Episode 51 with Ben Branam

Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 51 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.  This show is for  people who think they might want a gun for self-defense, and those who already have one.  I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Ben Branam.

How have you been?

Ben- Hi, Rob. Hi to our new listeners, and welcome back to our regular listeners. We report and analyze three examples of armed civilian defense each week.  I hope we inspire you to defend the people you care about.  If you have questions or want to hear more, then please leave us a message on our facebook page.

Ben- Our first story took place this month in Pennsylvania.

First story-  Are you armed at work late at night?  You’re a small Laotian woman.  Your three teenage girls are at home. But you, you manage a laundromat about 15 miles west of Philadelphia.   It is early in the morning and you are at work.  You have the night shift tonight..and every night, seven days a week.  You’re mopping the floor at this hour.  A man walks into your laundromat with his gun drawn.  You’ve been robbed at gunpoint before.  This robber pushes you back toward the back and demands money.  You don’t have any.  Then the robber tells you to strip off your clothes.  He pushes you into a back room.  This time you fight.  You grab his gun and fire.  He leans away from you for a moment and you run.  You don’t stop running until you reach the all-night convenience store across the street.  That is when you notice that you still have your attackers gun in your hand.  The convenience store employees call police.  They arrest your attacker a few blocks away.  His left arm is shattered.  He has a police record.

Ben- Good for her.   It would have been better if she had a gun of her own rather than having to take her attackers gun.  Philadelphia is anti-gun.  But this wasn’t in Philadelphia.  The victim could carry at work.

Rob- You can get a permit in most Pennsylvania counties. They cost some money, but you can get them.  

Ben- What bothers me is the cost.  Some counties make it expensive.  This woman was working hard to support her family by working seven days a week.  Maybe she couldn’t afford a class, and registration, and permits.

Rob- She fought hand to hand.

Ben- Our second story took place in Maryland.

Second Story- Are you armed at home?  You and your husband are at home this morning.  You live in a well to do rural neighborhood about 16 miles east of Washington, DC. You hear someone at your front door.  You turn around and a stranger is standing inside your home.  You ask him who he is, and then tell him to leave.  He doesn’t.  You yell, and then your husband comes toward the front of the house.  He pushed the intruder towards the front door.  The intruder pushes back.  They fight.  Your husband shoots the intruder once in the leg.  The intruder staggers, then grabs a metal bar and tries to attack your husband again.  Your husband shoots his attacker in the head.  The attacker runs from your home.

The attacker is arrested 300 feet from your home.  Police say your attacker is wanted for a number of break ins in the area.  There is a warrant waiting for him when your attacker is released from the hospital.

Ben- Some Maryland counties issue.  Some don’t.  The male homeowner used to work for the FBI, so maybe he was able to get a permit.  He was armed at home in any case.

Rob- It sounds like his wife wasn’t armed.

Ben- (teams vs single attacker)

Rob- This story is unusual in what it didn’t say.  It didn’t say the robber broke in and the homeowners were alerted by the sound.

Ben-  The door was unlocked.

Ben- Our third story took place in Philadelphia.

Listen to Gun Freedom Radio at http://gunfreedomradio.com

Third story- Are you armed when you make deliveries late at night?  You have kids at home, and you’re trying to make ends meet.  You’re delivering pizza at 7 at night.  It is dark at that hour given the time of year.  You get out of your car and three strangers step from the shadows around the building in front of you.  One of them already has a gun pointed at you.  They demand your money and the pizza.  You drop the pizza and run.  You’re shot in the arm and the bullet then hits your hip and the gun in its holster.  You have your permit and are carrying legally.  You duck behind your car.  You make your arm work.  You’re able to draw your firearm.  Fortunately, your gun still works, and you shoot your armed attacker.  All three of them run.

You drive yourself to the hospital and ask the staff to call police.

Ben- Three on one.  They chose the time and place, so they have their guns out.

Rob- He moved, rather than present a standing target.

Ben- (movement)

They would have killed the driver for a couple of pizzas and the 80 dollars he had from his earlier deliveries.  These thugs don’t care about us.

Rob- They would commit murder for a few hours pay.  Do you talk about that to your students?  What is your student’s attitude toward their attackers?  Does their attitude change after the class?

Ben- Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.  I’ve seen it.  I saw it overseas.  We have selfish people here too.  They don’t think of us as human.  We’re insects to these bad people.

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

Ben- Our listeners can find me at Modern Self Protection.com.  I live in San Antonio, and most of my classes are in central Texas.  Listeners can see my complete class schedule at my website, and they can also listen to my podcast.  

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

Ben-  If you liked this show, then you’ll like the other podcasts on the Self-defense radio network.  We create this podcast under a creative commons license, so please share it with a friend, and give us a rating on I-Tunes.

Rob- I’m Rob Morse.  We’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.


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