I totally lock my door when I'm home. I walk in and lock the deadbolt before I even take off my shoes and outside pants.

There was a horrible incident at the dorm I was an RA for and I'll never ever forget it. Then, about 6 years ago, a woman in my apt. complex got raped. The guy just walked in to her unlocked apartment in the early evening. I was living a very safe, residential, suburban neighborhood.

Always lock doors, people.

Needless to say, I always lock the doors when the kids and I are inside. This stems more from keeping them in than keeping intruders out, but I do it without thinking.

It's leaving the doors unlocked when we go that I need to work on.

I did once have a drunk woman walk into my unlocked apartment in Columbus. That could have easily ended badly. But that is where I learned to lock them when inside.

I'm not even sure what key on my key ring is for the front door. I'm not sure I have a key for the back door.

Always lock doors, people.

Yeah.

A friend of mine was at home with her boyfriend and two guys walked in through their unlocked sliding-glass door in back. Raped her at knifepoint.

Don't presume the human race is good. You don't have to presume they're evil either. Just...don't depend on an unlocked door.

Now I have to go check my lock (even though one lock is always engaged and I'm in the habit of throwing the deadbolt when I come in).

The cabin I stay in each summer doesn't have any really effective way to lock it.

Always lock doors, people.

One of the many reasons I describe a certain ex-housemate of mine as crazy is because she thought CLOSING the front door was silly and pedestrian. And locking it - please, how boring and mundane could one be, daaaarling? Yes, I wanted to kill her.

Oh, tommyrot, feel better.

And yes, lock door. The only reason I sometimes don't do it is that 1. my country has ridiculous low crime percentage (compare to U.S.), 2. My building has intercom system and a locked front door, 3. I still lock it 90% of the times. It just takes one time, and I don't wanna hear that time happening to any of you Buffistas. It's not about feeling safe: I feel safe with unlocked door, I grew up in a boarding school where all doors were open 24/7. It's about not being stupid, and not takes chances that the person to knock on the door will be a freaking care bear. The good people will understand if they'll have to wait 15 more seconds until you unlock the door to let them in.

Then again, humans almost always terrified/disappointed me.

If I want the door closed - I have to keep it locked. However, it is not always a practical idea. I need the front door open for ventilation. My screen door, even with a lock is not going to stop a home invasion. In the back of my mind is the idea of getting one of those security screen doors -- real estate people hate them, but a door that lets air in and can be locked well enough to slow a no-gooder down is a win. I have friends who live next to a public park -- they can get the breeze from the canal at night , because of the security door.

The only times I will leave my door unlocked is if I am doing yardwork and bopping in and out of the house. Chances are, if it's nice enough to be doing yardwork, there will be a bazillion neighbors out doing the same.

I live in a double and leave my inside door unlocked when I am not home, and locked when I am. Sort of weird, but I trust my downstairs neighbor and feel the chances of me losing my keys are larger than the chances of someone breaking in to steal...nothing but books and a 19" TV which will be obsolete come february.

I grew up in the country, though and we never locked anything until we had a kid on the street who liked to kill and torture animals. I wonder if he has been up to any serial killing lately?