We’ve been discussing the “high capacity magazine controversy” here of late, and it’s good to see someone getting the message across in mainstream media. Here’s what novelist/critic Stephen Hunter, one of the best writers of our time in my opinion, had to say on the subject in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/04/AR2011020406709.html
In my last post here, I and several commentators discussed the recent tragedy in rural Alaska, where a good man went to the door unarmed to find himself facing the neighborhood “strange ranger.” The whacko WAS armed…and the homeowner died, and his wife was wounded and left for dead.
Now, sent to me first by my good friend Steve Harris, a gun-wise attorney in the metropolitan South, comes this case from Tennessee:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/09/vickie-graves-shoot-intruder-testify-bill/?partner=popular
For me, the takeaway lesson from the Tennessee case is that if you’re going to have guns available for home defense, make sure every person in the household who is responsible enough to respond to a life-threatening home invasion KNOWS HOW TO OPERATE THEM. It is unclear from the article why the woman of the house was unable to fire the gun she tried to shoot the home invader with. No round in the chamber, and she didn’t know to rack the slide to get the gun up and running? A manual safety device? Those have saved good guys’ lives many times, though there’s no hundred per cent guarantee, when bad guys got good guys’ guns away from them and tried to shoot them, but “didn’t know how to turn on the gun.” See my article on the topic in the “Ayoob Files” series in the issue of American Handgunner magazine, currently on newsstands or available online cost-free at www.americanhandgunner.com.
However, the people we share our lives with – who might need that gun to protect our lives, or theirs, or our children’s or our grandchildren’s – can be just as stymied by a manual safety or a lock they don’t know how to release, as a criminal might be. Let’s make sure that those we trust to pick up a gun to defend our home, whether that home is in the backwoods or the inner city, knows not only when but how to use it.
These are lessons that have been written in blood. To ignore those lessons is to spit on the graves of the good people who died that we might learn them.
In the Tennessee case, it sounds like the front door was unlocked. Another good reason to have a heavy duty security screen door, openable (without a key) only from the inside, that can be kept locked all the time We don’t all answer our front doors with a gun in our hand but at night and with no one expected… Her gun was said to have three safeties- maybe a 1911 type? Hindsight is always 20-20 but what a preventable waste of life we see in these two cases.
It does indeed sound like the door was unlocked. That’s a huge tactical error. I don’t care how “safe” you may perceive your neighborhood, you keep the doors bolted. Even with unhardened construction techniques it might have bought Mr. Graves enough time to get to his gun safe in time to defend himself.
The multiple safeties on the pistol Mrs. Graves tried to use raises an important question – just how “safe” should we make our ready access weapons? In a perfect world our spouses and children would be as enthusiastic about guns as we are but rare is the fellow who lives in such a firearms utopia. I think my situation is probably very common. The children are far too young to learn gun safety and manipulation. My wife displays a fair amount of accuracy out to living room distances and knows the Four Rules. But she has no desire to learn the manual-of-arms for anything more complex than a DA revolver and doesn’t like the feel of a reciprocating slide. So in deference to that our primary home defense weapon is a 3″ S&W Model 65 loaded with .38 + P ammunition. I’d prefer it to be my 16-round 5904 but can’t rely on Mrs. justbill remembering to take the gun off safe in the heated panic of defending her family. She’s just “not that into guns” to make it a reflexive action. My fear is that she could act just like poor Mrs. Graves. So for us it’s better to give up some protection (manual safety + larger capacity) for a system that is as surefire as I can make it.
Mas your points are very pertinent to todays’s times. Being a 20 yr law enforcement veteran, a martial artist, and gun owner, I find NO REASON to go unarmed. Down here in Louisiana, I live where I work and carry 24-7. People always ask why I am afraid. I counter with I am prepared and trained and as Dave Grossman stated eloquently in his book on combat, you choose to be a wolf or a sheep. I was beat up as a kid. bullied by people destined to be career criminals. I chose not to be a victim and to be skilled and knowledgeable, in control of my destiny. I choose to buy good equipment and train regularly so that I can acquit myself well on the field of battle.
I’ve mentioned it before but I humbly suggest others consider the following. Not all occupants of homes a. are trained to handle pistols b. can handle pistols c. legally allowed to own/handle pistols (teenagers or just don’t want to go to the expense in the occupied states on the coasts)
I decided a very light rifle (nothing more complicated than a straight forward black gun) was more appropriate (my choice was nice simple Marlin Camp carbine in 45acp, 1911 mags) but a simple light 20 gauge shotgun would be fine also. I’m sure there are lots of other long guns that would make sense also.
Just to keep it someplace I decided that an inexpensive wall cabinet for 1 gun with cypher lock fit the bill for “security”. A place to store it and keep it from unauthorized hands, young or otherwise. All my other “stuff” is in a hi end safe but the wall cabinet bolted to the bedroom wall is fast to access and chest high. Push, twist and bingo. All ready to go.
Problem fixation sometimes hits us gun folks also. We see pistols as the “only” solution. But a 70 year old woman, teenager home alone or someone who rarely practices, may be better suited for a long gun. Ballistics are at least equal to or better than most handguns. Mag fed long guns even offer better options for capacity usually. Personally I can envision myself holding down the fort from the bedroom with a simple AR or my Marlin with few drawbacks. I’ve made my “different” choice.
Long Island Mike,
I agree, a long arm can be an excellent home defense weapon. In addition to the Model 65 I mentioned earlier, there is also a 12 gauge Remington 870 with 18″ barrel. In our case it’s kept chamber empty with four in the tube and a full Side Saddle. Shot for shot it offers more fight stopping power than anything I can think of that isn’t pintle-mounted. Your Marlin is also a good HD choice. It hits pretty hard and won’t have blinding muzzle flash or deafening blast like some carbines.
But long guns also have some serious disadvantages. Most need two hands for anything approaching effective use. They are difficult to maneuver in tight spaces. It’s pretty easy for a close-in attacker to disarm you or at least tie-up your shoulder arm while his buddy finishes you off. You can’t tuck a shotgun or AR in your pants when discreetly answering the door. And so on. For these reasons the Remington 870 in our home is strictly a “bedroom howitzer.” Handguns don’t have these issues and hence are, I believe, much more popular as primary defensive guns.
“These are lessons that have been written in blood. To ignore those lessons is to spit on the graves of the good people who died that we might learn them.”
Sad but very true. Life is a cruel teacher who gives the test first and the lesson second.
One story I always think of and share with friends is the firearms instructor who accidentally shot and killed his wife (mentioned in the LFI Safety video). It just takes one mistake. Those of us that keep firearms for defensive use can never be casual in our handling of them.
I can’t imagine how the wife feels, hopefully she’ll pull through.
The several safeties has me a little puzzled but I’ve seen the media twist and spew stuff about firearms. I saw one about a negligent discharge by an officer and the media said the Glock’s safeties were faulty and a lot of PDs were going to switch away from Glocks…
Personally, I feel quite comfortable with 1911 style safeties (manual + grip). I’ve had my wife practice with most of our defensive arms and she’s fairly comfortable with them.
Like everyone else, I find little reason to be lax about personal safety. Locking your doors and being armed as always been like putting on your seatbelt and wearing your helmet kind of thing for me. It feels strange riding a bike without a helmet or going somewhere unarmed for me.
When I’m home, my carry gun isn’t on me but it’s certainly within reach. If I didn’t need an ATF permit I’d probably have an SBR for home-defense as well…
I believe that a revolver is the best portable weapon for the non-enthusiast shooter in situations like this. A 1911 (which is my first choice) is difficult for the uninitiated. In addition, the slide on many semi-auto pistols is hard for many people to operate properly. Yes, a 1911 can be left cocked and locked, but non-shooters still have a hard time with the safeties. And, a stovepipe jam still requires racking the slide several times on any auto-loader pistol.
My wife is an NRA certified range safety officer and good with a shotgun. However, she can’t rack a 1911 slide. For her, a revolver is the best handgun choice.
I believe that for most people that are in a life and death home invasion, a revolver or pump shotgun ( with shoulder stock) are the best choice. And, the mental attitude needed to fight to the end is essential. That can only be developed with time and determination. There is no magic weapon that will stop a home invasion.
I’d take issue with one thing in the first article, and I’ll quote it here. “Yes, they can use semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, protected by the Second Amendment and unlikely to be banned by local law, but women generally don’t care to put in the training needed to master them. Nor can the elderly handle them adeptly. ”
Actually a carbine or a rifle is easier to use accurately than a pistol is. At least for me it is. It takes a decent amount of practice to get beyond the “monkeys point good” level of proficiency with a handgun.
Same people from New York kept calling for strict gun control. Just had man go insane fatally stabbing his stepfather ex-girlfriend and her mother death well run down pedestrian in a stolen car well slashing wound four other people . This madness stop only after he was arrested in a Times Square subway station. This happen in middle New York city where Mayor of New York claim his city safe becuase with out guns these type event just never happen. Main stream media is cover story becuase guy in question used kitchen knife kill the people instead handgun.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20110213/NEWS12/110213002/1321/news/New-York–Man-kills-4-in-stabbing-rampage-across-NYC-
Richard,
As usual, you beat me to the punch. I was going to post a pithy reply here about the unlimited capacity of a knife to inflict damage when wielded by an evil hand.
Looking at this sad case a few t hings come to mind. First, even though somewhat armed, the homeowner was in some level of condition white with maybe streaks of yellow mixed it. Second, simple layers of security would of likely prevented the issue. Security door you can lock, see and talk through would of been great. Third, it is okay to answer a door at night with pistol in hand. Keep it out of sight along your side or behind your back.
This might of also been a case where a revolver would of been the better solution. DA just point and pull. SA, point, cock with off hand and fire. My mother is athritic with little hand strength and uses a SA because she can cock it with her left hand and the trigger is easy to pull with her right. She can also manipulte the loading gate and plunger easier t han the thumb latch on a DA revolver.