Episode 135 with Tiffany Johnson

Rob- Introduction- I’m glad you found us and welcome to episode 135 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.

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

Tiffany- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been instructing, grading papers, and..

Rob- Tiffany, how do you listen to this podcast?

Tiffany- Podcasts app (iPhone)

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

Tiffany- We study several examples where gun owners faced a life threatening situation. Were they lucky, or did they have a plan? What should we do if we were in their place? Our first story took place last week in Missoula, Montana.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home on a monday morning?  

Your first clue was the sound of the dogs and cats going crazy. You go downstairs and see a strange car and several police cars on your driveway. You wave, and they say they are searching for a fugitive. You go back inside, grab your handgun, and carefully look through your house from top to bottom. You find a stranger huddled in the back corner of your basement furnace room. You order him to leave. After the intruder is grabbed by the police, you follow the intruder outside, lay down your pistol, and lie on the ground.

Your intruder is charged with burglary, theft, drug possession, reckless driving and evading officers. The police found methamphetamine in the stolen car in your driveway.

You’re a 58 year old math professor and competitive shooter. When a local reporter called you up, and you thanked the Western Montana Fish and Game Association and the Deer Creek Shooting Range for letting you compete and train.

What did our defender do correctly?

Tiffany- He had a gun. But wasn’t armed when the intruder broke in. I have a somewhat unconventional view on POGO…

Rob- Was lethal force every justified?

Tiffany- some might say, “Don’t clear your house.”

Rob- Tiffany, I have to question that. There are good reasons to keep the police outside. Police can shoot you, your wife, your dog and your cat and claim limited immunity. There is no good solution.

Tiffany- Like most issues in self-defense, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Answer is, it depends…

Rob- Are home break ins very common?

Tiffany- POGO gives you a holster and a place to put your gun when you meet the police. But again, that’s ideal where feasible. Not always feasible. Balancing act.

Rob- I noticed that he did not have a cartridge in the chamber when he started. He did keep his finger off the trigger as he moved. What to you suggest for your students?

Tiffany- Not what I recommend.

Rob- Anything else?

Tiffany- That is enough for now. Our second story happened last week in Miami Beach, Florida.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed as you walk across the street with your girlfriend and child?   

Your girlfriend and your 8 month old child are out for a stroll. You see several men fighting across the street. It sounds serious, so you and your girlfriend pull out your cell phones and take video. One of the combatants runs across the street and hits you and then your girlfriend even though she is carrying a child. You all back away. The attacker follows you. You draw your gun and shoot your attacker. Now he stops.

There are lots of witnesses. You put your gun down and wait for the police.

What did our defender do correctly?

Rob- What would you tell your students to do?

Tiffany-  avoidance, avoidance, avoidance. Why on earth would you walk towards a brewing melee – let alone draw attention to yourself by conspicuously recording – with a baby in your arms? See the fight from a block away and go in the OPPOSITE direction. Call the police from a safe distance.

Tiffany-  putting gun down vs. Reholstering

Tiffany-  Know what is behind your target. This was a crowded area.

Our third story happened last week in Pasadena, California.

Rob- First this message from Buckeye Firearms Foundation.

Please support Buckeye Firearms Foundation at https://www.buckeyefirearmsfoundation.org/

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you work at your uncle’s jewelry store?

It is almost 11 in the morning. You’re working in the back room of your uncle’s shop. There are a number of customers in the store when two men walk in. They say they want to look at chains and rings. When the other customers leave, one of the men pulls a knife and tries to stab your uncle. You grab the gun they keep in the back room, and run into the store. The robbers see your gun and run. You and the other store employees chase the robbers from the store.

Tiffany- Glad he was armed – (more specifically) glad he at least had a gun nearby

Tiffany- Pogo – out in public, absolutely

Tiffany- Have a holster.

Tiffany- have training. The video shows the defender pointing his gun at his uncle. Please get some instruction so you know what you should and should not do, and what you are capable and incapable of doing.

he gun is not a magic object that protects you. I don’t think this gun owner was a good enough shot to hit the attacker while the attackers were struggling with his uncle. You’ll learn that in class and at the range.

Tiffany- Our forth story took place last week in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed at your hotel room?

A man knocks on the door of your hotel room. You open the door and he pushes his way inside. The intruder says to give him your money. You say you don’t have any. He argues, but steps outside. There, he draws a gun and points it at another stranger and demands the stranger’s money. You’re armed. You draw your gun and shoot the attacker.

You call police and stay in your room until they arrive.

Tiffany- Glad he was armed – (more specifically) glad he at least had a gun nearby.  However. Don’t ever open your hotel door for a total stranger!

Tiffany- Glad he was patient. He waited for an opportunity to get his gun rather than get into a gunfight. We don’t know if the defender had his gun on his body, or in his luggage.

Tiffany- Again, what is behind your target. You are responsible for every shot fired.

Rob- What would you tell your students to do? The armed man is standing in the doorway. Do you get up and walk toward your attacker to close the door?  

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

Tiffany- Look for me at my website Front Sight Press and I instruct at Citizens Safety Academy and Rangemaster

Rob- If you like what you hear then leave us a message on the podcast facebook page.

Tiffany- We share this podcast with you for free.  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- My friend Kevin Creighton started a new instruction business. He teaching concealed carry classes in Naples Florida. Find him at Quietly Armed.  http://quietlyarmed.com/concealed-carry-classes/

Rob- 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.


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