I love this!
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Because I live alone, I have a ring doorbell, an alarm system and a big German Shepherd who doesn’t like strangers. Overkill? Possibly, but I still have had strangers come to my door. I had a large guy who looked like he came from the wrong side of the tracks, (sorry) come to my door at night (before I had the ring door bell or my dog). I DID NOT open the door but told him to leave. He didn’t, nor did he say anything. I also saw that there was a van parked in front of my house with other people inside. I have now gone from yellow to orange alert! I do have a license to carry but since the guy was not trying to break thru my door I called 911 and keep clear of the door just in case. It’s just better to let the police handle these things if possible, which they did. Turns out the guy was a door dash person! So why didn’t he tell me this instead of standing there like a big gorilla? No idea!! The point is you just don’t know.
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In this situation, you have a ring doorbell…Use it to talk to the youth on the other side of the door. Opening the door to speak to four youth should be a nonstarter.
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Yes I have an alarm system however we don’t arm it. I don’'t know why. We do keep my doors locked when we are home. We also have bells on the doors and two dogs that bark at everything that comes on to our property.
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I don’t like it but it is true, we can’t shoot after the criminal turns to run. Most criminals are repeat offenders and even though this guy fired at them while they were leaving odds are they will repeat and someone else will pay the price. My question is did they steal the gun they took from the home owner?
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He has a 100% accuracy rate, could be argued as a 200% accuracy rate as he hit two with one bullet…
Very true. However, I suspect, like most of us here, we do shoot more often than the police required training.
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The guy was an idiot to open the door. Nuf said there.
Police training varies with the locality. Some get very little and some get a lot. Our local police have a very good range and it used regularly for training and joint training with other departments in the area. Their marksmen use our club 300 yard range.
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Sorry to state the obvious, but I guess this depends. My local department is only required to qualify once each year, kind of like the Army. But they’re allowed to practice with taxpayer provided ammunition more often. Given the opportunity, I’d be in the range every day. Not everyone takes advantage of that opportunity, for sure.
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In my experience of learning while in the Military, I was taught to retreat (move backwards) in order to reposition to then engage again. So, I have ingrained in me that thought of an armed intruder running away in order to reposition to then engage me again. How does one know if that is what the intruder is doing or not and why wait to find out? If you wait and that is the case, the intruder may then have the upper hand.
As for cops and citizens shooting abilities, that is the individuals responsibility. Yes, cops have qual standards, but they can and many do practice above and beyond the mandatory range days.
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There is also the matter of practing/shooting/plinking vs training, and also the matter of passing a standardized test.
I will wager that the majority of handgun owners would not pass my local agency’s test if they took it without receiving additional training. Most gun owners and most gun carriers don’t train much and don’t compete at any level. Those that do train, even if it’s just running known drills against a shot timer, or who compete even if it’s just a local club level IDPA-style or whatever, are definitely a step ahead. But we aren’t the majority…I’ll wager most carriers have never shot against a timer in the life and don’t really know where they stand
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This example talks about the homeowner literally leaving his home to pursue them outside, shooting as they drove away. This is not a case of an armed intruder seeking cover to then return fire.
Also, something to keep in mind, you don’t get to shoot people because “I don’t know what they are going to do next”…generally speaking (I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice). That word imminent is in so many of the laws and is a big deal here…there’s no lethal force because somebody might do something in the future
In what is admittedly argument ad absurdum, the person behind me in line at the grocery store might be about to pull out a knife and stab me, how do I know they aren’t?
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Good point but I didn’t have the ring doorbell at that time.
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To some extent I heavily relay on my home security system to alert me when something is wrong. I.E. Fire, water leak, entry violation, etc. Alarm systems are inexpensive and easy to set up. They also provide many uses as stated above. I have a motoring service and have a couple separate panic buttons around the house that summon the police immediately without acknowledgement. I do recognize that the police will most likely arrive late so I also have a semi-auto shotgun and a few pistols always at ready. Get an alarm - they are inexpensive and useful for many things!
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Sadly we had to put our guard dog down last week. Cancer. 
He was our early warning system.
Our smaller dog won’t even respond to the door bell let alone somebody pounding on the door. 
Looks like we will need to get a Ring set up now.
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Sorry to hear that.
Even with dogs, though, you still want cameras IMO. Seeing is seeing, and you don’t even have to be home to see + they record
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I think most of the time people open the door because of social conditioning (it’s rude to talk through a door) and a desire to help someone. That door is your last line of defense and it’s a good one. It keep people out and if they break in then their intent is now clear and castle doctrine takes over.
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0200 in the morning, someone knocks on backdoor. We have a central corridor that has overwatch to front and backdoor. Well, the knocker goes to front door. The HH6 and I stack at central overwatch I had 500 Mossberg HH6 9mm Browning. whichever direction knocker enters all it takes is a 30 deg pivot. Good news is knocker gave up went on up the road. It was a great morning for him and us.
This was Sunday morning and our knocker passed out on the from stoop of our church one mile up the road. He was given coffee and an uplanned sermon. I say Amen!! Praise the lord 
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I see them. I have pictures of them, their car on the road, license plates (Plate readers cost about $200.), and have been recording everything that they are saying. This camera cost about $300 with a good housing. These are all things that were put in place over time building the layers up starting with physical barriers at the house and an alarm system. Legal in Texas. Neither of them are readily visible nor are any camera warning signs posted.
I have a visible camera at my door. It does work and costs about $60. It is there for the thieves and game playing cops to divert. Thieves like to paint camera lenses. The real camera is not visible. I tell them where each of them are standing, likely their names, license plate/model of the car they came in, and ask what they want. Advise them that they are Trespassing and that cops have been called.
Staying to this scenario. 1. My front door is a Hurricane Rated Storm door with a lock built in. 2. It is backed up by a normal door hardened with 3 inch screws, long lock plates, and lock bar designed to take a licking.
I never open the door in this case. I am ,however, standing behind it with a 12ga 3 inch magnum 00 buckshot shells. Not afraid of a few punks.
The real reasons that I never leave my castle.
- Fear of a trap. I will have more than enough to help the police. After all, they need all the help those poorly trained people can get.
- Legal liability for accidental injury to 3rd parties in neighborhood (imagine shooting your neighbor working at home on his computer, getting well deserved time with their lover, or simply trying to sleep. Worse yet. Their baby in their crib.) or simply being outside house shooting (almost always a crime and not worth the risk).
As responsible gun owners, we do not want to accidentally make it easier for the Anti 2A crowd to use anything against us. - I have insurance. Doesn’t fix everything. It helps.
- Defense is always in layers.
a. Your first layer is a hard to break storm door backed by a hardened normal door. Never fails even when the power goes out.
b. Backup is the alarm system/cameras with a battery back up. Even these fail.
c. My Pekingese always tells me where any strange person around my house is. A Pointer is another good family dog to alert you to problems including fire.
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As soon as the goons left the house the threat is gone unless they are still firing at you. I still wouldnt be quick to fire because if you miss and send a round thru some Granma noggin a block away you are well and truly screwed.
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A few mistakes there. He was lucky to not get shot and killed with his own carry weapon.