I woulda opened until I read the thread about the BEK. Now I'm totally freaked out by the idea of a kid at my door!

 

I was about to say the same thing!

 

Criminals know our weaknesses. They are not above using a child to disarm you to gain entry, so if the child is not in distress, don't open the door.

 

For a 2 year old, I am checking the porch through the window and then opening assuming nothing suspicious.

I have a neighbor who's 3 year old wondered off several years ago. We found him unharmed after a 15 or 20 minute search, but the fact is small children do wonder off occasionally. Having children at home right now, I understand this and in fact I am very used to children knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell. Most are between the ages of 5 and 9 and I know most of them from being in the neighborhood, but occasionally kids I don't know show. Having kids around is part of every day life.

Staying aware does not mean living in a bubble, at least for me. I refuse to not help a 2 year old if I can.

 

This is how it is at my house too. Elementary school aged kids come in and out of the house all day long.

I too would never not help a young child in need.

 

It's situations like this that dramatically highlight the need to have a clear field of view from the front door/entry area, without hiding spots.

I'm always armed anyway, always look out the windows first to determine who's there, always use the wide-view peep-hole, and always answer the door armed. And generally I require people call ahead, before visits/gatherings. That mix doesn't catch everything, but IMO it comes as reasonably close as I'm prepared to deal with considering my refusal to accept turning my lifestyle on its head.

A 2yr old child on the porch? After scanning, I'm pretty sure I'd be opening the door. Armed and aware, of course.

 

I'm sure I would open the door for a child. I'm always armed and try to stay aware of what's going on around me. What is BEK?

 

Black eyed kid. Don't let them in :icon_neutral:

 

A child in distress on my doorstep is getting help from me.

If someone is using this as a ruse for a home invasion, they'd better be ready for a gun fight.

 

I'd probably open the door. Unless I'm expecting someone I never open it without a gun in hand.

 

My house is a known safe place. I'm opening the door. I'm staying aware as I always am, but I'm opening the door.

I'd rather die than be so scared to do so that I wouldn't help a kid.

"A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come." - Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

 

I am going to help a child. I am not so cold that I could turn away when a child needs help.

 

I have a delay on my alarm system - I can take my gun or push a button and I get three minutes delay before the alarm is sent. I can push the button and as long as I put the gun back or shut it off the alarm will not go. No matter what, if someone is at my door I am likely to answer it, particularly if it is a child. I will be prepared but seriously folks, we are humans and cannot let the behavior of a few bad apples affect the way that we treat others.

The golden rule - if this was YOUR two year old - what would you HOPE someone would do if she was lost?

 

When I was a kid the "safe" houses had painted hand prints in the windows. They were the homes of other elementary school kids.

I don't know how they made sure but back then most everyone was safe and friendly.


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If your wife is home, leave the kid with her and walk over to your neighbors to see if anyone is short one kid. If you're by yourself, take the kid with you. If a quick walk around the immediate neighborhood doesn't locate the parents, go back home and call the local authorities, at which point it becomes their problem and no longer yours.

 

No offense but I know my neighbors kids I would hope you do to. I would just call the police myself and go from there. My thought is if your walking around with the child it might invite trouble. You just never know anymore. It just covers you better at least the call has been made to proper channels.

 

I'm opening the door. I won't turn away a child. Obviously I will scan before opening. And if it is someone using a child just to gain entry I will be sure to savagely do harm to them, the bg not the child

 

Not I. I live in a 55+ gated community. I'm not saying it's an alien, but... :wink:

 

You look great for your age, I have to say.

 

I would go outside but from the back or side door an come up behind so i could check the area. Than help the kid. Before i went out i would call police.

 

No way I wouldn't help the kid. I've got grandskids about that age. As for using the kid as a ploy, a knee-high kid is not a barrier for a COM-high bullet going outbound.

 

I'm going to the door, like I do every other time someone knocks on it or rings the bell.

 

2 year old kid just banging on my door? Probably open it with the chain on like anyone else knocking on my door. Tell them to stay put while I call the appropriate authorities.

I'm keeping the security chain on though. Never know when a criminal or a Democrat will use a child for their own nefarious purposes.

 

“Just fire the shotgun through the door”!

 

Ha ha! I was waiting for that one!

 

open the door a little bit and see if there is a problem. If no issue the next question is where are your parents. If it is day time call your local welfare and human service office. If it's night time call the police. In both situations keep the child in sight. Still keeping the door 1/4 ajar. Of course my size 13 steel toe is going to be a door jam preventing unwanted opening. I think that is the best course of action. There is way to many weirdos out there these days, we aren't required to help, we're required to report. No there is some leeway here. For example around my area I can say the police are give or take going to be here within 5 minutes. If your in some back woods place where it might be over 20 minutes and its freezing outside you might legally have to take the child in. Things are complex now a days aren't they?

Although I can't say this is a tactic I would expect people around here to use, it's possible.

 

Take a look around and open the door.

I'm not going to let a two-year old kid wander around without an adult.

Possible branches in the scenario:

1) Someone is using the kid as bait and jumps out and tries to break in. I shoot him or die trying to protect my family for my mistake; or

2) I give the kid some ice cream and try to identify the parents/guardian.


Strangers come to my house every once in a while. Mostly girl scouts selling cookies and high school kids selling pizza coupons to raise money for their sports team of choice. I buy too many cookies that go stale and pizza coupons that often expire.

But I choose to live in a community, not a bubble.

 

when a criminal or a Democrat

I'd rather a criminal......... :rofl:

 

But how do you know? :tongue:

 

Hum lets see. A 2 yr old child fiddling with my door. So many options ive learned over the past few months from various places. What to do??? Ignore the child Im not a cop?? Call 911 and wait then point out the path the child took when they left to police?

Fire my double barrel shotgun into the air to scare the child and any possible other kids or BGS or animals out of my yard?:gah:

Have my wife pee or barf on the child until it leaves???:blink:

Of course Ill open the door for a 2 yr old child and see what is wrong and if I dont know the child call the police to find the parents. The day will never come that I wont help a small child in distress.

 

I would open the door,if i saw a baby.Unless,it's a midget,lol,no where to hide near my front door.

 

I made a couple of replies on this earlier, but on a serious note, I saw a security bulletin from where my wife works on something very similar to this. It stated that criminals were using recordings of a baby crying/child in distress in order to get people to come outside to investigate (render help). As you might surmise they were jumped. You here of things like this sometimes, but my wife works at a government facility and they put it out on a safety bulletin after they found occurences of it actually happening.

 

If a child is at my door. I will open it. If its a ploy to get me out of the house, Im willing to take that chance. They better be ready for extreme violence, because that is what they will get...