So Today

[Jonnyboy182]

Well, I dont have my CCW yet, but I have been wearing my gun around the house, in my new TT Gunleather Mikes special (brag). Anyway I guess this is the right place for this story.

This afternoon I had just gotten back from the Career Center, getting a few job leads. As soon as I walked in I grabbed my holster and got the gun from my handgun safe. A few minutes after I got home my doorbell rang, looking through the window I saw what looked like 2 sales guys. I opened the door and they introduced themselves as selling something. In my CCW class Sir Gato stressed the fact that our instincts shouldn't be ignored, but trusted. Something just didn't seem right about these guys. I told them no thank you even before they got their information out and started to close the door when he put his bag down IN the path of my closing door. He said "sir wait" and I said I told you I'm not interested, now move your bag off my porch before I call the police. At this time I had my gun out from its holster behind the door. The guys grabbed the bag and headed down the block. I called my neighbor who is by herself during the day and told her not to answer the door. These guys may be harmless, but it was odd. My alarm bells were going off like crazy.

[Scout]

Did you call your Local Law Enforcement.....

This too happened to me and the guy(s) got really rude.....

I called the police after I was through with them.....

Don't know what ever happened......

[Spicy McHaggis]

I don't answer the door unless I know someone is coming over. All of my friends and neighbors know that, so they call first. These guys just sounded like your typical pushy scumbag door to door salespeople that were using a tactic to keep you talking to them.

I would have done the same thing you did... if I answered the door. Although you didn't post what you said to them. Since this site is PG rated, what I would have said to them would have been turned in to "*****".

[brightside]

Did they know you had a gun drawn? Did they see it?

[Jonnyboy182]

Originally Posted by brightside

Did they know you had a gun drawn? Did they see it?

No I had it drawn behind the door. Like I said something was off about them, normally I wouldn't have te gun out.

[brightside]

You did the right thing. You can never assume that it's safe based on what you see out the window. In my city, a guy in a suit rang someone's bell and said he's a neighbor and his son's ball went into their backyard. When homeowner let him in, he home invaded them.

I have an iron security door. When I open my normal door, I don't have to worry. Home depot $80.

[Mtn. Medic]

I hesitate to armchair quarterback as I obviously wasn't there.

But I can't help but think that I would not have drawn my pistol. My hand wrapped around it's grip ready to rock? Absolutely.

Jamming the door with a briefcase seems to be a long ways from perceiving a threat on my life. It doesn't sound like the creepy salesmen were trying to force entry, just hold you captive to their pitch.

No life threat, my pistol stays in it's holster.

[EM2]

Drawing one's pistol does not necessarily have to be precipitated by a life threatening situation. The guys at his door who outnumbered him escallated the situation by jamming a briefcase in his door, his reaction caused no escalation (because the other guys did not know) and caused no harm to anyone.
Thieves will try any number of distractions to get into your house.

[rycerz]

Originally Posted by Mtn. Medic

But I can't help but think that I would not have drawn my pistol. My hand wrapped around it's grip ready to rock? Absolutely.
....
No life threat, my pistol stays in it's holster.

Should something happen, in that close of a proximity how fast can you draw and take aim and take a shot? I bet $ you wouldn't be able to. When do you know it's a life threat? I don't want to armchair quarterback either but if you think about it, it was already a loosing situation should something go south.

Anyways, I'm with whoever posted about security door. That's what I have as well and I rarely ever open it for strangers. My take on this is: if I didn't invite you to come over, I'm not opening the door for you.

[Mtn. Medic]

"Should something happen, in that close of a proximity how fast can you draw and take aim and take a shot? I bet $ you wouldn't be able to. When do you know it's a life threat?"

That's easy. A threat when they try to force their way past me. And there's not much to aiming at 2-3 foot range. COM. point and shoot. The door should have been blocked with your foot anyway.

[rycerz]

Originally Posted by Mtn. Medic

"Should something happen, in that close of a proximity how fast can you draw and take aim and take a shot? I bet $ you wouldn't be able to. When do you know it's a life threat?"

That's easy. A threat when they try to force their way past me. And there's not much to aiming at 2-3 foot range. COM. point and shoot. The door should have been blocked with your foot anyway.

At 2 to 3' if I am trying to force my way in, I am close enough to prevent you from drawing
or if you draw from bringing the firearm up towards the target.

[Mtn. Medic]

Originally Posted by rycerz

At 2 to 3' if I am trying to force my way in, I am close enough to prevent you from drawing
or if you draw from bringing the firearm up towards the target.

I think you might die trying.

But whatever. It was just my thoughts on how I would have handled this situation and they differed from the OP.

[Eirerogue]

The idea that there is a connection between drawing and 'brandishing' needs to be discussed.

The example given was a fine move on drawing and ready. He did not wave the firearm in anyones face. He was tactically prepared.

Once those guys put that bag between the jam and the door, preventing it to close, we went to a different ballgame. From potential vendor to threat.

I can do stories on folks that left their firearms in their holsters and were then killed by the threat they overlooked. Former LEOS have many of these. Life threat? What, you're going to stand there and differentiate what his hands are doing at 2'??? Ever see a good knife fighter?

JonnyBoy1612 gets my attaboy.

[Jonnyboy182]

Thanks for the comments guys, and really, as I said 99.9% of the time I would not have drawn my weapon. The issue was I FELT like they were not right, I dunno if it was the way they spoke the way they smelled or the way they looked, but something was off about them. Additionally, i was outnumbered and although I can handle myself in a fight, I would be hard pressed to take down 2 guys who forced there way into my house-especially if they had weapons.

Drawing my weapon and leaving it behind the door was my way of preparing for a possible forced entry. I didn't draw when I opened the door I drew when they placed a bag in the way of my door closing. Could that have been some harmless way of keeping me talking? Sure, could it have been a distraction so I was focused on the bag and not the 2 guys-enabling them for a quick forced entry? Also sure.

As far as the distance goes-I've read time and time again, that if a guy is less than 2 feet away from you, and they intend to get to you, you will be hard pressed to get the gun out of the holster-lined up and firing before they reached you. I would think if someone pushed into my door it would knock me back, and they would be in, even before I would have a drawing chance. By removing my weapon from it's holster I gave myslef the edge in case they decided to try and push in. Even then it would be tough to try and get a shot off as they knocked me back and down by kicking my door down.

[coq]

If it feels weird, go ahead and draw the weapon. You can "brandish" all you want in your own home.