Who lets an 8 year old get the door?

[lather]

If I don't recognize the person through the peep hole/ front window I have a gun in my pocket.

on topic. I dont think a gun at the door would have helped. The element of suprise would have got anyone. Its sad to think that someone would do something like that especially to a kid.

You are going about it wrong--Most homicides are where the victim knew the killer. Be extra safe--you should really make sure to be armed when friends and family knock on your door. Install a metal detector that will annunciate loudly-- alerting anyone inside well before Uncle Frank and Aunt Lillian approach the front door packing heat hoping to give you a dirt nap.

Tragic yes. It's equally tragic how a sensationalized media can manipulate the public and gets everyone paranoid and high strung.

To those extremely cautious few going to the front door armed. I hope:

1. You dont drive
2. You dont particpate in organized sports
3. Dont work in the construction industry
4. Dont go to the hospital for even minor surgury.
5, Dont smoke, drink alcohol or eat fatty foods.
6. Are not of Non-European ancestry earning less than $ 7,500 yearly income.

Back OT: I think a better question than "why let an 8 year old answer the door?" is "How could someone to kill a bunch of people, including a child?"

[MANN]

lol. hippies.

If it was my ex-inlaws I would have 2 guns.

Have you ever wondered why people pray on gunless people?

Oh. keep hoping. It isn't working.

[Lohman446]

You are going about it wrong--Most homicides are where the victim knew the killer. Be extra safe--you should really make sure to be armed when friends and family knock on your door. Install a metal detector that will annunciate loudly-- alerting anyone inside well before Uncle Frank and Aunt Lillian approach the front door packing heat hoping to give you a dirt nap.

Tragic yes. It's equally tragic how a sensationalized media can manipulate the public and gets everyone paranoid and high strung.

To those extremely cautious few going to the front door armed. I hope:

1. You dont drive
2. You dont particpate in organized sports
3. Dont work in the construction industry
4. Dont go to the hospital for even minor surgury.
5, Dont smoke, drink alcohol or eat fatty foods.
6. Are not of Non-European ancestry earning less than $ 7,500 yearly income.

Back OT: I think a better question than "why let an 8 year old answer the door?" is "How could someone to kill a bunch of people, including a child?"

Why? Because I mitigate risks in those things that I do.

1) I drive, defensively and with great caution
2) I play sports, not organized anymore
3) Not in the construction industry
4) Have not been to the hospital in years (except for a collapsed lung).
5) Don't smoke. I don't do either of the others to excess
6) NOt an issue.

I do a lot of things that have inherent risk. I acknowledge and minimize those risks rather than pretending they do not exist.

And, the 8 year old answering the door I have control over, the psycho, not so much. I control the things I can.

[Silverback]

Well, he made out better than I did in either of my divorces. He still had $17,000.00 plus the money to buy the plane tickets. My ex's didn't leave me a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out. Ten years after my divorce I STILL couldn't put together $17,000.00 right now if my DAUGHTER'S life depended on it.

People have got to learn what is TRULY important, and revenge never settles anything...

[Pullman]

lol. hippies.

If it was my ex-inlaws I would have 2 guns.

Have you ever wondered why people pray on gunless people?

Oh. keep hoping. It isn't working.

Ummm,

I don't have any problems with folks that want firearms having them (assuming they have gone through all the proper channels), but I am 4 months shy of 40, and have never been "preyed" on by anybody. Heck I even owned an assault rifle for a few years, but it never went anywhere except out of the closet and down to the gravel pit occasionally. Most of the time it seems like all guns in your home do is get ripped off by folks who are looking for cash and easily fenced items. That whole Santa Claus thing was messed up, but given the element of surprise I really doubt it would have gone down any other way. I do agree little kids shouldn't be answering doors.

[warbeak2099]

I think what's going on here is an attempt to answer how this could have been avoided because of how horrible it was. But basically the fact of the matter is that a deranged individual committed a horrible crime. I seriously doubt that the risk would have been mitigated had an adult answered the door. The only difference would have been someone else being shot in the face first. Blame or responsibility cannot be placed on anyone other than Mr. Pardo. And unfortunately, these people always seem to kill themselves after committing such crimes so society can't rip into them like they deserve.

[MANN]

I don't have any problems with folks that want firearms having them (assuming they have gone through all the proper channels), but I am 4 months shy of 40, and have never been "preyed" on by anybody.

Then consider yourself lucky. I have family that have been shot at & robbed. Sometimes you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. You never know.

I would rather be prepared myself.

[Pneumagger]

I carry wherever allowed. If I'm lounging around the house I might unholster it for a little more comfort.
If somebody knocks, I definitely grab my CCW piece.

[michbich]

[Will Wood]

Where is your home town?

[lather]

Why? Because I mitigate risks in those things that I do.

1) I drive, defensively and with great caution
2) I play sports, not organized anymore
3) Not in the construction industry
4) Have not been to the hospital in years (except for a collapsed lung).
5) Don't smoke. I don't do either of the others to excess
6) NOt an issue.

I do a lot of things that have inherent risk. I acknowledge and minimize those risks rather than pretending they do not exist.

And, the 8 year old answering the door I have control over, the psycho, not so much. I control the things I can.

I think a skittish, armed person answering the door doesnt mitigate risk whatsoever. If anything, it increases risk. If you feel its absolutly critical you need to be CCW in your own house when the doorbell rings--How about just not answering the door? That mitigates any inherent risk to the maximum.

[lather]

lol. hippies.

If it was my ex-inlaws I would have 2 guns.

Have you ever wondered why people pray on gunless people?

Oh. keep hoping. It isn't working.

LOL I work in a coal fired power plant, commute with my Dodge Ram (Hemi of course) 60 miles each way, own a G31, a Remington 1100, and a 10/22 and thats the first time I've been called a hippie.

[Lohman446]

I think a skittish, armed person answering the door doesnt mitigate risk whatsoever. If anything, it increases risk. If you feel its absolutly critical you need to be CCW in your own house when the doorbell rings--How about just not answering the door? That mitigates any inherent risk to the maximum.

I refuse not to live life because of what could happen. But in accepting the risks of what could happen I also mitigate them. I've carried a gun a lot of time in a lot of places and never had any accident as a result, and I'm willing to bet I wouldn't.

Besides, I never said that the answer was only answering the door armed, I simply stated the fact that an eight year old should not be doing it.

Don't mistake preperation and acceptance as skittishness, its not. I am willing to bet anyone who knows me would vouch for that one.

PS: This was not a stranger... and and adult probably would not have simply opened the door. "Geez, its your ex dressed up like Santa" would probably be a clue to me to be extremely cautious

[Avianrave]

Actually, an adult probably wouldn't have lived while the kid would have, due to the angle the gun was fired at and how durable those little things are.

fired a shot into the face of an 8-year-old girl

The person would probably have to shoot downward to hit the kid, probably missing her brain. If he shot at an adult, it probably would have been lethal due to the angle.

Hell, the person shooting probably hesitated at first when the child answered the door. It's one thing to shoot an adult, but a child opening the door for Santa with a present would have at least given him a second thought.