Springfield XD Forum banner

A "Shoot or No Shoot" scenario: What would you do?

9K views 48 replies 40 participants last post by  gunny212 
#1 ·
We've all had the thought about a nutcase breaking down our door looking to rape your couch, eat your pizza, and ruin your day, right? We've each gamed out how we'd react to an intruder, and it usually ends with them staring down the barrel of your home defense gun...

So I just had a thought about a less-obvious "shoot or don't shoot" scenario, a "what would you do?"

You're downstairs in the kitchen having a midnight snack, and your two or three family dogs are "there to help." Their attention is focused on you when there's a violent banging on the door. A loud, and possibly inebriated man is beating your door down, shouting profanities, threats, etc.

The dogs go completely ape, and they charge the door barking like the zombiepocalypse has finally arrived. You retrieve your handy XDm/Glock/SIG and right as you do, the knucklehead outside shoots through the door...

And kills your dogs.

How do you respond? This is a toughie, because we're taught not to shoot through obstacles because we can't see where the bullets are going. You're certainly NOT going to open the door to the maniac, but he HAS presented a mortal threat to you.

Do you:

  1. Engage through the door?
  2. Run for your safest room and call the "first-chalk-outliners?"
Couple of things to remember here - without perfect views of what's happening outside, you can't see if Mr. Genius will be redirecting his efforts at his wife's lover's house three doors down, now that he's determined that he shot up the wrong place. Rounds fired back through said door may, without a body to intercept them, sail across the street into your neighbor's kid's room.

He may instead be trying to figure out how to get in so he can finish the task (and you). If you expose yourself at a window to see, you stand a chance of taking a bullet if he's actually going to enter. Shouted commands at the miscreant may not be effective because he's just discharged a gun several times next to your door and may be deafened as a result.

Notes: I'm not trying to "stir up trouble" with this post and request when the inevitable name-calling and impolite behaviors commence they are toned down. Also, I don't have any answers, but suspect that complex problems like this are the way these things go down, not a simple "crazy breaks down your door" scenario. Gaming out these weird-but-possible situations may prevent us from having trouble because we never thought about them before they came up.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I'd shoot you for posting another 'what would you do' scenario..:shock:
There you go, I got it out of the way..:rolleyes:

EVERY situation is different, just like what has been posted in every WWYD scenario thread already posted..
There are way too many unknown variables in any shooting scenario to truly make an assumptive decision.
Too many 'what ifs', what if it was the police at the wrong house, etc, etc, etc..

But I'll play a little bit;
For the record, his hand gun would not go thru my front door and kill my dogs.
Storm door and extra thick steel front door, good luck with that.
First thing I'd do is call the cops or have my wife call them and leave 911 on the line as the situation progressed.
Also, I would not shoot at anyone unless they were a physically direct life threatening threat to me or my loved one (including my dogs).
I would not shoot, unless I felt MY life was in danger and I could SEE the threat.
I wouldn't shoot at a threat unless said threat was identified.

You do as you wish and I'll refrain from posing again since I have nothing else to add..:cool:

And welcome to the forum, I should have guessed you just joined....
 
#3 ·
Find Cover.
Listen for a moment of further advances of the BG or potentially multiple BG's.
At this point if it's possible quietly check on loved ones and instruct/move them to a safe place. Dial 911 let them know you are armed and will defend yourself.
In most possible tactically sound spot blocking off your loved ones wait for any entrance or further action into your house.
If an entry occurs right away observe signs presented from the drunk sob. Gun, heavy breathing, drunk mumbling, even smell if you're close enough. Aim and fire.
If no entry or if no signs of the bad guy occurs after some time has passed and someone unidentified barges in try to note same signals as b4. No blue and red lights coming in through the windows. No friendly neighbor characteristics or no uniform. In other words you reaaally want to make sure you want to shoot. I doubt you want to announce that you own a gun and will defend yourself to someone that just shot into your home and killed your dogs, but depending on how much time has passed you could try this if you have the drop on the BG. Hopefully they are smart enough they wont make any sudden moments or motions to aim or come at you. Fire if you are forced with no other choice.

Please tell me if I am wrong. I want to know.
 
#4 ·
Drop my Kimber and grab my HK91 and start returning fire!

JK


Not much you can do if you cant see what your shooting at OR WHATS BEHIND IT.

Your kinda screwed at this point unless the perp opens the door.

You could always go outside through another door but that could be looked as bad since you went looking for a fight. But No one kills my dogs and gets away with it.
 
#6 ·
Hope he comes inside so i can shoot the sob for killing my dogs. I prefer dogs to people anyway so he would not be met with kind words or actions.
 
#7 ·
NEVER shoot at something you can't see or see behind- P E R I O D. Call for backup (police) first & foremost so the SOB doesn't get away. Warn the perp that you have a firearm. Get to a safe room and listen for entry. (God help him if he gets in!)
 
#8 ·
It would have to be a pretty powerful round to get through my front or back door. If I were to return fire my 45 would barely make it through, if even at all. A buckshot blast for sure would not make it through.

For me I would wait to see if he would try to get in the door. If he were to get in it would take him so long the police would be there by then.

Get a better door if someone can get in that easy.........
 
#9 ·
if he opens the door and I can see him. I would put him down.
 
#10 ·
My dog passed a while ago, but my dog was a part of my family. You kill my dog you had better leave or kill me, as that would be the last time you would have a chance to kill again. There is only so much crap I would take.
 
#12 ·
find closet, perform fetal position, commence crying...

call 911, find safe place get other pets away from door. See if I can yell at perp to stop, tell him to not enter/go away,...oh and have my XD and 870 at the ready if he decides to enter..
 
#13 ·
Definitely not shoot! Instead I would get my mosin and position myself on the other side of the house from the door, afix bayonet, and stick it thru the door a few times. I have marked out on the floor how far I can extend the rifle before the bayonet reaches the road 100' away so my neighbors are safe. :D
 
#14 ·
I would kill someone for killing my dogs in a heartbeat....in SC you can kill someone on the curtilage of your property....go out the backdoor and walk around to he front anger the drop on him....but saying what id do and actually doing it are two different things....
 
#15 ·
So I noticed that a couple of you claim that certain firearms you, or your potential threat own would not be able to penetrate your doors.

What kind of doors will stop buckshot or a handgun round? Not prodding to be a smartass, just respectfully curious. Where the heck could I buy one?
 
#16 ·
I'll play...

Everyone in my house knows they have a job. First up, it's the dogs. If they are taken out, it's my turn. If i'm out, it's my wife to protect my son. That's how it goes. Of course I think of my dogs as family, but I would not return fire and risk getting shot myself when I still have my wife and son to protect. My wife would already know upstairs to grab my son, the phone, and the 870. I would take cover with my XD, and wait for the idiot to kick in my door. Once he does, I have the element of surprise and he's going to get many rounds pumped into his body. 3 for stopping the threat, and 13 more for killing my dogs...
 
#17 ·
He killed my dogs? In that case I'd go into a sadistic rage and beat him to death with my bare hands.
 
#18 ·
I'd get pissed off, scream in my Tony Montana voice "Say ello to my little friend" and launch a M-203 HEDP round through the door.. Finish my sammich and go back to bed...


***Ambien moment*****
 
#19 ·
So I noticed that a couple of you claim that certain firearms you, or your potential threat own would not be able to penetrate your doors.

What kind of doors will stop buckshot or a handgun round? Not prodding to be a smartass, just respectfully curious. Where the heck could I buy one?
A quick google search (they won't be cheap)....
Bullet Resistant Doors | Bullet Proof Doors| Pacific BulletProof Co.
http://bulletresistant.bulletguard....t-proof-doors/bullet-resistant-door/item-1011
Steel Bullet Proof Door 2-Steel Bullet Proof Door 2 Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.com

I've installed quite a few while working on US Navy and USAF installations...esp. their police stations. Most are innocent looking but will stop most pistol calibers easily.

You can also DIY...steel plates sandwiched in plywood will work great.
 
#20 ·
Re: your scenario, it depends. If I am by myself, I can risk more but with my family I will be more cautious.

Like most though, I believe I will wait for the perp to come in. Otherwise, the police will most likely deal with him if they respond to my 911 call soon enough.

BTW, If he shot through my door, he won't hit any dogs since I don't have one.
 
#21 ·
1 call 911
2 head out the backdoor, and around front.
3 fire on sight, avenge my dog.
it is a kinda far fetched scenario, but as stated before, you kill my dog, I KILL YOU.
im pretty sure there is no need to wait for perp to enter your house.
 
#22 ·
My kitchen window overlooks my front stoop....I'm willing to lose the window. Take aim through the window and fire a controlled pair, center of mass. Repeat as necessary.

This man has purposefully discharged a weapon into my home, he meets all legal and moral qualifications for use of lethal force and I'm not willing to risk him shooting through exterior walls and potentially harming my family.
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
Drop my Kimber and grab my HK91 and start returning fire!

JK


Not much you can do if you cant see what your shooting at OR WHATS BEHIND IT.

Your kinda screwed at this point unless the perp opens the door.

You could always go outside through another door but that could be looked as bad since you went looking for a fight. But No one kills my dogs and gets away with it.
I was actually thinking put family in safe area, have them call 911, and duck out the side or back door to come up on the side or behind the BG to make him unarm himself. The only thing that would worry me is leaving my family in the house unprotected, so I would stay inside with my family so the perp has to go through me before getting to them, and still do all the things mentioned above besides going outside. Honestly my dog is my child, and if someone shot my dog it would not go well for them...
 
#25 ·
These are always fun, and get to just quess the answer. But never know until it happens. I know the first time bullets wizzed past my head, I recall thinking, crap I'm in deep **** here. And I was along with brothers on a no knock raid. And I assuer you I found cover.

So I always think Cover first, depending on who and where family is located in the home, if possible take cover between, right hand trusty weapon, left hand trusty cell phone. And my take, if he enters the home armed, he goes down, and he bleeds out until first responders arrive, I offer NO assistance to him other than making sure he does not re-engage. If he passes before first responders, well tuff ****.
 
#26 ·
Don't know what's on the other side of the door? It's a deranged M-Fer shooting into the house! Sorry, but that's just about all I need to put my mind at ease and return the favor. My house is not laid out so I could, but legally and morally, I can't see much of a dilemma; why wait for further escalation? Ohio's castle doctrine extends to a forcible entry in progress, we don't have to wait on the guy, I think I'd take advantage of that legal protection.

I've ever heard of a no-knock beginning with live fire, so there would be a pretty safe presumption that it'd be a bad guy. Even if it's a case of "oops, wrong house", me and my family would still be in mortal danger, regardless of purpose or intent - dude shooting into the house? Judged by 12 and all that jazz.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top