the call and don't take it all that seriously. I wouldn't have talked to him, I would have just told them at 911 that there is "an unwanted person" at my door. They perceive this as a serious threat and should respond with priority. Be careful about how you deal with your own gun. Leave the gun use up to the officers.

Occurrences of the nature you had are not all that uncommon in the area I work in. Illegal aliens have been known to knock on door day and night. They have asked residents anything from "can I have, food, water or a ride into Tucson?" This is doggone scary! In some of the outlying areas they readily break into homes for food or shelter. Remember when Congressman Kolbe's house was broken into and they took a shower and took some of his clothes?

"I am SURE gonna change the way I do things." - Bootsie

Yes, Bootsie, always be on your guard and be aware of things going on around you.

Along with what William just posted. Normally the dispatcher/911 operator will have the victim/complainant on the phone and will tell them the officer is approaching the door. Also will instruct the victim/complainant to put down what ever weapon they have and to unlock the door.

I probably SHOULD have told the dispatcher at the Sheriff's Department that I would talk to an officer but, frankly, I really didn't want the Sheriff's Department piling into my house at 4 in the morning. I really did NOT feel unsafe once I got the gun, set the alarm and made sure all of the doors were deadbolted.

My husband was the Department Chaplain for our Sheriff's Department for YEARS and, one time I was talking with our Sheriff (NOT HEGE!) and was asking him what I should do if someone was trying to break into the house since it was against the law to shoot them UNLESS they were in the house. He told me to shoot and drag the body in after the fact! IF THAT MAN HAD MADE ANY MOVE to get that door open, I would CERTAINLY have felt THREATENED ENOUGH TO SHOOT. I live way out in the county and I wouldn't have sat here and waited for a deputy to show up if I felt threatened. I don't think any court would find me guilty if I felt my life was in danger.

ANYWAY--I felt MUCH BETTER after I got out and found that there WAS a broken-down vehicle right around the curve where I wouldn't have been able to see it. I can see why he would have come to my door since my lights were on. Hopefully, after I called and reported it, they did what they SAID they would do and sent a deputy to patrol the area and maybe the deputy found him and called someone for him. But, I would NOT have risked even opening a WINDOW to ask what he wanted.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. I really mean that.

COI--I didn't even call 911 because the man DID leave after I told him that I wasn't opening the door. I just called the regular non-emergency number, told the dispatcher or whomever was answering the phone about what had happened. She did ask if I wanted to talk with an officer and I told her that I didn't feel like I needed to but that I just wanted to notify them about what had happened JUST IN CASE. I just turned on all of the outside lights and kept walking from room to room, with the gun, and checking to see if he was still around the house and I never saw him again. I felt that, by CALLING the Sheriff's Dept., IF he had tried anything and I DID have to call 911, they would already have my location, phone number and the details so I wouldn't have to go through all that again.

I really didn't panic AFTER he seemed to leave peacefullly! And, I knew that all I had to do was set off the alarm and all of the neighbors would have been awakened FAST!

Originally Posted by Bootsie

COI--I didn't even call 911 because the man DID leave after I told him that I wasn't opening the door. I just called the regular non-emergency number, told the dispatcher or whomever was answering the phone about what had happened. She did ask if I wanted to talk with an officer and I told her that I didn't feel like I needed to but that I just wanted to notify them about what had happened JUST IN CASE. I just turned on all of the outside lights and kept walking from room to room, with the gun, and checking to see if he was still around the house and I never saw him again. I felt that, by CALLING the Sheriff's Dept., IF he had tried anything and I DID have to call 911, they would already have my location, phone number and the details so I wouldn't have to go through all that again.

I really didn't panic AFTER he seemed to leave peacefullly! And, I knew that all I had to do was set off the alarm and all of the neighbors would have been awakened FAST!

Yea, I know you didn't that was just a geaneral follow up on when folks do dial 911.
After reading your 1st post I figure you had it all under control.

Bootsie it sounds like you live in the country, I envy you. We live smack dab in the middle of the ghetto. Albeit we live in a suburb, this one is full of illegals and has a big gang problem. We live in an apartment complex and are the only American family. When we have anyone Hispanic knock on our door here (we've had a lot of troubles with them harrassing us) I cringe.
Usually I am never alone. Daytime my adult daughter and her baby are here along with my 12 year old son and 8 year old daughter (they are homeschooled). And then evenings and weekends my husband is here. Frequently my family members stop by, my one brother a lot and he's a former county deputy. But I understand that feeling. Since the neighborhoods here have gone downhill, one place we lived in for 8 years, we were broke into 3 times. The last time we were all home and asleep, and this person came in and was even in the bedroom with us and our youngest (she was under 2 then) rifling through drawers right next to my head!!!!!
I wish I could have a gun, but am kind of afraid to. I am built like a horse, so physically I have a better chance of doing damage with my feet and such than having a gun in my hands, potentially being taken and used against me (this is on the advice on my brother, he said their training said it takes longer to get your gun out of its locked case than it would for the perpetrator to harm you first).
My son has a baseball bat (metal) and I have the swing of a guy, so its my best defense.
I would be worried if I were you though. It sounds to me like that guy may have been keeping track of you and your families times and may have known you were alone and hoped you'd be knaive enough to open your door, thats when he'd have had you!! I realize sometimes people end up in a "stuck" situation, but they should not expect in this day and age someone would actually open their doors to them at that hour.
If you continue to see odd things in your area, get local police involved, could be a few working together to see how easy they can get into places and what kind of hours people have, and on like that. Thats when they also check for dogs, guns, trusting people and such.
All this comes from experience. We have lived in the neighborhoods where this stuff actually happens and with my brothers training and knowledge.