I’ve answered my door many tines off-duty with a gun in one hand, hidden behind the door and pointed at the ground.
Never once have I answered my door with a gun immediately pointed at someone. I might only do that if I know it’s a person who has a grudge against me.
If I’m out doing knock & talks, canvassing a neighborhood for whatever reason, and someone answers the door with a gun pointed at me I’m going to draw down and defend myself.
If they are all moron police then explain to me exactly how the police should’ve known (in a split second) that the guy aiming the gun at them wasn’t going I shot them?
The idiot could’ve easily had the gun in hand concealed by the door and he’d still be alive. It was his responsibility to assess the threat before he aimed in.
If I hear a noise in my front yard in the middle if the night I don’t just run outside and immediately start shooting randomly.
Wow. Your cogent post changed my mind on this one. Still think the cops were being too agressive, but your points are VERY well stated and taken!
Dido, once someone was banging on my garage door and i hit the open button and he was looking at the barrel of a 357. lol, scared the &&&& out of him. I invited him in for beer and told him not to do that ever again. One beer and then ok, bye. Have not seen him since.
Good point, the article says the man answered the door with “his gun drawn at” the deputies.
I take it to mean he aimed in on the police, and that’s just asking to be shot. If the perceived threat is that severe, then don’t open the damn door.
However, my faith in the media to get the story right is pretty low. What if they just saw a gun in hand, not pointed at them?
The story also says the police didn’t self identify. Did remain silent to a “Who’s there?” query? Did they say anything?
There are many scenarios that might make things murkier than it appears as reported.
We don't know if the guy pointed a gun at anyone and if someone has a gun pointed at you and you decide you are going to draw and shoot, you'll get two slugs through you before your firearm clears the holster.....unless of course you have extraordinary draw and fire prowess.The cops version of this doesn't pass the smell test and conveniently, the only one that can dispute it, they killed.
The idiot could’ve easily had the gun in hand concealed by the door and he’d still be alive.....
If it had been two gangbangers intent on robbing him and he held the gun behind the door he’d probably be just as dead as he is right now.
Are you crazy?
If you encounter a hostile homeowner, surrendering is far safer than drawing a gun. Apologize for bothering the homeowner, and leave. Drawing down would only benefit you in the very unlikely event that the homeowner would shoot you if you tried to surrender, but--despite their having the drop on you and wanting to shoot you--you can manage to draw and shoot before they can shoot you. Drawing down would get you needlessly killed in the far more likely scenario where the homeowner would quite reasonably react to such a gesture by shooting you, but would have been more than happy to let you leave had you simply revealed your identity and the reason for your visit. Of course, drawing down also has other risks, like being prosecuted for murdering a perfectly innocent homeowner and getting a jury who recognize that an action cannot be legitimately claimed as "self-defense" absent a reasonable belief that the action would in fact make the actor vastly safer than he would be without it. And in the scenario you describe, I see no basis for such belief.