Episode 174 with Elizabeth Hautman

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Introduction

Rob- Welcome to episode 174 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. Perhaps you’re well trained, or maybe you’re simply curious about self-defense. I’m your host Rob Morse and I’m glad you found us. We’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Elizabeth Hautman. I looked back in our archives and Elizabeth and I have been recording together for three years. Thank you.

Elizabeth- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been working, and instructing, and…

Rob- We received two more ratings and two more comments on iTunes this week (112/63). Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know this show is worth their time.

Elizabeth- We’ll talk about recent examples where gun owners were in a life threatening situation. Were they lucky, or did they have a plan? What should we do if we were in their place? We give you the links back to the original news article in our show notes.  Our first story took place last week in Taylors, South Carolina.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home in the middle of the day?  

You’re a woman home alone on a Thursday morning. You live in an ordinary suburban neighborhood. It is about 10 am when a stranger knocks on your door. He asks if you have jumper cables he can borrow. You don’t have any. A few minutes later, the stranger opens your door, grabs you by the throat, and throws you to the ground. You’re armed. You draw your handgun and your attacker runs. You close and lock the door. Then you call the police.

Tag- No shots fired.

Elizabeth- 

She had a gun.
She wore the gun when she was at home
She acted in her defense and presented her gun.
She didn’t chase the bad guy
She locked the door
She called police
She gave a description
Police had video from where the intruder tried to enter other homes in the area, but not from when he entered her home.

 Rob- In some states, you can go to a range, shoot a number of guns, find one you like, buy a holster for it and carry at home this afternoon. Some states make it more complicated. What is your experience where you live in Colorado?

Elizabeth- You forgot to mention a way to safely store your gun and to clean it. In Colorado….

Rob- What would you like us to do if we were in the situation of being home alone?

Elizabeth- Lock your doors. Keep your distance from strangers.

I also want you to practice with your firearm when you’re not at the range. Unload your gun and practice presentation several times a week. Practice so you can do it unconsciously. In an emergency, people who practice don’t remember drawing their gun. It’s like putting out your hands to protect yourself if you fall down, they say that drawing and shooting just happened. Unload your gun and practice drawing while your sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor, or lying down on the floor.

Rob- I’ve had classes where we shot standing, kneeling on one knee, sitting on our heels, sitting on our bottom, and then lying down on our back and shooting between our legs. That isn’t what you learn in a first class.

Elizabeth- No, that isn’t where we start. There are lots of little things to learn. Firearm safety, basic marksmanship, learn to own a gun with storage and cleaning, how to go to the range, wearing a holster, presenting from a holster, presenting from under a concealment garment, learning to shoot from cover, and finally shooting on the move and in unusual positions.

Rob- I can’t practice that at my local range where they give me a port and don’t let me draw from the holster. You have a range in your backyard.

Rob- Is there something more you want to mention before we go on to our next story?

Elizabeth- That is enough for now. Our second story happened last week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed in your car as you drive home late at night?   

You’re getting out of your car at 2:30 on a weekday morning. A car drives by and stops. The passenger points a gun out the window and tells you to hand it over. You have your concealed carry permit. You’re armed. You hand over your wallet and your phone. You step to the side, draw your firearm, and shoot at your attackers. They drive away. You have to shout for help since you lost your phone.

Elizabeth- Our defender had a gun. He applied for and received his carry permit. He had his gun concealed on his body. He recognized a threat and defended himself. He moved out of the way so he was a harder target, but he didn’t chase the bad guys and shoot at the car once his attackers were no longer a threat. He got to safety, called the police, and gave a statement.

Rob- But he lost his wallet and his phone.

Elizabeth- Your phone isn’t worth a bullet wound. Don’t get into a gunfight over THINGS. He put THINGS his attackers hands until he had a chance to defend himself. That was great thinking. Here, Rob, hold my purse.

Rob- So if you could, you’d empty your purse one item at a time so your attacker’s hands are full?

Elizabeth- Exactly.

Rob- What would you tell your students to do so they are prepared for a situation like this?

Elizabeth- Look around. If you know you’re going to arrive in the dark, then carry a flashlight. The police do that. The last victim these guys robbed didn’t have a flashlight in his hands.

Also, it is easy to get distracted on our phone after we drive. Look around, and don’t stand alone in the street late at night.

Practice moving as you present your firearm when you dry practice. Take small steps around the room and present your gun while your feet are moving. Later, you can shoot on the move at a range.

Rob- At least at your range.

Elizabeth- Some ranges let you move. Some don’t. Maybe you have to take a class from them before they will let you move and shoot.

Rob- So I have homework when I practice and some phone calls to make before I go the range again.

Elizabeth- I never said that self-defense was easy, but you can do it, Rob. We have clinics to practice different skills-
https://thewellarmedwoman.com/
https://twawshootingchapters.org/

Our third story happened last week in Texas City, Texas.

Rob- First this message from Doctors for responsible gun ownership, DRGO.us

Rob- Third story- Are you armed at work?

You run a small grocery/convenience store. It is about 9 at night when you hear shouting from the front of the store. You check the video monitors and you see two robbers pointing guns at your employees. You’re armed. You step into the store, draw your firearm, and shoot your attackers. Both attackers shoot their guns as they run from the store.

You check on your employees and your customers. They are uninjured, then you call the police. Security video shows the men outside and inside the store. There is no evidence that your shots hit the attackers.

Elizabeth- Our defender had a plan. He had video surveillance and he had a firearm. He was aware that something was happening. He recognized that his employees were facing a lethal threat. He had a plan of what to do. He acted on that plan. He didn’t chase the attackers. He checked to see if any of the victims were hurt. He called police and gave them the video of the attack.

Rob- When you say a plan, you mean he had a list of things he’d do before, during and after an attack?

Elizabeth- Exactly. Plan to check on the people in your store and see if they are hurt. Plan to treat anyone who is injured. Plan to close and lock the door after the attackers run away. Plan what you’ll say, and what you won’t say to the police. Plan to give them a copy of the video and to keep a copy for yourself and your lawyer. Go over that plan with your employees too. Make sure they know where the medical kit is stored, and what to say to the police.

You have a plan for fire, flood, or bad weather. Criminals frequently rob small stores, so plan what you’ll do. 

Rob- Can you give me an example? What would you want the employees to say?

Elizabeth- Our forth story took place last week in Berrien County, Michigan.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed at home late at night?

You’re in your room. It is about 9 at night when you hear shouts and voices from the front of the house. That doesn’t sound right, so you look down the hall. You see two masked men who have guns pointed at your housemates. They tell your friends to get down on the floor. You have a rifle in your room. You get your gun and shoot your attackers. They run. Your roommates are shaken and bruised, but not seriously injured.

You call the police.

Elizabeth- This is a frightening story. Your friends could have been murdered. In legal terms, they faced a lethal, immediate, and unavoidable threat. Fortunately, our defender recognized the threat. He also had a firearm immediately available.  He defended his roommates, and he didn’t chase the bad guys. He checked on his friends and called the police.

Rob- He used a rifle.

Elizabeth- Long guns are easier to shoot accurately than handguns. I wonder how his rifle was stored. In my house, it would be locked in a safe because my boys come to visit, but they make rapid access safes for long guns too, not only for handguns.

Rob- What would you like us to do is we were in this situation?

Elizabeth- Lock your doors. Make the bad guys break into your house. It sounds like there were several adults in the house. 

Don’t assume that you have to put your life at risk to save other adults. They are responsible for their safety, and it was their choice to be unarmed victims. It would be better if they were armed and you worked together on a safety plan.

Rob- But I was told that self-defense never happens.

Elizabeth- Right. It never happens thousands of times a day. Learn to defend yourself and then take a stop-the-bleed class so you can help others.

Rob- Our stories this week talked about being robbed at home, on the street, and at work.

Elizabeth- True, but look at it this way. Do you take the spare tire out of your car because you don’t plan to have a flat?

Rob- I never plan to have a flat tire, but they happen anyway.

Elizabeth- That is right. Bad guys follow us everywhere, so bring the tools you need all the time.

Exit-  Rob- You gave me more to think about. Elizabeth, thank you for helping us again. Where can we learn more about you?

Elizabeth- I instruct in Colorado Springs at my private range in Black Forest. Contact me at Colorado Boots Firearms Instruction.

Rob- After you look at Elizabeth classes, then leave us a message on the podcast facebook page.

Elizabeth- We share this podcast with you for free.  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,Tunein, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Rob- This podcast is part of the Self-defense radio network. Find more great podcasts at sdrn.us

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