Introduction-

Rob- Welcome to episode 341 of Self-Defense Gun Stories. We’re glad you found us if you’re well trained.. and if you’re still learning about armed defense. I’m Rob Morse and we’re joined this week by firearms instructor Amanda Suffecool. I know you’ve been traveling a lot.

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Amanda- Hi, Rob.  I’ve been in Florida at the Ambassadors’ Academy.  And then Kevin & Sarah Sona’s 2A Freedom Fest 

How about you?

Rob- I was overseas for a week. When I got back, I dry practiced and went to the range. I noticed my inconsistent shooting from lack of practice.

We received a new rating and review on iTunes (367,201) Buzz loves the way we tell the stories and then explain what we might do in their place.

Nathan gave us a thank you and said the stories were eye-opening. He wants us to keep up the good work.

Dwayne sent in one of the stories we used.

Thank you Dwayne, Buzz, and Nathan. I also want to thank Roger for his help again this week. We’re still looking for listeners who volunteer to write or edit this podcast. Someday soon, all this can be yours.

Amanda- Please go to the iTunes store where you subscribe to podcasts and tell new gun owners why you listen.

Here in the US, we defend ourselves with a firearm several thousand times a day. We’ll look at a few recent examples. The links back to the original news articles are on our podcast webpage.

Our first story took place last week in Fresno, California.

Rob- First story-Are you armed at home? 

It is just after 10 on a weekday morning. You are at home with your two small children. Your wife calls your cell phone. She says a neighbor saw three strangers run onto your property. The neighbor called her thinking she was at home. You check your ring doorbell and see three men who ran into your garage. News stories aren’t clear if you called the police or if your wife did.

You grab your shotgun. You open your garage door and shout get out, get out, get out. One of the intruders dives for the ground. The other freezes. The third one runs away. Police arrive a minute later. You lower your shotgun when the police arrive.

The robber who is standing up runs out the garage door. The robber on the floor is arrested by police.

You give the police a statement. They tell you that the three robbers were driving a stolen Mercedes and being chased by police after an armed robbery. The police were searching for them after they abandoned the Mercedes nearby. The police found the robber who was standing in your garage. They arrest him. The robber who ran when you entered your garage was found next door. He wouldn’t come out so they sent a dog in to get him.

You are not charged with a crime. You are glad your small children aren’t hurt. Your neighbor calls to see how you’re doing.

Tag- No Shots Fired

Amanda- This family and their neighbors worked together to protect their children. They met their neighbors and had a good relationship with them. They installed a few security cameras. When a neighbor saw something unusual, they called the mom and the mom got the needed information to her husband who was at home. The news report isn’t explicit, but I assume the robbers were in the garage because the garage door to the house was locked. 

I also like that the homeowner had a firearm and was comfortable using it.

All in all – the family had a well rounded and solid plan for defending their home and more importantly, their loved ones. 

I like that the homeowner used verbal commands. He told the robbers what he wanted them to do. Shouting get out, get out, is pretty clear. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Our good guy didn’t chase or shoot at the robbers who ran away. The defender called 911 and asked for help. He also put his firearm away when the police arrived.

Rob- What else do you see in this story?

Amanda- It is possible that there was a reason to go into the garage, but usually I want my students to stay away from an attacker. Distance is your friend. There is no urgency to go looking for an intruder.   Stay put and let the police look for them. 

I like that the homeowner said go away, but having a shotgun pointed at you sent a stronger message than his words. One of the robbers did what he thought was best, in an effort to not get shot.  Another took his chances that running was better than staying put.   It did not work out for any one of them.

Let’s say you have small children at home. You see strangers in your garage. Your doors are locked. The first rule of defense is don’t get shot. That means you go and grab your gun. You get into a defensible position and then you get the police on the way.

Remember that the goal is to keep your kids safe rather than protecting the lawn mower and the case of beer that is in the garage.

Rob- When do you tell your students about that?

Amanda- We’re always answering questions. The class called self-defense in the home is where they form a home defense plan. One of the benefits of a class is we can learn from other people’s choices. You can see what other people did and decide if that fits your family in your home. Just the act of thinking about it ahead of time adds to your defensive layers. 

Rob- A long gun is effective, but what if the homeowner was at one end of the home away from his gun and the robbers broke into the middle of this home?

Amanda- That is exactly why most of us choose to have a concealed handgun with us. Pants on, gun on.  Then you don’t have to wonder if you can get to it in time. A handgun may not be the best defensive firearm, but it is a good compromise for most of us.

Rob- Is there more you want to cover about this story, or should we go on?

Amanda- Before we move on, I want you to know that holding someone at gunpoint is hard. We teach people how to do it, and there are ways to do it wrong that put you at risk. I compare it to having caught a tiger.  You can’t trust it, even for a second.  Many times it’s better for the homeowner if the bad guy runs away.

Now let’s go to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

What did our defender do correctly?

(Bullet points by Roger T.)

• 
  
  
  
  • The defender had a camera and a gun. He realized that he and his children were in a potentially immediate, lethal and unavoidable situation. 
  
  
  
  

• The defender checked his Ring camera and grabbed his gun.

• Either the defender or his wife called 911.

• The defender tried verbal commands. 

• The defender did not pursue nor shoot the bad guys that ran away. 

• The defender lowered his gun when the police arrived. 

What would you tell your students to do (that the defender should have done)?

(Bullet points by Roger T.)

• 
  
  
  
  • Self-defense is about problem-solving. These situations happen very quickly and they can have deadly results. Having a plan, using situational awareness, tactics, distance, cover, concealment and various weapons are all tools that we use to solve a problem. 
  
  
  
  

• THE PROBLEM: The defender was at home with (2) small children when he was notified that he had (3) trespassers in his garage. Were they armed? Were they dangerous? What was their intent?

• THE DEFENDER’S SOLUTION: He confirmed that the bad guys were there using the Ring camera, 911 was called and he grabbed his shotgun. So far so good. But when he opened the garage door to engage the bad guys, he had no idea where they were, whether they were armed or not and how desperate they were. There was nothing in the garage that justified his walking into a gunfight. This defender not only put himself in danger but he also put his (2) small children in jeopardy. If he was shot, who would protect the kids?

• BEST PRACTICES SOLUTION: The #1 rule of self-defense is DON’T GET SHOT! Don’t put yourself or others into a position where people get shot or injured unless you are saving a life. After 911 was calle