We’ve discussed in great length the importance of carrying a self-defense weapon, or having access to one, at all times. The truth is, we never know where tragedy will strike when at home, in the car, on the road in a hotel, etc. Such is the case for an 82 year old man who needed his firearm to defend himself against an intruder who broke in through the window air conditioning unit.
Nothing is sacred; nothing is safe. Criminals intent on hurting you will stop at nothing to make sure that their goals come to fruition, no matter the cost to you. One of the most important things we need to remember, is that if a criminal is brazen enough to break into your home, they are likely willing to eliminate any traces that they were ever there, including your life.
That is one of the main reasons why it is imperative that you’re willing and able to defend yourself against all threats, and understand that you’ll never actually be ready for an attack. And, when I say that you’ll never actually be ready for it, I mean that you won’t know when an attack will come.
Our 82 year old man from a recent Defensive Gun Use was clearly willing to defend himself against an intruder, to which I commend him for. However, after looking at this story in more detail, he wasn’t as able as he could have been.
Of course, we have to take the age of this man into consideration. At the age of 82, fine motor skills aren’t what they once were, and even gross motor skills are likely not tuned up and running in tip-top shape. That, coupled with the fact that even younger, healthier people have a hard time hitting their target when presented with a tremendous amount of stress, we have a recipe for disaster.
Thankfully, he lived. But he didn’t land either of the two shots he fired on his attacker, so it could have turned out very differently.
Getting old is a part of life. Try as we may, we’ll never be able to avoid this basic truth: We are all born, and we will all eventually die. In that process, called life, we get older and witness our bodies deteriorate. Again, nothing we can do about that.
What we can do to ensure our survival against someone who is bigger, stronger, younger, faster, smarter, etc., than we are, is to have the upper hand with a great force equalizer known as a self-defense firearm. The mere owning of a gun is not enough, though.
We cannot just go to the local gun shop, put some cash down on the counter, walk out with our new 9mm pistol, and expect ourselves to be John Wick with it. Now, I’m not saying that this is what our senior citizen did, because I’m all about honesty and I have no clue how much training this man has under his belt.
What we can all learn from this example of a defensive gun use nearly gone wrong, is that no matter our age, no matter our gun training level, no matter our experience or shakiness with our hands, nor how unhealthy we are, we can–and should–all still go to the gun range and practice with our guns on a least a monthly basis.
Period.
Further than that, if we suspect that there is even the slightest chance that we’ll have a break-in occur while we are at our homes, we need to practice maneuvering through our house, unloaded gun in hand, so we know what it’s like should the time ever come when we need to defend our homes from an intruder.
The thing is, while we continue to grow old, we are never old enough to practice our skills to get better. In fact, I’d argue that as you get older, it becomes even more important because your skills may decrease with time, naturally.
I’m much younger than this senior citizen. So, I cannot offer up much in the way of advice for how to train as an elderly person. What I can offer, however, is this: never stop going to the range, and even taking classes from time to time to refresh your skills to make sure you don’t develop any bad habits.
No matter your age, your life is important to someone. Which somehow brings me to my next point …
I cannot highlight how important it is to check your home out for vulnerabilities. I can all but guarantee you that at some point, this man never thought he’d have someone break in through his A/C unit. And yet, it happened to him.
I strongly suggest you check your windows, A/C units, doors, basement, and anything else that someone could exploit to get into your house, because the chance is always there. You may one day end up the victim of a break in if you’re not making sure that everything is secured.
In conclusion, we must never stop our gun training or proficiency in self-defense skills. No amount of training or experience entitles us to grow complacent. Be aware of your surroundings and make sure your house is secure. If your home utilizes window A/C units, secure them in with something. Make sure your doors are locked, and always have a way of defending yourself handy (like a gun) so you may equalize whatever force your are presented with.
If you’d like to read about the old man in greater detail.