Posted on 07/04/2009 4:50:11 AM PDT by marktwain
Photo courtesy of Oleg Volk)
Two recent stories serve as reminders that while it’s great when the “good guys” win, there still can be a personal price to pay.
Sugar Land, Texas – Working the night-shift as a computer technician paid off when James Arther awoke to his dog barking around noon. Alarmed by the barking, he retrieved his 9mm handgun just in case:
"I opened my bedroom door and saw the guy," said James. "It looked like he was running towards me with a weapon like a screwdriver and I was scared."
Arther shot the intruder once in the chest and then called the police. While on the phone, the man escaped and drove off. Police found the blood-stained getaway vehicle about 10 miles from the scene. The intruder checked himself into a medical clinic a block from there, claiming to be a robbery victim, but police followed the blood trail and took him into custody. Meanwhile, Arther, being a decent, law-abiding citizen who was simply trying to get some sleep, feels bad for the intruder:
"If he hears this, I hope he lives," said James. "I'm sorry that I had to shoot him. I was scared and he shouldn't be getting into people's apartment and trying to rob them."
Louisville, Kentucky – Bill Rhodes got a terribly sad surprise during his successful self-defense against an armed home invader. On Wednesday July 1, at about 4:30 AM, his wife heard noise and talking in their home. She woke Rhodes, who armed himself to protect himself and his wife.
A robber had broken in through a back window, wearing a ski mask. Rhodes got into a brief firefight with the intruder. Fortunately, he was unharmed, but the intruder died from multiple gunshot wounds. The one piece of good news was that within 24 hours, the shooting was determined to be self-defense, so Rhodes faces no charges.
But there are other ways to pay, even when you know you did the right thing in saving yourself and your wife. When Rhodes removed the intruder’s ski mask, he found himself looking at his grandson’s face, James Michael Keen.
Keen had a history of steadily-declining behavior, resulting from his drug problem. Neighbors report Keen had burglarized their homes or been confronted by him demanding money.
Keen had stolen from his grandfather before, too. The pistol he shot at his own grandfather was stolen by Keen a few weeks before from Rhodes’s car.
There are other ways for defenders to suffer that they have no control over: heartless comments from people who think an internet connection and a computer equals an opportunity for 15 milliseconds of fame.
There are armchair detectives implying the grandfather was guilty of malfeasance, or some sort of cover-up or other involvement:
“I said in an earlier post to this story that the first news you get on these cases is not always what meets the eye. More will come out of this than just a break-in.”
So now the grandfather must suffer public accusation and humiliation, because somebody who knows nothing believes his ignorance makes him an even bigger expert? Did this person stop to think how this shooting might impact the family? How they may hold Rhodes responsible for Keen’s death?
Then there are personal insults of the deceased: “Just a note on the victims [sic] side...if I had ears like a Ferangi [sic] I would do drugs too.” Did this person consider that Rhodes may have loved his grandson, despite Keen’s drug problem?
Then we have the chest-thumpers:
“If you walk in my place daylight or dark, ski mask or not armed or not and you didn't knock first or ring a door bell you will have several 9mm rounds in your chest and head or a double barrel 12 guage [sic] blast to the chest.”
Did this person stop to think that Rhodes might be experiencing remorse and possibly post-traumatic stress disorder, and that reading such comments may send him into a traumatic recall of shooting his own grandson? Also, some law enforcement folk say that depending on how online statements are worded, they could be cited later as intent to commit murder if the author ends up in a self-defense situation.
Fortunately, there are good people out in cyber-space, too:
“Sadly, the grandfather now has to live with fact that his grandson is dead by his own hand despite the fact that the grandson is directly responsible for his own death.”
Couldn’t have said it better.
Thankfully the man defended himself and his wife.
What if the miscreant grandson had shouted, “Don’t shoot, Grandpa, it’s me!” But no, he attempted to kill his own grandparent(s), so no regrets should ensue.
The man who shot the intruder with his 9mm made one mistake. He should have used a .45. The difference between wounded perp and dead perp.
The latter don’t sue afterward.
I heard this on the news going to work a couple of hours after the shooting. At that time they did not say the grandson was who was shot, only that he had a gun that had been stolen in an earlier theft at the same location. Guess he learned the hard way.
However, stating "there is a significant difference between the 9mm and the .45" is completely misleading. The differences in ballistics are like day and night. The 10mm is also a good choice for defensive rounds. All I can say about the 9mm is that it’s better than nothing and fairly cheap to shoot.
I know this thread isn't about ballistics, but I had to chime in on this one.
Also, if you have concerns about the stopping power of your defense weapons, might want to check this out. There are other similar round, this just happens to be one of my favorites: http://www.pmcammo.com/starfire.html . It’s all about delivering the energy to your target, not letting that energy pass right through the target.
It was going to happen sooner or later. Someone had to do it and it just fell upon the grandpa to be the one.
Yes, the news could also have been, "Local man shot dead by intruder. Police investigating."
No one would have ever known what really happened.
He could of kicked that 9mm up a notch.
http://www.winchester.com/PRODUCTS/catalog/components/handgunbullets.aspx
Thank you!!!! I’ve been selling guns for a decade and a half, and I personally am SICK of hearing “if its not a .45, it aint s**t!”, The .45 is a great round, but its no excuse for poor marksmanship!!! If you shoot a perp in the head or through the heart with a 9mm or a .45 or a .38 for that matter, THEY WILL BE JUST AS DEAD!!!!!!
so thank you to someone who FINALLY shows some common sense!!!
It is a good thing that I did not say that, then.
My little .32 Keltec shoots silver tip bullets reliably and accurately. It’s a small just in case pistol for when your mode of dress won’t hide a larger firearm. The Ruger LCP is a close copy of the Keltec.
Accuracy, Power, Speed.
You can be slower if you have the drop on the bad guy while hiding from hard cover.
You can win with a .22 if you use enough and hit where you want to.
There is no substitute for accuracy. Learn with the lower calibers and work your way up. Contact an IDPA club in your area to learn how to shoot under different circumstances.
that happens when I click the wrong place
Proper shot placement is always critical, and a wide variety of cartridge sizes are lethal when accurately delivered.
But there’s just that extra margin of oomph that I like about the .45 ACP over the others.
There is certainly a difference between the .45 and 9mm. I personally choose the .45, because I prefer its characteristics, but it is not for everyone. 9mm can be a perfectly acceptable choice for a SD round if you take the time to get some practice in, and 9mm is cheap enough that anyone using it should certainly be able to do so. Heck, a .38 or even a .380 can be a good round if you have spent a little time learning how to handle the firearm and learning shot placement. The most important point is that you are using a firearm you feel comfortable with, and are not afraid of. That said, I had a cousin of a friend’s uncle tell me that he read on the interweb that just getting grazed by a .45 is enough to tear your limb off or send your body into shock, so it must be true... ;-)
While .45 is a great anti-personel round I prefer to carry a .40s&w. Mostly because it has more punch then a 9mm, with only marginally more recoil then 9mm. While not as powerful as a .45 my pistol holds 16 rounds including the one in the chamber, compared to 12-13 for a .45 caliber glock. I think it’s a nice compromise.
While .45 is a great anti-personel round I prefer to carry a .40s&w. Mostly because it has more punch then a 9mm, with only marginally more recoil then 9mm. While not as powerful as a .45 my pistol holds 16 rounds including the one in the chamber, compared to 12-13 for a .45 caliber glock. I think it’s a nice compromise.
He may regret that thought. The perp KNOWS where James lives. James might not know what prison the perp is in, let alone his parole date "for good behaviour". Not a good scenario.
He still has a gun, doesn’t he? :)
Old wWII vet told me the first few enemy he killed bothered him the rest he killed didn’t.
That is human nature.
That is human nature.”
He was George “Tex” Ferguson, supposedly the second most decorated U.S. vet in WWII. When he took his shirt off (I only saw it once, at his house in Yuma, Arizona; it was hot) it looked like a road map with the bullet and knife scars.
That is human nature.”
He was George “Tex” Ferguson, supposedly the second most decorated U.S. vet in WWII. When he took his shirt off (I only saw it once, at his house in Yuma, Arizona; it was hot) it looked like a road map with the bullet and knife scars.
well I *heard* that the sight of the muzzle hole will cause cardiac arrest, so ya dont even hafta buy ammo...double 8^}
Well there you go, making one of those thoughtless remarks:
a truly thoughtful person would have noted how much money finishing off the perp would have saved the state medical system!
And I certainly see a lot of those headlines while scouring for armed citizen stories...
One thing’s for sure, Howard’s a loyal reader of the Civilian Gun Defense blog. :-)
“how much money.....saved to the state medical system”
Heh, heh!
You’re right! But you omitted the potential savings to the state legal system, state correctional system, state mental health system, state vocational rehabilitation system, state halfway house system, etc., etc.
Some have posted that the .45 ACP is not a magic bullet. But given equal levels of proficiency and marksmanship in all calibers mentioned, I think the .45’s margin of oomph gives it the edge.
Now, _I_ don’t want to have to be thinking, “Gee, I left my 1911A1 at home and brought this compact nine instead. OK, forget center of mass and concentrate on head shots!”
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