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Rob- Introduction- Welcome to episode 83 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. This podcast is for people who think they might want a firearm.. and those who already have one. I’m Rob Morse and Tony Simon joins us this week..
Hi, Tony. How have you been?
Tony- Hi, Rob. How have I been? Teaching new students. Diversity shoot. Minuteman Challenge.
Each week we report three examples of armed civilian defense. Please use our discussion as part of your personal self-defense exercise program. Leave us a message on our facebook page with your questions or comments.
Tony- Our first story took place last week in Moline, Illinois.
Rob- First story- Are you armed when you’re shopping?
You’re a grandmother with three children and 11 grandchildren. You’re here in Illinois visiting family. You pull into a parking place at the Southpark Mall. You see a man waiting at a bus stop nearby. You’re getting out of your truck when the man is suddenly next to you. He has a knife and is threatening you. You kick him in the chest. He cuts your arm. He climbs into the truck and drags you behind him. The armed stranger tells you to drive south of town. You stop your truck where he tells you. He is distracted for a moment and drops his knife. You use that moment to grab your gun from the center console. You climb out of the truck and point the gun at your attacker. Your attacker runs away. You drive yourself to the local hospital. The doctors need 23 stitches to sew up your arm.
The police find and arrest your attacker. He is in jail facing a half million dollar bail.
Tony- A car isn’t a holster. This grandma was visiting her family in Illinois from her home in Missouri. She had a Missouri carry permit but didn’t have a Illinois carry permit because she didn’t live there. Illinois doesn’t have reciprocity with its neighboring state so she was restricted to having to keep her firearm in her vehicle. Due to ridiculous laws put in place by politicians she has no way to legally carry in Illinois if she doesn’t live in Illinois. Sadly in New Jersey she wouldn’t have been allowed to have her handgun loaded or in the passenger compartment of her vehicle.
Rob- Lack of reciprocity disarmed a law abiding grandmother, and almost cost her her life.
Tony- These laws just make victims of honest people. I’m no lawyer but I think it may have been illegal for the bad guy to attack her with a knife. It’s important that you know the laws in the states that you visit when it comes to armed self defense.
Rob- What did our defender do to save herself?
Tony- She didn’t give up. She didn’t panic, she kept her wits about her even after she was cut. She waited until she had a chance and then she defended herself.
Rob- anything else?
Tony- Once she was armed and out of the car, she had the bad guy at gun point and he ran away. She didn’t shoot him or chase him, she jumped in her vehicle and got herself to the hospital. Once your life is no longer in danger you have to shift gears into get help mode. She did a good job.
Rob- This is typical in that the defender did not have to use her weapon. Kidnapping is unusual.
Tony- It is usually bad when you are forced to go with a bad guy. They are moving you to a place where is more advantageous for them to victimize you further. If you can you have to fight hard where you are because they mean to do you harm when they take you somewhere secluded.
Rob- You talk about that with your students?
Tony- We talk about being aware of your surroundings. She saw the bad guy at the bus stop before he approached her but she didn’t pay any attention to him. When he appeared next to her with a knife out was the next time she saw him. I tell students to pay attention in transitional places like parking lots. We are usually not focused on threats in those areas and we should be. Keep your doors locked and windows up until you look around and assess the area.
Tony- Our second story happened last week in Detroit.
Rob- Second Story- Are you armed as you walk down the street with your cousin?
It is the middle of the day. You and your cousin are walking past a green light store. Crime is so bad in Detroit, that they designate certain stores and gas stations with a green colored light. Those stores have high definition cameras that run directly to the police station. The two of you walk past another man when the stranger draws a gun from his pocket and points it at you. You are closest, so you knock the gun out of the way. You draw your gun as you step past your attacker. You continue to move as you shoot him several times. You and your cousin run away. You were not shot, but your unarmed cousin and the robber were. EMT take both of them to the hospital.
Tony- There was no time to think about what to do. You only had time to do it. Action beats reaction and even though our good guy was behind the curve he was able to get his gun out and on target without getting shot.
Rob- Physical contact with the attacker. Drawing and shooting on the move. That is a sophisticated response.
Tony- It’s a lot to do at one time. If you practice those skills and take some type of situational training it cuts down on your reaction time to a threat. You would have wargamed confrontations like this and have had a predetermined plan.
Rob- In our first story, the defender had a gun in her car. This time the defender had a gun on him, and he needed it. I watched the video, and there was no place to hide from the attacker during the gunfight.
Tony- Our third story happened last week in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Rob- Third story- Are you armed when you’re at home?
You’re standing in your driveway on a Friday afternoon. A man runs up to you. He is wearing a mask and carrying a gun. He orders you into your home. Once inside, he grabs your wife and demands that you give him your money. You say you don’t have a lot. He tells you to drive to the ATM and get more cash. He walks behind you as you go back to the driveway and get into your car. Your wife is sitting beside you and the kidnapper sits behind you. At one point, the kidnapper starts yelling and seems distracted. You grab the gun out of the center console of your car. Your kidnapper attacks you, and starts biting your arm. You shoot him and throw him out of your car. You drive yourself to the hospital to have your bite marks cleaned and stitched. The kidnapper is arrested by police. He is taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Tony- The car is not a holster. Arkansas is a constitutional carry state. Our good guy went through the expense of buying a gun and he wasn’t carrying it on himself. Due to him not having his firearm available he wasn’t able to stop his wife from being dragged into this deadly situation.
Rob- The story would have been so different if both victims were armed.
Tony- If both victims had been armed this entire incident may have ended on the front lawn. Having a firearm for emergencies means having it available for use quickly. Your car is not a holster and it’s not a gun safe.
It’s important for husbands and wives to work out self-defense plans. Team tactics really turn the tables on bad guys quickly. They never expect to have two trained “victims “. Fayetteville is near the border of Missouri and Oklahoma. The corner of Kansas is less than an hour away too. Arkansas is a shall issue state.
Rob- That is what our homeowners could have done better. What did they do correctly?
Tony- Waited until he had an advantage. If you are going to have a firearm on your car don’t leave it there when you get out. Put it in your holster and take it into your home at night.
Rob- He stayed in the fight while his attacker was chewing on him.
Tony- When you get a permit, get one for both of you, both the husband and wife. I bet they have theirs now. We can learn from them without having to experience this ourselves.
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 firearms 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. I’m also at 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- We share this podcast with you for free. Please share it with a friend and give us a rating on I-Tunes and Stitcher. We’re also available on Google Play Music.
Rob- I’m Rob Morse. We’ll be back next week with more Self-Defense Gun Stories.
