It's been a few days. I'm unable to determine if the criminal has been nabbed.

Run the Gun You Have

Will a single shot .410 turn around a threat?

Valentine Shoot

"I hear you know a bit about guns," said Doc Duchesne one afternoon.

"Well a few folks think I do," I replied.

"You know, I got me a little pistol in case some yahoo breaks in on Gertie and me.

"How do you like it?" I asked.

"Well, I haven't shot it yet. Gertie don't know about it."

"Then let's make plans to go shoot the thing Doc. You know what caliber it is?"

"38 I think."

"You bought it new, right?"

"Yes sir!"

"OK, I'll bring the ammo, you just bring yourself and your gun."

So it was that Doc's old maroon Delta 88 followed me to the range today. He carried his Taurus revolver in a plastic briefcase wrapped in an oily rag. Doc was no high speed low drag operator, but he had made the choice to do what was necessary to defend himself and his bride.

My main thrust for Doc was simple safety and familiarization with the gun. We discussed the range rules and the Four Rules before going on the firing line. Once there, we shot at seven and ten yards. I stuck some high visibility targets up to help Doc's aging eyes see what he was aiming at.

Even though I encouraged double action shooting, Doc really preferred to shoot single action. His arthritic fingers lacked the strength to reliably pull the trigger without tremors. Doc could use some work on widening his stance, and a critique of his targets had to take into account that he might have been saving the ten rings for later. He did manage to stay on the cardboard, and there were times that he made the ten ring shiver with fear. All in all, I was happy with Doc's performance. The main thing is he has taken the step towards no longer being a potential victim.

Once Doc was on his way back home (with a stop on the way to pick up some bread, aspirin and a bouquet for Gertie) I turned my attention to my own guns. I took the new to me nickel Model 10 out of my range bag, along with my Gold Cup.

The Model 10 shot well, although I could not live up to it's potential today. The magna grips are not my choice when it comes to a "shootin' Smith" but I will probably keep them on the gun anyway. The Gold Cup, on the other hand, would likely shoot a smaller single hole if it were in more competent hands. Even so, it consistently amazes me when I shoot it.

I thought about Doc as I shot. Like many older people, the world he once knew had changed into something unrecognizable, something fearful. Unwilling to simply acquiesce to the inevitability of time, Doc decided to continue living, but to fortify himself against the dangers inherent in becoming old and frail. By choosing to arm himself, he chose to refuse frailty and again become the master of his fate. He would not be prey.

I would not want to be at the other end of Doc's revolver. He is a man of conviction, purpose and uncommon wisdom. Although the bulls eye laughed at him today, I have no doubt that Doc would not go down without a fight if he or his Gertie were threatened. Such is often the case with old men who have lived and loved long. They are the last victim a criminal would want to tangle with once the playing field is leveled with a gun. They are ready to accept death.

On the way home, I stopped to purchase my own bride a bouquet.

A Tec-9 in the Face

"For sure, there's not a doubt in my mind, my wife and I would be dead if I didn't do what I did," said property owner Billy Jackson. Mr. Jackson and his wife were in West Louisville Kentucky last Summer sprucing up one of their properties between tenants.

Mr. Jackson, a prior Navy veteran and concealed carrier had his handgun along for the ride. When working on his properties, he usually unholstered his weapon and placed it on the mantle. This afternoon, he had it in his waist band. When he heard a loud knock at the door, he went to answer it.

Suddenly, two masked me forced their way inside the dwelling. One stuck a stolen Tec-9 pistol in Jackson's face, shouting "Give us your wallet! You're gonna die!"

"When I looked him in the eye, I knew I was going to die...... I figured I was going to die and they were going to die, too," said Jackson. Mr, Jackson bent over clutching his chest in an apparent heart attack. The armed intruder cold cocked Mr. Jackson on the head, but Jackson came up shooting. He shot the first armed assailant in the side, then fired a quick round into the second criminal. Then he gave the masked man with the Tec-9 another round as the second thug staggered against the wall. As the first man fell, Jackson placed another round into the thug against the wall. The criminal with the Tec-9 managed to get out the door, and Mr. Jackson fired another seven rounds of .40 S&W after him.

With his wife in hysterics, Mr. Jackson called 911 and requested police. Believing the threat was removed, he placed his empty pistol on the mantelpiece. The criminal who brandished the Tec-9 managed to get to the back yard, where he died. His partner in crime died against the wall where he fell. Earl Springer and Dazmond Turner, both 19 years old, were dead. They were dead not because they were disadvantaged youths, but because they made the choice to commit a crime. That, and they chose the wrong victim.

Mr. Jackson's pistol was taken into evidence for ballistics testing. He and his wife were questioned separately for approximately two hours, and released. No charges were filed in this obvious case of self defense. "All I saw was two people that were going to kill my wife and I," says Jackson. "All I can say is I'm very sorry, I'm not a mean person, and I never intended to hurt anyone...... It will change my life forever, my life will never be the same."

Dazmond Turner's family quickly came to his defense, stating that it was shocking, unbelievable, that he would do such a thing. "It's just something that he wouldn't do and it's been eating at me all night long. It's like, no, that's not Daz," said Stephanie Roach, Turner's great aunt. "I don't know if he was forced into doing it, but that is not my nephew." She went on to reveal that Turner used to be a basketball player for Valley High School. He was struggling towards obtaining his GED and was supposedly preparing to support his baby due to be born soon. Turner's family in Kentucky thought he had traveled to Florida to see his mother and sister. "Now they on their way to bury him," Ms. Roach said.

"I don't feel too good," says Billy Jackson. "I'm, you know, I'm real nervous, real nervous inside, because that's something that doesn't happen every day. For sure, there's not a doubt in my mind, my wife and I would be dead if I didn't do what I did, and I would do the same thing all over again. I really feel bad for the two men that are deceased, but I really would feel bad if my wife was dead........ It's tough when a person seventy years old can not go to a house and make it pretty to rent to someone in the West end. It's just our society is going to the dogs, and the only way it can change is if the people there change it. The only thing that we can learn is it can happen to any of us, at any time, and there is nothing you can do if you don't react quickly and have something to defend yourself with."

Hear Mr. Jackson recount his face off with death here.

See the television news report with Stephanie Roach's comments in the video below.

From Beneath the Cushions

Charles 'Johnny' Johnson purchased his 38 special revolver decades ago. As he watched his neighborhood disintegrate around him, he and his wife of seventy-two years found themselves in a hard earned home with bars on the windows. After he retired, the 91 year old man began keeping his revolver between his sofa cushions, just in case.

Johnson's wife, Berlie Mae, was watching the television on December 23, 2008 as Johnson rested on the sofa. Suddenly a masked man entered through the back door. "What are you doing? What are you doing?" shrieked Berlie Mae from her wheelchair as the man advanced and put a gun to her head.


"Be quiet. Don't say a word. Don't move," hissed the intruder.

As a second masked man entered through the back door, Johnson pulled his revolver from it's hiding place, where it had laid ready to face trouble for years. "You don't think, man. You do what you have to do," Johnson recalls. The second intruder saw the gun and turned tail back out the door.

Johnson focused his revolver at the intruder holding a gun to his bride's head. Center mass. One deafening shot resounded through the room. It was from Mr. Johnson's gun.

"I think I missed," says Johnson, describing how the hoodlum leaped and ran from his home. Police responded after Johnson walked to a neighbor's home to call them. His own phone had been disconnected by the home invaders. Authorities have requested that local hospital emergency rooms report any patient with an unexplained bullet wound.

"We want to get a message out to other people. Be prepared. Keep your doors locked. And be alert," Mr. Johnson said.

"And have a gun ready," declared Berlie Mae.

Nashville Home Defense

John Lewis never thought an intruder would make as much noise as the criminal did breaking down his door. His home had been burglarized four times previously this year. This time, the intruder was armed with a pickax and a flashlight. Mr. Lewis held a .357 revolver. The U.S. Air Force veteran would not be victimized again. He pulled the hammer back.

John Lewis does not recall pulling the trigger. "The pistol went off," he said. "I had it cocked. It had a hair trigger and I touched it and it went off." Dissociation is a powerful thing after a traumatic event. The criminal, Jerry Watson was struck in the leg. Bleeding and disabled, but not incapacitated, he limped to the home next door. Responding police found him unconscious outside. Watson's rap sheet was thick, 26 criminal convictions from drugs to burglary.

69 year old John Lewis was forced to shoot an intruder in his home once before, twelve years ago. When asked whether he thought Jerry Watson learned a lesson, Lewis replied "I don't know. Maybe he did with me. I hope so. If he didn't I'll teach him again."

Home Defense in North Carolina

"If you don't come out we're going to blow your brains out," the couple told a figure hiding underneath a bedspread. Richard Osborne was holding a single shot 12 gauge on the hiding intruder. Richard's hearing was not as sharp as it once was, but his wife Phyllis had the hearing of a watchdog. She knew the sounds she had heard just a few minutes earlier were not right.

She also knew the bedspread would not be on the floor in the bedroom. Her husband Richard had armed himself with the old shotgun her father had used to slaughter hogs. "Don't shoot, Don't shoot!" the intruder pleaded as he emerged from hiding. The intruder tried to claim that the home owner's daughter had asked him to come. Richard Osborne knew better, his daughter was married to a policeman in Decatur Georgia. Next, the intruder tried to claim he was at the wrong house and just wanted to leave. Mr. Osborne told him he wasn't going anywhere, that he would wait for police. He ordered his prisoner to sit down.

Once seated, Joshuah Rutledge decided he would smoke a cigarette while he waited. Mr. Osborne told him no, that he would not smoke in his home. Rutledge decided to light up anyway. "So I took this gun and hit him upside the head with it," stated Mr. Osborne, "The cigarette went that way, his head went that way."

Police arrived to find a compliant Rutledge held at gunpoint by the home owner. Richard Osborne was not sure whether the old shotgun would fire. Rutledge had broken into another home in the same neighborhood a short while earlier. He was locked in the Gaston County Jail under $100,000 bond. He faces two charges of first degree burglary.

Story in the Gaston Gazette

Houston........Again

"Get on the ground! Get on the ground! Do not move!" commanded Thomas Williamson of Southeast Houston, Texas on Thursday.

Williamson had stayed home from work, after he had been burgularized twice. He had a feeling it was going to happen again. Just after 1 P.M. he saw a man cross his back yard towards his garage. Thomas Williamson called 911, then armed himself with a shotgun and went outside. The burbular emerged with a pair of bolt cutters as Williamson intercepted him. With the burgular on the ground, Williamson fired one shot into the ground "just to show him I meant business."

The burgular tried to get up. Williamson shot him in the lower back. When police arrived, Williamson surrendered his shotgun. The burgular was taken to Ben Taub Hospital with a gunshot wound. His condition has not been released. The District Attorney's Office said charges would probably not be filed. Reason given: Williamson was protecting his property. God bless Texas.

“I think he got what he deserved. He’s lucky he’s alive. He’d ran straight at me, I’d have killed him. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second ‘cause I’m sick and tired and I’m fed up with people stealing my stuff. I work hard for what I get and I’m just tired of people coming over here and stealing it,” Williamson said. “It’s a problem in this whole neighborhood over here and everybody around here is fed up with it. And these people are getting tired of it with a bunch of thieves around here. I’m gonna be around here protecting my property and anybody who wants to come over here to my house I’m gonna be here waiting for you...and that’s all I gotta say about that.”

Old Men as Victims

James Pickett was minding his own business on Saturday, February 9, 2008, when Paul and Holden Perry showed up at his door. They had a knife. "He just came through that door, stabbing and beating," said Pickett. The two criminals may have had plans to kill Pickett. They definitely had plans to injure and rob him.

The 80 year old North Texan had other plans. He had a gun. James Pickett pulled his handgun from a pocket and began to fight for his life. The Perry brothers immediately saw they had misjudged their intended prey. They turned tail and ran like the cowards they were. A bullet barely missed Paul Perry's spine. Paul Perry is in the hospital. Holden Perry is in police custody. Both brothers face assault, burglary and robbery charges. They should be facing attempted murder charges.

"The only problem was I run out of bullets," Picket said.

The news media is making a point to say Pickett is "a WWII veteran, former firefighter and lifelong John Wayne devotee." That is well and good. Criminals should be advised that he is no different from many old men. James Pickett has lived his life, he has lived his life honorably, he despises criminal youth, and he has accepted that he will die. He knows it is not a matter of how we die, but rather how we live. And that is a man you do not want to jack with.

Sufficient Calibers

Retired Army Green Beret Smokey Taylor was court martialed this weekend, and came away feeling good about it. Taylor, at age 80 the oldest member of Chapter XXXIII of the Special Forces Association, was on mock trial by his peers under the charge of "Failing to use a weapon of sufficient caliber" in the shooting of an intruder at his home in Knoxville, Tennesee, in December.

The entire affair, of course, was very much tongue in cheek. Taylor had been awakened in the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2007, when an intruder broke into his home. He investigated the noises with one of his many weapons in hand. When the intruder threatened him with a knife, Taylor warned him, then brought his .22 caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes.

"That boy had the hardest head I’ve ever seen," Taylor said after his trial. "The bullet bounced right off." The impact knocked the would be thief down momentarily. He crawled out of the room then got up and ran out the door and down the street. Knoxville police apprehended him a few blocks away and he now awaits trial in the Knox County jail.

The charges against Taylor were considered to be serious. He is a retired Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with extensive combat experience during the wars in Korea and Vietnam. "Charges were brought against him under the premise that he should have saved the county and taxpayers the expense of a trial," said Chapter XXXIII President Bill Long of Asheville. "He could have used a .45 or .38. The .22 just wasn’t big enough to get the job done."

Taylor’s defense attorney, another retired Weapons Sergeant, disagreed. He said Taylor had done the right thing in choosing to arm himself with a .22 caliber handgun. "If he’d used a .45 or something like that the round would have gone right through the perp, the wall, the neighbor’s wall and possibly injured some innocent child asleep in its bed," he said. "I believe the evidence shows that Smokey Taylor exercised excellent judgment in his choice of weapons. He did nothing wrong, and clearly remains to this day an excellent weapons man."

Counsel for the defense then floated a theory as to why the bullet bounced off the perp’s forehead. "He was victimized by old ammunition," he said, "just as he was in Korea and again in Vietnam, when his units were issued ammo left over from World War II."

Taylor said nothing in his own defense, choosing instead to allow his peers to debate the matter. After the trial he said the ammunition was indeed old and added the new information that the perp had soiled his pants as he crawled out of the house. "I would have had an even worse mess to clean up if it had gone through his forehead," Taylor said. "It was good for both of us that it didn’t."

Following testimony from both sides, Taylor was acquitted of the charges and was given a round of applause. Meanwhile, back in Knox County, the word is out: Don’t go messing with Smokey Taylor. He just bought a whole bunch of fresh ammo.

Mindset

Orlando, Florida-- A Central Florida man who collects cash for parking at a church fought off five armed men who had ambushed him and demanded cash. The 65 year old victim, who did not want to be identified, said he was collecting cash in the Parramore area before an Orlando Magic basketball game when someone put a gun to his head. He noticed that that he was surrounded by four other men as well.

The man said he pretended to reach into his jacket for cash but instead pulled out his hidden gun and opened fire. The men fled during the shooting and it was not known if any of them were hit by bullets.

The victim said he had a permit for the concealed weapon.

He said he has been a victim of crime before.

"A couple of years ago, eight teens attacked me with a pipe trying to rob me," the man said.

Some have professed that a gun on your hip is useless when a criminal puts a gun to your head. Having a gun is only part of the equation.

Shooting in Pasadena Texas

A 911 dispatcher instructed Joe Horn to stay inside while two thieves made off with his neighbor's property. "I ain't going to let them get away with this. They stole something. They got a bag. I'm doing it.".

"Don't go out the house," the dispatcher cautions in a measured voice. "You're gonna get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun."

"Wanna make a bet? I'm gonna kill 'em."

"Stay in the house......"

"They, they're gettin' away!"

"It's alright. Property's not worth killing over, OK? Don't go out the house. Don't be shootin' nobody. I know you're pissed and you're frustrated, but don't do it."

"They got a bag of loot!"

"Which way are they going?" the dispatcher asked.

"I can't......I'm going outside, I'll find out," replied Horn. The dispatcher protested, trying to keep Horn inside his home. "Here it goes buddy, you hear the shotgun clicking, and I'm going."

"Move...You're dead!" BLAM! BLAM! Blam!

Officers arrived several moments later. Two men criminals were recently deceased, shot by a 12 gauge at approximately 15 feet. One was across the street, and the other had collapsed two houses down behind a bank of mailboxes in the Village Grove East subdivision.

Texas Penal Code states a person can use deadly force to defend another person's property if he reasonably believes he has a legal duty to do so or the property owner had requested his protection.

"Any loss of life casts permanent devastation over the lives of everyone involved," Horn said. "The events of that day will weigh heavily on me for the rest of my life. My thoughts go out to the loved ones of the deceased."

Read more

A Shot in the Dark

Arthur Williams is 75 years old and blind, but still managed to shoot an intruder who broke into his southeast Gainesville home early Friday. Cevaughn Curtis Jr., 28, of Gainesville allegedly forced his way into Williams' home before being shot in the neck. Curtis was taken to Shands at the University of Florida and was listed in stable condition Friday afternoon.

Curtis came to Williams' door about 3 a.m. and asked to be let in, according to Gainesville police. When Williams refused, Curtis allegedly pushed his way into the house. Williams then fell back into a table, shattering a glass vase. "I don't know what he had in mind to do," Williams said when reached at his home Friday afternoon. "I had to stop him."

Williams said he keeps a .32-caliber revolver to protect himself. After warning the intruder, Williams shot in the man's direction. "I can hear - I backed up and I shot him," he said. "I knew I hit him when he fell." Williams, who had called 911 during the incident, then reported that he had shot the man.

Gainesville Police Lt. Anthony Ferrara said the first officers to arrive at the house found Curtis on the porch. "It appeared he tried to leave the house and collapsed on the porch," Ferrara said. "He had been shot in the left side of the neck." Ferrara said surgeons were trying to determine whether to attempt to remove the bullet or leave it in place because it was so close to Curtis' spine. An update on his status was unavailable late Friday.

Curtis was charged with burglary of an occupied residence and battery on a person over the age of 65, according to police. Florida Department of Corrections records show Curtis was released from state prison in January after serving time for battery. He was on probation for multiple counts of battery and for intimidating a witness.

Williams said he worries about criminal activity in the area, so he keeps his gun close at hand. "I keep my gun on me," he said. "That's my protection - I can't see."

By Nathan Crabbe and Karen Voyles---The Gainsville Sun

Notch Two

DALLAS (WBAP) - A West Dallas business owner shot and killed an intruder in his machine shop Sunday morning, the second time in less than three weeks that a prowler has been killed at the same location.

James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding on Chalk Hill Road just north of Interstate 30, told police he was alerted to the prowler by a motion detector in his shop. Walton took a shotgun downstairs and fired at the man he found standing there. 37-year-old Jimmy Gannon of Ferris was later pronounced dead at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

On Sept. 22, Walton shot and killed a man he found climbing through a window of the same business. Police have said both shootings appeared to have been justifiable uses of force to protect private property. Both cases are expected to be reviewed by a grand jury.

Jim Ryan, 24/7 News

A Ledbetter-area business owner fatally shot a suspected burglar Sunday morning – the second time in three weeks that he killed an intruder, Dallas police said. James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding in the 2000 block of Chalk Hill Road in West Dallas, was alerted to the intruder when his motion sensor system activated about 9 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Mr. Walton, who also lives at his business, went downstairs with a shotgun and fired at a man who had broken in. The intruder was later identified by police as Jimmy Gannon of Ferris. Police said Mr. Walton also noticed another man outside Sunday. Mr. Walton shot and wounded that man. He escaped, but a witness eventually led police to him. The man, whom police did not immediately identify, was questioned by officers Sunday afternoon. Mr. Gannon, 37, was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where he died.

Police said Mr. Walton is allowed to protect his property. No charges were filed against him Sunday, though the case will be referred to a grand jury, police said. "He's got a right to defend his property. What gives a stranger the right to go in and vandalize or burglarize his business?" said Dallas police Sgt. Gene Reyes. "He's within every legal right to do this." Mr. Walton could not be reached for comment Sunday. Dallas police Sgt. Andrew Harvey said he doesn't believe anything was stolen from Mr. Walton's business on Sunday.

On Sept. 22, Mr. Walton shot and killed a man he saw climbing through a pried-open window of his business, police said. The intruder was later identified as Raul Laureles. That incident also was referred to a grand jury.

By Marissa Alanis / The Dallas Morning News

Maybe the guy needs to put a sign on the gate with tally marks.........

The first shooting........



Part of the aftermath.

Self Defense in Arkansas

An elderly man, beaten unconscious by an assailant wielding a soda can, awoke and shot his attacker during a home invasion and attempted robbery in El Dorado Arkansas. Willie Lee Hill, 93, told police he saw the home invader while in his bedroom the night of July 25, 2007. Mr. Hill confronted the man and was struck at least 50 times. He was knocked unconscious during the assault.

Covered in blood, Mr. Hill regained consciousness a short time later and pulled a .38-caliber handgun on his attacker. The scumbag criminal, Douglas B. Williams Jr., saw the gun and charged the elderly man. Mr. Hill fired once and struck Williams in the throat. "I can't feel my legs and I got what I deserved," Williams, 24, told police when they arrived after the attack.

Paramedics took Hill and Williams to the Medical Center of South Arkansas for treatment. Doctors sent Williams to the Louisiana State University Medical Center at Shreveport, where he was listed in critical condition two days later.

Mr. Hill, recovering at an El Dorado hospital, said he would stay there through at least the early part of this week. After that, he will spend some time in a nursing home to recuperate. Bruises cover his body, and four large gashes cross his head. "You can't imagine what an experience it is with somebody on top of you trying to kill you," he stated. "I never had that happen to me."

Mr. Hill said he keeps his handgun "always loaded" near his bed. He carried the weapon outside to his porch as he waited for police to arrive, unsure if his attacker would remain down. Williams' first punch "hit me with all his might in the left side of my face," Mr. Hill said. "My teeth don't fit right now."

Officers reported finding a set of keys, two hearing aids, a CD player, an MP3 player, a Craftsman drill bit set and three pocket knives inside Williams' pockets. Police plan to charge him with residential burglary, second-degree battery, theft of property and theft by receiving. Charges of attempted murder have not been filed.

Divine Intervention Takes Out Scum Bag

On Tuesday night, seventy-nine year old Dwight Cook, of Hickory, North Carolina, and his missus were relaxing peacefully at home when they heard a rattle of the front door knob. Mr. Cook went to the door, but found nobody there. Then he heard a crash. Derek Scott Frenceschini had used a piece of cement block to smash the glass in Mr. Cook's other door. After he reached inside, a quick turn of the deadbolt let the 23 year old criminal in.

Mr. Cook's wife ran to the neighbor's home to get help, while Mr. Cook quickly located his .22 caliber handgun. While confronting Frenceschini, Mr. Cook thought he saw something in the criminal's hands. He fired one shot into the ceiling as a warning shot.

“I went to get my .22 caliber gun that I keep in the hallway. I had it in my hand, and I asked him what he was doing. He turned around, and I saw that he had something in his hand. I didn’t know what it was, so I fired a warning shot up into the ceiling,” Cook said.

That's when Divine Providence stepped in. A fragment of the single .22 caliber bullet ricocheted and struck the intruder in the forehead, knocking the fight out of him. Cook then held the intruder at gunpoint while he dialed 911 for assistance. “I wasn’t aiming for him. I’ve handled guns since I was 12, and was a sharpshooter in the Army. If I wanted to hit him, I would have. If he’d moved, the next shot would have stopped him,” Cook said. “I stood to the side of him until the police got there.”

Frenceschini was subsequently arrested and charged with first degree burglary. He was hospitalized for the bullet fragment in his skull and a fractured hand he injured during the break-in, officials said. Mr. Cook was not arrested. As usual, the local constabulary advises against legitimate self defense.
Link
Another Link.
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I rarely second guess a person after a self defense shooting, but this account is ripe for discussion. I cannot avoid it.

First, there is no duty to retreat in North Carolina if one is within their own home. There is no need to make excuses, or God forbid blast ceilings in North Carolina. There is, however, a need for law abiding citizens to effectively defend themselves and their homes against criminal attackers.

Mr. Cook's statement, "If I wanted to hit him, I would have. If he'd moved, the next shot would have stopped him," although well intentioned, speaks volumes of his ignorance. Hitting moving targets is very demanding shooting, especially when one's life is on the line. It's a hell of a lot more demanding than hitting the ceiling of the room you are in. Former Army sharpshooters may have a lot of experience shooting rifles at stationary bullseyes at the range. That does not equate to life saving marksmanship with a handgun. As far as I know, the US Army has no job description of "sharpshooter". This designation is likely a marksmanship ranking, between "marksman" and "expert", a common and non-distinquishing ranking attained by farm boys and city boys alike who never held a rifle prior to military service.

The belief that a .22 caliber handgun will "stop" anyone is an fallacious belief bordering on the belief in magic. If a .22 caliber slug should stop an advancing assailant, it is because he wanted to stop. Yes, the lowly 22 kills more people than any other round. This is not a credit to the round's effectiveness, but rather a bow to it's overriding prevalence compared to other calibers, especially among untrained shooters. Unless the 22 slug penetrates into the CNS, the criminal will simply bleed slowly while he decides whether to flee or snuff the life from the defender.

And now, tactics. Warning shots are never a good idea. First, they deplete life saving ammunition in a life threatening encounter. The bullet you shoot in the air may be the one you need to save your life.

Warning shots are often fired in the hope that the aggressor will retreat at the sight of the firearm, and the defender will not have to take a life. This is the "Magic Talisman Presumption" that one often hears parroted off by those new to firearms. The truth is, introduction of a firearm into a conflict will escalate the conflict if the protagonist is not willing to utilize the gun effectively.

By their very nature, warning shots are often not aimed fire. As unaimed gunfire, they inherently place others at risk. Truth be told, Mr. Cook could have been struck by a stray bullet fragment just as easily as Frenceschini. If the warning shot is aimed, then the shooter has taken his eyes off the aggressor, making himself vulnerable while trying to save the criminal's life.

If a person is justified in firing a warning shot, they are justified in shooting the threat. Shots fired into the ceiling are as much an application of lethal force as shots fired center of mass. They are just a warm fuzzy touchy feelie excuse for not believing one's life is worth defending. They are a last plea for the criminal to stop his activities.

Finally, as in this case, if the "warning shot" should somehow find it's target, the shooter is then wide open for a civil suit. The warning shot will be interpreted and presented as empirical evidence that lethal force was not yet necessary, yet the shooter negligently injured the poor tortured soul who just happened to find himself in the wrong house. Yes, the civil suits are coming........Frenceschini is in the hospital, alive, with medical bills mounting. Meanwhile, Mr. Cook is going on record saying he fired a warning shot, which through Providence probably saved his life. Of course, Frenceschini will say he never threatened the old man, and a lawyer sleazier than John Edwards will produce a plethora of character witnesses who will paint him as a recently misguided choir boy almost killed by the evil old man with a gun.

I wish Mr. Cook the best, but he needs to stop speaking. He may soon learn that a warning shot between the eyes is preferable to one in the ceiling, and a caliber that starts with a four is preferable to a .22. Good luck Mr. Cook. God saved your ass a few days back. Don't place it on a silver platter for the attorneys to devour.

71 Year Old Jarhead Justice

On June 27, 2007, at 11:00PM, John Lovell, a 71 year old retired Marine was finishing his sandwich at a Subway restaurant in Plantation, Florida. He legally carried a concealed handgun.

Suddenly, two masked and armed men burst into the fast food eatery demanding money. Lovell turned to see a gun stuck in his face. A masked man demanded Lovell hand over his wallet. Lovell intentionally dropped the wallet on the floor and refused to pick it up, saying he was afraid. The criminal then ordered him into the women's restroom. As he was being forced into the restroom, Lovell felt certain of the armed man's intentions. The survival instinct of the 71 year old Marine kicked into hyperdrive.

John Lovell drew his .45 caliber weapon and killed the first threat, 22 year old Donicio Ricardo Arrindell with one shot to the head and another to the stomach. He then shot the other masked man, 21 year old Fredrick Gerard Gadson in the chest. Cash was strewn and blood was splattered all about the sandwich shop. Officers found Arrindell face down, unresponsive, wearing sunglasses and a bandanna, with a gun near his left hand. Gadson was able to run nearly 300 yards into a nearby Bank Atlantic parking lot while trying to escape. Police found him cowering in the bushes.

Police are charging Gadson with armed robbery and murder. Gadson faces murder charges because, even though he did not shoot his partner, someone was killed while Gadson was committing a felony. Sweet, sweet justice.

Police said Lovell will not be charged in the shooting. There is a surveillance video of the incident, but police have not yet released it. Lovell has not spoken on camera after the incident.

Moral of story......Respect your elders. They might be more able to use the gun they carry than you are.

Link

Knife at a Gunfight

Early in the morning, on June 15, 2006, Willie Brown awoke to find a man in his bedroom doorway brandishing a knife.

"He said, 'Don't move, I got a knife.' I said, 'You got a knife, huh?' He said, 'Yeah.'" related Mr. Brown. "I reached under my pillow and came up firing my .38 Smith and Wesson. He said, 'Oops' and turned and ran down the steps. I followed and shot him again," the 74 year old Korean war vet continued.

The intruder bailed out of the window he used to enter Brown's two story St. Louis home and scurried across his yard. Brown then ran to his front door and fired a third shot as the burglar crossed his yard. Mr. Brown believes that shot missed. St. Louis Police did not identify the suspect, but said he was in custody. The intruder had stolen cash from a pair of Mr. Brown's pants, though Mr. Brown didn't realize it until later.

Capt. Henry Williams of the East St. Louis Park District police spotted a man speeding in a white Neon automobile. "He appeared to be heading right into me," Williams said. "He hollered out that he'd been shot. I took off behind him with lights and my siren on. At 40th Street and Caseyville Avenue, Washington Park police officer Wendell Wilson blocked him in. I took his car keys," Williams said.

Williams said he saw blood on the back of the suspect's red and white shirt. There was a bullet hole in the man's back. The suspect's condition was not immediately available and police refuse to state how many times he was shot. Mr. Brown said he believes he hit him with at least twice out of the three rounds he fired. East St. Louis Detective Ricky Perry, who is investigating the case, said police were called to Brown's home at 4:48 a.m. Brown's handgun was confiscated by police. Although it's not likely Brown will be charged, Perry said he would present the case to the state's attorney's office and let them make a decision. "My wallet was lying on the floor near the bed," Brown said, adding that he wanted his money back because it was all he had.

Mr. Brown spent 13 years in the US Army. He said he was a special forces member in the Korean War. He said he knows the suspect could have stabbed him, but he was never worried because of his military training. He said that during the Korean War, he kept his rifle, a M1911A1 pistol and five grenades with him while he slept in the trenches. "I might be old, but I am not slow. And I ain't afraid to take one down. I shot him in the shoulder, I believe. I think he might be through breaking in people's houses for a while," Brown said. The home invasion "messed up my whole day." Mr. Brown stated, "I was supposed to paint my daughter's house and take a friend to the doctor."

Willie Brown has lived at the same address for 30 years. He never experienced crime at his home until a few weeks ago when someone took two ladders from his yard. "I don't know why these young people won't get a job like I did when I was their age," Mr. Brown said. "I cut grass."

Thank you for your service Mr. Brown, both in Korea and St. Louis.

Elderly Man on O2 Foils Invasion with Squirrel Rifle

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Despite being 83 years old and reliant on oxygen via nasal cannula for a lung ailment, Harry Carpenter wouldn't let his wife of 57 years be robbed by knife wielding intruders in his own home.

Two would-be thugs forced their way into the home of Mr. Carpenter and his wife, Jackie, while the two were having dinner, according to a police report. One of them forced Carpenter to sit down in the sun room, while the other went with Jackie Carpenter, 80, to get money from her bedroom. Carpenter tried to come to his wife's rescue but was threatened with the knife.

Then Carpenter got his break — his wife pretended to faint and the intruder who was restricting him went into the other room to see what was happening. Carpenter shuffled to his laundry room, where he kept an old, .22 caliber rifle that he owned since childhood. He fumbled for bullets sitting on a shelf. The suspect returned before he could load, so Harry slammed the bolt home and aimed the empty weapon at the intruder.

The home invader stopped dead in his tracks, yelled at his companion to flee, and they both hauled ass. Police were unable to locate the two suspects, who didn't get any money.

Score 0 for the thugs.
Score 0 for the police.
Score 0 for 911.
Score Knockout for the 2nd Ammendment.
Thank you Mr. Carpenter.