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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[TonyM]

I would rather a female carry one of Ruger’s 22 Magnum Revolvers than a semi-auto. Won’t jam and 22 mag round at close range is very deadly, especially when you can pump 5 or 6 rounds quick and easy.

[TonyM]

5 rounds of 22 mag is better than one 9mm or 38 cal.

[Mom MD]

For home defense nothing beats a shotgun Slide the bolt in the hearing of an intruder and they will break their neck to get out of the house most likely it will never need to be used, but if you have to fire it’s a darn effective weapon that requires no sophisticated aiming etc....

[Mom MD]

Some of us shoot regularly and can handle a SA I’m partial to my Springfield .40, bought my daughter a .40 sig sauer Of course until they were lost I the boating accident.....

I really like my sons AR 15 but it’s a little hard to conceal....

[Mom MD]

Try gun toting mama Purses made especially for concealed carry

[Kartographer]

Yes I carry a rape whistle and man is it LOUD!

[jpsb]

"5 rounds of 22 mag is better than one 9mm or 38 cal."

LOL, 22 mag just does not get the respect it deserves. At hand gun range it's a deadly weapon with very little recoil. Nothing beats a 357 six shooter but how many girls can handle the recoil of a 357?

[JimRed]

...hollow points.

Illegal here.

[JimRed]

Simple, foolproof(almost), reliable.

Foolproof; now if they could just make 'em idiot proof...

[envisio]

Oh yeah, out of all the expensive handguns and rifles I have... in a home invasion confrontation... if given the choice... I would always grab the $350 Mossberg.

[TennesseeGirl]

This makes the perfect case of why most women should own both a revolver as well as a semi-automatic. If she isn't well acquainted on how to handle a semi, she should use a revolver until she has practiced how to clear jams and misfires. On a side-note, "Ladies, don't just take the requisite minimum class. Practice regularly. Practice, practice, practice until it becomes as second hand as brushing your teeth. Your life may depend on it".

[Shery]

I will never understand why some of these bails are so low. It is almost as if the judge, or whomever sets them, thinks that so what if the assailant gets to the victim...one less mouth to feed. It should’ve been so high that NONE of his friends could or would want to help him make it.

[libstripper]

I’m a man and that’s why my CCW weapon is a S&W .357 magnum snubbie with a shrouded hammer. Indeed, I recommend a revolver to most peoples who want to carry concealed for your very reasons.

[libstripper]

It also looks like the user would need an immediate trip to the world’s best orthopedic surgeon for a miracle wrist replacement after the first shot.

[libstripper]

FReepers must be the world’s most tragedy prone boaters. Indeed, it’s so bad, there’s even an acronym for it, “TBA,” standing for Tragic Boating Accident. Worst of all, every one seems to have happened when the boat in question was loaded with the owner’s entire personal arsenal.

[xander]

Yeah, revolvers never jam.

[Mr. K]

get yourself a circuit judge!

when the zombie apocalypse comes it will be very handy

I had 2 before my tragic boating accident. The stainless steel one is better if you’re lazy about cleaning your guns (never a good idea)

[Hawthorn]

>> 22 mag round at close range is very deadly <<

I guess that’s why it’s favored by Israeli commandos.

[rikkir]

Mine bounced out of the bed of a pick-up while I was crossing the Ohio River...
Damn Shame...