Episode 134 with Jeff Street

Rob- Introduction- I’m glad you found us and welcome to episode 134 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.

This podcast is for people who are curious about having a firearm for self-defense, and for those who already own one. I’m your host, Rob Morse. We’re joined this week by self defense instructor Jeff Street.

Jeff Street

Jeff- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been working, and shooting and instructing.

Rob- I’m looking for a bilingual podcaster to make a spanish version of Self-Defense Gun Stories. If you know someone, then please ask them to contact us.  Until then, Jeff, please introduce our podcast to our new listeners in English.

Jeff- These stories of self defense recently happened to real people.  These stories will give you a better understanding of current criminal tactics so that you will be able to recognize danger sooner. We give tips on avoiding and handling the attack and the aftermath.  I really want to help our listeners develop their own skills of analysis.

Our first story took place last week in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home in the evening?  

Your husband ran out to buy some groceries for tomorrow’s breakfast. He comes back home at about 9pm. You hear his keys in the lock and then two men run onto the porch and push your husband inside. The attackers are wearing masks and have a gun. Your husband is fighting with them. The attackers shoot your husband. You yell that you’ll get them some money and run to the kitchen. That is where you grab your gun out of a drawer. You shoot the attackers and they run away.

You call for EMTs and the police. You husband is taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition. You stay home with your two small children.

Jeff – The robbers were masked and armed. The robbers waited until the door was unlocked, this would effectively defeat any motion detector, lights and the lock. If they had an alarm that was turned on it may have helped.

Rob- Do home invasions happen very often, or is this unusual?

Jeff- When I go out for supplies at night I’m wearing my gun.  My wife also is wearing a gun when i get home.

Rob- This happened in Indiana. You live in Florida, so the answer might be different, but how long did it take to get your carry permit?

Jeff- Her husband was wounded. Shots to the leg can be fatal. I have a tourniquet in my pants pocket. We have full medical kits at home and individual first aid kits in our cars.

Rob- I imagine that when your husband is bleeding on the floor is the wrong time to open the first aid kit and start reading the instructions.

Jeff- Just like a gun, first aid takes training and practice, but we enjoy it.  Also, a gun in a drawer with 2 small children in the home is a not acceptable. Our guns are locked up away from children or on our bodies.

Jeff- What did our defender do correctly?

Jeff- Glad she had a gun.  She shot rather than talked. She didn’t chase the robbers, but stayed and called police.

Rob- What could they have done better?

Jeff- Situational awareness might have helped, but it might not have been enough.

Jeff- It is straightforward to get your carry permits in Indiana. I wish that both of them were armed.

It is better to use your own gun than have to fight your attacker and try to take theirs.

I also wish they both had their firearms carried on their body rather than kept in a drawer.  She might have dashed into the kitchen to shoot from cover, but that way she would have been able to respond much faster.

Rob- Anything else?

Jeff- First aid. Does she have a tourniquet? That is enough for now.

Our second story happened last week in Columbia, South Carolina.

Rob- Second Story- Do you have a firearm near by when you’re asleep at night?

You’re asleep in bed. You’re startled out of your sleep by a loud crashing sound. You grab your gun as you get out of bed. A stranger walks down the hall towards your bedroom. You shoot him. The stranger falls down. You retreat to your bedroom and call police.

Your robber was an escaped convict from a nearby jail. He and his accomplice overpowered two jail guards. He was walking toward your bedroom with a foot long metal sharpening rod he took from your kitchen. EMTs pronounced him dead at the scene.

What do you notice?

Jeff- The loud crash was enough to wake up our victim.  That is good, we want to force the attacker to make noise because that gives us a warning. We want to slow them down so we have time to prepare.  When the glass is replaced i would recommend 3m security film added to all the windows. http://www.goadvantagefilms.com/safety-window-tinting/

The attacker picked up his kitchen tool to use as a weapon. Our defender shot him once in the head.  This resulted in immediate incapacitation of the threat. Being able to do that as you wake up at 3am is evidence of her practicing and knowing what she could accomplish on demand with her firearm. She thought about this situation ahead of time.  She knew what position to get in and how far to shoot from.

Rob- How did she shoot in the dark?

Jeff- This happened very quickly. Our homeowner had her concealed carry permit. I think that make a huge difference. She had a defensive mindset.

Rob- Why do you say that?

Jeff- She had seconds to wake up and defend herself. The only way to do that was to have already considered what to do. I could hear a crash in the middle of the night. I might need my gun. I have to decide if self-defense is justified when an intruder breaks into my home. Should I defend myself and is lethal force necessary? She had all of those decisions made ahead of time, because she had neither the time, now was she in the proper condition to figure it out at 3 in the morning.

She also stopped the intruder with one shot to the head..at night.  I think she practiced.

Rob- Where do students learn all that?

Jeff- Basic class to learn the different types of firearms.

Firearms safety

Rent and shoot.

Concealed carry class

Carry permit

Self defense class

Regular practice.

Our third story happened last week, again in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Rob- First this message from my friends at the Second Amendment Foundation.

Please join and support the Second Amendment Foundation at SAF.org

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re making a burger run for your family?

You’re family is hungry late at night, so you said you’d drive to a nearby fast food restaurant and pick up something. It is almost 10 at night, as you’re sitting in the drive through lane waiting to place your order. A stranger walks up to the passenger side of your car. The stranger opens the door, and puts a gun in your face. The robber demands your keys and your wallet. You’re being robbed.

You hit the gas and drive over the curb. You try and close the passenger door by driving next to a few trees.

The robber is now inside your car. You slam to a stop, grab the robber, and drag him out of your car.

You fight with the robber to turn his gun away from you. You draw your gun and shoot your attacker in the arm.

Jeff- As soon as i shut my car door i lock the car.  Then i get the car moving and buckle up in the parking lot.

Someone attempted to car jack me once.  My doors were locked. I was armed. I was able to avoid the carjacking by driving the car away from the attacker.

Drive throughs are scary. Often times there is no way to get your car out  if things go wrong. You are blocked in from all sides. In this instance he had a little room to maneuver the car.  Even though this went sideways our victim did not give up.

Jeff- Wow, lots of things to talk about here.Rob- What do you see?

Jeff- Door was unlocked.

He tried to drive away.

He fought with the attacker rather than running away.

He had a gun.

He used his firearm.

He remained at the scene and spoke to the police.

Rob- What would you tell your students to do?

Jeff- Lock your doors, drive away, escape if you can.

Our forth story took place last week in Fort Worth, Texas.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed at work at 4 in the morning?

You’re working at a convenience store. It is early in the morning and people are coming in for their cup of coffee, a breakfast burrito, and a full tank of gas. A customer walks in and demands money. You look again, and the man has a gun pointed at you. You’re being robbed. You draw your gun, shoot your attacker, and move. The robber shoots at you. Your attacker runs from the store. You’re shaking, but you put your gun away and call the police.

The police find your attacker nearby. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He had a criminal record including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, burglary and drug possession.

Jeff- Convenience store clerk Practicing moving while shooting is important.  For very close fast shooting, practicing gun frame aiming is useful. As you are drawing and attempting to get your sights aligned you see the frame of your gun in your peripheral vision and it is aligned on the target so your 1st shot does not need the usual sighted fire.  It’s still sighted fire your just using a cruder sighting system.

Jeff- On body carry. Move and shoot. You might get shot, but you should not depend on mercy from the merciless.

Rob- In most states, you don’t need a permit to carry at work.

Jeff- But you do need training. We show our students different holsters. We demonstrate how they are used to present a firearm. We safely walk our students through it. We correct their mistakes and suggest alternatives as they demonstrate the technique.

Rob- How hard can that be?

Jeff- There are lots of things that might work..eventually. We can show you what we’ve found to be very quick and efficient. Then, we can start to add movement as you draw and shoot.

Rob- That sounds like several classes.

Jeff- It is several building blocks. You have to practice each new skill and refine the older skills.

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

Jeff- I’m at Step by Step Gun Training in Naples Florida.  We provide group classes as well as custom training. Leave us a message on the Step by Step Facebook page.

Jeff- We share this podcast with you for free.  All we ask is that you 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.

Rob- Listeners can contact me on the podcast facebook page. This podcast is part of the Self-defense radio network at sdrn.us

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

Contact my friend Kevin Creighton for concealed carry license classes in Naples, Florida.


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