Episode 130 with Staff
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Rob- Introduction- I’m glad you found us and welcome to episode 130 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.
This podcast is for people who are curious about a firearm for self-defense, and for those who already have a gun of your own.. I’m your host, Rob Morse. Because of our schedules, this is a review episode. I search for stories where the defender did not shoot their gun. Too often those events don’t make the news. I’ve collected three of them for this episode.
Our first story took place in October 2018, and Jeff Street was our instructor.
Rob- First story- Are you armed as you have a yard sale at your parents house?
Your mom and dad are having a yard sale, and you said you’d stick around to help. Your mom saw someone stuffing clothing into her handbag. Your mom and dad asked her to stop that. Instead of returning the items, the stranger sprayed you mom and dad with pepper spray, and tried to stab your dad with a knife. You stepped inside and got the family shotgun. You pointed the shotgun at the attacker and told her to leave.
She saw the gun and ran. You called police. The police said the young woman was lucky she was not shot and killed.
Jeff- 1st let’s look at avoidance. We try to keep the pool of people who have been on our property or inside our home to a minimum. In our neighborhood the nearby county park lets you rent a space once a month for a community yard sale. They had no clue who would show up to their property.
This crazy woman looked normal in her mugshot photo.
I like this story because it’s the most likely defensive gun use scenario in that no shots were fired. The scarry shotgun got the job done. You still need to call 911 as soon as possible so law enforcement can hear your side of the story 1st. This type of Defensive gun use rarely makes the news.
Of course we must add POGO pants on gun on.
Sounds like she had mental health issues.
The time while you went inside to get a gun could have cost your parents their lives.
Have a good plan. “We’ll get our gun.” might not work if it is hundreds of feet away while you’re out at your mailbox. You only have the tools that are within reach.
Jeff- Having a gun can stop the confrontation from escalating, so it would have been better if the family was armed with firearms on their bodies.
Rob- Do you talk to your students about what to do if someone in your family is attacked?
Rob- This took place at a yard sale. In your shooting classes, do you include targets that you don’t want to shoot?
Rob- What did our defender do correctly?
Jeff- Good restraint that the son tried verbal commands and did not shoot when he saw that the verbal commands worked. Good restrain in not following the attacker.
Rob- I’m imagining that someone tried to stab my dad. I can’t holster a shotgun, so I have to go back inside and put it away. I have the same problem with a handgun if I don’t have a holster. What do I do with the gun when I need two hands.
Next question is, can I stop the bleeding?
Our second story took place in July 2018. Robyn Street was our instructor for that episode.
Rob- second story Are you armed at home?
It is well after dark when you hear someone knocking on your front door. You check your doorbell camera and don’t recognize the woman standing on your porch. The stranger says her friend lives there. The strange woman is obviously confused, and she also sounds increasingly angry as she demands to be let in. You call police. The strange woman rips the screen door off your entryway and the screens off your windows. Your doors and windows are locked. The intruder throws herself an your door over and over, then starts banging on your windows.
You tell her you have a gun and to go away. Police arrive a moment later and arrest her. The intruder is a 30-years-old and she was drunk. She faces charges with vandalism.
Robyn- The homeowner, a retired police officer, had a gun and was mentally prepared to use it to defend herself. This was something that our homeowner had already envisioned as a possibility. She had done a good job of hardening her home. The doors and windows were locked and secure, camera was installed and operating, phone was charged and in hand, gun was available and ready to use. Hooray.
Robyn – I love the fact that she had installed a doorbell camera. She could identify the person at the door without compromising her security.. I am not sure if the camera had a speaker but regardless she also issued clear verbal commands to leave.
Robyn – She did so many things right. She called the police and got them on the way. A further benefit to calling 911 is that they can give you updates on the position of help on the way, you can keep them updated on the location of the threat and on your location. Finally, it is recorded in case any legal action is required.
Robyn- She was frightened..and she is a retired police officer. She did a great job of analyzing the threat as it was unfolding. I think it is important for us to mention how upset she was sharing how close she was to shooting the woman. Perhaps she had drawn the red line at crossing the threshold of the house. She was prepared and stayed in control. She had police on the way but they were not there yet. She was her own first responder. If we find ourselves in a similar situation this would give us a good mental map to follow.
Robyn- No shots fired. I wish that every self defense scenario was like this one. The preparations were sufficient to keep her potential attacker away. Good job! Our second story happened North of Daytona Beach.
Rob- Our third story was with Amanda Suffecool as our instructor and it took place in October of 2017.
Rob- third story- ARE YOU ARMED AS YOU RUN ON A JOGGING TRAIL BEFORE SUNRISE?
You’re running on a local trail before dawn. You hear a woman scream. You slow down and look to see where the screams came from. A man is holding a woman on the ground and she’s fighting him. You grab your flashlight and a gun from your fanny pack. You shine the light on the couple. The man is sitting on top of the woman, and pressing his hand over her mouth. You see her struggle.
You point your gun at the attacker and tell him to get away from the women. He does, but he runs away with her shoes and her shorts. You let him go.
Police report that the woman was attacked from behind and then dragged off the running trail. The victim identified her rapists as a homeless young man who has been previously charged with felony assault and eight misdemeanors including two charges of indecent exposure. All these charges were filed within the last two years.
Amanda- She fought, and her screams brought help. A Concealed carry does not make us an auxiliary police officer – yet at the same time we need to do what we can.
Amanda- the life you save may not be your own. Preparedness and practice are critical when you are called to make instant judgments when yous and someone else’s life is on the line.
Amanda- Don’t wear earplugs when you run in strange places. Or music, or…..
Amanda- Bring your own gun rather than rely on others.
Rob- We often tell students to avoid other people’s fights. She did make the choice to run in the dark without any tools of self-defense.
Amanda- We live in a society where selfishness abounds. There is a line where it’s not your fight – but could you live with yourself if you just ran on. In this case – No shots fired. This is a win on so many levels.
Rob- That wraps up this episode. Let us know what you think and leave us a message on the podcast facebook page. Please share the podcast with a friend and give us a rating on I-Tunes and Stitcher. We’re also available on Google Play Music and Spotify. This podcast is part of the Self-defense radio network at sdrn.us
I’m Rob Morse. We’ll be back in a few weeks with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.