Episode 194 with Ben Branam

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Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 194 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re glad you found us if you’re well trained..and also if you’re new to self defense. I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by firearms instructor Ben Branam.

Ben- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been going covid crazy. Running since my gym is closed, and dry practice at home. I’m putting out some videos about dry practice since we’re all in quarantine.

Rob- We received three more ratings and a new comment on iTunes (152×90). A listener said he binge listens as he drives and works around the home. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know what you like.

Ben, another commenter asked us to clarify something we said. Under stress, our thinking stops, and our shooting performance degrades. We say that in a real fight, we’ll shoot half as well as our worst day at the range. That can’t be true. What happens to our performance?

Ben- Unless we practice under stress on a regular basis, then our performance goes down. We’re not as good as we were at the range. Our mental performance degrades too. That is why we want to make self-defense a habit.

We dive into 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 Lexington, Kentucky.

Rob- First story-  Do you have your firearm nearby late at night?  

You hear a crashing sound. It is 10:45 at night when you hear gunshots in your apartment. You grab your gun and open your bedroom door. A stranger is waving a gun around and shooting. The attacker points his gun at you, and you shoot him. He drops the gun and falls to the ground. You go into the house and shout for your roommate.

She is calling the police. She identifies the attacker as her ex-boyfriend. You put your gun away and make a statement to the police when they arrive. EMTs declare your attacker dead at the scene. Your attacker has outstanding warrants for domestic violence and the robbery.

Rob- Our defender did a lot of things the right way. Ben, would you give us a list and then tell us when we’d learn to do those things?

Ben- Our defender did the right thing. He got a gun and learned how to use it. The gun was ready and accessible. The defender shot until the threat was stopped. He found out if anyone had been injured. Call the police. Stay at the scene. Put your gun away. Make a short statement to the police.

Rob- Is there anything else you’d like us to do if we were in this situation?

Ben- Identify your target. Cover and concealment. I want both of you to be armed.

Rob- We don’t ask our roommates, have you dated anybody crazy lately? Maybe we should.

Ben- Talk to the police and your neighbors about your problem ex-lovers. One hidden fact in the is one that most people don’t think about.  More people are killed by people they know then people they don’t know.  Could you defend yourself against someone you know Especially true for women and ex-boyfriends like this story

Rob- Anything else?

Ben-  Our second story happened in Chicago, Illinois.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed at home?

You are at home on a Wednesday night. You hear a loud bang. A few seconds later you hear it again, and then a man crashes through your front door. You have your Firearms Identification Card in your purse. You have your firearm on your hip. You shoot your intruder. Now, he hops outside. You retreat and call the police.

You give your statement when the police arrive. Police take your intruder to the hospital to treat his wounded foot, and then they take him to jail. 

Ben- Our defender was armed, legally, and that isn’t easy in Chicago. She got her firearms owner’s ID card. She took a training class. She applied for her handgun owners permit. She bought her gun and then registered it. She took a concealed carry class and applied for her Illinois carry permit. She bought a holster. She practiced and she carried.

Rob- That is a lot.

Ben- This wasn’t luck. She succeeded because she worked hard.

Rob- This attack happened just before 7 in the evening. She shot her intruder in the foot. Did she miss?

Ben- Maybe, maybe not.  Shoot at what you can see. Maybe she was in her bedroom and all she could see was his foot. Shooting them anywhere usually changes their plans. What you don’t want to do is expose yourself for a shot.

Rob- Say more about that.

Ben- Don’t leave cover. Suppose you’re back in your kitchen or bedroom. Shoot what you can see.

Our third story happened in Lindsay, California.

Rob- First this message from DRGO

 

Rob- Third story- Are you armed at work?

It is almost midnight when three young men run into your liquor store. One of them points a gun at you and tells you to hand over the cash in the till. You’re armed. You distract the robbers, draw your firearm, and shoot the robber who has a gun in his hand. He drops his gun and tries to run. The other two robbers run away. You stop shooting, retreat, and call 911.

The police recover an imitation firearm at the scene. EMTs take your robber to the hospital with life threatening injuries. You turn over the security video to the police.

Ben- He turned a gun fight into a shooting with Tactical patience. Learn how to draw your gun discreetly when someone is looking away. Once the shooting starts, shoot and move so you don’t get shot. Practice multiple attackers.

Ben- If you can get video of the attack it’s always a good thing as long as you do things right. Get it in your place of work, your home, and don’t be afraid of it when it comes to your self defense.

Ben- Our forth story took place in Tacoma, Washington.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed when you exercise in public?

You’re taking an early morning walk with your girlfriend. You notice two men following you. You step aside so they can pass you. One of the strangers steps closer and grabs you by the throat. You shoot him until he lets go. He shoots you in the leg before he drops his gun and crawls away. Your other attacker runs away.

Your girlfriend calls EMTs and police. Police apply a tourniquet to your leg and find your attacker’s firearm. EMTs take both of you to the hospital. 

Ben- Armed. Shot at close distance. Stopped the attack and defended himself.  A lot went wrong here… 

Let’s avoid the problem all together if at all possible. You see someone coming, cross the street. Anything for any reason, move away from them.  

Not sure if the defender was shot by the bad guy, or if he was shot when they struggled for the gun. Learn to shoot at close distance and retain your firearm.

Ben- Better if both the boyfriend and girlfriend were armed.

Ben- Medical gear and know how to use it. Tourniquets are easy to use, easy to carry, cheap insurance, if you need one, you really need one!

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

Ben- Look for me at Modern Self Protection.com.  I live in San Antonio, and most of my classes are in central Texas. I teach armed self-defense and church security. Listeners can see my class schedule at my website, and they can also listen to my weekly podcast Modern Self-Protection.

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

Ben- We share this podcast with you for free.
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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.