Gun Bluffs do not Always Work

No Ammo is Available for the .442 Rimfire Tranter shown

Bluffing with a gun often works.   Most criminals do not wish to be shot; they run away.   But sometimes, the criminal is drugged, crazy, or  determined, and they "call" the bluff, often with direct, aggressive action.  It is then that you need a few skills to keep from being hurt or killed.   First, do not allow the criminal to get close (within five feet) of you.   Inside that distance, it is very hard to stop a determined person who has the advantage of action over reaction.    From klfy.com:

The caller also stated that his 87- year old grandfather confronted the suspect with a shotgun after he made entry into the home. The suspect then pulled the gun away from his grandfather who then fell to the floor and suffered injuries to both arms; they then fled the home...

If they refuse to stop, and continue to close, you would likely be justified in using deadly force.    A person who knows that you have a gun, and is trying to get at it, is a deadly threat.  I say mostly, because if the person with the gun is a 230 lb martial artist, and the person approaching is a 90 lb, 80-year-old woman, the jury may well consider that a lesser degree of force would have worked.   While shotguns can work very well to stop a threat, long guns are considered easier to take away, because of the leverage that they provide.   The problem with bluffing with an unloaded gun, is that you cannot shoot if you need to.

Officers arrived on scene to find four people one of which was the injured grandfather out of the residence. They informed the officers that they believed the suspect was still inside the residence and was in possession of their grandfather's unloaded shotgun.

There are other options.  For long guns, defenders can practice the old bayonet drill, without the bayonet.   Thrust with the muzzle, hard and fast, to the solar plexus, throat or face; then a slashing upward butt stroke (barrel goes over your right or left shoulder); followed by a forward thrusting butt smash.   With a solid stock and a steel buttplate, these actions can kill;  lightweight stocks and recoil pads diminish the effects of the butt strokes considerably.

For handguns, an unloaded handgun of reasonable size still makes a fairly effective short club.  Hold it by the grips, strike with the muzzle.  Front sights often retain skin and blood, which can be valuable DNA evidence.  This sort of abuse can cause damage to the gun.

Personally, I would prefer to have ammunition available, but life is far from perfect.  In the case mentioned, no one was killed.  The 87-year-old grandfather had serious bruises to his arms.   That can cause complications.   Older people are not as resilient and take longer to heal.

The suspect was identified as Perry Tyler (44) of 828 St Cyr St. Opelousas. He told the officers thank you after he was taken into custody. Tyler's behavior was consistent with someone being under the influence of PCP, he was wet and told officers that they, unsure who they was, were after him.

People on drugs such as alcohol, PCP, Meth, or simply adrenaline, can be very hard to stop; sometimes only physical disablement will do.   If you want to understand what physical punishment the human body can take, and still function, I recommend reading what Medal of Honor Awardees did.  Some of them even survived.

 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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