Episode 209 with David Cole

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Rob- Introduction- Welcome to episode 209 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 self defense instructor David Cole.

David- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been working and shooting and… Still getting comfortable with the new duty gun, getting ready for bow season.

Rob- And I’ve been carrying every day and recovering from hurricane Laura. We’re 25 miles from the coast and we were without power for 17 days.

The good news is that we received three more comments on iTunes in the last month 186/110, and I’m pleased how much our listeners want to learn. One commenter said that knowing the law was as important as knowing about your firearm. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know what you like.

David- We’ll talk about recent examples where gun owners were in a life threatening situation. We give you the links back to the original news article in our show notes. 

Our first story took place last week in Flower Mound, Texas.

Rob- First story- Are you armed at home?

You are at home on a Sunday afternoon. You hear sounds from the back of your house. The back door is suddenly shattered and a man and a woman walk into your home. You shout for them to leave, but they keep coming toward you. You own a gun. You’re armed in your home. You present your handgun and shoot your closest attacker. You only make one shot before your two attackers turn and run away. You call the police and hear your attackers drive away.

The police find both of your attackers a few blocks from your house. EMTs take your male attacker to the hospital where he is in serious but stable condition from a bullet wound to his chest.

Two against one

Rob- Why would two attackers advance on an armed homeowner?

David-  Who knows? But the important takeaway is that you cannot count on a criminal being frightened away by your gun. Career criminals have seen guns before…maybe even been shot before…and they may not be impressed by the fact that you are armed.

Rob- What did our defender do correctly?

David- Well, he obviously made a good shot, and he also stopped shooting when his attacker fled…and the homeowner didn’t chase. But another important lesson is the myth of “stopping power.” The bad guy took a round to the chest…and then ran away. It’s not like the movies where the bad guy goes flying backwards through a plate glass window. That simply does not happen. You need to be prepared to fire multiple shots until your attacker stops, either by going down or breaking off the attack.

Rob- What do you want your students to do in a situation like this one?

David-  Maintain presence of mind and be prepared to fire until the threat stops. Do not pursue the attacker, and call the police.

Rob- Anything else?

David- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Des Moines, Iowa

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed in public?   

You’re crossing the street an hour before sunrise. Two teenagers step out from behind a home and walk toward you on the sidewalk. They put up their hands and tell you to stop. They’re armed, and each teenager has a gun pointed at you. They tell you to empty your pockets. Your wallet has a concealed carry card in it. You’re a gun owner, and you’re armed today. The news story doesn’t say how you did it, but you shoot both of your attackers until they drop their guns. You run from the scene and call 911. You walk back to the scene when police arrive.

EMTs transport one of your attackers to the hospital for treatment. The other attacker is declared dead at the scene. Police find their firearms and your shell casings on the street where you were armed. You talk to the police and to detectives before you’re released.

Rob- What did our defender do to save his life?

David- Although the news story doesn’t provide much detail, it seems clear that our defender did well. He was facing two armed attackers and still managed to prevail.

Rob- How did our defender stop two armed attackers before they could shoot him? 

David-  If I was guessing…and I am…I’d guess that what made the difference here was mindset. If you are going to fight it out with two opponents, you had better be committed. 

Rob- We talk about distraction, like throwing your wallet or coat in one direction. Movement, so your attackers don’t know where you are,

We talk about turning your body to mask your presentation of a handgun,

It is also hard to see what is going on when someone is shooting at you.

David- Our defender also made the 911 call as soon as he was safe, which is exactly what you want to do.

Our third story happened in Houston, Texas.

Rob- First this message from DRGO.

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re driving?

It is an hour or so after midnight. You and your girlfriend stop to get gas. You park your car at the pumps near the door to the convenience store. You’re pumping gas when a truck pulls up beside you. That driver jumps out of his truck and jumps into your SUV.

You stop pumping gas and move toward the driver’s side door. You have your Texas concealed carry permit. You’re armed. You present your concealed firearm and shoot your attacker. Now your attacker runs away.

You and your girlfriend call 911. Police find your attacker behind the gas station. EMTs take him to the hospital. Police say your attacker ran into another car on the highway with his truck just before he pulled into the gas station.

David-  Sounds like a tough one. I’d encourage listeners to go to the news story linked in the show notes, and watch the video. In the video you can see the bullet holes in the windshield of the vehicle where our defender fired.

Rob- What would you like us to do if we were pumping gas late at night?

David-  Obviously, be armed…and obviously, be alert and aware of what’s going on around you.

Rob- How do you stop an attack and not hit your girlfriend?

David-  This one was tough especially since it required shots through auto glass. Shooting in through the windshield of a vehicle, as in this scenario, will usually cause the bullet to deflect down and impact slightly lower than the point of aim. Shooting out will have the opposite effect. Also, quality defensive ammunition will improve the changes of the bullet actually penetrating the barrier and still being effective on the other side. Poor quality ammo may not penetrate, or may break up and be less effective.

Rob- I noticed that the girlfriend wasn’t armed, yet women make up almost half of new gun owners. Talk about that.

David- Armed for your own defense.

 David- Our fourth story took place in Adrian, Michigan.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed when you go shopping?

You’re shopping at a grocery store a little after noon. You’re walking past the sporting goods and automotive isles when you hear someone scream. You turn and see an elderly man being attacked by a much younger man. You have your Michigan concealed carry license. You’re armed. You draw your firearm and shout for the attacker to stop. The attacker turns to leave, and you shout, ‘Stop, or I’ll shoot.’ You also shout for help. Store employees call the police. You tell them you have your carry permit.

You holster your firearm when the police arrive. EMT’s declare the 85 year old victim to be dead at the scene from knife wounds to his head and neck. Police say the 29 year old attacker is an unemployed homeless man.

Bail was set at 10 million dollars.

David-  Unfortunate that our defender was too late to save the victim, but she possibly saved other lives. Who knows who else may have been harmed if he hadn’t been stopped.

David-  Having your gun out when the police arrive is a good way to get yourself shot. This is one of the reasons why holding someone at gunpoint is so risky, and usually ill advised. But if you must do it, try to make sure that the dispatcher knows you are doing so and has a physical description of you, so that information can be relayed to responding officers. Still, be prepared to be ordered to drop your gun and to be handcuffed until officers can figure out what’s going on. Be cooperative and follow their directions.

Rob- Is there anything else you’d like us to do if we saw this happen? 

David- Consider getting first aid and emergency trauma training, and carrying some first aid supplies.

Exit-

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

David- Look for me at deltabravocharlie.com

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

David- We share this podcast with you for free.
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Rob- This show is part of the Self-defense radio network. Find more pro-freedom podcasts at sdrn.us

I’m Rob Morse.  Unless I’m hit by another hurricane, we’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.