Episode 1 with Jenna Meek

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Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 1 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.  I’m Rob Morse with instructor Jenna Meek.  Hi, Jenna.  Together, we report and analyze examples of armed civilian defense each week.

Jenna- Our first example took place last month in Alaska.

1 First story- Concealed carrier saves security guard (and stops mass murder)-  

Rob- 22 year old Matthew Willhite had never drawn his gun in public.  Come to think of it, most of us who carry concealed haven’t done so either.  Matthew was carrying concealed as he does every day.  This day he was with his girlfriend as she went shopping in a local mall.  It was an ordinary day.. until a mall security guard approached another man and told him to stop.  The man was being detained for shoplifting.  The shoplifter was armed and the shoplifter drew his gun and pointed it at the security guard.  The guard pushed the gun away and the two men struggled.

Matthew Willhite heard the security guard yell “Gun, gun, gun!” and then yell for help.  Willhite pulled his own firearm and pointed it at the armed thief.  In Willhite’s own words, “I yelled that I had a gun and he should drop it, and he eventually saw (the .45).  Once he dropped the gun, the security officer handed me the gun, so I kicked it behind me and kept (my gun) on him until the security officers put handcuffs on him.”  Willhite said he had his gun at “an angle where he could see me, but nobody else was going to get hurt.”

Jenna, what do you think of that?

JENNA comments-  Techniques- ?Does your wife or girlfriend hold your strong hand as you walk? Do you carry bags or packages in your strong hand?

Are you willing to move so you have a clear shot before you put your finger on the trigger?

Results- Think about this. The thief had more than four cartridges.  There were more than four people in the mall.  I think this armed young man stopped mass murder!

2- Store clerk saves employees and customer..again (and stops mass murder)

This incident started with a loud bang.  The convenience store owner didn’t have time to react before the masked robber drew a gun, stepped past customers and started shooting.  The store owner and another employee grabbed guns that were hidden behind the counter at Snappy’s Convenience Store in Deerfield Beach, Florida.  The owner and employee fired back .. several times.  The store owner’s gun jammed, and by the time he secured a third gun that he had hidden behind the counter, the thief was down and out of the fight.  Surveillance video confirms the owner’s story.  Both victims were shooting.  Police pronounced the thief dead at the scene.  The thief had a criminal history of drug trafficking and was out of jail on probation.

This was the third time the store owner faced an attempted armed robbery.  They had six firearms kept hidden around the store.  This was the third time they fought back and prevailed. 

JENNA comments- Physical- Loose guns get ignored, get dirty, and jam. Also, the best place for a defensive firearm is ON YOUR PERSON.

They ducked behind the counter and moved. Counter was probably not actually adequate cover from bullets. Consider the materials; would it have stopped bullets?

Two defenders versus one attacker.

Have you ever practiced with your spouse or co-worker to walk to the household guns and defend the family?  It took us over a minute to get a loaded gun in hand.  Presentation from concealed carry takes 1 second. I keep a gun on my person, even at home.

Was there time to call the police?

The thief didn’t ask for cash, he started shooting.

Results- There were three employees and at least one customer in the store.  A mass murder is four or more people killed in a single incident.  I’m sure it felt like self-defense, but the store owner stopped mass murder.

3- Concealed carry while you get your haircut (and stop mass murder)

Two masked and armed criminals pushed their way into a crowded Columbia, South Carolina barbershop filled with men, women and children.  One of the men carried a long gun and the other had a handgun.  The two thugs demanded money and repeatedly threatened everyone with violent death.  They told the customers to put their hands up, and one by one, to empty their pockets.  Fortunately, two of the victims had concealed carry permits.. and they were armed.  The barber told the thief that his money was behind the barber chair.  The barber and another store customer started shooting when the thief turned.  Their shots struck one of the robbers several times.

The two criminals ran from the barbershop. One escaped, the other dropped to the street.  He died in a nearby hospital. None of the customers or employees in the barbershop were injured.

Investigators determined that the suspect’s weapons was stolen from a South Carolina home back in 2012.  Police examined surveillance video and ruled the incident as self-defense.

JENNA comments- Physical-  Would this have worked at all with off body carry, say a woman had her gun in her purse while she was having her hair done? This is a big problem with off body carry.

Mental- Is a barbershop where you expect to be robbed?  It isn’t a nightclub.  It isn’t a convenience store next to the highway late at night.

The robbery victims were armed.  They did not present their weapons and fire as soon as they saw the threat.  They waited for an opportunity when the robbers were looking away.

Lots of screaming, crying and moving people.  This is not like our square shooting range. The robbers were shot and still ran away. 87 percent of handgun wounds are not lethal. Results- Another mass murder that didn’t happen because of a good buy with a gun.

Exit- Jenna Meeks, thank you for helping me today.  Where can our listeners find you?

Jenna- They can contact me Carry On Colorado Dot Com.  Here is my new book “Calling the Shots” on Amazon.

Rob- Join us next week for more Self-Defense Gun Stories.