Say a strange car pulls into your driveway - what do you do?

[TrentonMakes]

In America, I think we know the answer.    A 20-year old woman is dead.

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/20-year-old-woman-killed-in-shooting-hebron-man-charged-with-murder-kaylin-gillis-kevin-monahan-salem#

[Kzoo]

Stay off my lawn.

Seriously, this is sad.  When strangers stop at our house it can cause tension.  But I don't go out with a gun.

 

[Bikeguy]

26 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

Stay off my lawn.

Seriously, this is sad.  When strangers stop at our house it can cause tension.  But I don't go out with a gun.

This.

I have a motion sensor near the road for my 150 foot driveway.   I get to my front door before just about all delivery people (FedEx, UPS, USPS) can get there.   One guy mentioned..  'You always open the door before I get there.'   

Once an old beater car drove down the driveway.   I was outside and it didn't take me long to get over there and find out who they were.   2 old friends that haven't seen WoBG in a long time.

[Razors Edge ★]

My wife's car is usually in our 25' driveway.  Otherwise, my car or truck is there.  

But, yeah, it was weird as a kid when a strange car would pull in our much longer driveway.  I'd think the further in the country, the bigger the "worry". In the city, there are no driveways. In the burbs, most driveways and homes are relatively visible to the neighbors.  But in the country, man, I even think twice about where to pee when riding on the gravel roads with mysterious driveways disappearing from sight.

[BR46]

[sheep_herder ★]

Go to the gate, as they are not coming all the way past the gate.

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Go to the gate, as they are not coming all the way past the gate.

Or, if they do, you KNOW it is go time!  

[Kirby]

I wonder how I got a driveway since I didn't have one at the start of the day! 

[maddmaxx ★]

1 hour ago, Kzoo said:

Stay off my lawn.

Seriously, this is sad.  When strangers stop at our house it can cause tension.  But I don't go out with a gun.

Many people do.  If you could ask Ryan Whitaker he'd tell you it's not a good idea.

[MoseySusan]

4 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Many people do.  If you could ask Ryan Whitaker he'd tell you it's not a good idea.

Or Robert Dotson from Farmington, NM. He answered the door with his pistol out, the State patrolman who had knocked shot him, and then Dotson’s wife exchanged fire but stopped when she saw it was police, who were at the wrong house. The location for the 911 call was across the street. And one of the police kind of knew it wasn’t the address they’d been given. 
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-police-shooting-wrong-address-918797ec846aecc911423ecb6a3f925c

[12string]

This wouldn't happen if the strangers in the driveway had guns, right?

[sheep_herder ★]

29 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Or, if they do, you KNOW it is go time!  

Yep!

[Scrapr ★]

39 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Or Robert Dotson from Farmington, NM. He answered the door with his pistol out, the State patrolman who had knocked shot him, and then Dotson’s wife exchanged fire but stopped when she saw it was police, who were at the wrong house. The location for the 911 call was across the street. And one of the police kind of knew it wasn’t the address they’d been given. 
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-police-shooting-wrong-address-918797ec846aecc911423ecb6a3f925c

and the young kid in Kansas City went to pick up his siblings. He went to the wrong house & got shot in the head. Still alive (reportedly) this country has a lotta problems. Did Frank Costanza start all this mess?

[Airehead]

Go out and say hello?

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

I fire up my Tesla (Nikola, not Elon) Lighting Generator and let 'er fly.  As long as they stay in the car, they're safe.

[Dottleshead ★]

Offer a beer. Keep the revolver concealed.

[Airehead]

17 minutes ago, Airehead said:

Go out and say hello?

And if they are bleeding Einstein invites them in. 

[Ralphie ★]

I wonder how much Yosemite Sam is to blame for all this?  

[Ralphie ★]

40 minutes ago, Airehead said:

And if they are bleeding Einstein invites them in. 

Better than shooting them through the door!

[groupw]

Introducing a gun into a first conversation just seems like a sure way to escalate the situation, to me at least. We always joked growing up my dad could arm a 3rd world country. There was always a small bore rifle at the ready at the back door to take out raccoons or possums in the chicken house. We never thought to carry it with us when greeting a stranger. 
Dad taught us to be polite , but aware and guarded with strangers at the door. There were a couple occasions in adulthood where I had to strongly suggest they leave. Never had to escalate the situation. 

[Dirtyhip]

3 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

Or Robert Dotson from Farmington, NM. He answered the door with his pistol out, the State patrolman who had knocked shot him, and then Dotson’s wife exchanged fire but stopped when she saw it was police, who were at the wrong house. The location for the 911 call was across the street. And one of the police kind of knew it wasn’t the address they’d been given. 
https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-police-shooting-wrong-address-918797ec846aecc911423ecb6a3f925c

Same thing happened in MO.  A teen was murdered from the wrong door knock.

Kansas City homeowner Andrew Lester charged in shooting of Ralph Yarl, Black teen shot when he went to wrong house - CBS News

2 hours ago, Scrapr said:

and the young kid in Kansas City went to pick up his siblings. He went to the wrong house & got shot in the head. Still alive (reportedly) this country has a lotta problems. Did Frank Costanza start all this mess?

Yup I was jut citing this.  

[Dirtyhip]

People can not pull into our driveway anymore.  Unless we are expecting something/someone, the gate is closed.  

 

[shootingstar]

Or if anyone ever experiences this, there is an unexpected knock on condo door.

Check through peephole. If it's someone I don't know, I don't bother answering. It happened. If contact is really needed, they slip a little note underneath my door....which other residents in my bldg. do that. Or if it was something legit that I asked for repair service or pkg. in advance, that I was expecting, they would then email or phone me. 

I do know what all my strata board members look like.

Election campaigning door to door, in condo bldgs. at least is not done in our bldg.  We get flyers instead. That's ok.

[maddmaxx ★]

My place has motion detectors that light up the 4 million candlepower lights that wake up the neighbors every time a cat walks through the yard.  Then while they are all lit up and I'm in the dark I watch to see who gets out of the car.

[shootingstar]

I know that people think condos are uncomfortable, etc.  The probability of getting shot in such bldgs. is alot lower because there could be / is higher probability of more witnesses to hear/see when living nearby. Witnesses are alot greater than living out in the country/rural area.

This is also why I like when residents have well-cared dogs at home.  Pet dogs have to be registered via property mgmt firm.

[Dirtyhip]

Funny story about people comin in to our place.  The guy from 3 properties down came up to our property.  I opened the door and he introduced himself and said he owned the house below.   Nice guy.  His name is Craig.  He came in and we believe he wanted to see his house from up here.  Anyway, he went on his way but everynight that I close the curtains I say "Good night, Craig."  

[Wilbur ★]

I get it all the time at my summer home.  From the road, my driveway for the boat launch is very visible  so a lot of people just assume it is public.  When I stroll down and tell them I charge $300 to launch from my driveway they always choose to leave.  No guns required. 

[Wilbur ★]

Maybe @ChrisL will mistake his MIL for a stranger!   

[BR46]

3 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

I get it all the time at my summer home.  From the road, my driveway for the boat launch is very visible from the road so a lot of people just assume it is public.  When I stroll down and tell them I charge $300 to launch from my driveway they always choose to leave.  No guns required. 

A door dash driver pulled into our driveway by mistake with a delivery for across the street. After she ran across the street she came back and realized she locked herself out of her car and it's a total down pour outside. She came to our door explaining that she was locked out so we invited her in to get out of the rain.

It was going to be 30 to 40 minutes for triple A to arrive so we gave her a towel to dry off and made her some hot chocolate while he car was running in our driveway. 

I never once thought about getting a gun...

[Wilbur ★]

2 minutes ago, BR46 said:

A door dash driver pulled into our driveway by mistake with a delivery for across the street. After she ran across the street she came back and realized she locked herself out of her car and it's a total down pour outside. She came to our door explaining that she was locked out so we invited her in to get out of the rain.

It was going to be 30 to 40 minutes for triple A to arrive so we gave her a towel to dry off and made her some hot chocolate while he car was running in our driveway. 

I never once thought about getting a gun...

 @Longjohnwould have let her use his pool. 

[shootingstar]

1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

I get it all the time at my summer home.  From the road, my driveway for the boat launch is very visible  so a lot of people just assume it is public.  When I stroll down and tell them I charge $300 to launch from my driveway they always choose to leave.  No guns required. 

So what is done when no family member is at summer home?  A neighbour warning folks?

[Wilbur ★]

38 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

So what is done when no family member is at summer home?  A neighbour warning folks?

I close and lock the gate. 

[sheep_herder ★]

Think I've told this before, but here goes. One night in South Dakota, we looked out and saw a car driving around in our front pasture. Went out to check and found a very inebriated man driving around looking for a way out. Needless to say we did not let him out, and the police finally arrived. The interesting thing was he entered the pasture through a row of trees. The trees were spaced close enough together that one could not drive straight in from the road. As far as we could tell, there was no damage to his car, so he must have hit the space at an angle that allowed him to squeeze through. Only time it happened while we were living there.

[Ralphie ★]

5 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

Did Frank Costanza start all this mess?

Clint Eastwood.

[Parr8hed]

11 hours ago, Dottleshead said:

Offer a beer. Keep the revolver concealed.

I think this is the correct answer. Be nice, be helpful, but be prepared. And always have cold beer on hand. 

[MoseySusan]

All y’all have explained that it’s not that hard to just be cordial to people. That your gun lives somewhere other than at the end of your hand. It is possible to abide with others. I have to think most people act the same. Drivers frequently use my driveway to turn around, and it’s never raised my hackles. I feel really sad for people who live in a state of paranoia and wonder whether anyone in their sphere ever suggested therapy or psychological treatment. 

[maddmaxx ★]

47 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

All y’all have explained that it’s not that hard to just be cordial to people. That your gun lives somewhere other than at the end of your hand. It is possible to abide with others. I have to think most people act the same. Drivers frequently use my driveway to turn around, and it’s never raised my hackles. I feel really sad for people who live in a state of paranoia and wonder whether anyone in their sphere ever suggested therapy or psychological treatment. 

Well said.  This is a problem with too may of the modern era's firearms owners.  They are into it because they are paranoid And I believe that easy access to guns has reinforced that paranoia.  Everything is scary so shoot first before they come to get you.

[Further]

Shoot back first 

[Ralphie ★]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

Everything is scary so shoot first before they come to get you.

One would think they would give a little thought to how that can ruin your life.

[12string]

13 minutes ago, Ralphie said:

One would think they would give a little thought to how that can ruin your life.

Or someone else's....

This is the problem with media and politics playing the fear game.  It's easy to get people to do your bidding when you make them afraid.  but there are side effects

The odds of that person pulling in your driveway being a threat are probably millions to 1.  Why would that even be a thing to plan for?

[MickinMD ★]

The gun is wrong in so many ways!

I've entered a wrong driveway.

I attended a cousin's birthday party in NE PA, a 4 hour drive from home.  Another cousin who attended the party and lives a half hour out in the country from it invited me to spend the night at her house and I accepted, but her husband warned me that GPS doesn't work well on their road.  They left the party early so I wasn't able to follow them.

So, I got to their road after dark, but the GPS ID'd their address where there was just woods.

I had been to her home during the day on a previous visit and knew what it looks like, but all the houses were well off the road and had long, downhill driveways leading to them and hidden from the road. The closest driveway entrance seemed to have a steep drop-off of 1 foot off the road and I knew that wasn't it.

I thought she was closer to the main road, went back that way, and picked a driveway entrance that I thought was probable.  It wasn't.  I drove down to clearly the wrong house, turned around, reached the road and picked the next driveway.  Bingo!

I'm glad the wrong house's homeowner wasn't a nut!

[maddmaxx ★]

5 minutes ago, 12string said:

Or someone else's....

This is the problem with media and politics playing the fear game.  It's easy to get people to do your bidding when you make them afraid.  but there are side effects

The odds of that person pulling in your driveway being a threat are probably millions to 1.  Why would that even be a thing to plan for?

And yet, seemingly thousands of people are planning for just that.

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

I'm glad the wrong house's homeowner wasn't a nut!

What year was that?  It's amazing how things have changed in a short time.

[12string]

3 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

And yet, seemingly thousands of people are planning for just that.

exactly my point

And some of the perpetrators of that fear are really happy about it

[goldendesign]

19 hours ago, Airehead said:

Go out and say hello?

This. I just searched and had to go back 18 months for my entire county for a "home invasion" crime. Nine months for a burglary that wasn't a car break-in. If I narrow it down to the zip code of my suburbia on the outskirts of rural, I have to go back to 2019 for a single home invasion.  

My gated neighborhood has 2700 homes, I pulled the history and we've had two break-ins reported in the last 10 years.

I loved using firearms for target and sport shooting but I never once believed a gun would be used for home defense.
 

Here is ALL crimes reported in my county from County Sheriffs dataset which includes all other LEO responses for the past six months within a 5-mile drive of my house:

 

I'm willing to bet 75% of our neighborhoods are have similar stats.

WTF are we so afraid of our neighbors? 

[goldendesign]

Hell here's where they consider the bad part of town with all those foreigners bringing down home prices and doing all the drugs and crimes.

 

In six months, only showing violent crimes or thefts of any type, 668 reported cases. Add drugs up to schedule two and you only double it.

[Dirtyhip]

50 minutes ago, goldendesign said:

This. I just searched and had to go back 18 months for my entire county for a "home invasion" crime. Nine months for a burglary that wasn't a car break-in. If I narrow it down to the zip code of my suburbia on the outskirts of rural, I have to go back to 2019 for a single home invasion.  

My gated neighborhood has 2700 homes, I pulled the history and we've had two break-ins reported in the last 10 years.

I loved using firearms for target and sport shooting but I never once believed a gun would be used for home defense.
 

Here is ALL crimes reported in my county from County Sheriffs dataset which includes all other LEO responses for the past six months within a 5-mile drive of my house:

I'm willing to bet 75% of our neighborhoods are have similar stats.

WTF are we so afraid of our neighbors? 

I looked at my crime stats for our town.  We got an F.  The entire town is marked red.  Red being the worst.  There is lots of poverty and lots of theft.  

[Airehead]

I looked up my two. And got this. The city of Where Aire lives, New York does not have FBI Crime Statistics. 

[Razors Edge ★]

10 minutes ago, Airehead said:

I looked up my two. And got this. The city of Where Aire lives, New York does not have FBI Crime Statistics. 

When you're good, you're good! No crime means you don't have to report any stats!

[Airehead]

4 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

When you're good, you're good! No crime means you don't have to report any stats!

What about the drug dealer across the street?