Armed Defense- At Home and in Public
Firearms Instructor Candy Petticord 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? Did they need the basics of marksmanship, or did they need more advanced skills? How should we act if we were in their place?
Here is what happened and what we can learn.
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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Houma, Louisiana- Do you have a firearm nearby at night?
You are at home asleep in your bed. It is 5 in the morning and you’re woken up by the sounds of someone downstairs. You grab your gun. You go to the top of the stairs. Your intruder tries to climb the stairs and you shoot him. He runs back outside and you stop shooting. You call 911 and ask for help.
You put your gun away when the police arrive. You give the police a brief statement. Police search the area. They collect descriptions and security video from your neighbors. The police identify a suspect and go to his house. An armed woman comes out of the house and is arrested by police. Police find your intruder hiding under a mattress. EMTs take him to the hospital. He is treated for a graze wound to the head.
Your intruder is charged with one count of simple burglary and held on an outstanding warrant for violating parole. His girlfriend is charged with simple burglary, obstruction of justice, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
You are not charged with a crime.
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Memphis, Tennessee- Are you armed at home?
Your husband is having an affair. You put his possessions on the front porch for him to pick up. It is dark outside when he husband arrives. He tears down the security camera on the front porch and then uses the camera to smash a window at the back of the house. You’re armed. Your husband enters the home and attacks you. You run out the front door. Your attacker follows you. You shoot him and now he stops chasing you.
Your neighbors come out and ask what is happening. You shout for them to call the police. You put your gun away and give a statement to the police when they arrive. You show the police your husband’s clothes, the broken camera, and the broken window. EMTs take your husband to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the knee. News reports are not clear if our defender was treated by the EMTs. She is not charged.
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Denison, Texas- Are you armed in the afternoon at home?
It is about 4:30 on a Monday afternoon when you hear someone knocking at your door. The news story isn’t clear if the door was unlocked and the intruder walked inside or if you opened the door to talk to them. The stranger pushes you out of the way and walks into your home. You shout for him to stop. You try and push him back outside. The stranger hits you with a hammer. You shoot your attacker. Now he stops hitting you.
You step back and call 911 for help. Police and EMTs arrive. You put your gun away. EMTs transport your attacker to the hospital. You give a statement to the police. It isn’t clear if your injuries required treatment. You are not charged with a crime.
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Chicago, Illinois- Are you armed at work on a Saturday?
You’re working in a high end jewelry store in the middle of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. It is just before noon and you see a customer come in and walk around the store. He stops near the exit and starts punching a jewelry display case over and over again. You have your Illinois carry permit. You’re carrying concealed at work today. You present your firearm and shoot the robber several times. He stops trying to smash the display case and falls down. You stop shooting. The robber gets up and runs outside.
You stay inside the store. You ask if anyone else is hurt. One of the store employees calls 911 for help. You stay at the scene and put your gun away. You give the police a statement and show them your paperwork. You also show them the security video of the robber when he was inside the store and outside the store. You’re taken to the local police station to give a statement to detectives.
Later, you found out that the robber ran up the stairs to the train tracks and fell into a train car. He was arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds to the buttocks and stomach.
These stories give us a lot to think about. Sure we want the right physical tools but we need more than that. We can buy a gun in a few minutes but it takes time to learn what to do with it. What we would do at home alone at night is very different from what we’d do on a job site or in a store parking lot. Your plan is probably different than your neighbors’ plan. Your safety plans becomes a menu of best practices that fits you and your situations.
When was the last time you walked through one of your plans? Like these armed defenders, I want you to be safe at home, as you drive, and at work.
SlowFacts 