Episode 119 with Tony Simon

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Rob- Introduction- Welcome to episode 119 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 your host, Rob Morse. We have firearms instructor Tony Simon with us as co-host.

Hi, Tony.  How have you been?

Tony- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been hosting the 2nd is For Everyone Diversity Shoot. The latest event was last Thursday at Gun For Hire range in Woodland Park NJ. We introduced a few new shooters to firearms.

Rob- Well done, and thank you. While you’re making introductions, please describe our podcast to our new listeners.

Tony- We study three recent examples of armed defense.  These gun owners survived a life threatening situation. What should we do if we were in their place?

Our first story took place last week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home?  

You’re not sure if you heard it or not. You wake up and hear something moving around in your house. You sit up and see someone in your bedroom. You grab your handgun and shoot at the intruder. He runs away. You call police. It is 3:30 in the morning.

Tony-  That’s scary.

Rob- and it happens every day. You’re a locksmith. How many of your customers call you after an event like this and want better locks?

Lock your doors. Many thieves creep around neighborhoods checking homes and cars to see if they’re locked. When they find an open door they go in and steal what they can.

Rob- Why?

Tony-  Locked doors and alarms will buy you time. The thief arrives with a plan. You need to me to put your plan in place.

Alarms should be a part of your home’s layered security. After 25 years of being a locksmith I can tell you many homeowners never hear the breaking glass or a kicked in door that indicates a home invasion.Alarms make you aware of your outer security being breached.

It can also get authorities responding to your home alarm even if you can’t call them yourself. Alams can also scare off intruders.

Rob- What do you think of the do it yourself security systems that link to your PC and your phone?

Tony- Also, I want you to have a flashlight. You have to identify what goes bump in the night. Too many people are injured or killed because of misidentification by armed homeowners. It’s tragic and avoidable.

Rob- Learn from other people’s mistakes, and please practice with your light since most attacks are after dark.

Tony- Great that he had a gun with him. The no one was hurt but at bedroom distance the homeowner missed the bad guy. You don’t get to choose when you use your firearm. Be accurate enough to hit what you are shooting at, you are responsible for every round you fire.

Rob- I can see two reasons he might have missed the intruder. One is stress. The other is that it is hard to see your sights in the dark.

Talk to me about the training steps we’d want our students to have before the meet a stranger in the dark.

Tony- Firearms safety. Safe storage. Load and unload your gun.

On-body carry and presentation.

Target practice.

Moving with a gun.

Training will overcome stress. We already talked about practicing with your flashlight.

Our second story happened last week in Titusville, Florida.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed at the park?   You’re walking across the park. In front of you is a rally where a community group is giving away free school supplies to poor kids. You see a guy run up and pull a gun from his pants. This guy starts shooting into the crowd. You see people run. Now the attacker tracks some of the people in the crowd. You draw your gun and shoot the attacker.

You have your carry permit. You holster your gun and wait for police. EMTs take the attacker to the hospital.

Tony-  The video from this has been all over social media. Thank God that hero was there to stop the potential massacre. I think it raises an important question for all people regardless of whether they carry a weapon for self defense. Do you get involved or do you get yourself and your family to safety?

Rob- Talk about that. What should I consider if I’m there with my family, and if I’m there alone?

Tony- As an armed self defender you need to have the ability to hit your target and stop them immediately. We also don’t want to hit innocent bystanders.

Rob- Moving headshot in a crowd.

Talk to me about a “cold test.”

Tony- The “cold test” is going to the range, setting your target at a distance you feel you can hit your target effectively and firing your first shot on target. You can choose drawing from concealment or not. The result tells us what you are capable of at that time.

Training doesn’t have to be a lifestyle but you must learn the fundamentals and be able to apply them at anytime. You should also learn your limitations with your firearm. At what distance can you hit at target effectively? 10 effective shots consecutively on target was one standard that I’ve given myself.  

Tony- Our third story happened last week in Litchfield, Texas.

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you arrive home?  

You pull up to your house you notice your neighbor being attacked by a man with a knife. You step out of your car. She is screaming and trying to get her two children out of the carseats in the back of her automobile. Her boyfriend was trying to help her, but an attacker was cutting them both with a knife and trying to take the car.

You draw your gun and step between the car and the attacker. Now the attacker runs across the street. You call police.

When the police finally get there, the assailant drops the knife and attacks the police.

Tony-  Another hero steps in and saves a family. The news story stated that no one was injured which is great.

Rob- And hard to believe given that the attacker had a knife.

Tony-  The only thing that I find concerning was the gun owner placing himself between the knife wielding attacker and the car. Distance is your friend and armed with a firearm. The more distance and objects you put between yourself and the knife the more the results are tipped in your favor.

Rob- What would you tell your students to do?

Tony- Get on the other side of the car or anything that would require you bad guy to run around to get to you. That gives the defender more time to put rounds on the bad guy and reduce the chances of get stabbed.

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

Tony- My website is Diversityshoot.com You can find me on Instagram and facebook at Simon Says Train and The 2nd is For Everyone podcast.

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

Tony-   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.

Give a listen at http://www.armedlutheran.us/