Episode 41 with Tony Simon

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Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 41 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.  This podcast is now a proud part of the Self-Defense Radio Network.  I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Tony Simon.  How have you been, Tony?

Tony – Hi, Rob.  Hi to our new listeners, and welcome back to our regular listeners. We report and analyze examples of armed civilian defense each week.  We inform you about the news, and I hope we inspire you to defend the people you care about.

Tony- Our first story took place this month in Ohio.

First story-  Are you armed at home?  A mom in Youngstown Ohio was loading her car with the help of her two children.  She’d returned to her home when she heard her children scream.  The homeowner saw a stranger standing in her kitchen.  She went back to her bedroom and grabbed the gun she keeps under her pillow.  She shot the intruder in the stomach.  He ran from the home. A waiting car took him to a local hospital.

Tony- People refuse to believe that there are no “safe places”. If you really believe there are evil people in the world then you need to act accordingly. Pants on, gun on. Even in a anti gun state like New Jersey you can carry in your home…for now.

Rob- She didn’t know he was in the home.

Tony- Who knows what this guy wanted with her or her kids but as a parent she had to protect her family. Luckily  for her she had an effective means to do so.

Rob- Was she lucky.

The gun wasn’t with her.  What if the intruder was between her and her bedroom?

Tony- She would have had to depend on the mercy of the merciless and that could have been very bad. Many people think just give the criminal what they want they will go away. That’s not always the case and sometimes you may not be willing to give up what they are demanding. You are your first responder, get trained, get armed and become an asset in an emergency.

Rob- Did she call the police?

Tony – It’s not clear if she called the police or not. You must call the police as soon as it is safe for you to do so. The police need to know that you are the good guy, the victim of a crime,  they also need a description of the bad guy as soon as possible so that they know who to look for and can catch them.

Rob-  She did defend her family.

Tony – The mom shot the intruder and he fled the scene. She did a good job not shooting the fleeing man in the back. You should only use deadly force to stop the threat. As soon as the threat is over stop shooting.

Rob-  Is there more?

Tony – Our second story took place in Florida.

Second Story- Are you armed at work?  A clerk was working at a gas station convenience store in Tallahassee, Florida.  A robber entered the store on Sunday evening.  The robber came up to the clerk and presented a handgun.  He demanded the money from the cash register.  The clerk fought with the robber.  The robber shot at and wounded the clerk.  The clerk ran towards the cash register where he grabbed a gun of his own.  The clerk shot the robber.  The robber died at the scene.  The clerk was wounded but is expected to make a full recovery.  The robber’s accomplice was arrested across the street.  The 20 year old robber did not have a criminal history, but the getaway driver did.  The two criminals are suspects in 10 armed robberies in the last 10 days.

Tony- The robbers have a plan.  You need one too. If you have not gotten formal training, YET, you can still formulate reaction plans for what happens if you are attacked. In the middle of a life and death struggle is not when you want to be thinking up a plan of action. Have multiple plans for self defense for where you live and work. The more training you get the more skills you have the better you can react to unforeseen situations that don’t follow your plan.

Rob- hand to hand?

What if the criminal was between you and your gun?

Who called police?

Tony- Self defense can be in many forms and the more forms you are proficient in the better you are equipped to handle confrontation. If you have the ability to mentally defeat an attacker and verbally convince them to move on use that. If you are physically attacked and you beat up the person and make them stop, disengage and run away it is still a win for you. If you depend on a tool to defend yourself make sure it is within reach at all time regardless of what that tool may be. If you are attacked verbally and threatened and the person leaves or attacked physically and the attacker runs off without getting anything you should still call the police and report the attack. You want an official report made of the incident. If the attacker comes back or attacks others the police have a record of that person and their prior behavior.

Tony- Our third story took place in Maine.

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Third story-  Are you armed when you are outside your home?  A man was returning to his girlfriend’s apartment in Lewiston, Maine.  This was at 10 pm on a Friday night.  The victim was attacked by two strangers outside his apartment, but the victim tried to flee into the building.  The attackers first shouted at him, beat him, and then ripped his wallet from the chain attached to his pants.  The two attackers continued to beat the victim.  He presented his 22 caliber pistol and fired four times.  The robbers ran.  The victim called police.  One of the robbers walked into a local hospital with a bullet in his shoulder.  The wounded man was arrested, but said he was the victim and that the armed man called him names.   Surveillance video and reports from other eyewitnesses matches the armed victim’s account of the story, not his attackers.

The attacker is in jail, and police are searching for his accomplice.

Tony-  Win the call to 911. Whomever makes the first call to the police is seen as the victim until it is investigated further. You don’t want to be in jail until it is figured out. Call the police as soon as possible, relay to them what happened and describe your attackers

Rob- It sounds like there were witnesses.

Tony- The victim tried to retreat from his attackers and that is a good tactic if you are successful.

Rob- Was he accurate with a gun?

Tony- Firearms training is a martial art that can be deadly but it needs to be supplemented by other skills.  Observation skills and verbal skills can help you avoid or deescalate an attack and hand to hand skills can get you seperation from the bad guy and get your firearm into action, if it is necessary.

Tony- Lastly I want to discuss the shot placement and caliber of his self defense firearm. Going to the range and shooting at paper can give you a false sense of security in your marksmanship ability. Taking a defensive firearms training class in which you are trained to shoot and more and be accurate under pressure will bring your skill levels and confidence up to a level that will get you fight stopping hits on a bad guy. Choose a centerfire defensive firearm because rimfire ammunition like .22 Long Rifle are not powerful enough to stop a determined attacker with one round due to its lack of penetration and wound characteristics. 9mm pistols are as easy to carry as most semi auto 22 caliber pistols with the added benefit of more powerful and dependable ammo.

Rob- When do you teach your students to move with a firearm?

Rob- What do you recommend for an everyday carry holster?

Tony- They learn that in our first class.

Exit- Rob- That wraps up this episode. Tony, thank you for helping me today.  Where can our listeners find out more about you?

Tony-  I teach firearms safety and armed-self defense courses in New Jersey.  Our listeners can contact me on Facebook at Simon Says Train or at The Second is for Everyone and SimonSaysTrain on Instagram.

Rob- Our listeners can share their thoughts with us by leaving a message on the podcast facebook page.  

Tony – If these examples inspired you, then please share them with a friend.  Would you also give us a rating on I-Tunes.

I’m Rob Morse.  Please join us next week for more Self-Defense Gun Stories.

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