Neighbor stops burglary using a gun - video

Well, I posted the wrong story and I can't find the one I just saw on the news.  I guess I'm a little to quick on the draw with this news since it's not even on tha interwebs, yet.  Will update very soon.

Update - the video with comments are in the post here.

In the meantime, it's crazy what I found while searching for this one.  Check this out:

Huh, well look here.  Another story very similar with different (and better) results.

Or, you could be unprepared and go about it this way and hope.  Not recommended.

I prefer them to end this way.

Or this one.  The "screaming like a little girl" comment made me laugh, but "led off one round into the ground" sounds suspiciously like a warning shot to me and those are generally not good.

Wow, a bunch of stories of defense in recent news.

The Great Equalizer - Granny's Gun

I actually laughed out loud when I saw this video.  I didn't think I would.  It's pretty typical to see thugs scatter like roaches when the rounds actually start flying since they are generally a bunch of D-Bag cowards anyway picking on what they assume are defenseless victims.   Therefore, the flipping and falling didn't catch me off guard.  What made me laugh was the cartoon-esque stack up at the egress.  Now THAT is comedy gold.  Seriously, cue Yakety Sax on this video.  Also, nothing like tearing off and leaving some of your buddies behind.  With friends like these...  So, anyway, what you have here is five (you can count them  easily at the stack-up) young thugs plus a getaway driver bravely taking on an older woman.  Then, out comes the equalizer.  All of a sudden, a seriously outnumbered and overpowered lady is able to make a bunch of jerks scramble and wet their panties.  I say good for her.  I'd like to see a lot more of this and maybe a lot more range time for the citizens so they can start making more shots count.

Store owner comes out on top with some bullets

Well, good for him I say.  I'm sure being absolutely terrorized by two armed thugs is not any kind of fun.  Especially when they are waving guns and beating on you.  So, kudos for the clerk.  Downside:  apparently it wasn't on his person.  That gun under the counter isn't going to do you much good when you're stocking groceries or in the bathroom when the bad happens.  It also doesn't do a lot of good when you're getting monkey-stomped on the ground.  I'm hoping the clerk is re-considering his choice of firearm placement.  I know if I worked a convenience store I'd look like I had Batman's utility belt on under my shirt and for some reason I would be carrying, like 3 "wallets."  All-in-all, good outcome.  Lessons to learn.  Also, I'd love to see if there is store video released soon.

A little more in this story.

Also, notice that firearms aren't about "stopping power" on an assailant, they are about the power of stopping the assailant.  Neither of these thugs dropped immediately to the floor, but they both stopped what they were doing to try and exit post-haste and that's what matters most.

Robberies with kids

What do you do?  Well, if I ever heard of a reason to carry a firearm, it is this topic.  You have children with you.  I'm not going to let the thugs have what they want, because it may BE the children.  I can't run away like this lady did.  The answer is to have a plan with your children and act on it against the threat.  I usually don't post on things like this story because I hate to read the stories about what some parents do with their kids.  Trust me, I'm not unaware of what goes on in the world.  I just don't want to read about it because it really, really angers me when I read the news stories.  (It was bad enough having to read the headlines when I tried to search for this story).  The thing about this story is that she may not be a bad parent, she just didn't have a plan.  Therefore, the only thing she could do was run around and leave her kid to the whim of a thug.  Have a plan with your kids.  If it doesn't involve a firearm, it should.  I mean a plan, not just "carrying one."  When I train at the range, it is rather concerning all of the scenarios I think of that might happen if I had kids with me.  Do you always carry a young child with your weak hand?  If you have to draw, do you train to turn and shield the child with your body?  Do you train to shoot one-handed?  I have actually trained with a bag in one hand resting on my hip.  It probably looks silly, but I've done it before I am actually forced to.

If you can't carry for legal reasons, it's a good idea to come up with another plan.  Ultimately, think this out before it actually happens.  If you haven't already considered this and it is a topic that you are concerned about, go to Agirl's place and read up.  She's been an incredible resource on this topic both personally and situationally.

I appear to be soapboxing.  I apologize, but this is touching on a topic on which I am very serious.  Maybe Agirl can get some training classes going in her area for parents with kids.  :)

Doughnut Shop Robbery - Being Prepared

It can happen in a flash.  Sometimes, all of that situational awareness that is preached just isn't what is going to save you.  At times, you will be in a reactionary mode.  A lot of things happen in this video.

You can see there are plenty of customers in the store and the older gentleman just reacted and was pretty severely punished for it.  If you have the time to react by grabbing someone, you have the time to react by stepping off of center, drawing and firing.  The stomp on the neck was bad enough.  The kick to the head as the jerk left is a perfect example of why you use lethal force to defend yourself.  Let's talk about "unarmed" aggressors.  In the video we can see a handgun being used, but that doesn't really matter does it?  I once heard someone say that until they stopped hearing "blunt force trauma" as a cause of death in homicides, then they would continue to consider an unarmed aggressor as extremely dangerous.

Something else to keep in mind:  train to scan on the range when you are practicing.  At the end of the video at the top, I want you to watch that set of feet follow the jerk out of the door.  I'm guessing that is an accomplice by the timing and not just a customer running away.  Move off of center, draw, fire, assess.  Keep your threat covered, but keep your eyes open.

Store owner shoots armed robbers (video)

The video is a little cut-and-paste and somewhat confusing.  From what I have gathered, the first scene you see is the two robbers holding a cashier at gunpoint.   The owner of the establishment sees this happening on surveillance and steps out from a door across the drive-through area (this is where the video cuts to another angle) and he calls out the perps, drawing their attention toward him.  One runs at and shoots toward him as he engages and hits the guy multiple times.  This was a bit crazy.  Training is hugely important for things like this.  Things are fluid and crazy and you have to be able to make good hits.  Notice he is making good hits and the guy still has the ability to run up to and past him and fire shots.  Moving isn't a bad idea, but getting hits is a better idea.  Both is optimum, but you do what you can and this guy did a pretty good job.  When the trainer tells you "shoot until the threat stops," this is what is meant.  This threat never really stopped until the guy was running off.

Here is a clip of just the store video.  It is confusing without a little explanation of the situation from the above story, but it's easier than watching all of the blah, blah, blah in that one.

Mother scares away burglars with a .22

There is so much going on in this story to talk about.  Where you live doesn't make you immune to crime.  It may decrease the likelihood, but it can still happen.  What you can be is prepared with some kind of plan.  If you don't have a plan, you run the risk of scrambling around trying to decide if you should use a BB gun to run off intruders or go search for that .22 rifle.  Luckily, this woman had the time to do just that.  It's pretty obvious the guys didn't know there were still people in the home.  Otherwise, it could have turned out differently.

The mother locks her 10-year-old son in a closet and goes to confront the burglars.

"I started calling 911.  I called five times.  They kept hanging up on me," the 10-year-old said.

This.  This is why you need a plan.  The police took 25 minutes to arrive.

Meanwhile, mom has found a .22 rifle and moves to confront the people that have broken into her home.

"So I put the gun up and I'm going to shoot him.  His back is to me and I realize I can't shoot a man in the back," she said.

She was obviously much more considerate of him than he was of her.  A second burglar appeared out of the game room yelling she had a gun.  The gun went off.

Sigh.  If you feel you are threatened, putting on your white cowboy hat and acting like this is a black-and-white Roy Rogers movie could get you in serious trouble.  Also, that part about her being "more considerate"  -  I didn't write that.  That's all the reporter, which I thought was pretty awesome.  Also, guns don't go "off".

Then the report trails off into a bunch of garble about how nice the neighborhood is and they have horses and stuff.  Like that is a talisman against crime in some way.  Well, maybe the "horses" are actually gun-free zone unicorns and they keep away crime.  Somehow I doubt that.

To be positive, she did the right thing with the situation she was in.  You go to war with what you have.  However, a simple game plan could have left a lot less to chance and stacked the deck in the homeowner's favor.  Having a firearm ready in the same place all of the time is a great idea.  I have a couple of firearms that live in one place.  I don't have to remember if I carried it that day and forgot to put it back if bad guys come calling.  Yes, I do take them to the range for a workout, but they get cleaned (most times), loaded and put right back.  The last thing I want my wife or me doing is scrambling around to try and find the right tool.  Maybe it's just me, but I usually carry all of the time in the house too.

I try not to be overly critical of people that go through an event like this.  I don't want to come across as negative or saying the homeowner was at fault.  She did well for not having mentally prepared for such a bad situation.  If this were my mother, I'd be proud that she did what she needed to do and showed great courage.  My mind always works at angles such as: "how can I learn from this"/"what can this teach people?"  I just would like people to realize that there is nothing wrong with preparedness.  If you aren't lucky enough to have a few minutes to get ready, you could end up in a bad place. 

Homeowner puts up a solid fight

It's your worst case scenario.  Why would you want a long gun for home defense?  What kind of crazy person would think they need an AR-15 for self defense?  Well, the kind of person that wants to be prepared.  I just saw this story on the news.  Bad guys breaking into homes with an AR-15?  I'm sure they don't care if homeowners are home and aren't there to cuddle.

Investigators say Wharmby [homeowner] grabbed a shotgun just as two men entered his home.  Police said one of the men was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, and there was a gunfight in the kitchen.  Wharmby suffered a gunshot wound to the face, but police say he was able to fire several shots at the suspects, hitting both of them.

That is some will to fight and live, there.  The story gives the impression that he was hit before dealing the shotgun justice.  Don't let anyone tell you that this was a situation where he was shot because he chose to defend himself.  Someone breaking into your home with a rifle (or any firearm) isn't there to discuss politics.  I hope the homeowner is ok and I'm thinking the surviving suspect is going to prison for a long time since he will be charged with the murder of his accomplice.

Carry your gun

... and be prepared.  Here is a crazy video and story from North Texas.  When a homeowner tried to stop someone from attempting to steal a car:

One of the suspects rushed to the door, slashed the homeowner and attempted to chase him into the home, Haltom City police said.  But the homeowner escaped inside.

No reason to run, just draw the firearm you should have on you.  The trash is getting pretty brazen these days.  I think it's time for more citizens to exercise their right to self defense.

Wow, another defensive shooting

...with a different answer from the dispatcher.

           "I can't tell you that you can do that but you do what you have to do to

            protect your baby," the dispatcher told her. McKinley was on the phone

           with 911 for a total of 21 minutes.

Imagine that.  Common sense.  Do what you need to do.  I totally understand the dispatcher saying they could not actually advise the homeowner to use deadly force.  However, this contrasts very sharply with the dispatcher in my previous post that told the homeowner to disarm.  Also, the homeowner mentions she has two guns.  Good for her.  "Two is one and one is none."

This post also really dovetails into a post by Agirlandhergun where she discussed that women are aggressively prepared to defend their children, but not themselves.

             "I wouldn't have done it, but it was my son," McKinley told ABC News

             Oklahoma City affiliate KOCO. "It's not an easy decision to make, but

             it was either going to be him or my son. And it wasn't going to be my

             son. There's nothing more dangerous than a woman with a child."

This sounds like a compelling argument.  It's the old "mama bear" adage.  The problem here is that without mom, that child lives a life without a mother.  That is unacceptable to me.  The only way you can defend your children is to defend yourself.  I do understand the raging-bull defense attitude that comes with children.  Trust me, I do.  I'd rather you just trust me than test it.  However, I also know that providing for my children means coming home to them every day.  I have to protect myself in order to do that.

P.S.

I'm providing separate links since I'm posting this from mobile and I'm not sure they're going to work.

http://gma.yahoo.com/okla-woman-shoots-kills-intruder-911-operators-okay-091106413.html

http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/2011/12/labels-labels-everywhere-but-not-single.html?m=1

Teenager defends his home

...and the dispatcher is doing her best to get him killed.  I understand the desire to protect the responding officers, but to tell a victim during a hot break-in to put down a firearm is reckless.  Thankfully, this young man seems to have a great head on his shoulders and was thinking completely rationally.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10553140/

               After the brother got on the phone, the dispatcher ordered him to put down his shotgun.

               "I don't know how many it was (who broke in).  Just one came around the corner. 

                I got one more in the chamber.  I'm going to shoot again," the boy said.

                Dispatcher:  "Do not, while I'm on the phone, do not fire that firearm again, OK."

                Teenager: "What if another one comes in the house, ma'am?"

Yes, what if?  This seems to be a pattern we've seen in 911 calls where the dispatcher is treating a homeowner like a police officer.  Homeowners are not in the business of negotiating with potentially armed and violent intruders.  Instructions like this during a frantic state might be obeyed by a young person (or anyone).  Then after being told to put the gun down, here comes the other intruder and you're toast.  Good job to him for keeping his head and doing the right thing to protect him and his sister.  I certainly hope he will not suffer mentally for having to do this and he understands he did the right thing.

Fight. Always fight back

This young lady didn't have a chance to find out what the jerk wanted.  He tried to climb in her vehicle and she started fighting immediately.  At least in a public place she had a chance.  With this type of attack, it's very likely that he was not there to take a purse (even though he left with it), but to try and abduct his chosen victim.

Also, (if practical) get a gun.  Practice with the gun.  Carry the gun (permitted if applicable).  Most importantly, be mentally prepared to use the gun.  If that's not practical, research legal methods of defense in your area (knife, kubotan, pepper spray).  An immediate violent response of any kind can turn the tables on an attacker quicker than you think is possible.

I just watched the interview on TV (not shown in the video with this story) with this young woman and as she got emotional, she said she screamed and "Nobody saw, nobody came.  I must have been in my car struggling for what seemed like eternity because I was there for a while trying to fight him off.  Nobody saw and it was really busy for a Monday at HEB.  Nobody heard anything.  It was like they wanted to ignore it."  She finally got her fingernails in his eyes and drove him away.

This.  This is why you must be prepared to defend yourself.  The good Samaritan mentioned in the article became involved after the perp had already stabbed her in the neck a few times and was trying to get away.  Unfortunately, not everyone will come swooping in to rescue you.  There are many studies and videos showing people standing around and watching terrible things happen.  Only you can protect you.  She is now fearful about possible retribution from the scum that attacked her.  Empower yourself.  Protect yourself.

The interview is not posted on the internet, yet.  I will post it when it is available.  It is emotional and quite powerful.  She saw him coming before he entered the vehicle.  She was able to fight him while in the vehicle.  Situational awareness and proper deployment of a firearm from retention would have ended this and she would not be living in fear right now.

Be safe out there.

Failure in Victim Selection

Well, this is the kind of thing that should happen more often.  If crime became nearly as dangerous to the perpetrator as it should be, then you'd see the cost of everything you buy drop dramatically.  Well, this guy learned the hard way.

Justin then kept his attacker collared until police arrived. 

Asked about his training, Justin offered only vague hints at his background: "Former military," "high-risk training," "Hostage rescue."

He said he makes a living in a variety of ways: "Sometimes I do clubs.  I do close protection."

Uh, yeah.  Apparently, the victim is 250 pounds of muscle.  What were you thinking?  Also, note in the story that the attacker chose to rack the slide for emphasis causing a jam.  Learn this lesson for yourself on whether or not you carry prepared or not.  Then, he decides to pick up the ejected round and show it to the victim.  Everything this guy does screams opportunity for a person carrying for protection.

The mug shot is priceless.

Gimme the money or the roach gets it!

So, I don't know what's up with this story.

A San Diego-area teller was confronted by a bank robber carrying not only a semi-automatic pistol but also a white plastic pesticide sprayer.

It's entirely possible the perp said there was something in the container that might be a threat.  Who knows?  I don't even know how I'd respond to this if I were carrying.  I would hope that the time it took to process the crazy wouldn't cause me to hesitate.

Interesting choice of defense

I give the clerk props for doing something.  Drunk girl comes in to rob the place with a plastic gun.

A clerk who was stocking a cooler in the rear then shouted, "Palm Bay police. Get on the ground!"

Caraballo sheepishly complied and store staff held her there until the real cops arrived.

I don't know that I'd recommend that kind of confrontation without some form of personal defense to back it up.  This is Florida, so who knows what the clerks had for defense, though it isn't discussed in the story.  Thank goodness the clerk didn't do this in Kalifornia or the great (police) state of New York City or they would probably be cited for impersonating a police officer.

Why carry a gun in church?

I've had people ask me if I carry in church.  Of course, the last thing you need to do is tell certain people where, when and how you carry.  What strikes me is the incredulity they exhibit in their line of questioning.  It's church, why would you think you would need to? 

Well, because crazy doesn't stop at the door of a place of worship.  I'll bet some wish they would have had one here so they didn't have to resort to microphone stands and wrestling for a gun.

"He had a great grip on the gun," Foster said. "My plan was, as soon as he hit the floor, it would cause him to drop it. But he didn't drop it."

Man, I just don't think I'd want to have to hope for that.

Twelve felony arrests

But guns are the problem.  Glad to see Mr. Dirtbag didn't make it to a baker's dozen.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Homeowner-calls-fatal-shooting-self-defense-1822344.php#photo-2

There are some interesting parts of this story like the unaccounted bullet holes in the fence.  I'm glad this man could defend his wife and young children.  He can also rest easy with Texas' Castle Doctrine and not have to worry about being sued for doing the right thing.

Lemme splain

Hey, moron attorney, what the guy did was a FELONY.  It's called aggravated robbery and I really don't think the court cares what the "take" is.  Along the same lines, I wouldn't really care if I had $1,000 or $1 in my pocket if someone pulled a gun on me.  The reaction would be the same.  I'm not going to try and figure out what kind of weapon is being used.  Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

EDIT:  I'm a moron.  I had this all typed up last night and saw people posting on it this morning.  I thought: "Man I'm glad I typed that up."  Guess who forgot to hit "Publish Post".  Goofball.

Knife vs Gun

I know the news is old (December of last year) but I had never seen this video.  I usually search news every once in a while for guns in the news (GITN) and follow other people that link to guns in the news.  I don't know how I missed it and I also don't know why there are only 46 views on this video on YouTube.  This is a GREAT example of why you should have a firearm for self-defense.  Now, while there are lots of things to say like "should have had it on you" and "carry chambered" (notice the slide cycle), the reality is at least the guy had one and got it into play so I'll put that in the +1 for firearm defense category.  Yes, he was lucky that he was even able to since the guy was able to get to him before he got it and he didn't have his fighting mindset rolling yet since you can see the shock in his face even as the guy is attacking him.  There is also hesitation as he begins to reach for the gun and can't decide what to do.  So, we should take another lesson from this; that mental preparedness is just as important as training preparedness.  Don't let the shock of violence take you out of the fight.  Now, as a warning there is some blood in this one due to the knife.  It's probably one of the most graphic attacks with a gun used in self-defense I've seen on video.  I'm not going to go against what I just said by saying "don't watch if you can't take it".  If you can't take this, you're in a world of hurt if you have to deploy your defensive firearm. 



Also, here is the link because Blogger doesn't like you to watch embedded video full-screen.

EDIT:  I found a news article that gives a little more information.  It happened in Turkey.

The new underwear bandit

But not like you think.  If the underwear doesn't make you laugh, surely the flower-print dress will.

So, I have started to put videos up with the idea of running scenarios.  What if you were confronted with this?  Well, in this case if you could pick yourself up off the floor after rolling in laughter you'll see the many times he shifts his attention completely from one person to another.  In other words, plenty of time to act.  Really, I just put this one up because of the goof factor.

It was also a...  brief robbery.

Waa waa waaaaaa