Posted on 07/05/2005 10:00:25 AM PDT by vannrox
World's best safety combination--a good dog and a good gun.
The target coming straight at me was less than 12 feet away before I finally started hitting it center mass. And by the time I was hitting my target, most of the clip was used up.
Almost too great.
A YAHOO search for "Elinor Dufy" reveals only this article. The claimed publication date is 1981. Perhaps someone with access to LA Times archives can verify this.
I always liked the line Julia Roberts used in th emovie "Sleeping with the Enemy". She is on the phone and says "come quickly I've just shot an intruder" while she is looking at the intruder.
And yes, I'd wager on that one.
It takes a grown man 1 second to cross 21 feet of space. Officers refer to that space as 'the hole'. If an armed person is threatening you while he/she/it is in the hole, shoot. You most likely will only get one shot before the assailant is upon you, so make it count.
Practice shouting those orders all in one sentence. You need to get across that you are the one with the gun and you are going to shoot to kill, not injure or maim. Speak as if you are so angry that he perp invaded your home you are looking for the tiniest excuse to call 911 and say, "Bring the coroner and a body bag."
KC_for_Freedom
Of course his weapon was intended for her. He wouldn't have brought it into the house otherwise. Marines kill to save lives. 1st their own and then their buddies. If anyone has a gun, isn't willing to kill with it and save their own life first, then they need to get rid of the darn thing.
We aren't talking about realizing anything here. All of that stuff comes later. Now is the time to stay alive and do the thinking/realizing/worrying later. All of that stuff comes much, much later when you are able to breath calmly.
I would have to go with what my gut told me at that particular time. IMO, it's best to pay attention to your instincts, and risk being wrong than to ignore the warning in favor of politeness, or whatever.
_______________________________________________
You would appreciate: "The GIFT OF FEAR" a great book.
Some of us have exchanged good instincts for good manners -while the barbarians in our midst have not.
Better to be well bred than dead?
sp
We are in agreement, I was implying that she should have had some training, done the thinking in advance, then she would have been in a position to save her life. Realized was not a good term, since I meant she should have realized what a man with a weapon in her appartment meant before every finding one.
I agree that she was lucky in this event. By training and confidence I also meant what you said about Order, not request, and give me any excuse to blow you away and I will take it. This story could so easily have been headlined: "Home burgler uses homeowner's own weapon to take her life."
I know. dead men tell no tales, but you'd still spend
$20k+ on defending yourself for your actions in court vs.
having to sit through a lenghty interview for a police report.
I'd choose the latter much as I'd like to see creeping,peeping vermin eliminated.
LOL! That book is what taught me to pay attention to my gut, and not worry about offending someone. Excellent book, and I recommend it all the time, myself. :)
A gun in every home will stop burglaries - rapiest and murder. A populace unarmed is a populace enslaved.
You are talking about a situation where you know the tree is going to go to green in a few seconds, guaranteed unless there's a power failure.
Try to maintain the physical restraint of not shooting plus the mental attitude of ordering a perp to the ground and all he does is 'not move a muscle and say to you, "Take it easy, take it easy, don't shoot me, don't shoot me. I'm scared, Man. Take it easy, take it easy, don't shoot me, don't shoot me. I'm scared to move!"
The whole while you are ready to pull the trigger. Try that for 60 seconds and you'll watch your hands start to quiver because you know you are too close and that he could kill you while you are killing him. Death is about to knock on your door with a sledge hammer and you know it.
You will be squeezing the grips so hard that your fingers will hurt, your biceps will ache wanting you to relax just a tiny bit. When I see the white go out of your knuckles, that's when you are in trouble!
Add in the .05 of a second for the hammer to fall and I'll win the bet. Sure I may have a hole in me, which I doubt but you will have a whole in you too.
That's not the scenario we want as gun owners, is it?
bump
Awesome ideas to remember should I ever be in this position! Thank you for posting that!
Just finished reading the links you sent me. Just reinforced my first thought, I would have shot the guy.
Everybody reacts differently under stress and I don't want anything I say to sounding like monday morning quarterbacking, this lady had to make that decisison and it worked for her.
12 feet is with the perp on the ground facing away from you and his hands outstretched, palms up, in front of him. Tell him, "If you so much as say one word, bend one arm or move a leg. I'll shoot until this damn gun is empty. So shut up and stay still!" Be angry when you say it!
You have no idea what he has in mind to confuse you. If he throws your favorite lamp, your mind is distracted and you very well could miss him at 12 feet.
This should be required reading.... for all Americans!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.