Episode 56 with Amber Kunau

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Introduction- Rob– Welcome to episode 56 of Self-Defense Gun Stories.  This show is for  people who think they might want a gun for self-defense, and those who already have one.  I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by self-defense instructor Amber Kunau.

Hi, Amber.  How have you been?

Amber- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been busy with work and family, but its a good busy.

 

Hi to our new listeners, and welcome back to our regular listeners. We report and analyze three examples of armed civilian defense each week.  I hope we inspire you to defend the people you care about.  If you have questions or want to hear more, then please leave us a message on our facebook page.

Our first story took place this month in Alabama.

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at home?  This time you hear a noise downstairs.  It’s just after 1 in the morning and you recognize the sound of your downstairs windows being forced open.  You live in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama.  You lived here for the last 21 years.  The neighborhood has changed and your house has been robbed 13 times in the last ten months.  You’re 79 years old and you hear the two robbers coming upstairs from the basement.  They search the other two bedrooms on the upper floor of your house.  That is when you grab your firearm.  One of the robbers enters your bedroom and says, “Don’t move.  Don’t move, nigger.”

You move.  You shoot the robber one time in the chest.  Then you walk to the top of the stairs and chased the second robber from your home.  The second robber shoots at you as he runs from your home.  His bullet grazes your ankle.  You call police.  The first robber is dead on your floor.  The emergency medical responders take you to the hospital and they bandage the wound on your ankle.

This is the 14th time people broke into your home.  You tell the police you’ve become a prisoner in your own home because people keep breaking in and stealing your possessions.  You tell the police, “I hate that boy dead, but I don’t hate I shot him.”

Police officials say you won’t face charges since you were defending yourself from an armed invader at night.

Amber- We have disparity of force.  Multiple robbers.  Young men attacked a single older man.

Rob-  Amber, the news reports made it sound like the victim suddenly had a gun.  His gun did not materialize out of thin air.  What did he have to do to get his gun?

Amber-  near, ready, secure.  I keep mine in a locked compartment with a combination lock.  I practice opening it every day when I dress and put on my gun.

Rob- He heard multiple people in his home.  He shot one of them.  He then walked out of his bedroom.  He was also wounded.  That is a tough situation.  What does the victim have to juggle next.

Amber- night time, experience has proven that he will get robbed or attacked, be careful what you say to the police

Rob-  It might sound like we’re criticizing him for leaving his room.  What did the victim do correctly?

Amber- He stayed in his bedroom and shot the robber when there was a clear threat to his life.

Rob- Are those the high points?

Amber- Our second story took place in Detroit.

Rob- Are you armed when you’re in your apartment at 8 in the morning on a weekday?  You’ve only lived here for a few months.  You had to leave your old place because you have a stalker.  He beat you.  Now, your ex-boyfriend won’t leave you alone.  He’s already found this new place.  In earlier incidents at this appartment, your stalker broke your windows and kicked in your garage door.   This morning, you hear someone outside the front of your apartment.  He’s here again, and calling from the front door.  You call to your brother who is staying with you.  Your stalker kicks in the front door.  He’s armed.  Your brother draws his firearm and shoots the intruder several times in the chest.  The intruder drops his gun and drops to the ground.  You call police.

The police are convinced your stalker intended to kill you since he came armed and left his car running on the street in front of your apartment.  Thank god your brother had a gun.

Amber- This story is unusual and ordinary.  I’m glad we found this story of a domestic violence victim defending herself.  We don’t see that often enough.  What we do see all the time is that if you need a gun then you need it right now.  There was no time to go to the back bedroom, open a gun safe, load a magazine, load your gun, and then walk to the front of the apartment.  I see students who want to protect themselves but have not taken that last step to go armed.

It looks like the victim’s brother carried a gun, so rather than learn to carry herself, she borrowed him.

Rob-  Borrowing an armed relative is a temporary solution at best.

Amber-  Yes, but the victim did something to protect herself and that is the important thing.  You know there is a threat and don’t ignore it.

Rob- It sounds like they heard the stalker outside their home.  You think the brother was wearing a gun.

Amber- The woman should have been in the back of the house at this point.  She did not need to be near the front door.  Her brother didn’t need to be near the front door either.  Firearms are distance weapons.  He could have protected them while he was watching the front door from a room at the end of the hallway.  Maybe he did.  The story doesn’t say.

Rob- So you don’t have to stand in the open and get shot by your attacker.  Good idea now that you mention it.

Amber- This isn’t Hollywood.  You don’t need to be a target.

Rob-  I need reminding just like everyone else.  That is why I take instruction every year.

Amber- Our third story took place in Oklahoma.

 

Please join and support the Second Amendment Foundation at SAF.org

Rob- Third Story-  Are you armed at home in the afternoon?  The first thing you hear is a terrible crash from the back of your parents home. You walk towards the sound and wonder if your folks are alright.  It is just after noon, and you see three stranger men dressed in black standing in the back of your folks home.  They’ve just kick in the back door.  Your folks are not in sight.  You yell for the intruders to leave, and you turn back to your bedroom and grab your rifle.  You head towards the back of your house calling for your mom and dad.  The intruders are still there.  Again, you shout for them to leave.  They move toward you, and you open fire shooting all three of them.  Two of the robbers never make it out of the house.  The third runs out the back door and makes it to the driveway.  The getaway car driver squeals down the driveway before the robber makes it to the getaway car.

You barricade yourself in your bedroom and call the police.  The police catch the getaway driver.  The police say there have been a number of robberies in the area.  They found brass knuckles and a knife on the robbers.  The robbers were wearing gloves and masks.

Amber-  This is more like the usual stories we cover each week.  In our first two stories, the victims had an ongoing threat.  Our third story was a surprise.  The victim had no reason to suspect that he would be robbed.  That is why we need to be prepared all the time.

Rob-  Given the amount of time the victim had, he must have had the rifle at hand and the magazines loaded.  At least the gun was not in a locked safe.  Some of the news accounts said his parents were in the home at the time.

Amber-  That means the defender had to act.  The dead robbers parents said it was unfair that the victim had a rifle.  Three thugs carrying weapons didn’t break down someone’s door looking for a fair fight.  Three against one, that is the disparity of force we talk about.

And there are politicians who want us disarmed, or to limit us to only carrying 8 cartridges in our gun.

Rob- The victim had  a gun ready.

Amber-  That is my point.  Like a fire extinguisher, you need your gun when you need it.

 

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

Amber- I instruct and compete in Phoenix, Arizona.  Listeners can contact me at Instructor Amber K on my Facebook page.  

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

Amber-  If you liked this show, then you’ll like the other podcasts on the Self-defense radio network.  We create this podcast under a creative commons license, so please share them with a friend, and give us a rating on I-Tunes.

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

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