Episode 241 with Michael Woodland

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Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 241 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re glad you found us if you’re well trained.. and also if you are new to self defense. I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by firearms instructor Michael Woodland. How have you been, Michael?

Michael- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been training for competition and teaching.

Here in the United States, we defend ourselves with a firearm tens of thousands of times each week. We’ll look at a few of the recent examples and see what we can learn. We give you the links back to the original news articles on our podcast webpage.

Our first story took place last week outside Springfield, Missouri.

Rob- First story- Are you armed at home?

You hear banging at your front door. It is 6:30 on a Friday morning, and you wonder if one of your grandchildren is playing a prank on you, or maybe one of them is in trouble. You move toward the door when you see a stranger rip the outer screen door from your doorway. Now he smashes the glass panel in your front door and reaches in to turn the knob. You shout for him to stop, but he opens the door and comes inside.

You’re armed. You shoot the intruder. Now the intruder turns away and goes back outside. You stay inside and call 911.

Police find your intruder on your front lawn. Emergency Medical Services take your intruder to the hospital. You tell the police what happened.

Your home is within sight from the highway, but the police don’t see a car parked in the breakdown lane or on the frontage road in front of your house. Both you and the police wonder how the strange intruder came to your home. You’re not charged. One of your grandkids talks to a local reporter, but you decide not to.

Michael- Grandpa was armed. He recognized an immediate, dangerous, and unavoidable threat. He stopped the threat and then stopped shooting. He called 911 and made a brief statement to the police when they arrived. I like that he didn’t talk to the press.

Rob- Should we ever talk to the press?

Michael- You talk to your lawyer. Have your lawyer talk to the press.

Rob- Is there anything else in this story that you’d like us to do?

Michael- Do you have your gun on your body most of the time. If not, then find out how long it takes to get your gun and get to your front door. Do it safely, and better yet do it with every adult in the house. How long did it take you?

If your intruder didn’t give you that much warning then you volunteered for a hand-to-hand fight. Bad guys often bring their friends. We’ll talk about how that can go wrong in a later story.

Rob– Should I let an intruder break down my door?

Michael- Immediate and unavoidable. You’re probably dealing with someone on drugs, and their friends told him to get out of their car.

Rob- Where should I go to learn about the legal use of lethal force?

Rob- Are legal courses hard?

Michael- Small steps. You learn a few things in each class. Unless you have more questions, our second story happened outside Orlando, Florida.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed as you’re driving home?

Your teenage daughter calls you just before 6 in the evening. Her voice sounds strange. Your daughter heard someone in your house. She calls you as she is hiding in the closet. You race the rest of the way home as you talk to your daughter. You run to the front door. You enter your home and find a stranger inside. The news report doesn’t describe what was said and done at that moment.

We know you’re a gun owner. We know you’re armed. You shot your intruder one time. He falls to the ground. You shout for your daughter. Police are at your door in seconds.

You identify yourself as the homeowner. Emergency medical services transport your intruder to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. You and your daughter give a brief statement to the police.

Your neighbors saw a strange man looking into people’s homes so they called the police. The arriving police heard your gunshot. Police later identified the suspect as a 53 year old man. He is charged with burglary of an occupied structure and criminal mischief. You are not charged.

Michael- I’m glad that dad was armed as he came home. (please fill out the rest of this)

Rob- What is best practice for a situation like this one?

Michael- What if mom had arrived home first? She should have been armed too. We don’t know the age of the young woman. Was she 13 or 19? A 19 year old can learn about armed defense.

Rob- How did the bad guy get into the house?

Michael- The news story does not mention a forced entry. I want you to lock your doors. How about a deadbolt on your bedroom door so your kids have a place to hide that has a locked door.

Rob- I know there is more to say.

Michael- Don’t get shot by the police. Dad shot the intruder. The police show up and you have a gun in your hand while you’re racing to get to your daughter. Holster your gun when you don’t have someone to shoot. Do what the police tell you, or at least don’t move until you figure out how to obey their instructions and not get shot. When in doubt, open your hands and drop the gun.

Rob- How do people learn about home defense?

Michael- Our third story happened in Houston, Texas.

Rob- First this message from the Second Amendment Foundation

Rob- Third story- Are you armed late at night when you’re at home?

It is 10 at night on a Sunday when you hear your 10 year old daughter scream. You race into her room and your wife is right behind you. Your daughter points to a man who is outside your daughter’s window masterbating. You and your wife race outside. You and your wife are both carrying concealed firearms.

You tell the man to stay where he is. He walks away. You follow him. He goes to a gas station across the street. You run inside the gas station and tell the clerk to call the police. You run back outside and find the intruder and your wife wrestling over her gun. You shoot the attacker three times. Now he lets go of your wife and her gun. Your wife has her gun and you stop shooting. Police and EMS arrive. Medics take the attacker to the hospital in serious but stable condition. You and your wife give a statement to the police.

Later, your attacker is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and indecency with a child by exposure. You’re not charged.

Your daughter said she had seen someone outside her window before, but you didn’t see anyone when you looked. Sounds like someone was there after all.

Michael- Dad recognized a lethal threat when the attacker grabbed his wife’s gun and pointed it at her. The defender stopped the threat, and then stopped shooting. He had the police on the way. I like that the husband and wife acted as a team. Now we’ll work on better teamwork.

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

Michael- Have your phone with you. Get help on the way. Don’t present a firearm until there is a lethal threat that needs to be shot. We are not the police. Consider non-lethal tools, like pepper spray.

Rob- Is there a difference if I tell someone to stop and he grabs me, and if my wife tells him to stop and he grabs her?

Michael- disparity of force

Rob- What do you want your students to do?

Michael- Have a plan with your family. Think about what you’ll do ahead of time. Once you have a cell phone picture of the bad guy outside your home then you can let the police do the rest.

Rob- This is really hard. Our defender made four shots against a bad guy at night while the bad guy was right next to his wife.

Michael- Cold hostage shot.
Rob- When do you talk to your students about having good guys near the bad guys?

Michael- Our fourth story took place in East Feliciana, Louisiana.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed at home?

It is seven in the morning when you hear your mom talking outside. You see a stranger push her inside your front door. The stranger has a gun in his hands. A second later, your mom is fighting with the man. She is trying to grab his gun and push him back outside.

Your family has a rifle in the house. You grab the gun, load it, and point it at the attacker. You press the trigger and shoot your attacker. Now the man lets your mom go.

The news isn’t clear if the attacker stepped outside or if he fell down inside the home. Your mom calls 911.

Your attacker was taken to the hospital and died. The police arrest the two other people who were outside waiting to attack your mom.

The police chief came over to speak to you and your mom. They said they have someone they want you to talk to. You’re 12 years old.

Michael- I agree with the police chief. He said this is a normal kid who was put in a horrible situation. Now let’s get him some help.

I’m glad they had a gun so that the child didn’t have to watch his mother being beaten, or worse.

Rob- What do you want us to do?

Michael- I want us to go armed so that we protect ourselves AND our children.

Rob- Spell that out for me.

Michael-  I want mom to be armed. If a bunch of strangers make noise outside your home then I want you to call 911. Take pictures of them from inside your home. Avoid a threatening situation if you can. Stay inside your home. If they break in, then defend your family.

Rob- Why is it so important that we make them break in?

Michael- Because bad guys will lie and say you invited them onto your property and then you shot them. Make them break down the door so you have evidence for the police. Also, have a plan with your family.

Rob- Talk to me about a plan for your family.

Michael- Also, avoid druggies because too many of their friends are criminals.

Those are more of the things you learn in a “self defense in the home” class.

Exit-

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

Michael- Look for me at M-W Tactical.com

Rob- After you look at Michael’s articles and at his class schedule, then please leave us a message on the podcast facebook page.

Michael- 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.
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