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Here is my take, based on a totally different real life event.

I walk my dog in the evenings. I started walking her in a local park, right about dusk because that is when it is the most comfortable. I have my usual belt and pockets full of things - pistol, spare mag, pepper spray, knife and small flashlight. On these walks past dusk I stick my tactical flashlight on my belt, too. The light is normally good enough if we walk on the pavement to see ahead but the flashlight comes on when we move to the grass. Last night, a bike rider (no lights) came past as several times. It was hard to see him so I stepped onto the grass and put the flashlight on so that I could warn him that we were there and so that I could see the grass in front of the dog. Sure enough, there was a copperhead working its way from the mowed area to an unmowed one. I quickly reined in the dog. Without the light, I would not have seen the snake and my dog could have found it. She hunts everything.

Answering the door but not opening it, to me, is like turning the flashlight on when stepping off the pavement. We've walked that park hundreds of times and have never seen anything but a few stray rabbits. I was actually more worried about a skunk lurking along the unmowed area but taking the step to identify what was ahead is the right thing to do. I like playing with the odds in my favor and doing the right things is the best way to maintain those odds.