Massad Ayoob - Why Good People Need SemiAutomatic Firearms and “High Capacity” Magazines

Within roughly the same timeframe as the Newtown Atrocity, a criminal armed with a crowbar broke into the home of a young mother who was there alone with her nine-year-old twins. When she and the kids had retreated as far as they could and the intruder still kept coming, she opened fire with a .38 caliber revolver.

When her gun went empty, five of the six shots had struck the intruder. Whether it’s drunkenness, drugs, or desperation, some violent criminals can be harder than others. In this case, the intruder was still up and running. The smart and courageous young mom bluffed him at the point of her now-empty six-shooter, telling him in essence that she would finish him off if he kept attacking.

The bluff worked. He fled, running out of steam later, though he is still alive to face criminal charges.

Anyone who is not blind from rabid anti-gun sentiment can see that this would not have ended well for the mom OR her young twins if the suspect had been just a little tougher and more resolved…or if he’d had an accomplice.

American Rifleman, the monthly magazine of the National Rifle Association, carries a regular column titled The Armed Citizen. It documents cases of good people using guns to protect themselves and other innocents from bad people. This continuing feature has run for decades, so old that one of my grandfather’s self-defense incidents is in its archives.

The Armed Citizen section in the current issue of the Rifleman, warrants our interest. Bear in mind that a real life self-defense shooting is not a “Dirty Harry” cinematic fantasy in which every shot fired will both strike, and instantly blow away, a bad guy. Real life is more like a zombie movie: if the first bullet doesn’t short-circuit the central nervous system, you have to keep shooting until the skeletal support structure no longer holds him (and his weapon) up where he can hurt you and yours, or until his cardiovascular system has run out of oxygenated blood for his brain. The latter mechanism’s effect can often be better measured in minutes than in moments.

Traditionally limited to a single page, the Armed Citizens column in the February 2013 issue contains seven incidents “torn from the headlines” as the dramatists like to say, all documented by the local news media where the incidents took place.

In EACH of those incidents, only ONE of the intended victims was armed and capable of fighting back.

A mere two of those seven documented incidents were “one on one” confrontations. In each the Good Guys were actually Good Gals: A 35-year-old woman in New Mexico and Jill Stucker, 64, of Florida had to deal with only a single attacker apiece.

Three of the people saved by their guns were up against two-to-one odds: An unidentified farmer in West Virginia, store owner Roger Webster of Maryland, and an 83-year-old lady with a “walker” in Tennessee.

And two of the seven documented cases – A 35-year-old woman in the New Orleans area and a Pennsylvania man – were each up against a gang of at least FOUR home invaders.

In a world where the Good People With Guns often have to deliver several hits to neutralize even one Bad Person With Deadly Weapons, and in which there is often more than one attacker, anyone applying logical thinking can only end up shouting one three-word
mantra: DO THE MATH!!

Massad Ayoob

Massad F. Ayoob is an internationally known firearms and self-defense instructor.

Massad Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week, and Combat Handguns.

Massad Ayoob was former Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and is believed to be the only non-attorney ever to hold this position.

http://massadayoobgroup.com/

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12 Gauge Birdshot for A Home Defense Shotgun?

12 gauge birdshot is cheap, low recoil, and is available pretty much everywhere. Is it effective for home defense, compared to other options, or best utilized for target practice and hunting small game?

Using common #8 birdshot, we'll fire a round into a ballistic gel block at 20 feet and look at the results. The key point I'm trying to illustrate is whether or not birdshot has the potential to produce sufficient penetration, in volume, that could stop a viable threat in the home setting. It has probably been used for this purpose more times than we wish to count, but with mixed results. We should understand that simply conveying to a threat the presence of a firearm can be a deterrent (a highly preferred outcome), but unfortunately this isn't always the case with an individual or group determined to commit bodily harm, or worse.
NOTE: I am NOT the Author of this video or text.
RG

12 gauge shotgun 00 buckshot at a distance of 20 feet

12 gauge 1 oz Foster rifled slug (hollow base) at a distance of 20 feet.

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Armed Georgia Mom Saves Her Children and Herself

A Georgia mother hid her two 9-year-old twins and shot an intruder several times during a home invasion on Friday, according to multiple media reports.

Deputies arrested 32-year-old Atlanta resident Paul Slater in connection with the crime. Chapman said they found him on the ground saying, "Help me. I'm close to dying." Slater was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment. Chapman said Slater was shot in the face and neck.

In February, Slater was arrested on simple battery charges, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office. He has been arrested six other times in the county since 2008.

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"My wife is a hero. She protected her kids. She did what she was supposed to do as responsible, prepared gun owner," Donnie Herman said.

He said he's thankful for his family's safety.

"Her life is saved, and her kids' life is saved, and that's all I'd like to say," Herman said.

Did You Know - there are 5 to 8 times more Home Invasions every Year than House Fires?

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Massad Ayoob - Home Invasion Plan

If the layout of your home allows, pick a centrally located room near all or most of the bedrooms where everyone in the household can gather quickly and safely in the event of an intrusion. Ideally, this room should have reinforced doors and deadbolt locks. Keep a fully charged cell phone and a flashlight in the safe room.

Massad Ayoob

Massad F. Ayoob is an internationally known firearms and self-defense instructor.

Massad Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week, and Combat Handguns.

Massad Ayoob was former Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and is believed to be the only non-attorney ever to hold this position.

http://massadayoobgroup.com/

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Very Afraid - 66-Year-Old Woman Shoots and Kills Home Intruder

An elderly Northern California-woman woke early Friday morning to hear an intruder attempting to break into her home.

Hopper says she was terrified when she heard the intruder at her her door, firing two warning shots through her window to scare the man away. When 37-year-old Jesse Edward Theis persisted, attempting to come back in, Hopper fired a fatal shot in his abdomen, killing Theis on the scene.

66 Year Old Woman Shoots Home Intruder To Death

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Women and Guns - Defending the Home

A young Oklahoma mother shot and killed an intruder to protect her 3-month-old baby on New Year's Eve, less than a week after the baby's father died of cancer.

Sarah McKinley says that a week earlier a man named Justin Martin dropped by on the day of her husband's funeral, claiming that he was a neighbor who wanted to say hello. The 18-year-old Oklahoma City area woman did not let him into her home that day.

On New Year's Eve Martin returned with another man, Dustin Stewart, and this time was armed with a 12-inch hunting knife. The two soon began trying to break into McKinley's home.

As one of the men was going from door to door outside her home trying to gain entry, McKinley called 911 and grabbed her 12-gauge shotgun.

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Home invasion - Utah Homeowner Kills Nighttime Intruder

Watch how a man whom neighbors describe as a "calm and peaceful guy" reacts to an intruder. who helped himself to food and clothing before ordering the homeowner to take him to an ATM.

Investigators have identified the intruder as
Armando Martinez Jr., 31. They believe drugs or alcohol was a factor, but they will have to wait for autopsy results to confirm that.

Click here for original story

March 2012

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Home invasion - A Chicago Woman Who Shot and Killed an Intruder in Her Home

From IGOLD 2012: Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day - Cameron Gray interviews Radie, an armed citizen from Chicago who shot and killed an intruder in her home - NRA News - March 2012



In March 2004, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 2165, a law introduced with provisions designed to assert a right of citizens to protect themselves against home invasions, such that self-defense requirements would be viewed to take precedence over local ordinances against handgun possession. The measure passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 38-20. Barack Obama was one of the 20 state senators voting against the measure.

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Chronicles of Armed Citizens

Miguel Lopez Hernandez, 25, and an armed accomplice entered Kelly Jewelers. The accomplice produced his handgun, ordered the store manager to get on the floor, then tossed a roll of duct tape to Hernandez. The manager, however was quickly able to retrieve his own handgun. The armed assailant dashed out the door upon seeing the firearm, leaving Hernandez armed only with the roll of duct tape. Hernandez was arrested and is under investigation for aggravated robbery; his accomplice remains at large. (KSL 5 News, Midvale, Utah, 3/10/12)

Hall Palmer was taken captive in his own home in July 2011, and it was an antique firearm and family heirloom that helped free him. Palmer was awoken in the early morning hours by an armed intruder that first bound his hands and then demanded cash and the PIN number for a bank card that Palmer owned. The 70-year-old Palmer went along with things for awhile, before finally wriggling free of his bonds and heading upstairs. With his captor in hot pursuit, Palmer retrieved a .38 Colt Army Special that he'd inherited from his father years before and fired a single shot in the intruder's direction. The invading gunman immediately turned and fled out through the garage. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1/20/2011)

Four armed intruders began to kick down the door of a two-story apartment, so the three inhabitants locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and exited onto the balcony where they had no escape. One of the occupants grabbed a rifle kept in the bedroom. One of the home invaders, dressed in camouflage with a black cloth covering his face, managed to kick open the bedroom door. The occupant raised the rifle and shot one round at the intruder, causing the home invaders to flee. Derrick Timmons, 20, was pronounced dead when his body was later found. The other offenders are still being sought by police. (The Courier Herald, Dublin, Ga., 3/15/12)

Michael Moffitt was at home with his girlfriend when an 11 p.m. knock drew him to the apartment door. When the couple looked through the peephole they realized that it was being covered from the outside. Moffitt retrieved a legally owned AR-15 rifle and checked the peephole again. This time it was uncovered, so Moffitt opened the door to investigate. A masked intruder armed with a handgun tried to force his way through, leading Moffitt to open fire. The intruder was fatally wounded, and police declared that Moffitt had acted in self-defense. A second masked man was reportedly seen on the back of the building, but fled after hearing the gunfire. (The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn., 4/20/12)

Between 2 and 3 p.m. a woman was stopped along the highway when a man approached her car door. He pulled out a knife that appeared to already have a bloody blade and demanded that she go with him. He threatened her, telling her that if she did not comply she would “end up like that woman on TV.” The woman believed he was referring to a missing teacher confirmed dead just days before. She told the man to wait while she got her cigarettes, then reached down and pulled out a gun. The man quickly fled. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, Mont., 1/14/12)

A man in Illinois entered a convenience store with less than noble ideas on the night of March 15, and wound up getting more than he bargained for. The suspect in question brandished a gun barrel from beneath his white t-shirt and demanded that the store employees give him all of their money. One clerk sprung into action, retrieving a legally owned pistol and firing it upward at a 45-degree angle. The shot sent the would-be robber scrambling for the door and into an alley. Police are still investigating. (The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill., 3/17/12)

A 25-year-old Bedford Heights, Ohio, homeowner spotted an intruder breaking into a neighbor’s home, which prompted a quick call to 9-1-1. The homeowner remained on the phone while he confronted the intruder, who had climbed through a broken kitchen window. The intruder proceeded to grab a kitchen knife and threaten the homeowner, who retrieved a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired. The intruder was taken to the MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment and is in the custody of the Bedford Heights police. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, 4/25/12)

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Massad Ayoob - HOT LEAD VERSUS COLD BLOOD

Holcomb, Kansas, late 1950s. Two vicious punks named Perry Smith and Richard Hancock invaded the farmhouse of the Clutter family. Minutes later, Herb Clutter and his wife, and their son and daughter, lay dead. In April of 1965, both of the murderers would die at the end of righteously-tightened nooses…but it would not bring back the four innocent lives they had extinguished. The killers, motivated by the erroneous belief that the prosperous farmer had a safe full of cash, left the murder scene with approximately forty dollars.

This mass home invasion murder in a rural home was the focus of Truman Capote’s classic book “In Cold Blood.” I read it as a high school kid when it came out in 1965 or ’66, and reread it over the past few weeks. I was reminded of the same stark lessons I’d seen when I first read it.

The Clutter home was not an unarmed household…but the guns weren’t where any of the victims could reach them in time. Capote wrote that the police “found some shotguns in a closet.” They didn’t do much good there when the murderers, armed with a hunting knife and a Savage 12 gauge shotgun one of the parolees had taken without permission from his parents’ home, caught Herb Clutter alone and unarmed and forced him to lead them to the bedrooms where, one by one, they bound and then murdered his wife and his son and his daughter, and Clutter himself.

A gun you can’t reach in an emergency is useless. When I read that book as a high school kid, it struck me that since I had long possessed guns in my bedroom including a loaded Colt .45 automatic, I would have had a lot more options than Clutter’s son did when the homicidal intruders entered his bedroom…and, knowing my dad, in Herb Clutter’s situation my old man’s regularly-carried Colt Cobra .38 revolver would have probably gone into action long before things got even that far.

In a lifetime among cops since, I’ve noted that investigators who piece together the aftermaths of home invasion murders tend to keep their guns on all the time after that, even when off duty in their own house, and keep them by the bed when they go to sleep.

They have learned from the helplessly-murdered dead.

The rest of us can learn from them in turn.

If an intruder’s footsteps sound outside your bedroom right now, how soon will your hand be able to reach something with which you can defend yourself and your loved ones?

Massad Ayoob

Massad F. Ayoob is an internationally known firearms and self-defense instructor.

Massad Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week, and Combat Handguns.

Massad Ayoob was former Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and is believed to be the only non-attorney ever to hold this position.

http://massadayoobgroup.com/

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