Names have been changed....
James is one of my coffee-drinking buddies. He and his son have a rocky relationship.
A couple of decades ago, somebody broke into James' house and made off with nearly everything he and his wife owned that had any value. The thieves (there were two of them) took their time and knew where James had the important things squirreled away.
The police suspected it was somebody who knew James well. Somebody who knew James well enough to know James and his wife (a real homebody) would be away from the house for an extended period. Well enough to know where the "shower gun" was tucked away.
A week later, James' son was arrested and a search revealed some of the items that had been stolen. James' son was convicted and spent time in prison.
The other guy
The other guy had fled the state. He never went to trial.
A short time after the robbery, the partner broke into the house of a retired nurse. He clomped up the stairs and bee-lined to her bedroom.
Nurses, even retired ones, have pretty good hearing and a well honed sense of human anatomy.
She was on the other side of her bed from the door. If words were exchanged then the story lost them in the retelling.
She was in possession of a .38 Special revolver. It was not exceptional in any way.
She drilled him between the nipples when he was one step inside her bedroom.
His body was recovered on her front lawn not far from the door he had broken down.
Right-wing extremists
A family member was fretting about the high level of free-floating anger. He watches CNN.
He lives in an up-scale suburb in one of Michigan's larger cities.
He informed me "I am thinking about getting my Concealed Pistol License and "carrying".
I informed him that I thought that was a dandy idea.
Then he told me "Kitty (his wife) and I take four-mile walks around the lake and I am concerned that I will not be able to protect her if we run into Right-wing Terrorists.
I wish I had the wit and presence of mind to ask "Do you intend to ask about their political affiliation before or after they thump you in the head?"
Back to the nurse
I am left with questions after combing through the story.
Why did our deceased felon choose that person. Many nurses who retire from Michigan move down to Florida. Why did he make a bee-line to her bedroom? Did he know her? Did she know him?
Ultimately, it did not matter if she knew him or not. He broke into her house (felony) and confronted her. He may have been addled by drugs. Maybe he was just really stupid. It is likely he didn't have a plan, thinking he would figure it out on the fly. He was terminally optimistic.
SHE knew that as a witness who could identify him that her odds of surviving the encounter were very low. EVEN IF HE WAS FAMILY.
Summary
If your intuition tells you it is time to purchase a firearm for the home: Do it. Tell your spouse where it is. Both of you practice enough to "run" it with your eyes closed. Practice. Ammo is cheap compared to a funeral.
If your intuition tells you it is time to get a CPL then do it. You can have the license and never concealed carry.
If any person or any animal (domestic or wild) puts you or one of your loved-ones at risk of potentially fatal injuries then put them down like the retired nurse did to the man who broke into her house. The fact that he may have once identified as a family member became irrelevant the instant he decided to break down her front door.
The description you wrote regarding the upscale suburb and distance around the lake, in the right wing extremist portion of your post, makes me think the family member you speak of considering obtaining his CPL lives in EGR.
ReplyDeleteMaybe
DeleteWell, if so, there are a few deplorables around, though they're not dangerous unless provoked.
DeleteClocking your readers with a sad dose of reality first thing in the morning isn't nice.
ReplyDeleteA component of reality is often it isn't nice. Too, we often don't get to choose the nature or timing of reality.
"Ammo is cheap compared to a funeral". Never thought of it that way before ERJ. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It's also a reason to not cheap out on fun's or ammo (if you buy either new these days, you're probably good).
DeleteGood advice that we got years ago from our local deputy sheriff when we lived in New Mexico. He said he was sometimes 45+ minutes away when trouble started. Hell, 45 seconds is an eternity when one is being attacked. We took his advice and both of us have CC license and are well armed. I carry ALWAYS and she carries sometimes. One of the best decision and pieces of advice ever.
ReplyDeleteGrumpy
I sympathize with James. Finding a family member that you have loved stealing from you is heartbreaking. You keep going into it wondering what you should have done differently even though you know it is not your fault. --ken
ReplyDeleteSadly, I've met addicts that burgled their own family. Stay off The Horse, don't touch those pills.
ReplyDeleteI had a family member or his associates burgle my folks house. When I traveled I told my wife if he suddenly appeared IN our house, to shoot him without hesitation. My wife found that hard to believe. I told her he knows I would do it, he may think you would not. When I have taught people to shoot for self defense, the first question I asked is are they ready to take a life to stop an attack on themselves or loved ones? If you are not willing to accept that, don't get a firearm.
ReplyDeleteI asked is are they ready to take a life to stop an attack on themselves or loved ones? If you are not willing to accept that, don't get a firearm.
ReplyDeleteSolid advice. Solid.
I suspect since then she has reconsidered relying on the "stopping power" of that little .38 Special revolver?
ReplyDeleteThe story did not say.
DeleteI doubt it. What more could she have asked? One shot. The goblin turned and thundered back down the stairs. Maybe ten seconds later he was inert.
Unless the bullet connected with central nervous system you cannot ask for more than that. Poke a hole through the heart or any of the big arteries on top of the heart and life expectancy is measured in seconds.
A semi-auto would have more bullets on tap but she only had time to send one.
Most semi-auto cannot be used in single-action mode. Again, the story did not get into detail but she might have had the hammer back. Her shot-placement was outstanding.
She danced with the one that brung her and she made it work.
And she is a retired nurse, an older woman who could not handle a lot of recoil. And likely has small hands. So a .38 is likely the most she can accurately handle. And particularly after a few more years. --ken
DeleteKen's comment about an older woman reminds me, my mother inherited a short-barreled Ruger .38 when my father passed. She complained to me that she could not pull the DA trigger. I cut half a coil off the mainspring. That made a surprisingly large reduction in the trigger pull, large enough for Mom, but the primer strike was still sufficient to fire it.
DeleteConcur with Gerry. I've had ONE person walk away from training because they could not/would not make that decision.
ReplyDeleteWith the right shot placement and the right ammo, .38 Special is nothing to sneeze at. It doesn't need to be +P. A double action revolver does not require racking a slide or messing with a safety, making it instantly ready for use.
ReplyDeleteCoyoteken48, you are right about older hands and recoil. I recently upgraded my grips to larger ones for that very reason. My arthritis makes it difficult to grip smaller objects firmly.
I want to point out that nurses are usually exceptionally gifted at putting the adrenalin surge to the side, doing what is needed and then falling to pieces if there is time.
DeleteThere is a time and place to compartmentalize and nurses are good at it.
You are right about that. Long ago I had a nurse girlfriend and she was definitely good at compartmentalizing.--ken
DeleteMy 2 cents- Burglars head to the bedroom first to get the pillowcases. Then check for Jewlery, also in the bedroom. Then have a look for the nightstand gun, wallet, purse, etc. Possible trifecta right off the bat. Nothing wrong with a 38 Spl. It's killed a lot of bad guys over the years.
ReplyDeleteI have it on good authority ( heh) that there are few moderate republicans, the vast majority are right wing extremists.
ReplyDelete