Episode 245 with David Cole

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Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 245 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re so 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 my friend and firearms instructor David Cole. What are you doing these days?

David- Hi, Rob. I’ve been competing, and bringing in new competitive shooters.

Rob- You have new shooters on your squad?

David- It helps to have a friend guide you.

Rob- I was surprised when I studied our Facebook followers. Most are in the USA, but we also have regular visitors from South Africa, the Philippines, Australia and from Mexico. Only one out of five of you are women, and I thought there would be more.

Glen commented on the facebook page and suggested that we list the states where the news stories happened during the introduction. Mike suggested going to the mall and people watching to build situational awareness. Ask yourself “Why is this person here?” How about doing that at a truck stop the next time you are traveling and need gas.

We received two new ratings and a comment on iTunes last week. (now 247,140).

Walt said that he entered the world of guns in 2019 and is preparing himself to carry. He wants to do it responsibly, and he thinks the guest instructors are superb. I agree with him.

Thank you Glen, Mike, and Walt. I’d ask the rest of you to go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and let new listeners know what you like.

David- 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.

We have stories from California, Florida, and Tennessee, but first we’re headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Rob- First story- Do you have a firearm nearby when you sleep?

You are awakened early in the morning by sounds from your back door. You grab your handgun. A few seconds later, a stranger kicks in your door. You shout for him to stop. The intruder charges you and reaches for your gun. You shoot him. Now the stranger stops. You back away and call 911. Police are already in the area after calls that your intruder had tried to enter other homes.

Police arrest your intruder and EMS transports him to the hospital for the treatment of non-life threatening injuries. They suspect the intruder was intoxicated and on drugs.

David- I like that our homeowner locked his doors, firearm accessible, shot the intruder only when he advanced and attempted to disarm him. Stopped shooting. Called the police. Glad the intruder survived.

Rob- We have lots of new gun owners. How should we store our guns?

David- Carry on body…that is always best. In this case it sounds like the homeowner was asleep early in the morning, so we want our gun loaded and stored in a quick access safe.

Rob- Did our defender wait too long to stop the intruder?

David- We don’t want to shoot anybody.

Rob- Why is it important to stop shooting as soon as we can?

David- Every shot you fire has to be legally and morally justified. When the threat stops, shooting stops. You have to live with yourself. We have seen gun owners charged for continuing to shoot after the threat is over.

Rob- You talked about competition? It sounds like this homeowner walked into a fight and the attacker charged him. Talk to me about hiding behind a corner and slicing the pie.

David- A bad guy standing still can hear us coming. Walking down the middle of the hallway and into the room makes us extremely easy to shoot. Look into the room as you walk down the hall. Don’t move ahead until you’ve made sense of what you see. Is that the corner of the sofa, or is that an intruder’s foot? You want to stay away from the corner as you scan. Even better, if the situation permits, is to barricade in a safe location and call police. But if you do need to move, be smart about it.

Rob- When do your students learn about using concealment so they don’t get shot?

David- Movement, especially through a structure, is more advanced and is not typically covered in the most basic classes. But thinking out problems in advance and mental rehearsal or “wargaming” can be done almost any time. You can always walk through your house and consider options.

Rob- Planning with the finger gun.

Our second story happened in Pleasant Hill, California.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed at home at night?

You are at home on a weekday evening. You’re startled by the sounds of someone in your home. You grab your gun and investigate. You see a stranger standing in your living room and the man moves toward you. You shoot him. You call the police and they respond in a minute. Officers heard the gunshots since they were already searching for your intruder. EMS transports your intruder to the hospital with life threatening injuries. You give a statement to the police.

Neighbors had already called the police and complained that the suspect was vandalizing cars and trying to enter other homes.

David- This homeowner had a firearm. He defended himself. Called 911.

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

David- It is better to lock your doors than have to shoot someone.

Rob- What should we say to the police when they arrive?

David- This is a hot topic among instructors. I think you should speak to the police in order to share things like a basic explanation of what happened, and physical evidence or witnesses which may aid the police in their investigation. Beyond that…like giving a detailed statement…it is probably a good idea to let your attorney speak for you.

Rob- Students come to you to learn armed defense. When do you tell your students about their legal defense?
David- Our third story happened in Fruitland Park, Florida.

Rob- First this message from FASTER Colorado.

https://i2i.org/faster-training/

Rob- Third story- Are you armed at home on the weekend?

You’re sitting in your home on a Saturday afternoon. You notice movement outside and you watch someone walk into your screened-in porch. You go outside and ask the stranger what he is doing. He says the police are after him. You tell him to leave.

Instead, the stranger tears a hole in your screen porch and then jumps into your pool. You go inside and get your revolver. You call the police and hold the intruder at gunpoint. Police arrive a few minutes later.

The intruder fights with the officers. He is arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, trespassing, criminal mischief and resisting arrest. The intruder ,who is originally from Kentucky, has a criminal history for using and transporting drugs.

Tag- no shots fired.

David- Armed, though the story does say that the homeowner had to retrieve his gun, so it doesn’t sound like he had it on his person. We want you to carry in a holster all the time. Our defender tried to de-escalate the situation with verbal commands. Didn’t shoot. Called the police.

Rob- Suppose we stop the bad guy. Should we do anything if he turns and walks away?

David- Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t have to press the trigger and say a prayer. I would count any such situation where things can be resolved without violence as a win.

Rob- Is the crazy man in my pool an immediate and lethal threat?

David- I would say no, at least not at that point. Should he get out and advance or take other actions to escalate, that could easily change.

Rob- What do we do with our gun when the police arrive?

David- Also notably, a Google Maps review of the area showed me that it is more rural, and the two homes on the street with screened in pools are set well back from the road…may be difficult for police to find you.

David- Our fourth story took place in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Rob- Fourth story- Do you have your gun nearby early in the morning?

You hear car alarms go off..again this morning. It is before sunrise on a weekday. You walk outside and see someone in your neighbor’s car..and this guy sure isn’t your neighbor. You draw your firearm and order the thief to the ground. He complies. Your neighbor is outside and taking video of the thief on her cell phone. You ask her to call 911. You holster your gun when the police arrive.

The police arrest the thief and find several cell phones and personal items that don’t belong to him. They also find a stolen gun in his front pocket. The thief is charged with burglary, theft, and wearing a bulletproof vest during the commission of a felony.

Your car was broken into the night before.

Tag- no shots fired.

David- Armed. The defender used to be a security guard. He used verbal commands to control the situation. Didn’t shoot. Put his gun away when the police arrived. Gave a statement.

Rob- What should we say on the 911 call?

David- My suggestion would be to give both a clear description of the location and the situation, but also a very clear description of myself in order to notify police that I am a good guy in order to reduce the chance that I will be shot by arriving police.

Rob– What do you want our students to do?

David- Avoid confrontations if you can, and this is why. This situation was much more dangerous than it appeared. The thief had a stolen gun and was wearing a bulletproof vest. Our defender could do everything right and lose a gunfight. That is why it is better to show some restraint and let the police confront the criminals. At least use cover and distance to make it harder to shoot you. Get behind a car if you can.

Rob- Tell me again why this is dangerous.

David- You want to see the attacker’s hands. A police officer will shoot the suspect if he takes his hands out of view and reaches for his beltline or his pockets because that is where criminals hide their weapons. You and I are unlikely to do that, so we’re standing there with our gun out, and a criminal arms himself and shoots us because we didn’t shoot someone in the back as they pulled their hands in and hid their hands under their body.

If we have a choice, then I’d leave that problem to the police.

Exit-

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

David- Look for my written articles at deltabravocharlie.com

Rob- After you read a few of Dave’s articles, then please leave him 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. We’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.
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