Episode 243 with Heather Reeves

Rob- Introduction- Welcome to episode 243 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  Heather Reeves. How have you been?

Heather Reeves

Heather- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been taking some great classes and teaching lots of new students.

Rob- I am back in my home after building contractors worked on it for six week.

We received ratings and a new comment on iTunes (244,139). Larry from North Texas said he liked hearin what happened to other people so he can learn from their experience. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and give us a rating and leave a comment.

Heather- Here in the US, we defend ourselves with a firearm tens of thousands of times each week. We’ll look at a few 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 in Guinda (GooInDa), California.

Rob- First story- Are you armed at home in the evening?

This has been a bad day. You noticed that things were out of place when you came home. Some of your guns and tools are missing. You’ve been burglarized while you were away at work. That night, you noticed when a stranger turned down your driveway. You were not expecting anyone. You’re on edge, so you got your gun. You stay inside your home. The strangers, one man and one woman, break down your door and run inside. You shout for them to leave. They move toward you. You shoot both of them. Now, they turn around and run. You stay inside and call 911.

You put your gun away. Deputies arrive and you give them a brief statement. EMS declares the male intruder dead at the scene. They transport the female intruder to a local hospital. You’re not charged.

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

Heather-  Verbal commands, threat identification, believed in his intuition

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

Heather- Consider sight lines in the house, pay attention to areas of cover and concealment

Rob- When do you talk to your students about safe storage of their firearms?

Heather-  From our very first session together.

Rob- When do your students learn about, and then practice, shooting from cover?

Heather- Movement, cover, and practice are all done as part of our continuing education series above and beyond our MI CPL course.

Rob- Anything else?

Heather- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed as you leave your home?

You are a 44 year old woman. It is a little after midnight when you walk out through your front door. You notice a man at the side of your house. He has a mask over his face, a gun in his hand, and he is running toward you. You’re a gun owner. You have your Virginia concealed carry permit. You’re armed tonight. You draw your gun and shoot your attacker before he reaches you. You take out your cell phone and call 911.

You give a brief statement to the police when they arrive. They find the attacker’s loaded gun. EMS takes your 20 year old attacker to the hospital where he later died of his injuries. You are not charged.

What did she do right?

Heather- She had her gun and she could get to it quickly.

Rob- What comes before that? I’m a new gun owner. What do I have to do first so I can learn to draw my firearm from a holster?

Rob- What else would you like your students to do?

Rob- When do you talk about motion lights and cameras?

Heather- Our third story happened in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Buckeye Firearms Foundation

Rob- First this message from the buckeye firearms foundation.

Rob- Third story- Are you armed in your front yard at night?

You are enjoying a cookout with your family. It is about 9 in the evening when a stranger walks by. This stranger is wearing a dark hoodie and a facemask. He also has a gun. He shoots at your parents. You’re armed. You present your firearm and shoot back. Now your attacker runs away.

Someone calls 911. You stay at the scene and try to treat your parents. EMS transports them to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The police take a statement and review the security video from houses down the street. You’re not charged.

Heather- Pants on gun on.

Rob- Rhode Island isn’t very welcoming to gun owners.The story doesn’t say if the defender had his carry permit.

Rob- Talk to me about the problems of shooting against a bad guy on the public streets.

Heather- Your bullet will stop somewhere. 

Our fourth story took place in Fort Myers, Florida.

Rob- Fourth story- Are you armed on the street?

You’re walking down the street in the afternoon when a stranger starts shooting at you and the other people on the sidewalk. You’re armed. You shoot back. Now, the attacker stops shooting and runs away. You call 911.

Witnesses said your attacker pulled his gun out of a bag and was hitting a park bench with his gun. After you shot at him, he threw the gun into a parking lot as he ran away.

Police find your attacker nearby. He is arrested and charged with firing a weapon in public, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and resisting arrest. He remains in jail on $23,000 bond.

Heather- No one thinks they will be attacked in a crowed as they walk down the street.

Rob- Using your gun as a hammer? It sounds like this attacker was on drugs or mentally disabled.

Heather- Yep.

Rob- Our defender may have stopped mass murder.

Heather- We talk about that with our students.

Rob- What steps do your students go through when they want to carry in public.

Rob- When do they get to practice in a range with targets at various distances?

Rob- Talk to me about not shooting when a good guy is in front of or behind the attacker.

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

Heather- Find me at by gun store website- http://tacticaladvantageguns.net/about/

I also list classes at A girl and a gun shooting league in Portage, Michigan. https://www.agirlandagun.org/cat/mi-portage/

Rob- After you look at Heather’s classes, then please leave her a message on the podcast facebook page.

Heather- 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 Podcasts, Tunein, Spotify, Podbean and iHeart Radio.

Rob- This show is part of the Self-defense radio network. Find more pro-freedom podcasts at sdrn.us

I’m Rob Morse.  We will be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.


One Reply to “Episode 243 with Heather Reeves”

  1. Robbie

    Welcome back. Missed you. I grew up in Woodbridge, Va, so it caught my attention. The link on your page didn’t work, so I found another article about the incident. Small world. I used to catch the school bus near the house involved. According to this article, the neighborhood apparently had several previous incidents. I’m glad the lady took the precaution to protect herself. Below is the link.

    https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/woman-shoots-kills-intruder-in-her-home/65-e6f787b5-cc5e-4c78-9ad8-941ad9332674

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