Episode 58 with Jenna Meek

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Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 58 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 Jenna Meek.

Hi, Jenna.  How have you been?

Jenna- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been busy as usual!  ‘Tis the season to get back to the range after a long winter break, which has been great!  Lots of private classes on the calendar and we’re excited to host John Farnam of Defense Training International at the end of the month!

Rob- One of our listeners wrote in.  Greg said,

“for those who forgot to lock the front door or just like the added feature of it, about a year ago we had to replace our front door lock, so we went with the auto locking deadbolt by Schlage, it automatically locks after 30sec and beeps if someone fiddles with the door.

I’m always Armed at home or out for that matter, and that is from Greg.

I posted a link to that lock in our show notes- http://consumer.schlage.com/products/pages/productdetails.aspx?ModelNumber=FE575%20PLY%20619%20FLA

Jenna- Locks have to be set, alarms have to be turned on, and guns have to be worn or they aren’t much good.

That tip is from a regular listener, Greg.  Let me take a minute to say hi to our new 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.

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

First story-  Is your gun accessible late at night when you’re at home? It is almost midnight on a Friday night in Cleveland, Ohio. You’re in your room upstairs when you hear someone else in your house.  You hear them opening and closing the drawers and the closet doors downstairs.  You grab your handgun and walk downstairs.  You see an intruder, and tell him not to move.  He moves.  You shoot him.  The intruder runs to your ground floor bathroom and locks himself inside.  The robber opens the bathroom window and climbs out.  You recognize the robber as a young man who works in a local pizza parlor.  You call the police.  The police open the bathroom door, but the robber is gone.  He bled all over the bathroom and the police are looking for him.

Of course you had your gun.  You have your Ohio Concealed Carry permit.  You used to work at a barbershop, and the owner required barbers to get their concealed carry licenses for their own protection..

Jenna- Locks?  We just talked about the importance of locking your doors.  Were the doors to this home locked?  How was the gun stored?  It sounds like it was easy enough to get to, so that’s half the battle.  Why go downstairs unless you have children or people with bedrooms down stairs and maybe you thought that the other family members might be the ones going through stuff down there.  In that case, maybe the homeowner was going to see who was up and about late at night…  We all know how much I love the option of sheltering in place and calling for help, I will reiterate, that is always the best option if it is practical for your particular situation.  

Rob- If the robber is armed, you just walked into a gunfight.  You could lose.

Jenna- Our second story took place in Arkansas.

Second Story-  Are you armed on the street. You’re walking down a residential street in a small housing subdivision about 30 miles north of Little Rock.  You hear someone shout and you turn to see them.  Two men are fighting.  One of them falls to the ground.  The other one, he isn’t hitting him.  He is stabbing him.  You yell for the attacker to stop.  You draw your firearm and point it at the attacker.  You call police.  The police arrest the attacker and EMTs take the wounded man to the hospital.

You wonder if you should have gotten involved. You’re a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Reserves stationed in Little Rock.  You wonder what your commanding officer might say.  The Austin police chief said your actions saved a life. The Lieutenant is a perfect example of a responsible concealed carry permit holder.  He acted heroically in the face of extreme danger and avoided a tragedy.”  You hope your CO believes the chief.

Jenna- Protecting a third party is physically and legally dangerous. I have hundreds of hours of professional training under my belt and I would have to think long and hard before I were to jump in the middle of a situation like this.  Not to be harsh, but I carry to protect myself and those that I love.  Risking my liberty for a third party could very likely hurt me and my family.  I am all for helping others, but at what expense?

Rob- Police tell us again and again that they stop a family fight, and then the victim refuses to testify.

Jenna-  I also need to know the ENTIRE situation before I am going to jump in.  We’ve heard of countless examples of cases of mistaken identities and third parties getting involved when they should not have.  For example the undercover officer taking down a drug dealer.  In this situation the cop was almost shot because of mistaken identity.  Not something I want on my conscience.

Jenna- Our third story took place in Iowa.

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Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re at home?  It happened before when you were away.  People broke into one of your family homes.  Now, you’re sleeping in the home a few nights a month.  Tonight you’re sleeping in the basement bedroom where it is cool and comfortable in Des Moines.  You hear someone come downstairs.  It is just before midnight, and you grab your gun and turn on the lights.  There is a woman standing in your house and she is wearing a headlamp and gloves.

You tell her to get out and push her upstairs.  You’re 71 years old.  When you’re outside, the woman turns on you and starts to choke you.  You shoot her once in the abdomen.  Then you call police.

Jenna-  Locks?  This seems to be a common theme this week.  Please lock your doors, people.  

Rob- Where did he keep his gun while he slept downstairs?

Jenna- I have to think that a woman wearing a headlamp and gloves is up to no good shortly before midnight in a house that she should not be in.  

Rob-  Yes, but is she a threat?

Jenna- I like that the homeowner started off with a degree of force that he felt necessary to protect himself, physically removing the woman by pushing her.  Maybe he should not have gone outside with her at that point.  I also believe that by the time he was being choked that deadly force was an appropriate response.  I am also guessing that there was enough disparity of force (woman was much younger and maybe also more physically sound) to warrant deadly force at that point.

Rob- Should we call police first?  I don’t know.  I was never trained to point a gun at someone as I walked through my house and forced them upstairs.  Are they a threat at that point?

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

Jenna- Listeners can contact me Carry On Colorado Dot Com.  I also have my new book called “Calling the Shots” on Amazon.

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

Jenna-  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 them 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.

Learn more at SAF Training Division.