IN: Armed Mother and "buck fever" during Home Invasion

Gun Watch ^ | 9 November, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

An armed mother in Indiana was unable to fire her pistol to protect her family.   She did not believe the intruder when he told her that he was the police.  Confronted with the armed mother, the burglar ran off, taking the families flat screen television with him.   It was a scary, adrenaline pumping moment, I am sure.   From the mother's description of what happened, I suspect that it was a case of what we called "buck fever" when I was growing up.   From wthr.com:

"I yelled down the stairs, 'Who's down there?'," she said. "He told me, 'The police.' As I ran down the steps and I was going to shoot my gun, it jammed up on me."Once jammed, Marta said the bullets popped through the chamber, unfired. That allowed the burglar to get away, carrying her flat screen TV.

From the picture, the pistol is a Sig Sauer Mosquito.  It is a popular .22 caliber pistol, intended primarily for training, target shooting, and plinking.  It has a slide mounted safety and a safety lock located behind the magazine well.  As can be seen in the YouTube video at the link, the slide can be operated with the safety on.  Many people keep pistols for home defense in condition three.  That is, with a loaded magazine in the pistol, but with the chamber empty.   Often, especially if there are small children in the house, the safety is kept on as well, making it more difficult for a child to fire the firearm.

 Link to Mosquito video on YouTube:

When I was growing up, deer hunting was, and still is, a rite of passage for young people.   One of the oral traditions that was passed on was the potential for "buck fever".   Buck fever is the psychological effect of adrenaline on the ability to fire aimed shots, and generally function well in a high stress situation.   The sight of a large buck was said to set off this reaction, especially in less experienced hunters.   A fairly common story would be for a hunter to cycle cartridges through the rifle, without ever actually firing one.  Similar stories are common from the Civil War, where soldiers would load multiple charges in their rifles, without any actually being fired.

The design of the Sig Sauer Mosquito lends itself to this sort of reaction.  The trigger can be activated and the hammer will fall with the safety on.  The slide can be cycled, and cartridges ejected, with the safety on.   This is not a bad thing, because it allows the pistol to be loaded and unloaded with the safety on.

In the adrenaline charged moment of attempting to stop a home invasion, it is easy to attempt to fire; when no "bang" occurs, wonder if a cartridge was in the chamber, work the slide, eject an unfired cartridge, and repeat until the magazine is empty.   The pistol has not really "jammed".  Rather, in the heat of the moment, the operator has failed to disengage the safety.

It is a training issue.   With training, it is overcome.   It also shows an advantage of simple systems such as most double action revolvers and Glock pistols. 

In this case, no one was hurt.  The major damage was a lost TV, and a lost opportunity to stop a thief from further depredations on the community.

The armed mother showed courage in confronting the intruder.   I hope that someone will offer her some instruction on tactics, and help her practice with her pistol.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

With enough practice, required actions become automatic. I have often seen students ask for help, because the "gun won't fire" only to find the safety on.

[txrefugee]

Get a shot gun. The last sound the intruder will hear is the sound of it racking.

[Hugin]

A good example of why I always recommend double action revolvers to first time gun buyers.

[defconw]

I agree. The rack is their one and only warning.

[Mouton]

We have a home defense double...no racking necessary! They may hear the thumb safety clicking! I do agree, the simpler the better in tense situations once one ensures they are at risk.

[from occupied ga]

Get a shot gun. The last sound the intruder will hear is the sound of it racking.

Bad advice. Do you really want to

1. Let a possibly armed person who will probably shoot you if he has the chance hear where you are? and
2. Have a weapon that requires both hands and requires recocking between shots.

Think about it.

[.45 Long Colt]

After shooting most of my smaller handguns, my wife bought herself a Sig Mosquito. She liked how it felt in her hands and she considered it “cute.” She enjoys shooting it and is confident with it. She keeps it loaded on a shelf in the closet. I put a loaded revolver on the shelf next to it in hopes that is what she grabs if she needs to grab a gun.

[556x45]

Thats the rub isn’t it. How many will really go to the trouble/expense of training and practice. Even here, on FR, there are so many who insist training isn’t necessary b/c its enough to just have a gun. Your most lethal weapon is between you ears not in a holster.

[libstripper]

Before the TBA I had a Beretta 96. It was really cool in that it could be kept fully loaded with one in the chamber and the safety off. It was just like a DA revolver in that configuration because the first shot required a strong DA pull on the trigger while the subsequent shots were fred sit a much lighter pull.

[sten]

police won’t be picking up your television or ransacking your dining room.

upon hearing a noise downstairs, if armed and upstairs, secure loved ones, retrieve phone, establish a vantage point, dial 9-1-1, and assess the situation. be prepared to act with finality.

remember, if you make any noise, you may give away your position which is a significant advantage.

flashing lights and loud noises will distract an intruder and often times would be enough for them to run.

if they advance in your direction, be ready to respond.

personally, my staircase is the final line (the first being the front door).
intruders would not receive a warning.

[sten]

come to think of it, the 9-1-1 service should respond differently if police are dispatched to the address.

the operator should realize a resident may not wish to speak and should alert them immediately if police are on scene

actually, an operator should be ready for non-verbal grunts and clicks to communicate with the caller

[TangoLimaSierra]

Once jammed, Marta said the bullets popped through the chamber, unfired.

If it jammed I don't see how anything "popped". The mechanism would not do anything. What am I missing?

[mad_as_he$$]

+1.

[Travis McGee]

Anybody who shoots infrequently will be much better served by a simple .38 caliber revolver. Six shots FOR SURE are far superior to no shots due to brain freeze.

“Did I chamber a round in this thing last year?” and “Does the safety switch thingy go up or down on this gun to shoot?” are NOT what you want blocking your brain under extreme stress.

[ozarkgirl]

Anybody who shoots infrequently will be much better served by a simple .38 caliber revolver.

My brother (the cop) said same thing. Also revolver won't jam during crisis time. A Taurus .38 revolver - reasonable cost and reliable in time of need is a good thing to have.

[Vendome]

And the war on police begins.

When criminals start yelling “Police! “ citizens and LEO are in danger, particularly if this practice becomes widespread and standard M.O.

[SampleMan]

A good example of why I always recommend double action revolvers to first time gun buyers.

Revolvers are more reliable, but no more inherently safe. The same action that fires an unsafed double-action semi-auto also fires a double-action revolver.

I went from carrying a semi-auto to a DA revolver when I was flipping houses in the 'hood. The gun was getting so dirty on a daily basis that I worried about my semi-auto functioning correctly.

[SampleMan]

police won’t be picking up your television or ransacking your dining room.

Don't bet on it. Ever been to New Orleans?

I had a friend that was robbed by two uniformed NO policeman.

[buffaloguy]

Criminals are yelling “Police” these days. Which why no-knock raids need to be re-evaluated as being too dangerous.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

A few notes: first of all, I agree that if you have an adrenaline problem, a revolver is the way to go.

However, a revolver also has the added advantage of being a one-handed gun, leaving your other hand free to carry a knife, a big emphasis of mine.

As an almost amusing note, you should not be surprised if an intruder is buck naked. Far too often these days, when some idiot gets doped up to the gills, they feel hot and their first inclination is to strip down. At the same time, this can make them dangerous and unpredictable.

Their intent is likely not to rob, but then again, they have no real intent except running amok. So they are just as likely to run through a glass door as they are to charge you. And if it is the latter, do not hesitate to empty your gun into them. Do not count at all on a disabling shot with anything less than a shotgun with a heavy load.