Armed Defense- At Home, as you Drive, and at Work
Firearms Instructor Tony Simon brought us four new stories of armed defense. Across the United States, honest citizens defend themselves with a firearm thousands of times a day. Were these gun owners lucky or were they doing the safest thing they could do? How should we act if we were in their place? Here is what happened.
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.
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Bartlesville, Oklahoma- Are you armed at home in the morning?
It is early morning and you’re already at work on your laptop. You hear someone banging on the front door of your apartment. You hear them shout for you to open the door. You are not expecting visitors. You grab your gun and shout for the stranger to go away. You grab your phone and call 911.
The stranger keeps hitting your door. They break the door hinges out of the door and doorframe. They tear the security chain off the wall. The door flies across the room. Your intruder enters your home and you shoot him one time. He stops. News reports aren’t clear if your attacker fell inside your home or if he ran outside. You ask the police dispatcher for help.
You put your gun away when officers arrive. EMTs transport your attacker to the hospital. You give the police a statement. You don’t know the intruder. You are not charged with a crime.
Later you find out that your 23-year-old intruder had been scammed and thought he was meeting someone for sex.
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Jackson, Mississippi- Are you armed at work?
You are a contractor doing a job for the city water department. You and your co-workers are on site when a car drives up. A man gets out of the car and starts yelling. He draws a gun and starts shooting at you. You and your co-worker shoot back. Your attacker drives away. You stay at the scene and call 911 for help. You put your guns away when the police arrive.
You and your partner give statements to the police. Your attacker crashes his car nearby. EMS takes him to the hospital for treatment of three gunshot wounds. He will be charged with aggravated assault when he is released. One of the news reports said the attacker knew one of the contractors. You are not charged with a crime.
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Chicago, Illinois- Do you have a firearm nearby at night?
You’re at home and asleep in your bed. You’re startled awake by a crashing sound. You hear someone in your apartment. You grab your gun and go investigate what is happening. You see someone in your apartment and they rush at you. You shoot them before they reach you. You step back and turn on the lights. You grab your phone and call 911 for help. You stay at the scene.
You stay on the call with the police dispatcher. You put your gun away when the police are nearby. Police arrest your intruder. EMTs take him to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. You give the police a statement. You show them your identification and your concealed carry permit.
Since you knew the intruder, this is being called a domestic incident. You are not charged with a crime.
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Upper Darby, Pennsylvania- Are you armed as you drive?
You are sitting in your parked car. It is after midnight and a white car drives by. That car knocks the side mirror off your car. You drive after them to get their license plate number. The white car stops and a man gets out of the back seat. He has a gun in his hand and walks toward you yelling for you to get out of your car. You are being carjacked.
You have your concealed carry permit in your wallet. You have your personal handgun in a holster on your hip. The news isn’t clear if you get out of the car or remain inside. You present your firearm and shoot your attacker. He shoots back and runs to the white car. They drive away. It isn’t clear when you put your gun away and if you called 911.
A police officer nearby hears the shots. He asks you what happened. You tell him about the car, the mirror, and the carjacking. The officer puts out a description of the white car and the robbers. You show the officer your identification and your carry permit.
Police follow the white car and catch two of the three robbers. One of the robbers is taken to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. The white car was stolen yesterday. You are not charged with a crime.
These stories give us a lot to think about as armed citizens defend themselves. Sure we want the right physical tools but we need more than that. What we would do at home alone at night is very different from what we’d do on a job site or as we drive. We can buy a gun in a few minutes but it takes time to learn what to do with it. Your plan is probably different than your neighbor’s. Your many safety plans becomes menus of best practices that fit you and your situation.
When was the last time you walked through one of your safety plans. Like these armed defenders, I want you to be safe at home, as you drive, and at work.
SlowFacts 