House doors to be locked continuously even when you're at home?

[Shootist]

I lock my front and rear doors whether I am in or out. The only time they are unlocked is when I am passing through them. The mechanic that fettles my car is not a firearms owner, but he has some expensive cars parked on the front of his house. He locks the door the same as I do. Unfortunately, one evening just after tea time, a man knocked on the door, and in a moment of mental aberration he opened it to see what they wanted. Like any normal person would. What him and his mate wanted was a very smart BMW parked on the front of the house. They opened negotiations by giving him a non gentle crack on the crust with a crowbar. The bloke's wife and 12 year old son came to see what all the noise was about and were laid on the floor while the visitors explained what would happen to them if the keys to the car were not handed over. This explanation was punctuated by them gently beating the crap out of my mechanic friend by way of emphasis.

Locking the door while they were in did no bloody good at all. Neither will it help you if that team calls for your firearms. All it will achieve is stopping the opportunist sneak thief, most of whom would cack their pants the moment they saw you. They would not be after, or even interested in, your firearms. They know that will very likely involve a world of excrement descending upon them.

Now I don't doubt that there will be some here who will explain they never answer the door until they have viewed the visitor/s through a small glass window or CCTV camera, until the have spoken to them by intercom and have phoned up their office to conform their identity or just ignored them if they don't recognise them. Yeah, right. Normal people tend to answer the door. And if I am greeting by a similar pair of robbing buggers threatening me with violence, I'll help them carry my gear to their car if they ask.

For the sake of a quiet life I will pass no comment about the quality of police advice alleged to have been given in connection with the event posted. I would have reservations that any formal caution about any offence was given, but many people unfamiliar with the law might mistake a snotty bollocking by an 'anti' police officer for some sort of caution.

 

[Pedro]

Okay Shootist, as usual, you wear your heart on your sleeve there.

Possibly a good method of increasing security is to have a lock on the door where your firearms cabinet(s) are. To me that seems to make sense and doesn't restrict things unduly.

 

[stecad]

Lived in Newcastle many years ago (during the good old handgun days) and the Chief Constable at the time was on record as saying he did not support private ownership of firearms. The local FEO turned up to review security and demanded locks on all the windows (including upstairs). Surprisingly he couldn't find any mention of this requirement in HO guidance but this didn't stop his insistence. When I asked him for his recommendations on best practice to exit the building in event of fire he stated that I should smash through the locked window and jump from height. Fine but what about my 6 month pregnant wife - he then accepted that locks on windows was not good practice. All this from the same authority that lost a handgun from my ticket when I moved house.

 

[25 Sharps]

Having his doors locked whilst in the house didn't help George Digweed earlier in the year, the robbers just smashed through his patio doors with a sledge hammer whilst he watched the telly, beat the hell out of him and stole his trophies and some of his guns!

 

[L1A1]

I run a B and B, just had a visit for change of address. I could have 6 strangers in the house day in day out. FEO never even mentioned it.
Guns in cabinets in locked room, with ammo and bolts in second cabinet.
If guns are secured in cabinets what is the problem.

 

[rem284]

Having his doors locked whilst in the house didn't help George Digweed earlier in the year, the robbers just smashed through his patio doors with a sledge hammer whilst he watched the telly, beat the hell out of him and stole his trophies and some of his guns!

A locked door wont prevent everyone from entering a property but it might just prevent some. So for me the small effort that it takes is worth it. I live in an area where crime is really low. However after a incidence with a guy with mental health issues you just never know what might just happen. If a guy has lost the plot and thinks if I rush in through his unlocked door and beat or stab him before he can react then he will more than likely have the upper hand with the element of surprise. However if the door is locked and he has to take the time and effort to break in then it buys you time to react and decide the best course of action. It might also prevent anything from happening in the first place

 

[old man]

Haven't waded through all of this yet but looking at some posts it's going off piste?

What possible alternative statements could have been made?

Lock or unlock the risk is yours to take as always?

I am of the personal opinion that the more divided society becomes (for whatever reason) the situation will not improve?

 

[25 Sharps]

A locked door wont prevent everyone from entering a property but it might just prevent some. So for me the small effort that it takes is worth it. I live in an area where crime is really low. However after a incidence with a guy with mental health issues you just never know what might just happen. If a guy has lost the plot and thinks if I rush in through his unlocked door and beat or stab him before he can react then he will more than likely have the upper hand with the element of surprise. However if the door is locked and he has to take the time and effort to break in then it buys you time to react and decide the best course of action. It might also prevent anything from happening in the first place

of course said person could just wait outside the door for you and maintain the element of surprise, mind they'd struggle with that for me as I never use the front door so it's always locked!

 

[Highlandsjohn]

Father used to say, a lock will only keep an honest man out....

 

[Erik Hamburger]

i think it is common sense to lock your doors when you are in.

And keep your windows locked as well? Hmm. How many people can truly and honestly say that they keep doors locked and windows closed when they are at home..?

 

[mrhim]

Am I missing something? Why wouldn't you lock your front door regardless of whether you were in or not? Especially if you have firearms!

 

[mrhim]

The whole thing is farce, as far as i know the police can only issue a formal warning if a minor crime has been committed, so if you are a firearms owner, leaving your windows and doors unlocked while you are at home is now a minor crime.
Would the same advice of lock your windows and doors have been given to a non firearms owner?? i think not.

Ian.

Ian,

The police can revoke your FAC if you posse a risk to the public. By not keeping your firearms safe by insuring some 'druggy/thief' can just wonder in uninvited in your home whilst your there and be feet from were one's firearms are kept could be easily argued you are causing a risk to the public.

In the words of Peter Park, 'With great Power Comes Great Responsibility'

 

[Highlandsjohn]

Ian,

The police can revoke your FAC if you posse a risk to the public. By not keeping your firearms safe by insuring some 'druggy/thief' can just wonder in uninvited in your home whilst your there and be feet from were one's firearms are kept could be easily argued you are causing a risk to the public.

In the words of Peter Park, 'With great Power Comes Great Responsibility'

Like Ian and other responsible firearm owners, that's why we keep them in locked gun safes so druggies and other morons cant get at them.
Maybe the bobbies want us to follow the druggies 'safe houses' with steel grills over the doors and windows, ffs this is getting RIDICULOUS...

 

[2130martin]

How do RFDs manage with this,more often than not the firearms are chained in but the front door is never locked,with the exception if sportsmans gun centre,where the front door is locked also.

 

[Brimfire]

How do RFDs manage with this,more often than not the firearms are chained in but the front door is never locked,with the exception if sportsmans gun centre,where the front door is locked also.

And the poor receptionist will get it first if a crazed person rushes the door.... normally the button is pressed before we reach for the door handle and we can walk straight in.

 

[simonl]

Am I missing something? Why wouldn't you lock your front door regardless of whether you were in or not? Especially if you have firearms!

Yes, you are missing something - Living in London might have something to do with it though!

 

[rem284]

of course said person could just wait outside the door for you and maintain the element of surprise, mind they'd struggle with that for me as I never use the front door so it's always locked!

YES they could but I think if they were waiting my dogs would alert me and I could look at the cctv before deciding what to do plus it is difficult to lock the great out doors up but very easy to make it safer in my house. It is difficult to prevent all criminal activities. I had 2 dogs stolen years ago, I missed the thieves by minutes if not seconds. If I had a lock on the kennel then it might have been prevented. Taking some simple and easy precautions might not stop all crimes but it might prevent some. In an ideal world there would no crime but in the real world there is.

 

[kes]

If this were the USA the 'lady' might have stood a good chance of being shot.
Having to lock my door as a requirement of firearms ownership is going way too far - they are kept in a big safe. Locking your doors to protect your valuables is a different matter - one entirely for the individual. I have a very large rottweiler which lives next to my safe - I bet the 'lady' in question wouldn't have made it into the house.
I tend to lock all but the dog entrance later in the evening when it goes dark, before that its not necessary as the dog has very good hearing and, of course, the safe is locked.

 

[bewsher500]

Am I missing something? Why wouldn't you lock your front door regardless of whether you were in or not? Especially if you have firearms!

if its a yale style lock then fine as that is the only thing that holds the door closed

I am buggered if I am locking doors when in.
I have the back door open during the summer most days.

It doesn't make the guns any less secure otherwise we wouldnt all need cabinets, we would just lock all the doors

 

[flying felix]

Ian,

The police can revoke your FAC if you posse a risk to the public. By not keeping your firearms safe by insuring some 'druggy/thief' can just wonder in uninvited in your home whilst your there and be feet from were one's firearms are kept could be easily argued you are causing a risk to the public.

In the words of Peter Park, 'With great Power Comes Great Responsibility'

I take it you've never been in a court of law where what is reasonable and what is not reasonable when it comes to firearm law have been made clear. Unless you live in an area where it is expected that a "druggy/ thief" will just walk in, it is not reasonable to expect it to happen so, no, you are not causing a risk to the public and face the risk of a revocation.

And it wasn't Peter Park, it was Peter Parker's uncle, Ben Parker's quote, ref Stan Lee.