Alphecca

I've thought a little more about Publicola's assertion, and I've got to say that I honestly don't think I'd feel intimidated by the cops going door-to-door asking questions. What the hell are they going to do, shoot me if I say no? Of course if I actually thought that, I would feel intimidated. But they'd have to communicate that sort of threat to me directly; I wouldn't just assume it. Much as I rant and rave about cops and civil liberties, my natural first reaction to the average cop isn't fear and mistrust. I've known too many of them (all decent guys, and many of them RKBA advocates themselves) to feel threatened by the mere presence of a cop or three.

Neither would I Matt. I doubt I'd feel too much intimidation to say no. But you & I aren't real typical. Most people still assume that if they say no that gives the cops grounds to do what they asked to do, & that it's better to cooperate. After all, they're police officers.
So I'll still contend that to the average person a cop showing up under such circumstances might be coercive in & of itself. It's still a person's responsible to assert their Rights, but it's difficult to do so when you're not sure what the extent of those Rights are. Saying no to cops is something a lot of folks don't realize they can & perhaps should do.