Episode 37 with Ben Branam

Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 37 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. This podcast is now part of the Self-Defense Radio Network. I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Ben Branam. I know you’ve been traveling. How have you been?

Ben Branam

Ben – Hi, Rob. (Ben, please give us a few sentences of your news.)

Rob- Besides being an instructor, Ben is also a podcaster on the Self-Defense Radio Network. He hosts the “Modern Self-Protection” podcast.

Ben- I want to welcome our new listeners, and say welcome back our regular listeners. Together, we report and analyze examples of armed civilian defense. We inform you about the news, and I hope we inspire you to defend the people you care about.

Ben- Our first story took place this month in Ohio.

Rob- first story- Are you armed at home? A couple woke up to hear their two dogs bark at about 7 in the morning. Then a stranger opened the bedroom door of their home in Akron, Ohio. The male homeowner grabbed his gun and held the 6-foot-5-inch stranger at gunpoint. The female homeowner called police. Then she grabbed her own gun and pointed it at the intruder as she stood on the other side of the bedroom. The robber was a felon who’d been convicted of attempted aggravated murder. The robber had taken off his jacket after he entered the home. Police found an illegal handgun in the robber’s jacket.

No shots were fired and the robber faces new charges of aggravated burglary and having weapons illegally.

Ben- ARMED COUPLE WORKS TOGETHER.. AND NO SHOTS FIRED.
Rob- Great teamwork. Where do you put the guns when the police arrive?
Ben- In the holster. But in this situation where a holster might not be part of your dress, I would drop the guns when asked to by police. As a side note, when 911 is called the caller should be giving a description of themselves (as the good guys) to the police.

Rob- The good guy is in his underwear.

Ben- This way when they police show up they have a better idea of who the players are. This is crucial in a situation like this where the homeowners are holding the bad guy at gunpoint.

Rob- It is unusual that only one robber broke in. Most robberies and attacks have more than one robber.

Ben- The bad guys usually work in teams. Good that the homeowners stayed in their bedroom.

Ben- Our second story took place in New Jersey.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed at work? Yes, you can be armed at work even in anti-rights states like New Jersey. An man working in his tobacco shop in Garfield, New Jersey was determined not to be a victim. A robber wearing a mask and a hooded sweatshirt entered the shop. The robber pointed his gun at the owner and his wife. The owner drew his own firearm and shot the robber at extremely close range. The two men struggled before the robber ran. The robber had been been arrested for assault, theft, forgery, disorderly conduct and weapons offenses. Police picked up the wounded robber nearby.

Ben- Too close. I wish the man’s wife was armed too. The threat could have stopped much much sooner.

Rob- This took place in New Jersey where you can’t get a license to carry concealed. You can still carry at home and at work. What are the tradeoffs for choosing a home defense weapon?

Ben- small is easy to hide, but hard to shoot accurately at longer distances, although this story did happen at close range (full grip and short sight radius)
Small is light, but low capacity and uncomfortable to train with. (For longer and high round count classes)
While we’re talking about sub-compact guns, let’s address the elephant in the room …everyone wants to talk about “stopping power.” My overriding feeling on this is if you can only comfortably carry a smaller gun chambered in a smaller cartridge then that’s fine. Just be proficient enough with it to stop the threat that you are facing. A 5 inch 1911 in .45 that you left at home is inferior to the smaller gun in .380 or 9mm that you will have with you and can get multiple shots on target with.
Rob- They gun you like is the best one for you.

Ben- Our last story took place in Arizona.

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Rob- Third story- Do you have a gun in your bedroom? An 80 year old man didn’t hear someone opening a window and taking out a screen. The homeowner did hear someone moving abound and opening his cabinet drawers of his Cornville Arizona home. The homeowner grabbed his gun and confronted the intruder. The homeowner told the robber to lie on the floor. The robber complied and begged the homeowner not to shoot him. The homeowner turned away for a moment to grab his phone. That is when the robber ran. The homeowner did not shoot at the fleeing criminal. Police are still searching for the suspect.

Rob- Another defensive gun use with no shots fired.

Ben- Your home defense toolkit includes a gun, holster, a flashlight and your cellphone.

Rob- Lazy gun salesmen recommend a revolver for women and the elderly. What do you say?

Ben- Ugh. I hear this all the time. I have even had family members suggest that I get a revolver so I am not having to be bothered by running a slide. (Pause for laughter) Here is the thing, lots of women, me included, and especially the elderly will have weak grip strength. (Maybe tell about the instructor class where we tested this) The 11 or 12 pound trigger pull is extremely difficult to do once, let alone several times that it may take to stop a threat. I have been unable to pull the trigger on a revolver with my weak hand only. I am working on this.

We should also look at the felt recoil that will be present from this gun, especially if it’s a smaller revolver. I don’t know many elderly women who will practice with this enough to get proficient because it can be painful to shoot. I have seen this happen many times in classes.

Rob- That is a bad fit for most gun owners.

Ben- I have also taught a lady well into her 70’s to run a semi auto. It took about 15 minutes. She left our lesson that day and went out and bought herself the very gun I taught her on. The smile on her face when she realized she could handle a semi auto was priceless!

Rob- I’ve seen the same reaction.

Rob- We practice near and far away.

Ben- We train for 4 yards, but we want to practice at a greater distance.

Exit- Rob- That wraps up this episode. Ben, thank you for helping me today. Where can our listeners find out more about you?

Ben- I live in San Antonio, Texas. I do some traveling as I teach classes, but most of them are in the San Antonio area. Our listeners can contact me at Modern Self Protection .com to see my class schedule and my podcast.

Rob- Our listeners can share their thoughts with us by leaving a message on the podcast facebook page.

Ben – If you liked these examples then please share them with a friend and give us a rating on I-Tunes.

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

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http://crimeresearch.org/


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