I agree with the person who said they do not want to live and act as if everyone is a threat.
My philosophy is that you can keep yourself safe AND just be relaxed and calm in your mind, keeping safe is just a habit - lock car doors, park in lit areas - just pure habit. Don't even think about it. You take steps to keep yourself out of harm's way, but just stay relaxed in your mind, don't obsess, worry, fret, just make it a habit you don't even think about - just do it.
I would not go into any long sentences. Most of the time, a very simple 'show of force' is best. Instead of the long complicated sentence about the gun, I'd say with a very loud and firm voice, 'Get OFF THE PORCH'. Just very simple. Since most people who wander around and have poor social skills are also cognitively impaired, keep the message very very simple.
To me, given how the person behaved, he seemed 'not all there'. And I don't think in a bad way. Maybe a traumatic brain injury, former alcoholic, or mentally impaired in some way - dementia, mental retardation, etc. I actually knew a guy that acted like that - had a traumatic brain injury from a car accident.
We may not think they should or we may think that it's not polite, but fact is, some very harmless people would not have the awareness to leave things alone on our porch. Adults with autism or aspergers, for example. Some of these folks don't understand not to do certain things. They get curious about something and pick it up, like my pal who saw a big stuffed toy in a shop window and walked straight towards it - right into oncoming traffic.
So that's another group of people that can behave inappropriately and may be harmless. With people who have dementia, brain damage, autism, even mental illness, MOST of the time, they don't hurt anyone. You might see them shove someone or yell. I've seen people like that get very upset and shove someone, then get distracted and wander away.
The exception is - well - I look for obvious body language. Threatening gestures or movements made towards me(hitting, for example), someone speaking and saying they want to hurt me. I am very, very alert to any of that. Talking strangely doesn't always mean danger. Some people with brain disorders will babble or talk in a 'word salad' if you're very quick you can usually pick out of all the extra words, what they're trying to tell you.
I am VERY cautious around people who are talking paranoia or have any paranoia-type body language happening - such as a very unwavering stare (normally people's eyes dart around a little) or looking around themselves suspiciously. If someone gets really paranoid, I either get the heck out of there, or just keep very calm, warm, laid back and don't argue with them. I don't agree that the aliens are coming for them, though, I just stay neutral, 'I feel so bad for you, it must be terrible to have to be on your guard so much'. I'm not faking it though, I'm totally sincere. Paranoid people usually have a very, very strong BS-O-METER.
It is very, very important to give paranoid people a LOT of room and not get them backed into a corner. They need a clear escape route - well - and so do you. I never get myself into a corner or a dead end. The best thing you can often do is just leave them be.
I don't argue with them. It does no good. Their brain is on vacation, they can't reason through an argument, so they just get more hysterical. Being warm and calm can help. One guy told me there were people everywhere who were after him, I said, 'Oh that is so sad, how do you cope? I could just never deal with that.' He wound up saying very bravely, 'don't be so sad for me, I will be okay'. I found out later he had seriously got up in some people's faces. He was good with me because I didn't argue with him. He told me that aliens were putting something in his brain, I was like, 'Oh my God, you poor guy'. My usual reaction to most of the weird statements if asked is if I believe them is, 'I never experienced that, but you have'.
Very often the arguing is what sets them off, they can't understand what's being said so they get more and more agitated. If you just let them do their thing you can save yourself a lot of bad situations.
I was so MAD once, LOL, we saw a documentary of mentally ill homeless, there was a less sick woman who kind of took care of this much sicker man. He would get paranoid and scream at some people on the street, and she would say, 'Just don't think about them', and he would smile and go, 'Okay!' And I was like DAM*! Who woulda thought it was THAT easy, LOL!
Having spent my entire life around people who are 'not all there', I have a fair idea of when to run, and when to not.
But I don't always trust that spidey sense, if someone else says, 'I think you oughta run 'cause...', I run, LOL.
The thing is though, I just don't get upset about it. It doesn't bother me in the least. I may be runnin' pretty fast, but I ain't upset, LOL!!!
It's just - business as usual. I don't even get mad at the person; they can't help it. Nobody chooses to have a neurological problem.
