Rob- Introduction-

Welcome to episode 262 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re glad you found us if you’re well trained.. and also if you’re still learning about armed defense. I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by firearms instructor Amanda Suffecool. What have you been doing, Amanda?

<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_485" style="width: 337px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-485">Firearms instructor Amanda Suffecool</figcaption></figure>

Amanda- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been traveling, planning and signing up for training for the year 2022.   Yes – Instructors who are worth their salt keep training with even better instructors.  I try to do one or two classes a year. 

How about you?

Rob- I was on the Daily Bullet podcast for the Second Amendment Foundation, and on the Arms Room Radio broadcast out of Orlando, Florida.

Robbie wished us Merry Christmas, and Vic asked about our music which is Fanfare for the Common Man. Thank you both, and glad to help. Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts. Give us a rating and let new gun owners know why you listen.

Amanda- Here in the US, we defend ourselves with a firearm thousands of times a day. We look at a few recent examples to see what we can learn. The links back to the original news articles are on our podcast webpage.

Our first story took place last week in Tampa, Florida.

Rob- First story- Are you armed in public?

You’re getting some exercise on a walking trail. Several teenagers run by you, then they turn. One of them tells you to give it up. Another draws a gun and threatens you. You’re being robbed. You have your carry license in your wallet. You also have your legally purchased firearm on your hip.

The news article doesn’t say what happened next, but you shot your armed attacker, and you were shot. You run to get help. The police received calls about the gunshots. They find you and call emergency medical services. They transport you to the hospital. You give a statement to the police. You show them your carry permit. Police find your attacker dead on the park trail. You are not charged with a crime.

Rob- What did our defender do to save his life?

Amanda-  

Recognized that he was at risk.

Bought a gun

Got his permit

Learned how to carry.

Carried on body in public in the middle of the day on a walk.

Recognized an lethal, immediate, and unavoidable threat

Defended himself

Moved to safety

Gave a statement to the police

Rob- Is there anything else you’d like us to do?

Amanda-  Let’s talk about the problems that the story didn’t mention.

Your wallet identifies you as having a concealed carry permit.

To the robbers, your gun on your body means you might have a security job or be a police officer. That puts you at an increased danger of being murdered.

If you don’t see them coming, then you start from behind when they already have a gun in their hands and the gun is pointed at you.

Distraction, movement, presentation. Use them as a shield.

Rob- Do you see anything else in this story?

Amanda- The first person to call the police gets to be called the victim. You want to win the race to 911 because the bad guys might lie. If you lost your cell phone, then shout for help in the middle of the street.

The other thing to consider is GEAR.   Good gear makes carrying comfortable.   Bad gear makes carrying a PITA,  and then you are more likely to leave it at home.   Spend the time and the money to research and buy gear that matches your lifestyle.

Rob- What else do you see?

Amanda- That is enough for now. Our second story happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Rob- Second Story- Are you armed as you drive?

You drive for Lyft. You are carrying a passenger in the middle of the afternoon when a car runs into you. You pull to the side of the road, and the car runs into you again. You get out of your car. The passenger of the car that hit you points a shotgun at you. You’re armed too. You have your concealed carry permit. You get the passenger out of your car and away from the robbery. You duck behind your car and draw your handgun. Your attacker shoots at you and you shoot back. You retreat. The robber dives into your car and drives away. The car behind them tries to run you over. You shoot that driver, and he drives away too. You get out of the road and call the police. You’re shaken, but not hurt.

Police find your two wounded attackers nearby. Both of your attackers are taken to the hospital. Both had firearms in their cars. You are not charged with a crime.

Amanda- Dangerous job that does not allow CCW. Driver had his permit, and chose to follow the law, not the employment contract. Being armed in public could keep him alive, but may get him fired. 

He recognized the threat once he was hit the second time, moved to defend himself and his passenger. Recognized second threat. Moved to safety.

Rob- That is a lot. Is there anything else we should do in a case like this one?

Amanda- This is a really complex environment. We need to identify the clearest path to safety.  Is it in the car or out?  Then we want to move to cover and we want to move so we don’t get shot, but It isn’t obvious where we should go. We don’t want to move into traffic and get hit by a moving car.

Rob- Let’s back up. Walk me through all the steps that this defender went through.

Amanda- Firearms safety and training. Concealed carry so that it is concealed at all times. Presentation when the situation calls for it. Legal use of lethal force. Presentation on the move using cover and concealment, while ushering someone else to safety. Engaging multiple targets. What to say to the police.

Rob- That sounds impossible to get right.

Amanda- No, that sound easy to get right, because we take it step at a time. You didn’t learn to drive in the snow until you had some practice parking. We learn self-defense as a series of steps or building blocks.

Rob- And like physical conditioning, we have to go back and exercise those building blocks. What does that exercise look like?

Amanda- We’ll talk about that in our next story that happened in Augusta, Georgia.

Rob- First this message from the Crime Prevention Research Center.

https://crimeresearch.org/

Rob- Third story- Are you armed in public?

You get a call from your adult son. It is after midnight when he chased a stranger out of your home. He is still concerned and your son knows you’re armed. You tell him to stay outside and you’ll be home in a minute. You meet him in the driveway, and the two of you search downstairs. You don’t see anyone, but you hear sounds. When you reach your upstairs bedroom you find a stranger standing in your room. You raise your firearm and shoot him. He jumps out the bedroom window.

You and your son call the police and stay inside your home. You holster your gun and show the officer what happened. They find a cap and a bloody shirt in your backyard. You are not charged with a crime.

Amanda- Gun owner. Has a Permit and carried that night. The key to this story is that she asked her son to stay outside. Recognized that if there was one, there may be more.

Rob- What would you like us to do if we were in a similar situation.

Amanda- First, lock your doors so the bad guys have to break into your home. Make them work for it. Next, call the police.  I wouldn’t advise doing the clearing drill yourself as this mother son team did.   The second call, once you hang up from your son, should have been to the police. 

Rob- If we have a gun, why do you want us to call the police?

Amanda- You can answer that yourself.