Episode 57 with Tony Simon

Introduction- Rob- Welcome to episode 57 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 Tony Simon.

Hi, Tony.  How have you been?

 

Tony- Hi, Rob.  

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 North Carolina.

 

Rob- First story-  Are you armed at a bingo parlor.  You run a bingo parlor in Winston Salem.  People want to gamble at all hours, so you’re open all day long.  Usually it is quiet in the early morning.  Usually, but not this day.  Two men enter your business at 5 in the morning.  They walk up to you and say “Give me the money.”

At 63 three years old, you feel too old for this.  These two robbers are in their 20s.  Then they pull out pistols and threaten you and your customers.  One of the robbers waves his pistol in your face.  You are armed.  You draw your handgun and shoot the robber closest to you.  Both robbers turn and run.  One shoots you in the shoulder as he leaves.

The police arrive in a few minutes.  EMTs take you to the hospital to have your shoulder bandaged up.  They say the robber you shot died a few blocks from your bingo parlor.

Tony: Have a gun.  Good, the manager did.  Good for him.

The manager was willing to save his own life and the life of his customers.  Again, that is a good decision that he made a long time ago.

Rob- So you think the manager had thought about this ahead of time.

Tony- I do.  He was armed at work.. Every day.  He also did something else right.

I want you to move as you present your firearm if the situation dictates that you do so.  I think the manager moved as he was presenting his weapon and that is why the robber shot him in the shoulder rather than the chest.

Rob- It is always the right time to move.

Tony- Right, and just because you’re shot doesn’t mean you are out of the fight.

Here is what we don’t know and it’s really important.  You don’t have to draw your gun the instant you see his gun.  You can, but you don’t have to.  Sometimes it is better to wait your turn.  Maybe the robbers will turn their attention to the cash drawer or the other customers and give you a chance to act.

Either way, once you see your opportunity, you have to move and act to end the fight.

Rob- I noticed that the manager did not chase the robbers out of the store.

Tony- He did the right thing.  Leave the criminal to the police once you and your customers are safe.

Rob- Is there more?

Tony- That’s enough for now.  Have a gun, have a plan, take your turn, and know when to stop.

Rob- You make it sound so simple.

Tony- It is simple, but it isn’t easy.  There is more to say, but we’ll save it for another example.

Tony- Our second story took place in Florida.

Rob- Second Story-  Are you armed at home.  The first thing you hear are your dogs barking.  They wake you up.  They keep at it so you roll out of bed, put on your pants, and grab your firearm.  It’s early morning and you walk into the main part of your home in Orlando, Florida.  You’re 65 years old and your house has been broken into four times before.  The dogs are barking at a stranger standing in your enclosed porch.

You tell the stranger to leave.  He says he’s looking for a landscape job.  You say you don’t have one and that he has to go.  The stranger opens the door and pushes past you into your home.

You yell for the man to leave.  He looks around the house and then runs at you.  To quote from the police report, “He started coming at me, running at me, so I pulled out my gun and I shot him..”

The homeowner held the suspect until police arrived.

Tony- The victim had his pistol in his pants pocket when he went to answer the door. He was following the POGO principle, Pants On Gun On

I want our listeners to put their gun away at night so they can access it quickly and safely.  I want them to wear a holster and put on their gun every morning when they put on their pants or skirt.  POGO, pants on gun on.

Rob- This story is from florida.  Lots of citizens have their carry permits there.

Tony- I think this man carried every day.  Also, he used verbal commands.  He tried to back away from the confrontation.  The intruder brought the fight to him.  That makes the case very easy to explain and it may keep you out of court.

Rob-  You’re saying the homeowner was pushed into this fight.  What about after the fight. Is it easy to hold someone at gunpoint?

Tony- It is dangerous.  The intruder was shot in the hip and he didn’t going anywhere.  You won’t know the condition of our attacker after you defend yourself.

Don’t stand there with your finger on the trigger if you’re not going to shoot someone.  Your weapon should be at the low ready position or the high ready position.  Your finger should be off the trigger.

Back away from the intruder.  Maybe you holster your firearm to call the police.  Maybe not if you don’t feel safe.  Reholster when you hear the sirens.

Rob-  And the only warning the homeowner had was his dogs barking.

Tony- and then he did the right thing.  He had a gun when he had an unexpected fight with a stranger in his home.

Rob- Anything else?

Tony- Our third story took place in Louisiana.

Please support Buckeye Firearms Foundation at https://www.buckeyefirearmsfoundation.org/

Third story- Are you armed when you are driving your car for Uber? It is one in the morning and you’re driving for Uber in New Orleans.  You dropped off a passenger a few minutes ago and you’re looking at your phone to see if anyone else needs a ride.  Two men pull open the doors of your car and get in.  They have guns, and the guns are pointed at you.  They say drive, so you drive.  A couple blocks later they tell you to get out of your car.  You stop the car and get out.  You’re armed.  You shoot the robber closest to you.  Both robbers turn and run.

You call the police.

Tony-  Remember when I said that self-defense was simple.

You’re innocent.  You didn’t start a fight, they did.
Your life is in danger, they have guns pointed at you.
You face an immediate threat, you can be dead any second.
You can’t avoid the threat when it is sitting right next to you.

Those are the conditions you need to morally and legally use lethal force in self-defense.  When you defend yourself is up to you.

You won’t have time to learn about that when it is happening, but you will have time to recognize that situation if you already thought about it.  Let me say that again so you can look it up and study it.

The threat is dangerous, immediate, and unavoidable.

Rob- So the driver didn’t have to spend time wondering if he should protect himself.

Tony- Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you should save yourself.  Think about it now so you can use the rest of your life staying alive.

Rob- It isn’t a good idea when robbers tell you to go with them.

Tony- That is called abduction and kidnapping.  Add that to felony assault and robbery.

Tony- This driver was pretty cool.  He had guns pointed at him and he didn’t panic.  He waited his turn and then brought the fight to his attackers.  He did a great job.

Rob- The driver had his gun with him in a holster, or at least it wasn’t stuffed in the glove compartment.

Tony- Please carry on body.

Rob- Do you talk about this with your students?

Tony- Every week.  And being from New Jersey, we have our own examples.

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

Tony-  I teach safety and armed-self defense courses in New Jersey.  Our listeners can contact me on Facebook at Simon Says Train or at The Second is for Everyone and SimonSaysTrain on Instagram.  My classes are listed at BlackBagResources.com

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

Tony-  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.

Give Lloyd a listen at http://www.armedlutheran.us/


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