Episode 216 with Amanda Suffecool

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Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 216 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 Amanda Suffecool.

Amanda- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been teaching, public speaking, traveling and that isn’t easy with covid restrictions.

Rob- You found ammunition? How long does it take your students to get their concealed carry permit?

Amanda- In June I heard the bell toll on reloading supplies, and so had Rob Campbell put in a big order 20,000 rounds of reloading projectiles in .380 and 9mm.  They have been slowly arriving – 60# at a time, to the chagrin of the Postmaster in our little town.  

The permit thing is another story.  It went to a long game sometime ago. In July I reached out to our Lt Governor and to my elected Representative about it. Recently they changed the law, extending current licenses that were expiring from March 2020 to July of 2021. That left room for the new applicants to get in.  

Rob- My permit has been in for a month. My email was unanswered for a week. I called my state representative today.

I apologize to our listeners since I’ve had computer problems and am limping along on backup equipment. I also want to thank our listeners since we received two more ratings and comments on iTunes (204/120). Both commenters said they share our show with friends. Thanks to CCarter for putting our podcast into her hairdressers phone. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know what you like.

Amanda- We’ll talk about recent examples where gun owners were in a life threatening situation. Were they lucky, or did they have a plan? We give you the links back to the original news article in our show notes. Our first story took place last week in Tamarac, Florida.

Rob- First story- Are you armed at home?

You’re getting ready for bed. You step out of the shower and see someone walk past one of your windows. It is 10:20 at night. You had polio as a child and you need a cane and a leg brace to walk. Your intruder kicks your back door and then starts beating the glass with a brick. You own a firearm. You get your handgun and call 911. You stand in the hallway and plead for your intruder to leave. You stand there naked with your gun in your hand for 15 minutes while the intruder smashes the glass and you plead with the dispatcher. The police never come. Finally, your attacker walks away.

Your neighbors follow your intruder until the intruder walks up to the police who are staged a few hundred yards away at the end of the block. Now you hang up on the dispatcher and put on your clothes. Your attacker is arrested for burglary. It will take about three thousand dollars to replace your back door and its hurricane glass. One neighbor complained, “Now I know that I cannot count on police.”

(Tag- No shots fired)

Amanda- Broward County police..again. Our defender had incredible presence of mind. He noticed the threat when he was getting out of the shower. He armed himself and called 911. He waited away from the door and waited until he had an unavoidable threat..that never came. He didn’t panic even though he is missing one leg below the knee and can’t move very fast to escape. What a good job.

Rob- That has to be frightening.

Amanda-  It’s decidedly disappointing that the police staged down the road, and did not come to save the day – even after multiple calls.

Rob- When do you talk to your students about defending their home, both the how, and the when?

Amanda-  This is a perfect description that “Its your job to protect you, not someone elses – even the police”

Rob- Is there anything else you’d want your students to do in a similar situation?

Amanda- I love that he had reinforced doors, and a gun, and presence of mind to wait.   He was one prepared guy – who was exceptionally lucky not to have had to use his gun. 

Rob- He lives in a hurricane area. Is this story unusual?

Amanda- We normally wouldn’t hear about this story, but the victim was handicapped, and the police non-response caused this story to get some coverage – and again – Broward County. 9 out of ten times we don’t have to press the trigger, so those stories never make it into the news. No shots, no blood, no publicity.

Rob- Anything else?

Amanda- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Vancouver, Washington.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed in your car?   

You’re sitting in your car. It is 5:30 in the evening and you’re at the parking lot of a large hardware store. You’re getting ready to leave when you look up to see someone run out the emergency exit. You wonder if there is an emergency, until the man carrying packages runs to a nearby car where a woman is sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running. This looks like a theft in progress, so you pull forward to take a picture or get a license number. The man sees you and runs toward you with an axe handle in his hands. He smashes your car windows. You get out of your car and back away. Your attacker chases you.

You’re armed. You present your firearm and shoot your attacker. Now, he stops advancing and falls to the ground. You call 911 and the getaway car drives away.

EMTs take your attacker to the hospital. You stay at the scene and tell the police what happened.

Amanda- The police used to tell us to be a good witness, but this robber didn’t want to leave good witnesses. Our defender was armed. He retreated when he was attacked. He defended himself when the attacker closed with him, and then stopped shooting. Our defender stayed at the scene, called 911, and made a statement to the police.

Rob- Is there something else you’d want us to do if we were in that situation?

Amanda- That is a tough call. How far away do you have to be so you don’t become the next victim? I don’t have an easy answer to that.   It’s a feeling – if you feel like you have a cape, and here I come to save the day…. Probably the wrong mindset.

Rob- Most assailants are intoxicated when they attack. It is hard to tell what someone will do when they’re on drugs or alcohol.

Did our defender shoot an unarmed man?

Amanda- lethal weapon. Criminals kill more people with a club each year than with rifles or shotguns. 

Rob- How can I prove that for myself?

Amanda- I’m a professional. I gave you the link to the FBI report in our show notes.

Rob- OK, Ms Professional, when do you talk to your students about self-defense? How will they recognize a lethal threat? Are you going to send me to the FBI reports again?

Amanda- Firearms safety, shooting fundamentals, self defense and concealed carry. The threat has to be immediate, unavoidable, and facing serious injury or death.

Rob- You can’t learn all that in an hour.

Amanda- Ha ha,  you cannot.   Thus I suggest that you take your concealed carry course, and then keep training.   If you are involved in a life threatening situation you will not ever feel like you have had enough training.

Our third story happened in Compton California.

Rob- First this message from the second amendment foundation.

Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re driving through the city at night?

It is 9:30 at night and you’re driving through Los Angeles. You stop at a red light when a stranger runs up to your car. He puts his body next to the driver’s side window and pulls a gun out of his pants. He yells for you to get out of your car.

You’re belted in place. You also own a firearm. You’re armed tonight. You draw your firearm and shoot your attacker. Now you drive a half block and pull into a well lighted gas station. There you call 911.

The police find your attacker at the intersection. He was hit by a car that sped away after the collision. You give a statement to the police.

Amanda- See, some people have a permit to carry in California!

We usually feel safe in our car, but we’re not. Our defender recognized what was happening in the dark. He defended himself from an immediate, unavoidable and lethal situation. He moved to a safe place and then called the police. It isn’t clear from the news reports if the police asked the defender to return to the scene, or if the police went to him to get a statement.

Rob- Why should we drive away from the scene?

Amanda- If you are unsure if the scene is safe – then get to where you do feel safe and contact the police from there.  

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

Amanda- Have you ever presented your firearm in a car?

Rob- I have, but only in practice and competition. It looks ugly, and it’s loud.

Amanda-  let me rephrase that – have you ever accessed your gun from your pants while seated and belted in?   The swear words that I hear from my husband as he tries to get his wallet for a toll – that should tell you something.  This is an area that requires practice. 

Amanda- Our forth story took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed in public?

It is 10:30 at night. You walk into a small restaurant to get your takeout order. You’re talking on the phone when a man behind the counter turns around, sees you, and points his gun at you. He tells you to hand over your phone. The three employees behind the counter have their hands up and are emptying the cash drawer. You walked in on a robbery in progress.

You’re a gun owner and you have your Pennsylvania concealed carry permit. You’re armed tonight. You hold your phone out as you draw your firearm. You shoot your attacker one time in the neck. Now the attacker drops his gun and falls to the ground. You and the store employees call 911. You stay at the scene and talk to the police. EMTs say your attacker died at the scene. Police are reviewing the security video.

Amanda- I wonder if the police took his cell phone as evidence. Armed, he shot one of the robbers, then stopped shooting. Called police and stayed.

Rob- Should you take your phone back and use it to call the police?  There was only one bad guy

Amanda- Someone should call the police, and the rest should be aware of what is happening.  Were there others?  Or just the one, and was using the store staff as his ‘gatherers’?

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

Amanda- Please take your head out of your phone so you don’t walk into the middle of an armed robbery. And so you can identify good guys from bad in an instant.

Rob- If the robber had been satisfied with robbing the store for cash, should our defender still have used his gun and shot the robber?

Amanda- CYA, can you articulate why you faced an immediate threat. The robber was threatening to kill three employees, so you could expect that he would threaten you as well. You also have the right to defend innocent third parties, just as they have the right to defend themselves. What would you do if your spouse or children walked in with you. Are you safer defending them with your gun or in running away?

Rob- I don’t know. Do your students ask about situations like this?

Amanda- Some of them do. Think about it now because you won’t have time when you’re in the middle of a robbery.

Exit- 

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

Amanda- My nationally syndicated radio show is eye on the target radio. Call in and talk with us Sunday nights from 5 to 7 eastern time. I instruct on the weekends in central Ohio. I’m also part of the DCProject. Check out our website at DCProject.info

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

Amanda- 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.  We’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.