One Shot Almost Enough to Save Woman whose Gun Jammed

Gun Watch ^ | 29 July, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Tracy Williams does not appear to have had much experience with firearms.  It was a desperate situation that drove her to buy guns and take a CCW class.  She had broken up with her boyfriend, who had a long criminal record.  He had kidnapped her, she had escaped and filed charges.  He was out on $75,000 bail when he attacked her three weeks later.

During that period she had obtained the firearms and a concealed carry permit.  North Carolina requires an 8 hour course, including live fire, and an $80 non-refundable fee to obtain a permit. 

From abc7chicago.com:

Green said Williams shot her ex as he attacked her around 5 p.m. in the parking lot of a Food Lion on U.S. 1 near a Cash Points ATM. Police said Williams' gun then jammed and Yarborough fatally shot her.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found Williams in front of the ATM with two guns, while the suspect's gun was missing. They believe she was trying to defend herself.

An eye witness states that Williams was not the only one who had problems with their gun.  From wral.com:   

"I heard her start blowing the horn, then I heard a gunshot go off," said a witness at the scene who did not want to be identified. "She started running around trying to get away, yelling for help...And as he was chasing her, he was trying to load the gun and she was fighting for her life, yelling for help."

The one shot that she was able to fire was almost enough.  It hit Yarborough in the leg, but appears to have missed arteries or bone.  As a 9mm, it had enough power to break the leg if bone were hit.  Tracy Williams would likely have been able to outrun Yarborough if his leg had been broken.    From twcnews.com:

“She had just recently went through the concealed carry class. She had a 9 mm handgun. She fired one round and it appears the reason she dropped the weapon, the weapon jammed and she tried to run away from him and that's when he initiated the fatal blow,” said Chief John Green, of the Franklinton Police Department.

A gun is not a guarantee of safety.  Possession of a gun provides another option for self defense.   In Tracy Williams' case, it was almost, but not quite enough, to save her.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[jimbug]

And to put a fine point on it, I carry a hammerless .38+P for easy, snag-free removal. I was confronted a couple of years ago by an idiot with her pitbull off-leash. A trip to Cabelas the next day got me fixed up.

[CodeJockey]

Any word on the brand? I can make mine fail to feed if I limp wrist it. Not every time, but on occasion. It takes a lot or practice to master the art of firing a semi.

[Darteaus94025]

And, if the hammer is shrouded, you don’t even need to pull it out of the purse.

[Gamecock]

**She had just recently went through the concealed carry class. She had a 9 mm handgun. She fired one round and it appears the reason she dropped the weapon, the weapon jammed**

Limp wrist? Video of limp wristing.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Yep, not sexy but utilitarian.

[Lurker]

Revolver. I’ll bet she limp wristed it and that caused the malfunction.

[circlecity]

"Limp wrist?"

Or possibly because it was a brand new gun. I've had a couple of new semis that jammed a few times during the breaking in period but after 5 or 600 rounds it never happened again. Another possibility is that she never cleaned it after putting a hundred rounds through it during her training course. Or it could have been just cheapo gun.

[headstamp 2]

with full wadcutters.

[jagusafr]

Sounds like she limp-wristed it and the brass stove-piped. Easy for a noob to do. Tragic consequences. “Whack it, rack it, boom” should be nearly muscle memory.

[Crim]

I carry a .357 mag....hollow points.

[headstamp 2]

Used to see that recommendation for full WC on 38 specials.

[basil]

Uh-oh!

I missed that part-

Trying to do too many things at once this morning.

[ChildOfThe60s]

My daughter (ex cop) gave me this advice when I bought my first handgun: Unless you are going to practice with it regularly and consistently, don’t get a semi auto. I took her advice and got a J frame S&W.

Later, when I became more serious about time and effort devoted to training and practice, I got into semi autos. I still carry the 38 on occasion. With 154 grain +P it has a pretty substantial bang. Also, with an 8.5 lb trigger pull, it is pretty difficult to accidentally shoot.

Also important, NEVER carry a semi auto (or any gun) loaded with ammo of which you haven’t run at minimum several magazines through. My rule is 1 box goes through it perfectly or I don’t use it.

[Vinnie]

That’s why I like modern lightweight snub nose revolvers for CCW, especially females.

Absolutely
I'll bet she 'limp wristed' the auto and got a fail to eject or fail to feed.
Easy to do esp. if shooting one handed, even for a man.
J frame or similar all the way. Simple, foolproof(almost), reliable.

[lakeman]

Mostlikely the cause of the jam. Women should carry revolvers.

[DoodleDawg]

I wonder who the manufacturer was. I have a Ruger 9mm and I’ve put several hundred rounds through it over the years and it hasn’t jamed on me once.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

About the worst thing that can happen to a revolver (other than dunking it in water) is getting a coin jammed somewhere. An empty purse pocket can mitigate that. Semi’s just have too much that can go wrong. Semi’s require regular inspections, at least a mag switch every 2-3 months.

[Kit cat]

I will bet you have NEVER carried it around in a purse!!!!!

[Twotone]

My CCW instructor said women with their gun in their purse might have to fire through the purse if under pressure. That’s where my revolver is.

[jpsb]

"Definitely.....Very, very sad for this woman......Revolvers are the best with speed loaders"

Bump. This is a very sad story, a double action revolver is absolutely the best weapon for concealed carry. Something is going to happen every time you squeeze the trigger. 38 is fine for a big girl, 22 mag is also a nice weapon particularly for a smaller girl.

The only thing I don't like is it's only a 5 chamber revolver. Not good if you are up against more then 2 bad guys.