Episode 107 with Robyn Street

Rob- Introduction- Welcome to episode 107 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.  This podcast is for people who might want a gun for self-defense, and for those who already have one.  I’m Rob Morse and we have firearms instructor Robyn Street as co-host.

Hi, Robyn.  How have you been?

Robyn- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been busy. Lots of training for myself and for my students.  How have you been doing?

Rob- I’ve been to the range several times, sometimes for my training and sometimes with new students.

Rob- Please introduce our podcast to our new listeners.

Robyn- We study three recent examples of armed defense to see what we can learn. Were these gun owners lucky, or were they good?  These stories also document cases when an armed citizen was able to defend themselves. We often hear about firearms when they are used to commit violent acts, but we do not often hear when armed citizens survive potentially deadly attacks because they are armed.  Next time you are asked “why do you need a firearm” share one of these stories. Our first story took place last week in Iredell County, North Carolina. Here’s what happened.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home?  

It is sunrise on Sunday morning. You hear your dog bark. Your wife and two young kids are asleep, so you pad downstairs to see what is bothering the dog. A man is standing inside your screen porch trying to get into your house. You grab your 22 rifle and walk out the side door. You enter your porch and tell the man to lie down. He does. You call police.

The policeman fights with the suspect to take him into custody. The intruder faces charges of breaking and entering, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting a public officer.

Robyn- Not a time or place we would think of being at risk.  We need to be prepared at all times.

Rob- Your back porch on a Sunday morning is usually a place to relax and read the paper.

Robyn- Dogs are a great alarm system.

Rob- Dogs vs electronics?

Robyn- If the intruder is not in the house, then stay safe inside.  Harden your home now so that it can provide the most amount of protection possible.

Rob- What would you tell your students to do in this case?

Robyn- Have a plan, gather your family in the most defensible location.  Call 911 and get help on the way. 911 is recorded and can be used as evidence if necessary.

Rob- Gun, family, phone..In what order?

Robyn-a 22 rifle might not be the best caliber choice but it beats not having anything.  Several of the people that shoot with us are using 9mm carbines. Some of the carbines even use the same magazines as their pistols.

Rob- What do you like about them?

Robyn – I am glad that it worked out for the homeowner, but it is not our job to hold someone until the police arrive.  The robber was rummaging through his pockets and producing drug paraphernalia. What if he would have had a weapon in his pocket?

Rob- Say more about that.

Robyn- If our homeowner had more training, he would not have held the intruder. If the intruder moved to take something from the intruder’s pockets, the homeowner should have shot him. That is tough to explain in court, and is why we don’t hold suspect for the police.

Robyn- The homeowner mentioned that he did not want to shoot anyone, but that he would if that is what it would take to defend his family.  We need to make that decision now to lessen the likelihood of hesitation if we have to protect ourselves or our family.

Rob- Our homeowner hesitated, but he was safe this time.

Robyn- This  homeowner was lucky, but we can’t count on luck. Our second story happened last week in Tucson, Arizona.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed when you go shopping?   

It is dark outside. You finished your shopping and walk to your car. You set your purse and packages inside. You try to close your car door, but a man has grabbed the door. He tells you to get out of your car and give him the keys. He shouts at you. You grab your gun from your purse. You step out of your car and point your gun at your attacker. He has a hatchet in his hand. You tell him to leave. He raises his hand and you shoot him once in the center of the chest. He falls. You keep your gun on him and shout for people coming out of the store to call police.

Robyn- Don’t hesitate to ask mall security officers or grocery store employees to escort you to your car.  You are less likely to be attacked if you are not alone.

Rob- We hear about that during the Christmas shopping rush, but it happens all the time.

Robyn-If it is “dark” outside have your flashlight in hand and scanning the environment.  It sends a message that you are aware of your environment. Added bonus, the bad person has probably only seen police officers using a flashlight.

Rob- The light says you’re not their usual victim.

Robyn-It appears that the victim was distracted when transitioning to the car.  The attacker was close enough to grab the car door. Be aware and prepared. As soon as possible. Lock the doors, start the car and get out of the parking lot.

Rob- What should we do if we see someone standing in the parking lot and they are not moving towards their car?

Robyn- It would have been better is she could have been the first to call 911.  As I was reading the story, it was mentioned that she held the attacker until the police arrived.  It is not our job to hold the attacker. In most cases, I would say that the victim should get away from the attacker.  The police can catch them later.

Robyn- Our third story happened last week in Saint, Louis Missouri.

 

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re at home?  

You’re in your bedroom at the back of the house. It is 9:30 at night when you hear shouting from the front door. Then you hear gunshots and you hear one of your housemates shout in pain. You grab your gun and walk toward the noise. An older man who lives at the house is on his knees and looks hurt. A stranger is standing in the front room yelling that he wants his money. The stranger raises his gun and you shoot the intruder. Now he runs. You call police and EMTs.

The police arrest the wounded robber and take him to the hospital.

Robyn- That did not turn out as the robber had planned.  Harden your home to make it difficult for a bad person to get to you.  Keep the doors locked.

Rob- Seconds count. How should we have our gun?

Robyn- I am glad the friends of the victim had immediate access to their firearm.  They did not suffer from disbelief and denial. The situation was bad and they took immediate action to stop the situation.

Rob- This all happened very fast.

Robyn- In this case after the attacker was shot in the leg, the attacker decided to run away.  As he was running away, he was still firing his gun. Another neighbor started to fire at the attacker.  This is very troubling. We are responsible for every round that we fire. You have to know your target, what is around it, behind it and beside it.  Luckily no other bystanders were hit in this exchange. My advise, if the attacker is running away, let him go. As so as it is safe to do so, call the police.  Get help on the way. The police can find him later.

Robyn- The first victim was shot.  This highlights the importance of medical training and medical kits.  You are the first responder for yourself, your family and your friends.

Robyn-We need to train to have good situational awareness, plan for what ifs and worst case scenarios, study the laws, maximize our physical fitness and practice with our firearms to become as proficient as possible.  

Robyn- These stories are a great training tool.  They actually happened to someone else. We know what they did.  What would you do?

Exit-  Rob- That wraps up this episode. Robyn, thank you for helping us today.  Where can we learn more about you?

Robyn- You can find me at Step by Step Gun Training in Naples Florida.  We provide custom training courses as well as group classes.  Our listeners can leave me a message for us on the Step by Step Facebook page.

Rob- You can share your thoughts with us by leaving a message on the podcast facebook page.  

Robyn-  We share this podcast with you for free.  Please share it with a friend and give us a rating on I-Tunes and Stitcher.  We’re also available on Google Play Music and Spotify.

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

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Promotion- More Self-Defense Gun Stories

https://www.selfdefensegunstories.com/

 

Responsible gun owners defended themselves, but you didn’t hear it in the news.  Instructor Robyn Street joins host Rob Morse to talk about three new examples.

 

First story-

 

Second story-

 

Third story-

 

What would you do in these situations? Text and podcast available at the link. (17 minutes)

 


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