I understand why the OP went to the door and opened it. If you fail to make it known you're home, the next sound you hear may well be splintering wood as either the front or rear door is kicked in. However, opening the door exposes you to the possibility of being either confronted with a gun in the visitor's hand, or forcibly knocked back as he lunges against the door. In either case, he's then inside, you're at bad breath range with a serious threat, and your wife wouldn't know what's happening and would be in a poor position to intervene and help.joe817 wrote:CodeJockey, I'll tell you what I think you did right:
1. had your gun in hand
2. had the wife get her gun and phone and go to the kids room
3. stayed inside your home. you didn't go outside
4. kept the door mostly shut while talking to the guy who was up to absolutely no good what so ever.
IMO, you properly assessed the situation and were on red alert.
If there was anything you did wrong it was NOT call the cops at first opportunity, and opened the door at all.
I would have done exactly the same thing as you did though, given a similar scenario. You showed great situational awareness.
These considerations are why I strongly advocate the use of a wireless door intercom that allows you to assess the situation without giving away where you are or compromising perimeter security by opening the door. It saves lots of hassles and greatly reduces risk.