House in Nelson, GA (for sale at $112k) (courtesy georgiastatehomes.com)

There may have once been a legitimate program where people sold magazines door-to-door, but it seems like those days are long gone. Someone at my day job was recently in a neighborhood watch meeting where a police officer told them about a gang of criminals who were posing as magazine salesmen in the area and using the choice of magazine (along with a peek inside the house) to plan future robberies . . .

So I was attending our neighborhood watch meeting and one of the local police officers showed up and spoke for a bit. He told us about a group of criminals they just arrested in the area and the story really surprised me.

This group was going door to door. (They came to mine, I told them to take a hike) They were “selling” magazine subscriptions. They would ask the people who were at the door what they did for a living and justify this ask by saying they get extra “points” for selling magazines to Firemen or Police officers. Apparently both groups more statically likely to have firearms in the house.

They came up to a neighbors house who has some mounts in his garage and asked him if he liked to hunt…etc They apparently then asked if they could see his guns. He then proceeded to tell them to F*** off. He called the cops because he felt this was an odd question for magazine salesmen to ask. The police caught up with them in another subdivision, and ended up searching their car. They found cash, guns, and lists of hit no hit homes. Apparently they were gathering information on who was most likely to have guns in the house so they could later come back and rob them of their firearms.

The guns in the car came back stolen from a local Fireman. They later searched the suspects homes and found more guns stolen from a police officer and others stolen from homes on their list that had asked for subscriptions to outdoors (Field and Stream, Handgunner) magazines.

The take-away from this: never engage unsolicited businessmen. It’s the same as opening spam emails, nothing good will ever come of it. If you want a subscription to a magazine, contact the publisher yourself and don’t trust your credit card information or cash to someone you’ve never met.

That, and keep gun-related paraphernalia out of view of the front door. And definitely never buy any of these.

We’d just like to remind you that, in this time of pervasive surveillance and expensive magazine subscription rates, TTAG comes to you free of charge with completely anonymous delivery. Just sayin’.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

123 COMMENTS

      • Since I usually enter through the garage or the back, I think it would be funny to just wall over the front door.

        • I use the garage all the time too. Unfortunately, my wife uses the front door. Maybe I should “brick” her out. Just thinking.

        • The cops didn’t decide to come back with a warrant because of the mat. The mat just happened to be there and it made an amusing story out of a pretty standard drug bust.

          Not sure why you would swap the mat out based on that story.

    • I’ve actually had this happen to me twice in my lifetime. The first time (1974) I was young and stupidly allowed the woman at the door into my apartment. In talking to the woman, I noticed she had no purse, briefcase or clipboard with subscription forms. I made some excuse getting her out and immediately called the police. The police found them, she was with her “boyfriend”, still in the neighborhood trying the same scam on others. The police “escorted” them to the town line, warning them not to come back. As far as I know, there were no reported burglaries in area afterwards.

      The second time (late ’90’s different city), I was home, heard the doorbell ring and went out to the deck where I observed a young man testing the security of my street level condo door. Asked him what he was doing to which he responded “I’m a college student selling magazine subscriptions”. Same deal, no clipboard or briefcase. On the pretext I was going to come down to talk to him, went back inside, grabbed my portable phone, called the police while going back onto the deck to observe his movements. He had disappeared. As far as I know, the police NEVER responded nor did I get a call back from them.

  2. Yeah, advertising that you have desirable, often expensive goods in your home is generally never a good thing. Doubly so with guns.

  3. Ever hear of ‘home-carry’?

    P.S. When greeting someone you don’t know, nor expect, at the door:

    [1] Keep the storm door closed and locked.
    [2] Have a place beside the door you can slip to if the visitor becomes threatening, e.g., pulls a gun.
    [3] Have a .45 cal on your person you can pull and use against any threatening activity.

    .45 cal, because it’s just silly to have to shoot someone twice.

      • The .45 hype has been proven mostly mythical. Bigger wound channel is the only advantage and then that it’s only marginal.

        By that logic just keep a DEAGLE brand DEAGLE or if you’re allowed to, an SBS 🙂

        • Yes, but the effect on a criminal that looking down that huge bore can have is undeniable.

        • legoman, the 500 S&W has the ability to be a good CAR stopper. But for the weight of the pistol, you might as well upgrade to a carbine.

        • If a .45 didn’t get done, a 9mm wouldn’t have. Just saying. A 9mm may expand (or may not) but a .45 starts out at .45.

      • A Progressive Grabber would just melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.

        Oh, the horror.

    • You were making a lot of sense until the last line, when you took the express train back to Idiotville.

      Let me go ahead and head off your reply at the pass. Yes, I’m jealous of your all-around awesomeness.

      {Singing}
      ‘Cuz I wanna be an Airborne Ranger
      Live a life of danger
      Blood, guts, and danger
      That’s the life of an Airborne Ranger!

      • As a nuclear engineer can we PLEASE stop misusing ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ The phrase was coined because a nuclear weapon, through fission or fusion, converts mass to energy. Hence you’re using the principle of ending up with less matter in exchange for huge quantities of energy. Hence, a nuclear weapon is ‘mass (matter) destruction’ it has nothing to do with number of casualties.
        And knowing is half the battle. Go Joe!

        • You said hence twice. Dumbass.

          (Full disclosure: I know him personally, I’m allowed to call him names.)

        • Which is why we should call them “conversion weapons” – like Larry Niven. They convert matter to energy.

  4. I had someone approach me a few months ago trying to sell something. His behavior was a bit fishy, but I was persistent in telling him no. I also kept the door mostly closed, simply poking my head out and blocking the crack with my body. I do that with anyone who comes to my door.

  5. As just a general rule to shut out time-wasters and salesmen, I ignore spam, I let unrecognized phone calls go to voice mail, and I sure as heck don’t answer the door unless it’s someone I know. Unless they’re selling girl scout cookies.

    And for security reasons, I prefer my house to appear the same whether I am home or not. Since I don’t answer the door when I’m not home, I won’t answer the door when I am home.

  6. One of the so called “magazine subscription salesmen” came to my door a couple weeks ago. Asked me if I was the homeowner and I told him I was and he had just 10 seconds to clear the end of the driveway. Took him about 9.

    • Last year I had a tweeker show up at my door with a very worn out magazine subscription pamphlet. He claimed to be selling them to pay his way to “camp!” Camp for middle aged tweekers is called prison and it’s free. I whipped out my smart phone and took his picture. He got nervous and left quickly. Called the sheriff. The sheriff said he checked out. Geez kids look shady these days….

  7. One day a nicely dressed man with an I.D. tag hanging on a chain around his neck knocked at my front door. I opened my main door and immediately scanned the man through my glass storm door. Both of his hands were visible holding a clipboard and I could not see the outline of any concealed handguns in his pants pockets or under his shirt. I could not see his back but everything else looked good. So I quickly scanned around my yard and then stepped outside to talk to him. He stated that he was inquiring with home owners to arrange vacuum cleaner demonstrations. Before he could get into his spiel, he saw my handgun that I was carrying openly in a holster on my hip. He briefly inquired if I was a police officer. I denied being a police officer and explained that I take the security of my family, home, and neighborhood seriously. After another few minutes of discussion, I added my name to their list of homes who wanted a demonstration and the man cheerfully went on his way.

    Strangely, no one ever contacted me to schedule a demonstration. In fact they never contacted anyone else in my neighborhood or ever came back to demonstrate anything to anyone.

    That is the reason for home carry. You never know who will come to your front (or back) door.

    • If you do answer the door, tell them you’re going to take a photo before continuing the conversation.

  8. Aww, you guys have no fun.. Ever watch Second Hand Lions, you’re supposed to sit on the front porch with your cut down Model 12s, ice tea, and shoot at traveling salesmen, just like good ole double barrel Joe says.

  9. “TTAG comes to you free of charge with completely anonymous delivery”

    Free, true, but how can it be anonymous delivery when the NSA has a file on everyone who reads this blog?

      • Well sure, they have a file on EVERYBODY. I was just pointing out that they have us in a special “Gun Toting Teabagger Redneck” file.

        • That’s one hell of a file to be on… Do they cross-reference that file with the former infantry, combat engineer, or EOD files?

        • Now, you know why they can’t solve redneck murders?
          The DNA is all the same and there are no dental records…

    • It has to be boring as hell to stare at NSA terminals all day. We might as well make it interesting. Now that we know the destination of some of those folks, keep the posts about Soviet-era weapons coming. The next guy can stuff the post in his bug-out bag. He might need it. Security Clearance my vss.

    • I know, right!
      I could seriously listen to a salesman go through his spiel trying to sell me a 10-pack of Magpul Gen 3’s or the latest and greatest 30 rounder about to hit the market. That kind of door to door salesman I could get onboard with.

      • I thought it was going to be about undercover police selling 30 round mags in a state with a 10 round mag limit. 🙂

  11. Good scam info to share with other family members as well. As a rule, I don’t trust people until they’ve earned it. If anyone takes issue, I gently remind them that I simply performing a business transaction, and I am (more or less) free to conduct business with whoever I choose.

  12. In all seriousness, is there anything worth buying that is sold door-to-door in 2013? I enjoy talking about my religious beliefs (Christian) so I’ll chitchat with Jehovah’s witnesses, Mormons, etc who randomly show up, but salesman just get a polite “No, thanks.”

    • Growing up we had the Fuller Brush Man stop by the farm from time to time. It was fun. Of course, I was about 10 or 12.

  13. Most Counties/States require a peddlers license for those that sale stuff door to door. Ask them if they have one and watch them twitch when you offer to have the police escort them out of town, lol

    • I actually heard some woman in charge of one of these annoyance call a radio show and complain about the permits. I wished I could climb through the radio and kick her in the shin wiyh my steel toe boots for annoying people at home.

  14. Right up there with the cardboard boxes advertising that new plasma TV at the curbside recycle bin.
    Advertisements to the bad guys on stuff you have.

  16. We’ve had, I am pretty sure legit, people coming to the door here in Texas. Offering to do an energy effieciency evaluation of your home and offer recomendations. I think it is state funded, extorted from the electricity providers no doubt.

    I trust them less than shady salesmen.

    • IF I answer the door, the conversation usually consists of: “Not interested.” If I’m in a chatty mood, it’s normally: “Hi. Not interested.” This is accompanied by my pit bull going nuts behind me. I don’t see very many door-to-door salespeople.

      • My response (to door or phone solicitors) is usually “Is this conversation intended to end with me somehow giving you money? Because that ain’t gonna happen.”

        Usually ends the conversation immediately.

  17. I had a pair come by my house last summer. My town requires solicitors to carry a photo ID on a lanyard around their neck to identify that they have a permit. The summer before, a woman was raped by a magazine salesman, prompting stricter requirements to solicit. The guys who came to my door were clearly shady. When I asked to see their IDs, they got hissy with me and questioned why I wanted to know who they were. One even asked to see my ID, and I told him to pound sand. They tried to persuade me that I was getting a good deal by showing me the ordering form from one of my neighbors (complete with his credit card info in plain sight). In the end, they were both arrested for soliciting without a permit. I’ll never forget how one of them boasted that he was “going to Yale, not jail” when I questioned what they were doing. Real class acts.

  18. In my neighborhood it is illegal to go door to door without a permit from the township. I happen to know that only one company currently has a permit. When someone comes to my door I don’t know, I don’t even open it. I wave them away and call the cops. Generally the cops call back in a few minutes and say thanks. Going door-to-door is simply stupid in this day and age. I assume anyone is casing my home.

  19. My dogs answer the door for me. Haven’t had any problems with the door-to-door salesman.

    • Reminds me of those singing dogs doing “Jingle Bells.” Heck of a training job, tdiinva. “Noof, vwe;ve already got a vwacuum!”

  20. Let’s get down to specifics. The product is called “Advantage”. It is a concentrated liquid “cleaner” sold to be mixed in one of their “special spray bottles”. They claim it will clean any stain out of any carpet, polish driveways, remove rust from bumpers, reverse vasectomies and restore virginity.

    Now for the background.

    The “door to door” salespersons (mostly males) are felons, drug addicts, hustlers, pimps and other inner city criminals. They are “recruited” (often with the blessings of their parole / probation officers who want them GONE) to board a dilapidated worn out unsafe commercial bus, driven cross country as a group. herded into cheap motels (which are then turned into something akin to prisons – patrolled by “sponsors” who lock their miscreants inside at night – thank God) where they get an “issued” clean white shirt and tie (lasts about an hour) instructions on what to say at the front door, get dropped off by vans with no ability to recontact their “handlers”. They are turned loose upon an unsuspecting population to “sell” their products door to door. They quickly revert to their old habits of burglary, rape and murder when an unknowing victim answers their door. They use tactics like “you won’t buy from me because I am black ”

    (No, I don’t want you on my property because you are a criminal – get your foot out of my door before you lose it).

    I know this because I retired from a city police agency in Southern California and had to clean up after this crew. Always same product, same tactics, same criminals, same results.

    • I once had a couple people come up to my door trying to sell me some miracle cleaner stuff that was suppose to be “Non-toxic, Green, cleaned pretty much every thing, etc..” for some troubled youth program or something. Pretty much figured it had to be either a scam, or they where trying case places to rob. There demonstration bottle was a completely non descript translucent bottle that you buy from any store with no labels on it or even the supposed products name. The bottle it’s self looked like it was years old that had been rolling around the back of a pickup. The liquid looked like it was only water. Then to top it off, the woman who was doing the talking sprayed some of this miracle product into her mouth during this “demonstration” to prove it was “non-toxic” In which there was not even a hint in her expression that this “cleaning product” had a taste, which that alone told me even if they were legitimately trying to selling me a cleaning product, it’s capabilities were bullshit claims. I sent them on there way, I don’t buy from door to door salesmen in any case, and if they were trying to find places to rob my front into basically a hallway which prevents anyone from seeing n my place without actually entering.

      Now my neighbor I think may have actually let them into his place. whether or not he actually bought from them or not I do not know. They were robbed like months later, though do to the time delay between incidents they may not actually be connected.

    • I had that happen to me once, sans the rape, local cops acted upset when I told em the White Guilt line, they were upset with me! More White guilt.

  21. My house has 3 dogs and 2 people who home carry, one of which is usually home. I also have a “No soliciting” sign on my front door as well. Very few people have come to my door since that sign went up. I would say that I’m not worried since only a raving lunatic would break into a house with 3 dogs, but then there are a lot of raving lunatics out there, so…

  22. You should always answer the door. I’ve heard time and again that if the bad guys don’t get an answer they try to break in, assuming you’re not home.

      • +1

        But if it is the wrong ethnic match Reverend Al will be leading a demonstration in you community demanding that you be prosecuted because you lured innocent people of color into your house because you wanted to kill black people.

  23. “Someone at my day job was recently in a neighborhood watch meeting where a police officer told them…”

    is a great way to start a snopes article.

  24. Just about all door to door and over the phone sales are SCAMS, Security systems, water filter systems, home repairs, the Answer is NO, and never let the wife or any Child answer the door or phone , Never give any personal information out … Sounds too good it’s a scam or crime search!

    • “never let the wife answer the door or phone”? I think there would be a change in my maritial status, or even worse, a death in the house if I tried to enforce that. But then, my wife carries a Sig.

  25. you should always. answer the door. You should never answer the door. You should always answer the door with your .45. No, you should always answer the door with your shotgun. Answer the door but lock the screen door. Answer the door, but check ids. Answer the door, but keep it mostly closed. Answer the door, but take a picture. Let your dogs answer the door. Put up a no soliciting sign. Don’t put up a “Castle Doctrine Enforce Here Sign.” Dont Put up a “Gun Free Zone” Sign.

    whew. ok. THIS is how you answer the door. Take your double barrel Joe Biden special and SHOOT THROUGH the door with 00 buckshot. Then open it.

  26. Sometimes they can’t all be bad funny thing happened to me, My doorbell rang and usually its my girlfriend with groceries or her hands full of something so i came to the door in my boxerbriefs and it was the Hottest 20 something blonde in daisy dukes trying to sell me a magazine subscription and she noticed my error and gave me a wry smile and i sheepishly told her no thanks and went back inside to laugh the whole thing off.

  27. An elderly patient of mine related a similar story to me recently. She received a knock at the door from a man claiming to be with the phone company. He told her that he was there to turn off her phone since she had an overdue balance on her account. Little did he know that she is a retired phone company employee, and she knew for sure the bill had been paid.

    Suspecting foul play she then told him that she would be back in a minute and locked the front door. Next, she returned with her revolver in her pocket and asked to see his work order. When he couldn’t produce one, out came the handgun, and off went the “employee”running for his truck parked down the road.

    Local L.E. was not able to find him unfortunately, but don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.

      • Elderly folks, especially women, get cut a lot of slack by the local PD. And since they didn’t locate the guy he couldn’t file charges against her. And since he didn’t turn up at the copshop to file a complaint I’m willing to bet he was up to no good and just was happy to be gone from there.

      • Good Question. Here in N.C. its not Brandishing if it occurs on your own property.

  28. I just joined the NRA, and keep getting the relentless mailers from them with NRA plastered all over the correspondence. I guess that’s why they offer firearms insurance, they’ve just let everyone know you own firearms!

    • Yeah, that kind of bothers me, too. I really liked how the Concealed Carry Association magazine came in a discrete plain cover, but then they stopped doing that.

    • Bulkammo, CTD, midway usa all send ads. i am pretty sure the mailman and neighbors have seen it, if they were paying attention

    • My mailperson(s) definitely know I own firearms. Whether they choose to disseminate that information to unsavory persons or not…well I havent been robbed yet.

      • Aw, hell, I live rural and invite the mailman out to shoot after his run on Saturdays. He’s got a kickin’ FNX .45.

  29. I rarely get solicitors at my door, ringing the doorbell drives my AmStaffs nuts and they do not countenance any intrusion by strangers. My friends know to knock quietly. I don’t home carry…don’t really see the need to. I can barely even open the door let alone talk to anyone holding back 3 70lbs dogs. I imagine that would put my house on the no-hit list?

    • For these sorts of scenarios, I think having loud, active dogs is the best deterrent. Letting them know you have guns could backfire and make you the target, or it could scare them off. Letting them know you have dogs that are always ready for an intruder really has no downside in this case, I think.

      • Indeed, I encourage everyone to adopt a bully breed or any medium sized dog. Check your local shelter, it’s probably overflowing with the poor beasts. They are sweethearts- very smart, easy to train, extremely loyal and will guard you with their life if need be. They will also render unnecessary the need or desire to flash your piece to strangers at the door.

        • You want a big dog to protect your house without the liability of a “bully breed?” Get a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. They are very protective and at 90-100lbs scary as $hit when they get aggressive with a stranger at the door.

          Coonhounds work even better because they make a lot noise and can be very aggressive in defense of their territory.

        • YMMV, adopt a dog, whatever dog you fancy brother. Your security and soul will benefit. Any dog will always love you more than itself. It will love you more than your 1911 loves you. That’s for sure.

  30. I work in the land industry and most of my initial contact is done by knocking on someone’s door. Most people are not in the white pages due to cell phones. Have never had a problem.

    I knock, take a few steps back away from the door or off the porch/stoop, keep hands visible away from the body and business card in hand. Only had a gun pulled once and I had an appointment with him.

    • Its always the ones you have an appt with. Always. Beware the VFW stickers…..

  31. I haven’t seen the magazine folks in a long time, but I have seen fake utility sales people in NY claiming to be from National Grid and wanting to “evaluate your energy needs.” I called NG and confirmed these were in fact impostors.

    Lately in TX I’ve seen the same guy walking around with a notebook appearing to take notes for Directv….then for Dish Network…then….well a different company’s logo every time. This was what immediately tipped me off with the electricity scam guy. His shirt, his claim, and his paperwork all had mismatched utility company’s logos, and that’s a no-go.

  32. Pretty common scam here in so cal suburbia.
    Best is to just call the cops and give descriptions and license plates.

    I ask where their solicitors license is, then ask them to hang on while I go inside to “turn the tv off” and while I am at it, call the cops, and then listen to the salesmans rap and shoot the bull with them until the cops show up… that tends to give the neighborhood a name that deters others. YMMV.

    There were a series of crews working the burbs around here a couple years ago- one black kid told me he was recruited off the streets in cities like Milwaukee, given a bus ticket, put them up in a hotel, buy them food and take back all the money they make from being dropped off in morning, and picked up by a van in PM.

    One young lady was from an Eastern Europe country- I told her to watch out, and gave her the PD phone number to call if she needed a way out. Who knows if its a story, but makes sense, and the cops I called on it were trying to track it down- called the company driving the van, said they checked out. Still, pretty sketchy, sounds like a side-line biz for human traffickers.

  33. Yeah some poor sob was dumped in my neighborhood, ratty clothes all the bad signs.
    He wanted me to sign -up for Recoil Mag. The cops ran his ID, turned out he was legit!

  34. I’d been contemplating removing my NAGR sticker from my car ever since I put it on for this very reason.

  35. I had a kid selling books come to my door a few weeks ago. I think he was legit. None of his books were to my taste (they seemed to geared toward parents with kids; they had that “dumbed down science” feel to them), but they all looked real and stuff. When I declined a purchase, he offered to pray with me before he moved along, and he gave me a postcard advertising for a (non-religious) community celebration at a park here in town in a couple weeks. On the whole, as I said, he seemed legit, although the cynic in me, after reading this post and the comments, thinks that community celebration could be a good way to get folks out of the house. But like I said, it was at least two weeks away, and that seems like an extraordinarily long game for the way these schemes operate.

    I have had, in the past, others come to my door that I could almost feel the “not legit” vibe through the door before I opened it. I was considerably less cordial to them than to the young man above.

    I’ve also had kids (back when I wasn’t any older than they were) come to my door that I’ve actually bought magazines subscriptions from. (They got “money for college” or something like that.) This was way back, 10-15 years ago, when they were probably more legit than not, unlike today. I once bought a three year subscription to Guns & Ammo (again, probably 15 years ago) for which my check never, ever got cashed. The rate was really good to begin with, like $20 for three years, but free was even better!

    A few years later I started to hear the horror stories, not about burglary schemes, but about the kids who thought they were legitimately going to make some money selling magazines, but were treated like crap and never got paid, all their earnings being kept “on the books” and things like that. Here’s a story from 2007, and I’m pretty sure I had kids like this at my door on more than one occasion back in the day: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/us/21magcrew.html?pagewanted=all

  36. It took me 2 paragraphs to realize which kind of magazine they were talking about. At first I couldnt believe there were people selling Pmags and ak mags door to door like its a common thing.

  37. What is funny is there is an old Dragnet episode from the 60s that was about a magazine company. If successful, they would actually put marks on something to tell others it was an easy mark, picket fence, lamp post etc.

  38. Am I the only one that got this lesson? The police officer had his firearms stolen too. And all these anti gun laws want law enforcement carve outs.

    Vacuum cleaner sales pers in my old neighborhood my 125# dog knew he was up to no good, needless to say she scared him away and he was arrested a week later.

  39. I had this very thing happen to me a year or so ago. A college aged girl, who looked kind of sketchy, came up to my fence while I was in the backyard. She said she was working on some kind of school project, and needed to interview people about what they did for a living. I told her I was a lawyer.

    She kept talking, eventually tried to sell me a book or a magazine or something. I reached into my wallet and told her I’d giver her $5 to go away. She complained that the book was $75 or something, and I said “It’s $5, take it or leave it but get the hell off of my property.” She took it, and left.

  40. Last year I had two different college age folks show up at my door trying to get me to sign up for the free carpet clean deal. One gal was cute but so damn insistent it was pathetic and annoying. The other kid didn’t try too hard thankfully. The gal didn’t have anything other than a pamphlet/card, no car or van in the area or ID.

    2011-12 seemed to be the worst period for solicitors in my neighborhood. I had two guys show up last fall at 6pm on a cold night trying to sell me on an oil change program with their shop.

  41. One final thought on this thread…. if you decide to open the door, take a photo with your cell phone camera right away. This will remove the anonymous shield behind which bad people wish to hide. If they are legit, you can always delete it, but if they are really stupid (as most criminals are) and burglarize your neighbor, you can show the po-po his photo.

  42. Nick,

    Your comments about door magazine hawks are right on the money but I take exception to your comment ‘Definitely Never Buy One of These’ (www.ReadyToDefend.com) products. As a 2A Lifetime Member, fellow gun guy & IDPA shooter, I understand the thinking.

    However, as the founder of Ready to Defend, I’ve spoken personally to hundreds of LEO’s including Sheriffs, PD Chiefs and many more street cops who disagree with your assessment.

    These same LEO’s buy our products for their own homes and for their families. Why? I can only tell you what they tell me. They tell me our signs are “the single best crime deterrent for the money”. That’s what THEY tell us. I would never be so bold as to make that up. I don’t pretend that EVERY LEO thinks the same way but there are MANY who do.

    They don’t just say it in passing. They’re backing it up by spending their hard-earned dollars on our products as a kind of “line in the sand” between the would-be criminal / predatory / thug / bad guy and their families too. These men and women are the ones who eat, sleep, live and breathe crime every day… and know the mentality of who they’re dealing with.

    Ask your neighborhood cop how they’d feel responding to an alarm call in the middle of the night at a house with one of our signs posted out front and our decals in the windows. That’s how P. J. in Broward County Florida first learned about RTD and called to order his signs the next day.

    For the record, we don’t believe that posting a warning sign is some kind of magic shield from all evil-doers. As you’ve said in your fine article (fine except for the part disparaging Ready To Defend), there are many things we can all do to make our home appear to be a more ‘hardened’ target.

    Actively reporting suspicious activity, keeping doors locked, having a working alarm system, making your home look occupied at all times, big dogs (or the appearance thereof) motion sensor lights are just a few of the tactics we can use to make our homes and families a less desirable target.

    Still, according to our cop friends, the single biggest deterrent for criminals is ‘DYING by GUN SHOT’. We know our products aren’t right for everyone but we think our customers put us in pretty good company.

    One last thing, Ready to Defend just relocated from Los Angeles to San Antonio so it looks like we’re neighbors. Give me a shout and let’s sit down over lunch. No matter the disagreement, it’s always good to know a fellow competitive shooter and 2nd Amendment supporter.

    James Miller – Founder Ready to Defend

    • It’s called advertising that you own guns. Yes, dumb crooks might be scared off (or not, after all, since they are dumb) but others might welcome the opportunity to observe your comings and goings and select the best time to steal your advertised weapons.

      Just my opinion, obviously, but since I also live in San Antonio you are welcomed to buy me lunch and try to change it.

  44. About 3 years ago, had a college aged kid knock on the door saying he was from the manufacturer of our gas fireplace and the builder had sent him out to fix a recall on installed units. He had ID, a bag and clipboard – but without any advance notice I told him to take a walk. He was determined saying I am putting my family in immediate danger by not letting him in that moment to check it out. I gave him 10 seconds to clear the property. He yelled about my family’s safety all the way to the curb.

    I called the builder – they never heard of him.

  45. We have a 65 lb male Golden Retriever, who thinks he’s an 85 lb German Shepard. I don’t open the door if I don’t know the person. UPS guy leaves package at front door. No knock, no doorbell. Our dog has convinced delivery people “I will mess you up if you take another step” so they “sneak up” to the front door, less they draw Becker’s attention. Little do they know he’s all bark, no bite.

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