Episode 192 with Tony Simon

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Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 192 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re glad you found us. That is true if you’re well trained and also if you’re new to self defense. I’m Rob Morse and this week we’re joined by firearms instructor Tony Simon.

Tony- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been working and shooting and preparing for a class.

Rob- We received a review and a new rating on iTunes this week. (148/88). Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know this show is worthwhile.

Tony- 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 Fredericksburg, Texas.

Rob- First story-  Do you have a firearm nearby early in the morning?,  and here

 It is after midnight when you’re startled awake by sounds from your backyard. Your fiance hears them too, and he gets out of bed to investigate. A few moments later, you hear the sounds of a fight in the house. You get out of bed and see a stranger strangling your fiance. You run back to your bedroom and grab your handgun. You shout for the attacker to stop. Your fiance is unconscious, and you fire a warning shot at his attacker. The attacker doesn’t let go, so you shoot again. Now the attacker takes a step, lets go of your fiance, and falls to the floor. Your fiance is breathing, and regains consciousness in a minute. He calls for police and EMTs.

EMTs transport your attacker and examine your fiance. Your 73 year old fiance was choked unconscious after being hit in the head with a club. The police said your 19 year old attacker was on drugs. Your attacker died the next day from a single gunshot wound to the head. You are 65 years old.

Tony-   Great job stopping the threat. She stopped the attack by someone who was decades younger than her and she defended her fiance. 

Rob-  She had a firearm. It was accessible and operable. She also recognized when to use it.

Tony-   When you investigate things that go bump in the night, take your ability to defend yourself with you. Also don’t unlock doors or go outside to investigate suspicious noises if everyone in your household is safe inside the home. Investigate by use your outside lighting, windows and flashlights from inside your home. 

Rob- What would you like us to do in a similar situation?

Tony- Firing warning shots aren’t a good idea. 1. A deadly threat is the only reason you should be firing your defensive firearm. 2. You are responsible for every round you fire. If something is threatening your life enough to fire a round, fire that round into the deadly threat and don’t risk hurting or killing something or  someone who did nothing with your warning shot. In this case her delay could have cost her fiance his life.  

Rob- This is a hard test.

Tony-  I would praise her marksmanship. She was able to place a shot on a moving attacker, under stress after being awakened in the middle of the night. Stopping a violent attack quickly is our ultimate goal. Shooting someone in the leg, arm or anywhere else your favorite tv good guy shoots a bad guy can cost you your life. Stop deadly attacks as soon as possible by hitting vital areas. 

Rob- She shot her attacker who was right next to her loved one. That is a hostage shot at night.

Tony- We don’t teach that in our beginning classes, but we break those skills down step at a time. We train to shoot at night or in low-light, and to shoot at moving targets.

Rob- Anything else?

Tony- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Rob-Second story- Are you armed in the evening at home? and here

It is late in the evening on a Saturday night. You and your son are at home cooking dinner. A stranger walks through your back kitchen door and asks if you have a bottle of liquor for sale. You tell him to get out. That is when the stranger pulls a gun from his pocket and points it at you. Your son grabs the attacker’s arm and points the gun away. You draw your firearm and shoot your attacker. Now he runs away and climbs over your back fence to escape. You call the police.

The police arrest your attacker at the hospital where he is seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his leg. He is arrested and charged with aggravated assault, trespass, reckless endangerment and possession of a prohibited firearm. His bail is set at $125 thousand dollars.

Tony-  Being able to place a shot on target with a family member wrestling the bad guy is impressive. She was able to shoot the bad guy and make him run off. Mission accomplished. 

Rob- Again, we had a good guy right next to the bad guy. 

Tony-  Shooting the bad guy in the leg resulted in what’s called a psychological stop. After getting shot the bad guy decided to run away. That stopped the threat of an armed attacker in their home. If however the wounded attacker decided to “shoot it out” with the resident innocent people could’ve been injured or killed. Ending the deadly threat as soon as possible is the safest option for a self defender. 

Rob- What would you tell your students to do in this case? 

Tony-  The story says the bad guy was chased from the home. I don’t know if it’s a figure of speech or if they physically ran after the bad guy. Don’t pursue your attacker. One of the reasons bad guys fight police officers is that they don’t want to go to prison. If the bad guy is running away, let them go. They aren’t your problem anymore. Don’t make them one by causing them to fight or shoot at you. 

Tony-  Lock your back door so the bad guy has to give you a warning by breaking down doors and windows to get to you. That warning gives you time. With a few seconds warning, you have your loved ones behind you and your gun in your hand. Now the bad guy has to come down a hallway to get to you, and you have a very good chance of stopping him.

Our third story happened in Detroit, Michigan.

Rob- First this message from CPRC

Rob- Third story- Are you armed in public?

You’re walking down the street at 9 o’clock at night. You are about to pass another pedestrian when he stops, tells you to stop, and he draws a gun and points it at you. The robber tells you to give him everything you have.

You have your Michigan concealed pistol license in your pocket. That license allows you to legally carry a firearm in public. You’re armed tonight. You draw your firearm and shoot your attacker. He runs one way and you run the other. You call the police. The police find your attacker at a local hospital and arrest him.

Tony- There are fewer police on the street during the epidemic and crime has increased. Criminals have been emboldened by the lack of police response and other criminals have been released from jail due to concerns over housing and medical care. Luckily for Detroit residents they can now legally carry concealed.

Rob- What did our good guy do correctly? 

Tony-  Our good guy was prepared to defend himself with his firearm by having it on him. He was able to get a round into the bad guy forcing him to run away. The good guy left the area and called the police. Good job.

If you have a defensive encounter and you still don’t feel safe in that location you can leave. You must call the police as soon as possible to report the incident and articulate your actions. Hanging out in a bad neighborhood waiting for the police isn’t a good idea. 

Rob- The bad guy had a gun. How did our good guy keep from getting shot?

Tony-  The bad guy may have had time to react before the good guy could get his shot off. The bad guy could’ve been distracted and didn’t see the good guy armed himself or the bad guy may have had no intention of using his firearm. There’s no way of knowing. That’s why it’s important to take a criminal threatening you with a deadly weapon seriously. 

Tony- Our forth story took place in Buxton, Maine.

Rob- Fourth story- Do you have a firearm nearby at night?

It is three o’clock on a Saturday morning. You’re woken up by sounds in your house. You grab your firearm and investigate. Your wife calls the police. You find a man in your back bathroom. You hold the intruder at gunpoint until the police arrive.

Police charge the intruder with burglary, criminal mischief, theft and refusing to submit to arrest. He had stolen a car and gun earlier in the evening and was high on drugs.

Tony- Teamwork. Working with your spouse or roommates multiples your effectiveness as a defender. The resident was able to hold the bad guy at gunpoint without distractions while the spouse handled the job of calling the police, describing what was happening and getting the police into the home. 

Rob- What do you like about what the good guys did?

Tony-  The good guy heard sounds in their house, armed themselves and went to investigate. The wife was aware of what was happening and was prepared to do her part in their defensive plan. If nothing was out of place and the noise was the wind no harm. Go back to bed. In this case it was a home invader that was high and in their bathroom. The bad guy may have violently attacked the homeowner if he thought he could escape or over power him like the criminal did in our first story. When faced with armed resistance the bad guy chose to stay and wait for the police. 

Rob- How many couples come to you and ask for training to make their family safer?

Rob- If we knew there was an addict in our house, we’d lock the door and call the police.

Tony-  So get a video system so you can tell who entered your house.

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

Tony- Find me at Diversityshoot.com You can find me on Instagram and facebook at Simon Says Train and at The 2nd is For Everyone podcast. 

Rob- After you look at Tony articles, then please leave us a message on the podcast facebook page.

Tony- 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, Podbean and iHeart Radio.

Rob- This podcast is part of the Self-defense radio network. Find more great shows at sdrn.us  I’m Rob Morse.  We’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.
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