My wife recently purchased a 5-shot snubnose 38 Special -- specifically, the Taurus Model 85 UL. This is partly for personal protection, since I am gone from the home on trips.
She is very anxious about the unlikely event that she could be called upon to confront an intruder in our home.
I gave her the following advice-- If you confront an intruder in our home at like -- 2:00 a.m. in the morning -- fire two or three rounds into the floor.
If the criminal runs away, you are good.
If he attacks, you still have a couple of rounds to shoot the guy.
Location: "...upon the east bank of Big Blue River, a mile or two north of the point where that stream crosses the Michigan road"
Posts: 2,164
I'm not a fan of warning shots. If the intruder is in your home, she should shoot center mass. Don't forget the "+ 1 rule", you should always be prepared for one more threat than you see. Five shots isn't such a surplus to warrant wasting one, much less to waste three.
I am not sure what the self defense and castle doctrine laws are in the state you live in but it seems pretty universal that "warning shots" are a big no no.
You are either at deadly force level or you are not. If you are pressing the shot, even at the floor you should be at that level.
And what if the intruder is armed and shoots/fights back? That happens too you know.
While many people may turn and run, more than a few might shoot back, and they WON'T be shooting into the floor but in the direction of where ever they think your wife is. Even if that is unseen through a door.
Now your wife has 2 shots out a of a less than ideal platform with which to confront the threat AND stop it.
Tell her to barricade herself in a room or in a spot where she has the position of advantage, like down a long hallway etc.
If she is in the bedroom or something she still has a potential position of advantage... as she only has to aim her fully loaded gun right at the closed door. If someone tries to come through that narrow fatal funnel that is your room door then blast away. At least she can then focus all that firepower in one spot right at where she knows the bad guy is.
As soon as she fires off that first shot the bad buy may very well run away which is good. The plus side is that the bad guy also runs the risk of getting shot as an added bonus in the process too.
The consensus among the "pros" is no. While it seems logical, those who teach in this area say to call 911 if you can, then stand your ground from the best position you have predetermined. One other thing I saw and have given some thought to, is if you have your keys present, and the noise seems to be an intrusion, hold down the alarm button which should reach the car in a garage or outside.
While it is easy to spend the other guys money... I would strongly recommend a training class for anyone who is not sure of what course of action they would take.
My 70 year old aunt decided to take her conceal carry class. The instructor wouldn't pass her because (1) she was too scatter-brained and (2) told the instructor she wanted to shoot a person in the leg and didn't want to kill them. When she called me to tell me this I suggested a can of pepper spray. Because some people just aren't meant to have a gun.
Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca
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never use a gun to threaten,
use them to stop that threat.
she needs to fire that gun so many times that it becomes muscle memory to operate it.
and if she ever has to shoot an assailant or assailants
to empty that gun into the threat or threats making every shot count.
If the situation has deteriorated to the point you are confronting a perp, the situation has deteriorated to the point you have to be prepared to shoot and keep shooting until the threat is removed.
If your wife has enough time, dial 911 and then lay the phone down still connected, then yell, "I have a gun, I will shoot, get out of my house." You can't handle a phone, talk and shoot accurately all at the same time. I personally would chose to shoot accurately. If she doesn't have time for the phone or the verbal warning, just aim center of mass and do the best she can with what she's armed with.
Make sure that when she dials 911 with her cell phone that Emergency 911 Call Center is the one that is optimum for your location AND that her physical address comes up on their screen automatically. For instance; I live in Henderson, NV, but because my cell phone was purchased in Las Vegas, NV, the LV Emergency Call Center is the one that would answer my call for 911. I would have to say, "Give me Henderson 911 Dispatch, please." They would do so without saying a word. Then Henderson would NOT have my address on a screen automatically. I would have to verbally give them my address. Things that you need to check out. ........ Big Cholla
Not something I would advice, all it would take is the wrong judge or slick talking attorney to transform that act of warning into a deadly murderous threat. If heaven forbid she were in a situation where she had to discharge the firearm, best to deal directly with the threat.
My 70 year old aunt decided to take her conceal carry class. The instructor wouldn't pass her because (1) she was too scatter-brained and (2) told the instructor she wanted to shoot a person in the leg and didn't want to kill them. When she called me to tell me this I suggested a can of pepper spray. Because some people just aren't meant to have a gun.
00 buck to the knee might sever it causeing death...just sayin
They have been warned about being in other people's homes at 02:00 AM and if they are there those warnings have gone unheeded. They aren't there because they don't know any better, they are there because they are don't care much about there own life and have no regard for your life or your wife's life at all.
like everyone said this is bad advice. If the gun is out it needs to be putting rounds into the intruder unless he runs or becomes very compliant. A handgun has powerful little stopping power to begin with and the miss rate can be high. You can't afford to waste shots that also could wind up being harmful to you as well with a breakup or ricochet.
A gun is a tool to be used to assist in your self defense. It does nothing more or less than fire a piece of metal at speed out of a barrel. It does not stop bad things from happening--it is USED by someone to help make bad things stop happening. It is part of a fighting system--the most important part is YOU.
Bottom line is if you are not willing to shoot the target and stop him or her do not take the gun out.
If your going to discharge your gun into the floor it could give the impression that your afraid to actually use it to protect yourself. It would just be easier to shoot the guy in the leg.
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