Stranger knocking at door at night. What would you do?

[Jeeebus]

so it's legal to kill people in US homes, even if they are not a threat?

Most people don't break into your home at night just to sit in your chair, eat your porridge, and sleep in your bed. And if they do, you have every right to maul them.

 

[waggy]

I have had it happen. at our last farm house we had some kids knock on the door at 11pm. I looked out a side window where you could see the front door. 2 kids who looked like they seen a ghost.

went and asked what was wrong. seems they hit a deer and went into a cornfield a little bit down the road. they didn't have phones.

poor kids. they were pretty shaken up.


where i live now if someone is banging on my door odds are its a naighbor so at the leas ti would peek out and see who it is before i open it. To be honest if its someone intent on harming us not answering the door is not really going to matter.

 

[pontifex]

Bad idea.

Yeah the scenarios are forced, but reflects what beat cops have seen in real life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD3zIA6vJkQ

yep, tons of incidents where someone answered the door and the person (or persons) rushed in.

 

[onza]

so it's legal to kill people in US homes, even if they are not a threat?

Are you going to give them a beer? Remember the topic in discussion?

 

[twinrider1]

so it's legal to kill people in US homes, even if they are not a threat?

No, it is not legal.

And it's not whether they really are a threat, it's whether the homeowner perceives him as a threat. In many states, you have no obligation to retreat from a threat, but there still has to be a perceived threat to justify deadly force. Pretty easy to establish, sure, but still a requirement.

Drunk guy walks in your door and passes out on the couch. You don't get to shoot him as he sleeps.