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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[marktwain]

Domestic cases are some of the saddest.

[basil]

Firearms—The Ultimate in feminine protection.

You go girl!

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

That’s why I like modern lightweight snub nose revolvers for CCW, especially females. No springs to wear out, no slide to rack, no ejection issues, just pull the trigger.

A woman can put it in their purse, pull it out 5 years later and bang!

[circlecity]

A good reason to stick with a revolver. She would probably be alive if she had gone with a .38 snub nose.

[eastforker]

Said it before and I’ll say it again. Newbies to firearms are much better off with revolvers instead of semiautos. Lots of junk out there in SA that just wont cycle on a reliable basis.

[Mr. K]

If you are not familiar with guns, a 9mm semi-auto is NOT your best choice.

get a simple .38 revolver

[Feckless]

My thoughts exactly. All of my sisters carry autos but my wife has a 5 shot stainless ultralite 38+P.

5 squeezes - 5 shots

Clearing a jam in a life or death situation will probably mean death for most shooters.

[umgud]

[taxcontrol]

5 rules of a gun fight:

1) gun beats no gun

- If you leave your gun behind because it is too heavy, prints too much, or any other reason .... you have no gun
- If your gun jams and you can’t clear that jam .... you have no gun

2) a hit beats a miss
3) fast beats slow
4) big holes beat small holes
5) many holes beat one hole

[alloysteel]

So the lesson here is - go for the simple and reliable.

Revolvers are so - Wild West.

But they got a lot of cowboys out of a serious jam.

[Popman]

She had broken up with her boyfriend, who had a long criminal record.

I wonder if she knew this little factoid?

If she did, my sympathy meter just went bust...

Shouldn't people with a "long criminal record" be in prison ?

[Salvavida]

Precisely why I gave my wife a .357 snub revolver.

[alloysteel]

That thing looks like it would drop a deer.

From about five feet.

[Crim]

Dammit....novices should have REVOLVERS.

[Don Corleone]

When seconds count the police are only minutes away!

[US_MilitaryRules]

Uh, she was killed because her gun jammed. She is dead basil.

[Bubba_Leroy]

A gun is not a guarantee of safety.

True. That is why all children should be instructed in the proper use of firearms. Early instruction and continuous practice is the key.

I pray that my children will never have to shoot an attacker, but I am confident that they will be able to do so if the need arises.

[envisio]

I was wondering which of my firearms to give my mother for her nightstsand.
Revolver was the clear choice. Like you said, no safety to fumble with, no slide to rack.
Some semis require 3 or 4 steps to go from secure to fire. A 70 year old woman with no experience cannot do that.
It told her; its ready always... point and pull the trigger... thats it.

Safeties will get you killed.

[Jonty30]

I want a 1.08 revolver.