Bad Facts, Good Outcome
Two men broke into a North Carolina man’s residence through a back window by removing the air conditioner. Once inside, the men began looking for things to steal. The homeowner, alerted by the security app on his phone, arrived to find the window removed and two men in his house. He drew his legally carried firearm and ordered the men to put their hands up. Instead, they charged him. He shot and killed one man while the other fled. The defender fired shots at the fleeing burglar. In prior burglaries, the homeowner had had firearms stolen; as he could not see the hands of the current intruders, he feared for his life. The homeowner’s statements to investigators were corroborated by his surveillance footage. Prosecutors declined to charge him.
In Review:
While we don’t know all the facts, here is my analysis:
• Legal: Under North Carolina law, shooting at the intruders inside the residence was lawful because the defender could not see their hands and they were moving toward him aggressively. However, after the second burglar started to run, firing shots at him was not justified and could have led to charges. Video surveillance assisted in a good result.
• Tactical: Prosecutors urge homeowners who encounter a similar problem to call law enforcement. The homeowner here should have called 911 and waited for police as well.
• Training: This homeowner could benefit from training on hardening his defensive perimeter and on when deadly force is authorized. Having no charges brought against him was fortunate and would not have been likely in all states.
What preventative measures do you use in your home?
Penalty for a Miss
Trainers teach an important concept in the USCCA’s Defensive Shooting Fundamentals course known as “the penalty for a miss.” With this concept, we expect students to always adhere to the safety rules and apply their skills to get accurate hits, but we also challenge them to focus on the defensive use of a firearm and consider what could happen if a bullet does not strike the intended target.
While many people often just “shoot for fun” and possibly never consider what those holes outside the designated target areas could mean, when we are working on drills that require stopping a threat, we want gun owners to take responsibility and have accountability. And that might possibly mean addressing some cognitive dissonance and some uncomfortable realities
For safe and effective defensive firearms training, it’s imperative that we consider those missed shots.
In the 360-degree world, we won’t have a berm or a backstop, and there will be a penalty for a miss, whether that means the round injured someone innocent or we lost our chance to stop the threat.
The thing is: You may miss, but a bullet never misses. That projectile may not hit your intended target, but it will hit something. Whenever you are training — and essentially whenever you are around firearms — it’s critical to keep that in mind.
Choose, Every Day, to Carry Concealed
Researching about, deciding on and finally purchasing your gun, ammo and accessories may take time, effort and money. But, in all actuality, that’s the easy part. The complex choice to carry a concealed firearm for personal protection is both an awesome right and an awesome responsibility.
I’m sure you’ve probably heard that it’s better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it. As simplistic as that sounds, there is a lot of truth there. It’s all about preparedness. Most people I know like to be prepared. It’s why we have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. And it’s why we teach our kids not to talk to strangers. This way, we don’t have to agonize about those worst-case scenarios. We get ready for them. And one of the best ways to prepare to face dangers is to be armed.
Many people make the decision to be armed because of a negative experience. Some carry firearms because they have a powerful instinct to protect their loved ones. Others choose to carry simply because they can — because it’s an American right. All of us make the decision to arm ourselves because we recognize that we live in the real world. And in this real world, dangers are ever-present.
So, will you choose to be one of the millions of responsibly armed Americans? Will you choose to exercise your rights? Will you be prepared to defend your life in a deadly force encounter? Choosing to carry a firearm is an important life decision. And you need to make the very best choice for you and for your family.
Ultimately, the concealed carry lifestyle is not one to be taken lightly, and it’s not a choice that you make only one time. It truly is something that you decide to embrace every day.
