Episode 147 with Andee Reardon O’Brion
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Rob- Introduction- I’m glad you found us and welcome to episode 147 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.
This podcast is for people who are curious about self-defense, and for those who are already trained. I’m your host, Rob Morse. We’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Andee Reardon O’Brion.
Andee- Hi, Rob. I’ve been working and shooting, and attended a Sheepdog seminar with Col. David Grossman about stopping violence and defending churches.
You skipped a couple episodes lately?
Rob- I was away from home the last three weekends, and working a part time job, so the podcast was delayed. I’ll be home for a while.
I’d like to thank our listeners since we’ve had over a quarter million downloads.
Andee- How many?
Rob- 276 thousand downloads. We only received 56 ratings and 35 comments on iTunes. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and leave a comment.
Andee- We only get one comment for every eight thousand downloads? Ouch. That hurts my feelings.
Rob- I’m sorry.
Andee- If you’re listening to this podcast, PLEASE leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
Today we look at recent examples where gun owners were in a life threatening situation. Were these defenders lucky, or did they have a plan? What should we do if we were in their place? We also give you the links back to the original news article in our show notes. Our first story took place last week near Fort Myers, Florida.
Rob- First story- Are you armed as you drive?
You’re selling something online, and you found a buyer. The buyer wants to meet near their home on Saturday night. Three young men approach you when you arrive. They ask if the item is still for sale. You say it is and they ask to see it. Then one of the teenagers pulls a gun on you. You yell and the robber shoots you. You’re armed and you shoot back. The teens run away. You call for help and are taken to the hospital.
The teen who attacked you died on the scene. The police arrest two other teenagers. They are charged with murder and felony robbery. These 15 and 16 year old teens had a record of grand theft. The teenager who shot you was 14 years old.
Andee, what did our defender do correctly?
Andee- He had his rescue tool with him. No time to call the police and wait for them to come. He had to rescue himself first. He defended himself even though he was wounded.
Also, the defender called 911 and asked for help. That is what the good guys do.
Rob- Anything surprise you about this story?
Andee- Lots of gangs use young men for crime because their record is often wiped when they become 18 years old. These experienced criminals were 14, 15, and 16 years old.
Rob- What do you want our students to do if they were in this situation?
Andee- Avoid the problem. At the Sheepdog seminar we talked a lot about the Crime Triangle. For crime to happen there must be three things: Desire (motivation for the crime), Ability and Opportunity. We cannot control the first two, but we can often prevent criminals from having an opportunity. More and more of these violent crimes are happening at private sale transactions. Set up your person-to-person sales at the police station during daylight hours.
Also, I want you to move, to present your gun on the move, to shoot as you move, and to learn to shoot in dim light. Keep a first aid kit in your car, a tourniquet and chest seal in reach and know how to use it.
Rob- Where would I learn to do that?
Andee- You won’t learn in your concealed carry class, so you should taking further training. One class won’t give you all of those skills, but you’ll pick them up in time. Find a Stop The Bleed class or Tactical Medicine class. It may save your life.
Rob- I was noticing that the night time works both ways. It make is harder for you to hit your target, but it also makes it harder for you to be shot.
Andee- That’s where practicing in low light can be your advantage. We don’t want to train the in the same situation every time we go to the range, switch it up. Practice with moving targets, from different positions, in different light, with and without a flashlight and so on.
Rob- Anything else?
Andee- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Barboursville, West Virginia.
Rob- Second Story- Do you have your self-defense tools nearby as you sleep?
It is four in the morning when you hear someone bangng on your back door. You get your gun and go to see what is happening. Your back door breaks in with a crash, and a stranger is standing in your home. You shoot at him, and then retreat down the hallway and call police.
The police arrest an 18 year old man who is on drugs inside your sunroom.
Andee- This homeowner had her gun so she could get to it and use it quickly. That is important because we won’t have a lot of time or brainpower when we’re woken up by a loud noise. Also, I think she had a plan because she didn’t deny what was happening. She found a threat. She defended herself. She also retreated to a safe place and called police which tells me she no longer saw the man as an immediate threat.
Rob- What would you like our students to do?
Andee- The story didn’t mention anyone else in the home. That means she could have stayed in her bedroom and called police from there. We should have our quick access gun safe in the room we’re going to defend. If you don’t need to protect anyone but yourself, don’t go looking for danger. Get to a safe place, call the police and have your gun ready if the intruder becomes an immediate threat.
The story didn’t mention a flashlight or turning on the lights. Don’t shoot at shadows and you must identify your target before you shoot.
Rob- When do your students learn about shooting with low light?
Andee- We have done that in a range. Finding a low light class or taking a private lesson with an instructor who can work with you in low light is a great idea.
Also, this guy was on drugs, so don’t expect your attacker to make a lot of sense.
Rob- Is there more?
Andee- Our third story happened last week in Washington, North Carolina.
Rob- First this message.
Please join and support the Second Amendment Foundation at SAF.org
Rob- Third story- Are you armed at work?
It is after midnight and there are several customers in your vape shop. Another man comes in and grabs one of your customers. The man yells and you think the two men are going to fight, then the attacker draws a gun and demands money from the cash register or he’ll shoot his hostage.
You’ve been robbed before. You have your North Carolina concealed carry permit. You’re armed. You give the robber the money from the till and step to the side. When you have your moment, you draw and shoot the attacker. He drops the hostage and turns toward you. Your attacker fires his gun as you and the hostage back away. You shoot until the threat stops. Then, you call police.
Police have the surveillance video. They identify the getaway driver and the getaway car. Your attacker has a long criminal history including armed assault.
Andee- Guess the robbers should have read the sign on the door- it warned them someone inside was armed!
It looks like the clerk had his firearm on his body. I’m guessing because you don’t have the extra five seconds to go get your gun from the office safe.
Rob- I’ve asked our listeners who don’t or who can’t carry, to time themselves and see how long it takes to get their gun. I’m thinking it takes half a minute.
Andee- In situations like this, every second counts! You need to have your firearm accessible and you need to be proficient at drawing it from your holster.
Andee- Our forth story took place last week near Houston, Texas.
Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed when you drive to meet someone?
You’re looking for a playstation. You find one online and the seller says he wants to complete the sale tonight. You drive to the meeting spot and park your car. A man wearing a pillowcase over his head and carrying a rifle approaches your car. He points the rifle at you.
You have your Texas license to carry a handgun. You’re armed. You get out of your car and keep moving. You draw and shoot your attacker. He fires back, but you keep shooting. You move behind some cars and shoot until your attacker runs away. You call police and stay at the scene.
The police think the seller never had a playstation and set you up to rob you.
Andee- This person isn’t listening to self-defense gun stories. I like that he was armed. I like that he moved. I like that he shot in the dark and used the cars near him to keep from getting shot. I like that our defender didn’t give up.
Andee- Repeat after me- I will make person-to-person trades at the police station, so help me god.
Rob- So help me god.
How do you teach your students to move behind objects so they won’t get shot?
Andee- It’s something you should practice. Shooting behind barriers and shooting on the move are important training techniques you should be practicing. Like I said before, shooting at a paper target straight ahead of you in the same position isn’t teaching you much. Once you’re confident you can shoot at a target, switch it up and practice other things.
Rob- This attack happened when our defender was in his car.
Andee- If you’re armed in your vehicle, you need to be able to access your firearm. Have you ever shot from a vehicle while seat belted? It’s not exactly easy.
Exit- Rob- that wraps up this episode. Andee, thank you for helping us again. Where can we learn more about you?
Andee- Look for me at EastCoastSchoolofSafety.com and on my facebook and Instagram pages with the same name.
Rob- After you look at Andee’s website, please leave us a message on the podcast facebook page.
Andee- 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, Tunein and Spotify.
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.
Just found your show, thank you. We need to share these real self-defense stories. My own take is that these kinds of meetups need to be during daylight in public places or not at all. Thank you again.