Armed Defense- At home, in public, and at work
Honest gun owners like you defend yourselves thousands of times and save hundreds of lives each day. Again this week, you defended yourself and the people you care about. Sometimes you had to use lethal force. Sometimes you may, but you shouldn’t. What a good thing to learn from other people’s experience.
In these stories, the bad guys came with a plan. When lives are at stake, we need to know more than marksmanship. What are your plans to protect the people you love?
The longer discussion of what we should do, and what we should avoid, is on the Self Defense Gun Stories webpage. For now, here are the stories and the links to the original news sources.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana- Are you armed at home?
You’re at your girlfriend’s home on a Wednesday morning. You hear a crashing sound at the door. Your girlfriend and her three year old child run to see what is happening. So do you. You find a stranger with a sledgehammer in his hands. He drops the hammer and takes a gun out of his pants. He shoots at you, your girlfriend, and at her child. You run to your bedroom and grab your gun. You run back and shoot your attacker several times until he drops his gun.
The police report isn’t clear what happened next. We don’t know if the attacker ran or if the victims ran. You and your girlfriend check on her child and then call 911. The attacker was your girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.
You put your gun away before the police arrive. You and your girlfriend make a statement to the police. The three of you are banged up, but not wounded. EMTs take your attacker to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Your attacker is arrested and jailed for three counts of attempted murder, home invasion, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Your girlfriend filed a protective order against her ex, but the order hadn’t been served yet. You are not charged with a crime.
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Tucson, Arizona- Are you armed in public?
You are talking to your friend. You’re both leaning on your cars in the apartment parking lot. It is late at night and two strangers approach you. You both see them. You notice that they have their faces covered. When they get close to you they have guns in their hands.
You and your friend are both armed. You shoot your attackers. They run and you stop shooting. You both call 911 and remain at the scene. You give a statement to the police.
EMS declares your attackers dead at the scene. News reports say that your attackers were armed, but don’t mention if the police recovered the attacker’s firearms.
Neither you nor your friend are charged with a crime.
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Manhattan Beach, California- Are you armed at work?
You work at a jewelry store. You’re serving a female customer when you notice a group of men enter your store. Five men wearing masks, hoodies, and gloves start smashing your display cases with hammers. You step away from your customer. You shoot at your attackers. They run from the store and dive into a car waiting outside. You need a second to put your gun away. You check on your customer and she isn’t injured. Your employees are shaken but not wounded. You call 911 and ask for help. The store is a mess.
You give a statement to the police. It takes you hours to determine that the thieves got some of your jewelry. You give a statement to the police along with in-store and storefront video. The police make one arrest. There was a similar robbery a few years ago at a nearby jewelry store. That is why you’re armed now.
You are not charged with a crime.
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Bismarck, North Dakota- Do you have a firearm nearby at night?
You are at home in bed. It is 3AM when you hear someone moving furniture around in your home. You shout for your wife to call 911. You see a naked stranger in your kid’s empty room. You grab your gun and tell the intruder to stop. You hold the intruder at gunpoint. You put your gun away as the police arrive.
Police arrest your intruder. The intruder entered your home through an unlocked back door. He says he was looking for his clothes. Police can’t tell if he is high or drunk.
Neither you nor your wife have seen the man before this morning.
You and your wife give a statement to the police. Your intruder is charged with felony burglary, misdemeanor criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He is held on a $5,000 cash bond.
You’re not charged.
Tag- no shots fired.
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These stories sound simple, but making good decisions in a hurry takes practice. We have to rely on good habits when we’re too startled to think clearly. That is why it is so important to have a safety plan and to practice armed defense. What is your plan in your home, at work, and in public?
Thank you for making all of us safer. RM
SlowFacts 