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This might be better in General, or Off-Topic... please feel free to move the thread!

I always carry at 4:00 in a tucked IWB holster. I was having dinner w. the family last night, after dark. Doorbell rings.

I get up to go answer the door, and pull my shirt tail out from over the pistol, and tuck it behind the holster as usual. Nothing paranoid, just routine.

As I'm just beginning to open the door, and before I get a complete view of the caller, he booms out with, 'Black Guy! Don't shoot!'

Yup, it's a black dude, wearing ill-fitting khakis, a dress shirt, and a sweater vest. Really? A sweater vest? He's going for funny and disarming with this line, and trying to dress respectably, so I don't perceive a threat. At the same time, his outfit looks a little more like a costume than something that's really 'him'.

Given that I've got my pistol ready to go, and he opens with this line, my brain experiences a complete overload/vapor lock of all the possible responses I could give him. I'm completely at a loss! I finally manage a polite/friendly, 'If you only knew... I'm having dinner, and I'm not interested.'

I close the door, and go back to the family. They're all just as flabbergasted as I am, and we start howling with laughter. They all think I should have pulled my pistol to show the guy just how on-point he was, but I couldn't do that to him.

It was a very weird/funny moment.

:-)

Let me guess, he was selling magazine subscriptions to sponsor his (insert extracurricular scholastic event) team in their quest to go to "nationals" this year. We get those types of folks a lot. One guy got so upset with me after I basically said "busy, not interested" and closed the door that he yelled something through the door at me (something not fit for 9-year-old's ears).

I threw the door back open (which I now realize was probably a mistake) and yelled back as he was walking down the driveway "What did you say to me?" That's when his friend who was schleping the same line across the street joined him in the street and the nice sweater-vest exteriors quickly gave way to the tough-guy street-slang macho talk. They stood in the street inches from my property line yelling "come out here on the street and say something to us, punk" or at least that's the most G-rated version I can type here.

I was pocket carrying at the time, and casually put my hand in my pocket and onto the grip of my revolver (best part about pocket carry - hand in your pocket and they have no idea how quickly you can draw from that point if - God forbid - you ever had to). I told them "you're threatening me inches away from trespassing on my property. I'm calling the police now (cell phone was in my other hand - which I showed them). I'll let them deal with you."

Went back inside, but kept an eye out through the peephole and saw them quickly making their way back down the street, not stopping at any more houses. I did call police and basically just said "there are some people illegally soliciting in our neighborhood (city has an ordinance - permit required to solicit door-to-door), one of them started mouthing off to me from the street after I told them I wasn't interested, told him I was calling police" then gave the dispatcher a description of the two. She told me they'd send a squad car. Never heard anything more about it.

cougartex wrote:

That line of his sound very familiar. Same thing happened to me. His black guy don't shoot was replaced with," black guy no gun and don't let your dog eat this dark meat-- he wont like it". Had my kahr cw40 in the small of my back un-holstered. He goes through the monologue and I politely tell him no thanks. He starts pushing. I am holding the dog back with my leg.. When he would not stop, I reached around and put my hand on the handle and just left it there. Within seconds he starts backing up and left. Never pulled. There is clearly a no soliciting ordinance in our development and the guy knows better than knocking on doors hawking magazines. I like magazines the rest of you just not the type he was pushing. These guys should know better.

Kinda sad. I think these kids/young adults "hard selling" are getting pimped out by 2 bit scammers. Sometimes they drop 'em off in the morning and don't come pick them up until late afternoon. I've seen them sitting on the street corner waiting for pick up at 5:00PM when it's 100 degrees out in the summer or 30 in the winter. I live in a nice neighborhood, w/ numerous races/ethnicities represented, but you can always spot these kids by their hard sales pitch and lame story. I know all the schools/activities around here and in most of my county. Their story never seems to add up.

Anyway, I usually look through the peephole before I answer and then if I don't recognize the caller or if it's not clearly a girl scout or something, I usually just leave my storm door (glass) locked and ask them what they want. Most of the service type vendors (lawn/pool/roofing,etc) around here have a practice of standing back about 10' from the door and then make their pitch. I think that's a polite thing to try to avoid getting in your face. If it's after 9:00PM and I don't recognize the caller, I often answer with a .357 revolver visible IWB, or if really late, with it in my hand, pointed down.

Well, if they're really selling you junk, then you know that they're not robbing houses. I usually just give them a couple of bucks because I want to support inner city youths who do honest work, but I don't buy anything because it's usually some nasty "peanut brittle" or stale generic chocolate. However, I have to see the junk that they're selling. If they're just selling some magazine subscriptions or insurance, then they have no real merchandise. This means that they're probably casing the neighborhood to rob houses. In such a case, I do not open the door and tell them to get lost. If they have real merchandise, then they're probably just honest inner city youths trying to make a buck. I still don't open the door because that is a security risk. I slip a couple of bucks under the door and tell them that it's a donation, "have a nice day."

Remember, the Good Book says that you should be generous. After you've harvested, if there is still some loose crops in the fields, let those less fortunate than you eat that. I do not farm and I don't own any fields, but the spirit of the advice in the Bible is to donate a little here and there to those less fortunate than you, so that's what I do. I invite you to do the same, too.

Amen,

austinrealtor wrote:Let me guess, he was selling magazine subscriptions to sponsor his (insert extracurricular scholastic event) team in their quest to go to "nationals" this year. We get those types of folks a lot. One guy got so upset with me after I basically said "busy, not interested" and closed the door that he yelled something through the door at me (something not fit for 9-year-old's ears).

I always try to leave it at that. Better to let them vent their anger and forget about the 100th household that rejected them than to stand out in their mind so they can come back and vandalize your property later.

Several years ago we were in a remote campground in our 5th wheel outside of Blanco. Well after dark, there was a knock on the door. We both got the at the sound. I stood up, held my single-six magnum behind my back and cautiously opened the RV door {drum roll} to find a little Mexican girl and her mother. The little girl said, "trick or treat".

RHENRIKSEN wrote:This might be better in General, or Off-Topic... please feel free to move the thread!

I always carry at 4:00 in a tucked IWB holster. I was having dinner w. the family last night, after dark. Doorbell rings.

I get up to go answer the door, and pull my shirt tail out from over the pistol, and tuck it behind the holster as usual. Nothing paranoid, just routine.

As I'm just beginning to open the door, and before I get a complete view of the caller, he booms out with, 'Black Guy! Don't shoot!'

Yup, it's a black dude, wearing ill-fitting khakis, a dress shirt, and a sweater vest. Really? A sweater vest? He's going for funny and disarming with this line, and trying to dress respectably, so I don't perceive a threat. At the same time, his outfit looks a little more like a costume than something that's really 'him'.

Given that I've got my pistol ready to go, and he opens with this line, my brain experiences a complete overload/vapor lock of all the possible responses I could give him. I'm completely at a loss! I finally manage a polite/friendly, 'If you only knew... I'm having dinner, and I'm not interested.'

I close the door, and go back to the family. They're all just as flabbergasted as I am, and we start howling with laughter. They all think I should have pulled my pistol to show the guy just how on-point he was, but I couldn't do that to him.

It was a very weird/funny moment.

:-)

I use my wireless intercom system from a part of the house that can't be seen from the door for these situations. It's much safer than going to the door because it:

1. gives away no information other than that the house is occupied
2. doesn't breach the perimeter security (the door stays locked)
3. doesn't present an opportunity to barge in or threaten me with a weapon
4. creates a very noticeable "pucker factor" for anyone who isn't a friend.

Unless I determine it's someone I really want to talk to face to face, I don't go to the door at all. When I tell someone I'm not interested, I simply walk away from the intercom unit. Conversation over.

This approach may not have as much opportunity for entertainment as going to the door does, but it doesn't have as many downsides either.

RHENRIKSEN wrote:Yup, it's a black dude, wearing ill-fitting khakis, a dress shirt, and a sweater vest. Really? A sweater vest? He's going for funny and disarming with this line, and trying to dress respectably, so I don't perceive a threat. At the same time, his outfit looks a little more like a costume than something that's really 'him'.

That's actually a new style that I'm seeing more and more often. Although the sweater vest over an untucked dress shirt with the shirt tails hanging out isn't the neatest I've seen, I do think it's a step up from the XXL hoodie.

On a side note, someone dressed like that called me a clown last night. I resisted the urge to laugh in his face.

you guys sure live exciting lives

Remember, the Good Book says that you should be generous. After you've harvested, if there is still some loose crops in the fields, let those less fortunate than you eat that. I do not farm and I don't own any fields, but the spirit of the advice in the Bible is to donate a little here and there to those less fortunate than you, so that's what I do. I invite you to do the same, too.

My friend, I've been a pastor for more than 30 years and a Police Chaplain for almost 8 years. Please think about this advice carefully. If you give a drug addict cash, what exactly are you sowing? If you give an alcoholic cash, what are you sowing? Helping the needy does not mean we enable sinful behavior. Jesus told one, "Go and sin no more." I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen well-meaning Christians finance drunks or drug addicts who have little children at home starving. What are we sowing when we promote abuse of their children?

May I suggest that if you really want to help, you get some vouchers for food, gas, whatever, and give those instead of cash. It is also much safer to give a voucher than cash through the door. It is always a good clue about who you're dealing with when they react to the offer of food or gas. My brother, the "Good Book" says a lot of things, but I should point out that it also reminds us to be "wise as serpents." Consider carefully what you sow.

Sorry for the OT here but panhandling seems to be an epidemic right now. Being wise in dealing with them is essential.

PeteCamp wrote:

Sorry for the OT here but panhandling seems to be an epidemic right now.

I wonder why that is, you reckon it has anything to do with unemployment?

I've had the "buy a magazine and send my team to nationals" kids come by. One pair implied they lived in the neighborhood-just down the street, but couldn't seem to recall which house. Now, I don't personally know all the teenagers in the neighborhood, but I can at least recognize those who I see weekly.

More recently, twice now I have had someone ring the doorbell (after dark) and then step back off the stoop and into the shadows. If I can't see a face through the peep-hole, I don't even acknowledge-the dogs usually do enough of that for me. After one of these encounters,I typically send the barkiest dog out back to raise a ruckus as well.

The few times I have been caught with the interior door already open and I go to the screen door, i've not discouraged the dogs from doing their Cujo imitations: slamming into the door and slinging spit. This tends to make most folks not want me to open the door.

Tass

RHENRIKSEN wrote: I get up to go answer the door, and pull my shirt tail out from over the pistol, and tuck it behind the holster as usual. Nothing paranoid, just routine.

I like the idea of openly carrying when you answer the door. That should definitely let them know to keep moving if they are casing the place out. I may start doing that myself, but it just occurred to me as I was reading you post, could someone call the police and try to get you for branishing? I know it seems ridiculous, but we live in such a touchy society.